As an Arab American, a Muslim and a woman writer, Mohja Kahf challenges the stereotypes and misrepresentation of Arab and Muslim women. Her style is always marked by humor, sarcasm, anger and confrontation. “The Marvelous Women,” “The Woman Dear to Herself,” “Hijab Scene #7” and “Hijab Scene #5” are examples of Kahf’s anger of stereotypes about Muslim women and her attempts to fight in order to eradicate them, in addition to her encouragement to women who help her and fight for their rights. In “The Marvelous Women”, Kahf praises women who have a strong desire to fight in order to have their rights and eliminate the patriarchal system. She also describes how women’s stories and experiences help her to write poetry, which is her way to confront the stereotypes against women. Mohja Kahf opens the poem by describing women’s state in the society. She says, “All women speak two languages” (2003, 51). First, women speak “the language of men” (51) because of the patriarchal system since women have no voice in the society and cannot express their opinions and thoughts. Second, women speak “the language of silent suffering.” (51). Their stories give them voice especially the stories of inequality and injustice. However, Kahf’s wonderful friends speak a third language, which is the language of queens because they are strong, courageous and wise. In the second stanza, the poet says that women are the cause that make her write poems because of the stereotypes against them, which give her a strong desire to challenge. Therefore, she takes women’s stories and writes them in poetry. She describes herself as a “seamstress” and without the dresses of women, she would be a seamstress without work, but her friends give her their dresses (their stori... ... middle of paper ... .... 2003. Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy. February 7. Accessed April 2, 2014. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-topics/. Tai, Teresa. 2012. "blog spot". November 12. Accessed March 20, 2014. http://altcommonspace.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-lines-what-else-do-you-need-to-know.html. "First-wave feminism". 2014. Wikipedia. April 8. Accessed April 11, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-wave_feminism. " Second-wave feminism". 2014. Wikipedia. March 31. Accessed April 11, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-wave_feminism. " Third-wave feminism". 2014. Wikipedia. April 9. Accessed April 11, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-wave_feminism. "Feminism". n.d. Wikipedia. Accessed March 28, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism. Wingfield, Marvin, and Bushra Karaman. 1995. "ADC". March. Accessed April 1, 2014. http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=283.
Both el Saadawi and Al-Shaykh both show how perception and expression are both affected within the confines of politics, social opportunities, and male privilege depicted in their stories. Whether the reader is a follower of the feminist movement or not, it is very clear and easy to see that these women are not being treated with the respect that any human being deserves. The misogynistic stranglehold on society, especially in this part of the world, is excessive and avoidable in today’s world but it is very likely that the traditional, conservative ways of the past will continue to control and inhibit women from being able to be fully treated as equals for many years to come, perhaps even after this generation has
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...
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
She makes the case that Western feminists have radically misinterpreted the veil. For many Muslim women, the veil acts as a divide between the public and private. The veil may actually liberate women from “the intrusive, commodifying, basely sexualizing Western gaze”. The veil frees women from the oppressive hyper-sexualization of found in Western culture. Reducing the veil to a symbol of oppression disregards the possibility of female agency outside a Western feminist paradigm. The veil has the potential to liberate women in the public space. Projecting our Western notions of sexuality and gender roles denies the possibility of different forms of sexual
12 Nov. 2013. Tucker, Judith E., and Georgetown University. Arab Women: Old Boundaries, New Frontiers. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost).
The fate and struggles of these characters address the tragedy of the under representation of women’s experiences, and a fatal flaw of societies which do not grant women equal status. Sexuality, privileging of males in terms of status law (and women’s control over their own choices in marriage), inheritance rights, restrictions on female mobility, lack of representation of women’s experiences, violence against women, the intersection between nationalist/ resistance struggles and women’s rights, tensions between modernization and cultural preservation, the haunting specter of (and the need to divorce their goals from those associated with) colonial or Westernizing forces, etc. are all issues represented in this book, that are major concerns of Middle Eastern feminist scholars and movements today.
Many stereotypes present in modern day society portray Arab women, or more precisely, Muslim women, as having little to no independence or power. These stereotypes assert that Muslim women are oppressed both physically and psychologically, and that as a result of such outrageous treatment these women are psychologically weak. As with all stereotypes, this is a misconception. Blanket statements announcing one group of people as exhibiting the same characteristics are patently incorrect. The stereotype that Muslim women are all psychologically dependent can never be judged true, because there are always, always, exceptions to such statements. Thanks to the literary talents of three Muslim women authors who demonstrate they are the exception to such a rule, the lives of three powerful and mentally tenacious Muslim women are described in detail and reveal how strong Muslim women, or any woman for that matter can truly be.
Schimmel, Annemarie. My Soul Is a Woman: The Feminine in Islam. New York: Continuum, 1997. Print.
Have you ever wondered about what it would be like if you weren’t allowed to wear a simple outfit like a pair of jeans and a t-shirt ? Or even be allowed to cut your hair ? To Americans, life would kind of suck because we wouldn’t be able to do the things that we wanted to do. In Kathleen Jamie’s essay “ Among Muslims”, she talks about the women in Pakistan and how they aren’t allowed to wear what they call “immodest clothing” because it’s disowning to their culture. She records their daily lives as well as their social life and the role they play in the world, all in an effort to reveal what it really means to be a Shia girl.
Now more than ever the Muslim faith is being put into the spotlight. America continues attempts at banning 7 Muslim majority countries from entering the country. With all this negative publicity, there has been an increase in hate crimes towards Muslim people. It is often hard to tell a person’s faith just by their appearance. However, women who practice Islam are required to wear veils which cover their hair. By wearing the veil these women are susceptible to hate crimes since they can be identified as practicing Muslims. Additionally, in the Western society the women who wear the veil are often seen as oppressed. Homa Hoodfara, a professor at Concordia University, discusses the Western Societies’ views on veiled Muslim women in her article The Veil in their Minds and On Our Heads: The Persistence of Colonial Images of Muslim Women. In this article Homa discusses the negative interpretation that the Western society has on the veil. She also explains how these negative views contribute to prejudice views and the discrimination of veiled women. Lastly, Homa tries to explain how veiled Muslim women and women in general living in the Western society both suffer from female oppression.
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.
One of Sultana Yusufali’s strongest arguments in “My body is my own business” is her scrutinization of the exploitation of female sexuality. Initially Yusufali writes about the injudicious individuals that assume she is oppressed by her hijab. Thereafter, she describes them as “brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress”. Moreover, Yusufali’s word choice is intriguing as she utilizes the word “brave” when laymen hear this word they habitually associate the aforementioned with heroic, valiant and courageous. Consequently, Yusufali ensues to comprise her opinions on the hijab and how it carries a number of negative connotations in western society. Furthermore, Yusufali proceeds to strike on the importance
Since the September Eleventh attacks by Islamic extremists at the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, Islamic culture has come under scrutiny by Americans more so than at any other period in the history of the ancient religion. One area that is often criticized by the American main stream media is the role of women in Islamic culture; it is almost common knowledge now that Islam subjugates women to a degree not seen since the Medieval Ages, and is backwards in all aspects of gender relations. Like many stereotypes, this one is overblown, exaggerated, and often completely incorrect. Women have been a fundamental part of Islamic culture since the founding of the Muslim faith. Women have had tremendous influence in all areas of Islamic culture including education, politics, economic concerns, and religious interpretation; by examining each of these four areas, it become clear that women have tremendous opportunities within mainstream Islam. Of course, certain hardline regimes like the one currently holding power in Iran will always oppress women, as well as gays and other minorities. It is important to not focus on the few areas where Islamic culture is practiced and women are subjugated, but to look at the broader Islamic culture where women are a critical component.
The religion of Islam has obtained the reputation of violence and misogyny in recent decades due to radical sects in the international spotlight. Although violence has been limited to radical groups, many people outside of the religion view Islam’s law, Shari’ah law, to define the status of women below men. However, from the original holy text, the Qur’an, and the Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah, a framework of equality and mutual respect across sexes is evident. Although the Qur’an is the unadulterated Word of God, it is interpreted by Muslims in many different ways. It has been through these patriarchal interpretations of the five schools of Islamic law that the status of women has been impinged upon (Barlas, 2002). The Qur’an itself contains versus which demonstrate the equality of men and women, but also seemingly contradicts itself by undermining the status of women. These contradictory phrases have recently been interpreted by female scholars differently than the original schools to support the equality of sex. Muhammad’s life also displays his affection and respect for his wives as opposed to a lifestyle of misogyny. In the end, the status of women in Islam has been largely degraded by human interpretation of the text to create a power dynamic between a husband and his wife, or wives. Although a woman’s status has been lowered in the eyes of many Muslims, recent civil rights movements and women activists are challenging these emboldened concepts to achieve social and political leadership.
Throughout centuries Muslim women have been working to receive their rights and privileges that the Quran states they should have; however, due to male authority and the natural order of things it hasn’t been easy. As a result, the focus of Jane Smith’s article expresses the certain issues women faced and the reforms made towards them, areas that still are facing inequity, inequality due to the natural order, and Westerners views toward the issue.