Islam and women
Dec. 24th, 2007 06:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamer_easyThe mysterious and sudden adoption of feminism by Islamophobes is endlessly amusing. Katha Pollitt comments: "In the zillions of words for which [David] Horowitz is responsible--as writer, activist, speechifier and editor of Frontpagemag.com--there is virtually no evidence of concern for the rights, liberties, opportunities or well-being of any women on earth, except for Muslims." She also points out how useful this is in attacking Western feminists "as a bunch of princessy complainers. (Domestic violence? job discrimination? abortion restrictions? Honey, you're lucky someone's not stuffing you into a burqa!)"
Damsels in distress?: "The west should stop using the liberalisation of Muslim women to justify its strategy of dominance."
"Muslim!" Now Available In Insult Form: "Long before America cared about the rights of women in the Muslim world, Muslim women were launching anti-honor killing jihads. One of the most far reaching attacks against Islamically sanctioned forced marriages has been a film from Pakistan, not a vitriolic screed written in a high-end magazine in London. Whenever there is progress in the Muslim world, it is because of something Muslims themselves accomplish."
A recent survey found that 85% of Saudis did not think the sentencing of the Qatif rape victim was just. Saudi poet and writer Nimah Nawwab attacks the victim blaming in the Qatif verdict and around the world.
From southern Afghanistan's voiceless women come 1,000 prayers for peace: "The idea of women doing anything aside from tending to home and family is fairly shocking in provinces like Kandahar and Helmand, where the ultra-fundamentalist Taliban control most of the countryside... working through the conventions of Islam is perhaps the only acceptable avenue for women to make themselves heard. At the meetings, the women recited the Koran and shared stories of how the war has torn their families apart. In doing so, they got a taste of what it means to at least participate, if not to lead, in a broader world."
Aqsa's Last Days. The exact motive for the killing of Aqsa Parvez is still unclear. Many question the specific significance of hijab and/or Islam in the case: : "It's the story of almost every single immigrant group adhering to the strict values of their past or indeed their present. I've heard this from Greek families, Italian families where the daughter wants to go and be with friends on the Yonge St. strip and the father calls her a whore and kicks her out and she gets beaten up." Canadian Muslimahs insist that hijab is not mandatory.
A Kuwaiti woman who does wear hijab reminds others not to overestimate its importance: ... Well, let me say to those who seem to be so concerned about the woman's head covering, but not so concerned about the other Islamic duties. Does the hijab prevent the women and her children from being physically and verbally abused by her husband? ... Does the hijab prevent maids, drivers and servants from being abused? And what about the unpaid wages of these employees and other low wage earners here in Kuwait, who are striking just to get what is owed to them?" (This puts me in mind of similar advice to vegetarians not to get smug about it. :-)
Damsels in distress?: "The west should stop using the liberalisation of Muslim women to justify its strategy of dominance."
"Muslim!" Now Available In Insult Form: "Long before America cared about the rights of women in the Muslim world, Muslim women were launching anti-honor killing jihads. One of the most far reaching attacks against Islamically sanctioned forced marriages has been a film from Pakistan, not a vitriolic screed written in a high-end magazine in London. Whenever there is progress in the Muslim world, it is because of something Muslims themselves accomplish."
A recent survey found that 85% of Saudis did not think the sentencing of the Qatif rape victim was just. Saudi poet and writer Nimah Nawwab attacks the victim blaming in the Qatif verdict and around the world.
From southern Afghanistan's voiceless women come 1,000 prayers for peace: "The idea of women doing anything aside from tending to home and family is fairly shocking in provinces like Kandahar and Helmand, where the ultra-fundamentalist Taliban control most of the countryside... working through the conventions of Islam is perhaps the only acceptable avenue for women to make themselves heard. At the meetings, the women recited the Koran and shared stories of how the war has torn their families apart. In doing so, they got a taste of what it means to at least participate, if not to lead, in a broader world."
Aqsa's Last Days. The exact motive for the killing of Aqsa Parvez is still unclear. Many question the specific significance of hijab and/or Islam in the case: : "It's the story of almost every single immigrant group adhering to the strict values of their past or indeed their present. I've heard this from Greek families, Italian families where the daughter wants to go and be with friends on the Yonge St. strip and the father calls her a whore and kicks her out and she gets beaten up." Canadian Muslimahs insist that hijab is not mandatory.
A Kuwaiti woman who does wear hijab reminds others not to overestimate its importance: ... Well, let me say to those who seem to be so concerned about the woman's head covering, but not so concerned about the other Islamic duties. Does the hijab prevent the women and her children from being physically and verbally abused by her husband? ... Does the hijab prevent maids, drivers and servants from being abused? And what about the unpaid wages of these employees and other low wage earners here in Kuwait, who are striking just to get what is owed to them?" (This puts me in mind of similar advice to vegetarians not to get smug about it. :-)
