Hi Martha,
Sometimes questions like this can get complicated when they are posed by someone outside the culture being studied. This issue could arise if a classroom included students from Muslim families with non-western views on gender roles. I can imagine that a discussion of the proper role of women could create a divisive debate among Muslims, and could be even more divisive if posed by someone from another culture. This gets tricky, because valid and engaging questions should not be abandoned simply because they might be controversial, yet effective classrooms are built on trust, and that trust might be tested by a question that could be viewed as critical of Muslim culture. Tricky questions, I don't have good answers.
Sometimes questions like this can get complicated when they are posed by someone outside the culture being studied. This issue could arise if a classroom included students from Muslim families with non-western views on gender roles. I can imagine that a discussion of the proper role of women could create a divisive debate among Muslims, and could be even more divisive if posed by someone from another culture. This gets tricky, because valid and engaging questions should not be abandoned simply because they might be controversial, yet effective classrooms are built on trust, and that trust might be tested by a question that could be viewed as critical of Muslim culture. Tricky questions, I don't have good answers.