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Assignment 11: Constructing Human Rights

Lila Abu-Lughod’s article, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving”, is an examination into the politics and reaction to the movement to “liberate” Muslim women in the Middle East in countries such as Afghanistan. Abu-Lughod begins by explaining the generalization that resulted from the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as the United States’ response to the attacks. She states that the media had taken a special interest in the Muslim women of these Middle Eastern countries that had fallen to the hands of the Taliban and other terrorist groups, and that they had come to view the covering of women as a form of oppression. The media, including the network CBS, which she was interviewed several times for, equate the covering of Muslim women to be a sign of the oppression they face, something that robs them of freedom and expression. Yet the media lacks an awareness on the cultural background or history of the hijab and burqa, as well as the political and colonial situations that engulfed the Middle East and changed the political climates.

According to Abu-Lughod, the media and feminists and activists in general have used the burqa as a manifestation of the oppression of the women in this region, without understanding its cultural relevance or the many other factors that oppress women. Their desire to “save” these women demonstrates their ignorance to the complexity of the lives and systems in the Middle East, as well as the many factors that contributed to the current state of affairs, such as U.S intervention. Abu-Lughod warns that the notion of saving these women is disrespectful to the difference in cultures between women around the world, as well as a victimization of a group that is not in need of Western women to be their saviors. Rather than take up arms to “liberate” these women, activists should instead look internally at how their cultures and traditions differ from those of the women they aim to save. Not only should activists reflect, but they should investigate into the systems and events that lead to the violence and terrorism in the Middle East.