Muslim Women
When I chose the topic of Americanization of immigrant Muslim women, I think I expected a straightforward, easy to categorize, research project. On the contrary, what I found was surprisingly different. While I think of myself as a liberal, open-minded female, this project gave me a very new perspective on myself and many of my views as well. Muslim women living in the United States are quite honestly more diverse, more complex, more structured, more contemplative, and more culturally intuitive than I could have ever imagined in my limited experience and knowledge of them. The ‘Americanization’ I sought to illustrate turned out to resemble something closer to a religio-cultural tug-of-war than the predicted homogeneous transformation, or adaptation, to our Western society and religious orientation.
The women whose lives I read about (individually as well as in group studies) seemed without exception to be in a constant state of tension from numerous external and internal sources. The many token examples of varying degrees of Americanization- or in some cases, resistance to this phenomenon- included, but were not limited to, wanting to uphold traditional homeland customs and practices; asserting new freedoms to take on more responsibility in religious and political arenas; working to improve traditional inadequacies of U.S. mosques to better accommodate women of faith; the dilemma of appropriate dressing for religious and professional communities; challenging traditional and current marriage practices and the difficulties associated with them; and maybe most significantly, combating the general naiveté, or even outright discriminatory ignorance of Americans about Islam. Considering the fact that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world (between new births and the increasing number of conversions), and the United States is arguably the most influential and powerful country in the world, the last of these examples must, and will, be given some extra attention at the end of this paper.
Finding Balance Between Islamic Tradition and U.S. Culture
Although almost every source I consulted stressed the progressive nature of the Quran and its ability to adapt to changing society, I found that a main thrust of the American Muslim communities was best exemplified in a quote from Carol L. Anway, that women strive toward “b...
... middle of paper ...
...usaf Ali.” 12-18. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, Ph.D, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2001. .
Anway, Carol L. “American Women Choosing Islam.” Muslims on the Americanization Path? Ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and John L. Esposito. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000. 145-160.
Aswad, Barbara. “Attitudes of Immigrant Women and Men in the Dearborn Area Toward Women’s Employment and Welfare.” Muslim Communities in North America. Ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Jane Idleman Smith. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1994. 501-519.
Hathout, Samer. “Challenges Facing American Muslim Women.” http://www.islamfortoday.com/americanmuslimwomen.htm.
Hermansen, Marcia K. “Two-Way Acculteration: Muslim Women in America Between Individual Choice (Liminality) and Community Affiliation (Communitas).” The Muslims of America. Ed. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 1991. 188-201.
Smith, Jane I. “Women’s Issues in American Islam.” The Duncan Black MacDonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. Hartford Seminary, Hartford CT, 2002. http://macdonald.hartsem.edu/smithart1.htm.
...areas of emphasis. In contrast, Leila Ahmed analyzes representations and mores of Muslim women in different social and religious contexts in order to draw conclusions about their effect on women’s--and men’s in relation to women’s--status, in earlier periods of Islam, as well as the further-reaching implications they have had for modern Muslim societies.
Tucker, Judith E., and University Georgetown. Arab Women: Old Boundaries, New Frontiers .Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
The Islamic women of Afghanistan are denied many of the same liberties that Americans take for granted everyday. Although the religion that they have faith in, according to Janelle Brown’s “Terror’s First Victims”, “guarantee[s] women status in society as individuals and religious d...
Ever pass by Muslim woman in a hijab at the mall or park and think how oppressive and restraining her culture must be? Maysan Haydar, a New York social worker who practices the Muslim tradition of veiling, believes otherwise. In her article, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering,” Haydar highlights on her experiences as a Muslim living in an American culture, where showing more skin is the “norm.” Haydar speaks specifically to a crowd who unconsciously makes assumptions about certain Muslim practices, in hopes of sharing the truth behind them. Haydar suggests that, contrary to popular belief, not all Muslim women cover themselves strictly as an “oppressive” religious practice, but that some women, like herself, find
Moore, Kathleen M. “Muslims in the United States: Pluralism under Exceptional Circumstances.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 612, Religious Pluralism and Civil Society (July 2007). 116-132.
Shabana Mir authored the book “Muslim American Women on Campus: Undergraduate Social Life and Identity” in The University of North Carolina Press in the year 2014. In her book, Shabana explains how Muslim American college students face difficulties in there colligate career. She provides examples of what actions she had to do when she was in college and what other Muslim Americans are doing right now in college. She claims that Muslim Americans that live on college campuses have to hide their culture and true identities to fit in with the “regular” Americans. Also, she says that Muslim Americans have some “Painful” maturing to do as they live and interact with a diverse group of people in college. And lastly, she explains how Muslim Americans
The first religion and its views on women that will be discussed in this essay is Islam. Islam is a religions founded in Saudi Arabia almost two thousand years ago, by the prophet Muhammad. In fact, Muhammad dedicated much attention towards women in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. However, even though much was dedicated to women in the Koran, it was not dedicated to them in the sense of equality. Women in Islamic culture were apparently much lower on the totem pole than men, "The men are made responsible for the women, since God endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners...If you experience opposition from the women, you shall first talk to them, then [you may use such negative incentives as] deserting them in bed, then you may beat them (129)." Excerpt...
This essay shall undertake a critical evaluation of the changes Western culture has had on Muslim woman in Morocco and how it has impacted their cultural norms. This shall be achieved by examining the changes in the areas of health, marital life, and education. Consideration shall be given to traditional Muslim life in Morocco and the changes that have been experienced in this country, before examining what may be described as a toxic infestation of Western culture and its effects and a conclusion reached.
The author describes how Muslim American women’s student’s identities in the campus culture are being oppressed. The campus culture is portrayed
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.
E. Anway, Carol, L (Dec 95) Daughters Of Another Path: Experiences Of American Women Choosing Islam. Missouri: Yawna Publications.
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
The counterarguments against the poster brought forward by these Muslim women raise important issues facing Muslim American identity today. Thus, the complex tradition of othering in the creation of American identity must be expanded upon. As explained by Jan Radway, “American national identity is… constructed in and through relations of difference” and that “American [is] always relationally defined and therefore intricately dependent on ‘others’ that are used both materially and conceptually to mark its boundaries.”6 In the current post-9/11 political milieu, the ‘other’ is Muslim, which created the need for a strongly defined American identity that stands in opposition to the ‘dangerous radical’ Muslim. This is evident in the recent proposed
In 2006, complaints of civil rights stemming from Muslim groups have significantly increased from 366 to 2,467. An increase of over 600%.[1] The discrimination against Muslims have escalated over the last decade due to the devastating event of 9/11. Muslims, in general, faced racial profiling and discrimination as a result. However, if we take a step back and look at the issue we can see that the Muslim women are facing ten times more discrimination. Muslim women are generally seen as inferior to men and are treated as second-class citizens. This kind of behavior occurs in the Muslim communities outside of the United States. The discrimination is only worse in the United States. They are seen as a threat. Today, Muslim women are channeling
Women who have the misfortune of living in predominately Muslim societies often are confronted with adversities concerning their rights in marriage, divorce, education, and seclusion. Consequently, many Westerners seeing a lack of equality towards women in these societies consider it as a confirmation of their own misconceptions about Islam itself. Islam is often rejected as being an intolerant and violent religion that discriminates against and subjugates women, treating them as second-class citizens. From a Muslim’s perspective, Islam’s stance on women can be approached by two opposing views. Scholars amongst the Muslim apologists have claimed, “The verses in the Qur’an represented Muhammad's intention to improve a debased condition of women that prevailed during the Jahiliya, the time of ignorance before Islam came into being.” (Doumato, 177) If inequalities still exist between men and women, they cannot be attributed to Islam, but are a result of the misinterpretation of Islam’s true meaning. Others have entirely denied the notion of inequality between men and women in Islam, claiming that the alleged inequalities “are merely perceived as such by foreign observers who confuse seclusion and sex difference with inequality.” (Ibid.) Many Muslim apologists defend the Koran as noble for the very fact that it raises women to an equal status of men despite their inferiority.