This article by Lila Abu-Lughod discusses the idea that western culture frequently views Muslim women as inherently oppressed and in need of “saving” by the west. Abu-Lughod specifically focuses on how many view the veil as a representation of the lack of a women’s autonomy in her own life. The article explicitly states that many interpret a woman’s veil as the universal sign of their lack of freedom. Abu-Lughod points out a hypocrisy upon western countries when it comes to their desire to “free” women of the oppression they face, stating they are focusing on the implications of the veil and not on serious issues, such as the safety of women. Similar to Bernadette Andrea’s article, Abu-Lughod discusses the attitudes towards Muslim women, whether it be their perceived societal standing or the fact that they wear a veil. Ethnocentrism in western countries has led to the feeling of superiority over the women in Muslim countries. Western countries have their own feminist ideals, and they will impose their standards upon the rest of the world. They see Muslim women as inherently oppressed by their culture, frequently judging without understanding the history, politics, or societal standards of a particular country. …show more content…
By free, they obviously mean free like an American or European woman. They view Muslim women as poor women who need their aid in becoming like them. In stating that Muslim women “need saving,” the idea of superiority over them arises. What this really says is, “We think we are better than you. Therefore, you must conform to our cultural practices. It’s for your own good.” Abu-Lughod states that this mentality deserves to be challenged. It shows a lack of awareness of Muslim countries and the western world’s tendency to view other countries with a sense of cultural
The article “My Body Is My Own Business” by Naheed Mustafa is about an Islamic women’s principle that putting on her usual headscarf, or Hijab, actually empowers her as a female, contrary to the popular principle that the hijab represents male oppressiveness. She ex...
Muslim Women and Western Ideas of Feminism Western feminists aim for completely equal rights for men and women. They want to liberate women from perceived oppressions from men. Their aims are to give women completely free choice in their decisions. Such examples are child-bearing. This is a good view to the extent that men and women were created equally and so they should be treated equally.
Muslims, Sikhs, and many other religious affiliations have often been targeted for hate crimes, racial slurs, and misfortunate events. We are all different in our own ways some are good and some are bad yet one event changes everything for everyone affiliated with the group. The book The Politics of the Veil by Joan Scott a renowned pioneer in gender studies gives a detailed and analytical book of about the French views towards the Muslim females in France during 2004. The author talks about why the French governments official embargo of wearing conspicuous signs is mainly towards the headscarves for Muslim girls under the age of eighteen in public schools. The main themes of book are gender inequality, sexism, and cultural inequality historical schools used in the book are history of below, woman’s history, cultural history, and political history. In this essay, I will talk about why Joan Scotts argument on why the French government’s ban on wearing conspicuous signs was
In Lila Abu-Lughod’s “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others” the relationship between Islam and its female members is examined. Specifically, the “oppressions” put on women who partake in Islam within the boundaries of Afghanistan. “Oppressions” is in quotes here because Western civilization, such as the United States, assumes that women who participate in Islam are discriminated against and oppressed. Abu-Lughod goes into great detail about the politics of one of the greatest Western signs of oppression-the veil.
Fatemeh Fakhraie’s essay “Scarfing it Down,” explains how Muslim women suffer because of what they wear. Fakhraie blogs about Muslim women in her website she explains; “Seeing ourselves portrayed in the media in ways that are one-dimensional and misleading." Several people judge Muslim's by their appearance because they assume they're a bad person. The author of this essay wants the reader to know that Muslim women wearing a hijab are not a threat to the world.
Women’s rights in the Middle East are being restricted, therefore there are many different reactions. Some people were in favor of women having equal rights while there are some who are against women to have the same rights. Since before times, many countries in the Middle East have been taking women for granted and minimized their rights by telling them they can't do something or selling them as if they were prized. When women were treated as prizes it was a practice in Afghanistan called Ba’ad that used women as the compensation, for example a story of a girl named Sakina. She was a consolation prize so that her brother could marry a woman and the Jirga system told her she had to marry a 80 year old guy when she was like 18. This tells me
Professor Leila Ahmed, active Islamic feminist, in her article “Reinventing the veil” published in the Financial Times assumes that there is a connection between “advancement” and veiling, which means that unveiled women are advanced and vice versa. In addition, she supports that it led to increasing rate of violence. She questions why women wear veil, that is considered as “symbol of patriarchy and women’s oppression”. However, research changed her position towards wearing veil. Firstly, she states that wearing veil was essential for women, because it could be beneficial and influence to how people treat women, in terms of job, marriage and free movement in public. Secondly, her assumption was explained while interviewing women, who stated
One primary reason why Middle Eastern men oppress women is their deeply rooted belief system as well as their needs. For example, their belief that the Middle Eastern woman’s duty is being a dedicated homemaker encourages them to disallow her from seeking an education. Ramsay M. Harik and Elsa Martson, revisit this concept in their book, Woman in the Middle East, as they state that many males convince their women that education is unnecessary nor relevant to their household responsibilities. "The girl will spend her life cooking and having babies, why does she need to read or write? This was a common attitude in much of the Middle East until the last fifty years or so" (24). The common consensus was that once educated, these women would question many of the injustices suffered, would demand better treatment...
(Un)veiled: Muslim Women Talk About Hijab is a documentary that tackles the role of veils such as the Hijab or Niqab in the lives of Muslim women. Recognizing that Islam encompasses over a billion people worldwide, the documentary features the narratives of multiple women from across the globe. The film contextualizes conversations about the Hijab through factors like culture and religion to produce a well-rounded portrayal of Muslim discourse within the community. While (Un)veiled does an excellent job of disrupting the notion that Islam is monolithic by including variety of interviewees and perspectives, it merely complicates the assertion that veiled Muslim women are oppressed by failing to establish if wearing a Hijab or Niqab is a woman’s
Lila Abu-Lughod’s article titled, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” takes a closer look at the problematic ethnocentric approach many have when trying to gain an understanding of another culture that may be foreign to that individual. In this analytical paper, Lughod looks at women in Islam, specifically the treatment of women and how it might be utilized as a justification for invading into a country and liberating its people. The country Lughod refers to in her article is Afghanistan, and Lughod points out the misunderstanding from the people to the Bush administration like First Lady Laura Bush who believed that intervention was necessary to free women from the captivity of their own homes. It is important to consider the role that different lenses play into all of this, especially when one’s lenses are being shaped by the media. Depictions of covered women secluded from society leave a permanent image in the minds of many, who would then later support the idea of liberation. This paper will discuss that the practice of using propaganda when referring to the lifestyle in the Middle East is not exclusive to the U.S; rather it has been utilized throughout history. Additionally, we will take a closer look on the importance of symbols, such as veils in this case; help to further emphasize the cause to liberate. Finally, we will analyze Lughod’s plea towards cultural relativism and away from liberal imperialism.
has contributes to the issues that Muslim American experience, which are prejudice and discrimination. In the U.S. perspective, Islam–and therefore all Muslims–are associated with the stereotypical Western views. More precisely, stereotypes such as: representing Muslim women as being oppressed (Peek 281), associating Muslims as terrorists (Sethi 145-146), and categorizing them as “un-American” (Peek 278). For example, oppression is when several related forces conspire to immobilize, reduce and mold the lives of individuals (Frye 152). Muslim women are portrayed in the media as an oppressed victim by being forced to wear her headscarf, forced to be submissive to men, and forced to stay in the domestic environment while women in the west in the same situation are seen as choosing that lifestyle (Peek 281).
299). The study consisted of having in-depth personal interviews to share their experiences of being a Muslim American woman (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 300). Veiling to these women was a way of freedom while also having a Muslim identity (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). It was also a source of behavior control, to not be sexually objectified, a way of commanding respect from others and even a source of checking their own behavior (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). One of the women interviewed said, veiling to her was a way to feel connected to other Muslim woman who veil (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 302). Veiling can be a way to feel connected to your religion and God as well as being connected to those who practice the same faith, it can be considered an act of membership. Many of the women interviewed noted they have been removed from planes, been treated unfairly, and have had strangers shout at them all for just being Muslim and being more visibly recognized from veiling (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 303). This is an example of how media can affect the general population. When the media only shows radicals and compares all Muslims to being terrorist or dangerous they are actually putting Muslim people at risk of being assaulted in public. Muslim woman in particular are more at risk for being assaulted as they are more identifiable. So while veiling can be a source of empowerment and freedom for women it is a double-edged sword because it also puts them at further risk of being
Within the Muslim world, the Quran, Hadith and their religious messages are often misinterpreted and taken out of context by the believers themselves, and that might lead Muslims to unjustly treat each other. Islamic feminism is a social movement created in the 1990s that thrives to promote women’s holy rights granted by Allah through various interpretations of Qur’an verses (Tafsir) and the Hadith (Prophet Muhammad’s words) in order to put Muslim women in their just place solely based on the principles of their religion. The ultimate goal of Muslim feminists it to liberate women and themselves from wrong patriarchy and change the generally negative Western perception on Islam and its laws regarding the “gentle gender”. While some Muslim activists portray the explanation and promotion of a Qur’an-instructed gender equity and social justice as any Muslim woman's right, others, conversely, refuse to label such a practice as Islamic feminism and depict it as a woman-focused understanding of the Hadith and Holy Qur'an. Aysha A. Hidayatullah argues in her article (“Feminist interpretation of the Qur’an in a comparative feminist setting”) that according
While people in the west think that women in Islam are oppressed, they do not know that Islam liberated women from oppression. There are many people who have opinions about the religion of Islam, but mostly about the women who follow it. Westerners have this idea that women in Islam are disrespected, mistreated and oppressed. In actuality, these allegations are incorrect. Women in Islam have rights and are not oppressed. The veil is widely misunderstood and many do not know what it represents. In many ways, men and women are equal as much as they are not; and this is in every religion.
Even though the main responsibilities of Muslim women are to take care of children, serve the husband, follow gender-specific commandments, traditional responsibilities and assistance in political as well as religious decisions are still held by women in Islam. Many teachings of Muhammad that protected the dignity of women contain one of his most well-known sayings about this topic: "...the best among you are those who treat their wives well." So it can be stated that women are not oppressed in Islam. Among the reasons of perceiving Muslim women as victims of oppression stands head and body covering.