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Assignment 11

I understand the argument that Abu-Lughod is trying to make, that westernized liberals shouldn’t apply their western-logic of freedom or women’s rights to a different culture, a culture and religion that they don’t properly understand. She is attempting to show the fallacy in assuming that covering your body with a veil is a symbol of oppression, that discomfort from seeing a woman completely covered in a burqa is unreasonable, that the bias or racial prejudice that ensues from seeing women dressed differently stems from a place of ignorance. I understand these arguments but they frustrate me. Lila Abu-Lughod is a Palestinian woman who, interestingly enough, does not wear a burqa, despite being Palestinian (which is ~90% Muslim, a remaining percent is Christian – so maybe she is Christian). I find this argument extremely frustrating and, from my understanding, it seems to be westernized Muslim men and women (such as Reza Aslan) who seem to defend the treatment of Muslim women and condescendingly criticize the west’s ignorance for suggesting that (compared to the incredible freedoms women are entitled to here, relative to the rest of the world) a male dominant society where women are forced to cover themselves could be considered “oppressive”.

Of course, I understand the criticism that the West, the US in particular, has received for imposing its opinion on the rest of the world. Who’s to say that Western culture is correct and Muslim practices aren’t? We’ve become so comfortable with demonizing the white, western way of thinking, it seems we’ve forgotten how nice it is compared to what most women endure. In the United States, I can chose what I want to wear on my body (within reason). I don’t need my father’s permission to leave the house, I don’t need to be accompanied by my brother or a male family member, I am free to marry whomever I want, to work wherever I want, to study wherever I want, etc. These are luxuries that many women in the Middle East simply do not have. And for women such as Abu-Lughod to suggest that it is ignorant or wrong for a western thinker such as myself to question the morality of Sharia practices is concerning at best. It leaves me to believe these individuals have found a niche in academia and are exploiting subjugated demographics for their own gain – because the intricacies of the history of Sharia Law (which, at one point, long, looooong ago, empowered women) along with the horrid infringement on human rights in Muslim countries (such as gentle mutilation) are heavy, complex and not understood by the average person.

Imagine a Muslim family, where the father has an immense amount of control and power. Islam is conservative, spiritual, but conservative – daughters are often married based on familial relationships, supported by fathers and husbands – do you think this 18-20something girl has the emotional, psychological, political, social, or financial support to go to her father and say, “Hey I actually don’t want to wear a burqa anymore” – where would she even get that idea? Every single other woman around her is following the rules set by Sharia Law. Her mother, her grandmother, her aunts, her sisters, her friends – everyone. The man she is supposed to marry, the family she is supposed to have, the children she is supposed to produce for her family – is all contingent on her being a proper Muslim woman (typically a virgin). Women do not have the same rights in the Middle East that they do in the United States. I think it is good that “liberals” are outraged that women of all ages are forced to cover themselves. Of course, some women may feel empowered by it – and they are entitled to that. But, we have to be realistic when recognizing that wearing a burqa, for most women, is just what you do – and to go against it, is to go against your entire society. A true act of rebellion. Does that seem feasible in an extremely strict and conservative society?

To suggest that a liberal westerner is “racist” for questioning the censorship of a woman’s hair, her body, her face, is absolutely absurd and insulting to women and people everywhere. To call a western individual racist for questioning the perpetuation of a practice that was implemented to hide wives from the temptation of other men is atrocious and beyond frustrating. Are we going to make women in the US wear burlap sacks to protect from rape? Are we going to this for hundreds of years until it is so deeply ingrained in women that future feminists chastise liberated women for saying, “Hey why are you wearing a potato sack to cover your perfectly natural, normal body?” I understand why Muslim women may feel empowered wearing a burqa in the West, I understand why Muslim women in the Middle East may not care or may feel safe or beautiful in their burqas. They are entitled to that and I want women to feel beautiful and empowered. But, we are kidding ourselves to continue this argument that somehow demonizes a completely free and open society for suggesting that Muslim women may be oppressed by their extremely oppressive society with a historical practice of a literal set of laws that have yet to be publicly denounced that serve to confine them to the men? Unfortunately the answer seems to be “yes.”