Professor Leila Ahmed's Article Reinventing The Veil '

186 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Place and role of woman in society

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

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Politics Of The Veil By Joan Scotts

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Islamic Versus Christian Marriage

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    Del Collins, M. (2003). To veil or not to veil, that was the question: A feminist's journey through the Land of Jordan. Women and Language, 26(1), 61+.

    Read More

  • Burqa Ban

    1726 Words  | 4 Pages

    July 13, 2010- The National Assembly of France passed "the French ban on face coverings" also dubbed the Burqa Ban. This ban makes any face covering, including the niqab, and long robes like the abaya illegal in public. The face covering ban (Burqa Ban) in France takes the façade of protecting Muslim women from oppression who are allegedly coerced into wearing modest and full coverings, but reality it is just as oppressive to take away a person's right to wear what they desire. And what makes this worse is that feminist can't wait for the ban to spread, especially to the democratic and progressive countries in Europe and in the West. Even the feminists believe that women wear abayas by force and that those who wear it are abused and degraded, and so they push support at the unjust ban which violates basic freedom. The feminist doctrine calls for an equality and advocates freedom for women, freedom from societal stereotypes and archetypes, domesticized roles, and domineering impositions from social authorities which threaten the value of a woman.

    Read More

  • Feminism In Muslim Women

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    Violence against women is prevalent throughout the Islamic world. The Middle East is one of the many areas that continue to oppress its women. Countries such as Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia still believe in a patriarchal culture; so, many of the people living there have an extreme traditionalist perspective. Women in the Middle East face many hardships, such as polygamy, sexual and domestic violence, forced marriages, strict dress codes, and so on. The Muslim women who acknowledge this inequality and seek to balance it—identify themselves as Islamic feminists. Islamic feminism is a new generation of feminism that has surfaced during the past two decades, as women's issues became an integral part of the modern Islamic discussion. The women involved with this movement seek to challenge and change these outdated perspectives by attacking the root of the problem: the verses in the Quran—which were interpreted solely by men. It is not just the verses, it is also everyday Arabic words that have different meanings, but they also hinder the progression of women—because Muslim men think that only their definition applies. By re-analyzing the interpretations of this religious text and Arabic words, Islamic feminists believe that their perspectives on these things could change the patriarchal culture that exists in Muslim societies.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Women In The Middle East Essay

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oppression is defined as the unfair treatment of people by a cruel government. The International Society for Human Rights thinks that the current human rights situation is actually getting worse. Examples of this treatment include: murder, domestic violence, deprivation of education, wearing the burqa, and young girls forced into marriage. According to the Islamic religion, women belong to men, and as a result, have no authority over them. Therefore, gender equality does not exist in the Middle East. Life in the Middle East as a woman is very dangerous. In some Middle Eastern countries, women face abuse if they show their hair. These women are forced to conform to the veiling for their safety and their well-being. Many women claim they voluntarily wear these face coverings, but this is just a ploy to prevent themselves harm or rejection from

    Read More

  • Analysis of Lila Abu-Lughod’s Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Minister's Black Veil

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Minister’s Black Veil, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1836, is a parable about a minister, Mr. Hooper, who constantly wears a mysterious black veil over his face. The people in the town of Milford, are perplexed by the minister’s veil and cannot figure out why he insists on wearing it all of the time. The veil tends to create a dark atmosphere where ever the minister goes, and the minister cannot even stand to look at his own reflection. In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's literary work, The Minister 's Black Veil, the ambiance of the veil, separation from happiness that it creates, and the permanency of the black veil symbolize sin in people’s lives.

    Read More

  • France Bans the Muslim Burqa and Veil

    1472 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within the Middle East, the largest population of the men and women are Muslim. The Muslim religion suggests that women wear a veil or hijab, which is a head scarf that only exposes a woman’s eyes, accompanied by a burqa which is a full body cloak. The sole purpose of the clothing is to cover a woman’s feminine features from men’s eyes. The Qur’an, an Islamic scripture, supports and slightly obligates the uniform by saying that women are to be conservative, “let them wear their head covering over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” (Qur’an). It could be inferred that women wear the burqa and veil willingly because of their geographical location. However, when Muslim women are withdrawn from the Middle East, and are placed within other countries such as France, they become a minority group, which attracts attention because of their uncommon customs.

    Read More

  • Muslim Oppression Research Paper

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    Having first hand encounters, seeing women and children being beaten, showed how much oppression is still present in those areas today. In the area I was deployed to seeing a Muslim women wearing a burqa definitely was a sign of oppression to me after the things I seen on a daily basis. According to Ilene R. Prusher who wrote “Symbol of Both Oppression and Freedom” she quotes Shaban Omary who argues “the veil is a central part of God’s protection against the mistreatment of women and that gender relations will only improve when more women obey the call to cover themselves.” How can some argue that the veil is a protection against the mistreatment of women when in Securing Afghan Women: Neocolonialism, Epistemic Violence, and the Rhetoric of the Veil written by Kevin J. Ayotte and Mary E. Husain stated “It has been well documented that women in Afghanistan have been beaten simply for accidentally letting an inch of skin show” (United Nations 2000, 7; Amnesty International 1999; Physicians for Human Rights 1998, 52). A piece fabric is supposed to protect the Muslim from the gaze of other men, but how is it going to protect them from the every day violence they experience from the men of their

    Read More

  • Islamophobia Essay

    2152 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Controversy Of Hijab

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the film you could see that some of the women were being ridiculed for wearing hijab. You could also see debated between Muslims that were basically arguments about if you are required to wear hijab or not. The reason they feel that it is an empowering decision either way is because in some cultures you may be conforming by wearing a veil or you could be going against the social norm. This means that by wearing one you could be making a feminist statement or a religious statement but you can also make the same statement by not wearing a veil. It all comes down to the culture you are in at that

    Read More

  • Protecting Cultural Distinctiveness: The Key to a Thriving Future in America

    2016 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wing, Adrien Katherine, and Monica Nigh Smith. "Critical Race Feminism Lifts the Veil: Muslim Women, France, and the Headscarf Ban." UC Davis L. Rev. 39 (2005): 743.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Burqa Ban

    1548 Words  | 4 Pages

    The main reason Muslim women choose to wear the veil is that it allows a woman to be taken seriously and respected for her inner beauty and mind as opposed to her body (Friedman 39). This belief is something that many Muslim women have been taught from a young age. In western society, the Islamic culture seems male driven because women wear more clothing. From a Muslim’s viewpoint, it may seem as though the western society is male driven because women are expected to wear less clothing. People’s perspective on what is right and what is wrong has a lot to do with the culture they grow up in and what they are taught.

    Read More

  • Muslim Women´s Hijab

    2095 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wearing the burqa and veil by Muslim women in France has become a controversial topic. The burqa and veil are recognized in France as a conflicti...

    Read More

  • Women Rights in Islam

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Women’s rights in Islam” is great controversial topic going on nowadays. The world is colored with different cultures and religions. Most people come up with different thoughts for other religion’s people by just having one look on them. Veil is obsession for some people, whereas, being bald is freedom in some people’s point of view. There are lots of misconceptions about women’s rights in Islam among non muslims. If women are covering their body or if they like to stay at home, people think that they don’t have any freedom in this religion and women are obsessed. But this is not reality. A person cannot point out anything wrong and blame other’s religion just because of his own confusion. He needs to study thoroughly and then come up with opposing viewpoints. Therefore, the misconception about women’s rights in Islam should be removed because women have equal rights, veil is for their protection, and they have freedom of speech and expression.

    Read More

More about Professor Leila Ahmed's Article Reinventing The Veil '

Open Document