They are denied the right to an education. The windows of their homes must be painted black so no one passing by can see their faces. They are the women of Afghanistan, brutally oppressed by the fading Taliban regime.

Since Sept. 11, those of the Islamic faith have been forced to repeatedly distance themselves from the militant Taliban, striving to educate the public of the extreme differences between them.

Timothy Gianotti, assistant professor of religious studies, feels that the treatment of the Afghan women should reflect the stronghold of the Taliban and not a generalization of Muslims.

"Afghanistan is not representative of all Muslim nations or Muslims," he said.

He feels it is extremely necessary to clearly distinguish between the roles of Muslim women, and the nonexistent roles of the Muslim women of Afghanistan.

"Islam awarded women with the basic rights. Like the right to property and the right to divorce. It gave women rights," Gianotti said.

He also noted how progressive the religion of Islam is in terms of women's rights and stature.

Gianotti also wanted to make very clear the avoidance of following traditional Islamic rules in Afghanistan.

"The Islamic principles are totally ignored in Afghanistan by forbidding education and the right to work. Islam has never even recognized the Taliban," he said.

In the midst of the conflict in the Middle East, Gianotti anticipates change.

"One can only hope in the chaos, there will be more of a response in regards to women's rights," he said.

Julie Belz, assistant professor of applied linguistics and German, agrees with Gianotti. Belz, a Muslim, feels it is important to dispel all of the myths created by the media surrounding the religion of Islam since Sept. 11.

"Unfortunately what's newsworthy are the extreme images that do not represent us," Belz said.

She is also concerned with the connections people make between culture and religion.

"It is easy to see cultural practices in the other parts of the world and misinterpret that culture as religion. Culture influences religion, but they are not the same," she added.

She referred to the Koran, the holy book that is considered to be the word of God to Muslims.

"It is important to note that the Koran, created 1,400 years ago, gave women many rights. The right to be educated, the right to bear witness and even the right to vote," she said.

She wants people to understand that the images of the oppressed Afghan women being portrayed on television have no relation to the true word of the Koran.

Belz, while concerned about the treatment of the women in Afghanistan, says she is more concerned with the treatment of Muslims in the United States.

"What about the racial profiling of Muslims?" she said. "That defies understanding."

Sahar Saba, a spokesperson for the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), discussed the treatment of Afghan women in an online chat with CNN.com.

"There are many factors for this treatment of women by the Taliban, or Northern Alliance or any fundamentalist group. Many of these people were raised or trained from childhood in a way to be against women, that women are nothing for them and of no value for them.

"Many of them have never seen women or talked to them, let alone thought of their freedom," Saba said in a chat transcript.

Saba reiterated the point that the situations of Afghan women are not found in any other Islamic country.

"We believe that other women are suffering, but it's not really comparable to what the women of Afghanistan have experienced. They want to see peace, security, and freedom. It can happen in any Islamic or non-Islamic country. It's needed for human beings," she said.