5 Assignment 11

I think Lughod’s critique on constructions of veiled women is that even though they achieved freedom from independence of the terrorist group they don’t take off their veiling. That is because of the way that their society is portrayed along with the cultural status and religion which may be different compared to how the others (west vs east) view it. I think the constructions of the veiled for women was meant to protect women allowing them to go outside. Lughod’s mentions how the veiling allows the women to do so while hiding/fulfilling something that feels right in their society, but compared to other society they look at it differently. Also by wearing these veiling it seems that the women has more freedom than if they don’t wear it because Lughod’s article mentions how women were able to go outside when they wear the veiling, whereas before when they didn’t it was impossible to do so. Maybe this is just the norm for society as the women who wears the veiling also means being a good respectable women.

The “vocations of saving others” is a the voice and opinion of people that think the muslim are being restricted when in reality they aren’t. The media portrays this differently and only goes after stories that will make them money, but they won’t show the unimportant things. For example when France had a terror attack the news were immediately covering that, but when another place that was also attacked by the terrorist there was no media coverage on it. This is because that other place was not as powerful as France and less important to the news. I think the “vocations of saving others” is just another way for the media to try to get people to show the Middle East which has a different culture, religion, lifestyle, practice, etc… compared to the place the media is comes/belongs to. In reality we don’t really know what the women in the Middle East wants like whether or not they want to wear the veiling or what happens if they don’t have to. The habit that their society has are completely different from ours and you can’t really change someones habit so that might have something to do with it.

In “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving,” Lila Abu-Lughod introduces constructions that Muslim women were going through. She argues about contemporary discourses on equality and freedom. War on terrorism brought dangers of reifying cultures. By such thoughts, serious appreciations among differences in cultures were disregarded. Abu-Lughod brings the issue of Muslim women, who were also often called as “women of cover,” and discomfort and plight those women were suffering. History of colonialism brought global injustice, and created limits of “cultural relativism.” Instead of analyzing the situations by political explanations, people focused on cultural framing of regions. Colonial feminism created signs of oppression, such as veils that women were forced to wear. Abu-Lughod cites words of Laura Bush, who said that the fight against terrorism could also be a fight for dignity of women. This form of veil called burqa, was originally derived from a region in Afghanistan. It was a convention for symbolizing women’s modesty, and separation of men and women’s spheres. However, feminists describe burqa as a portable seclusion. It became a symbol of oppression among Muslim women that now it means good respectable women for the family. Therefore, Abu-Lughod argues that we should develop awareness and concerns the Muslim women are facing. There should be no superiority over cultural “others.” She relates this idea to the title of the article, “Does Muslim Women Really Need Saving.” It is problematic to put them as someone in need of saving. Such ideas were results of superiority by people from other cultures. The concept of feminism campaigns could be shown in different forms according to regions. As Abu-Lughod states, political and economic views should not affect one’s cultural difference. Accepting the possibility of difference and respectfulness to other cultures would be the starting point for reform of thoughts and be helpful for those suffering from structural violence.

Lila Abu-Lughod writes a very matter-of-fact and powerful essay on Muslim women and if they need “saving”. Her purpose of the essay is not only to educate those who are ignorant or unaware of intricacies that go into veiling in Muslim countries, but also to argue that the Western way is not always the best way. She has a problem with the fact that Americans have construed this idea of Muslim women needing help, that the fact that they cover themselves means that these women have lost female agency and their voice. Americans think that because Afghan women did not tear off their burqas upon liberation, their oppression must run so deep that they must not understand how oppressed they are. Contrary to this belief, says Abu-Lughod, even if liberation let women choose whether to cover themselves or not, most Afghani women would choose to cover themselves in some way or another, perhaps more modestly. The burqa is tied to individualistic, societal, cultural and religious meaning. The author believes Americans have an “obsession” with the veil, and that there are more pressing issues to deal with when concerning ourselves with Muslim women.

While she does not come out and say it verbatim, I think Abu-Lughod would argue that Americans need to take a look at and criticize their own social issues before trying to make other countries their “project”. Ideas of globalization lead to a moral and social sense of superiority over the “others” that need saving. The fact is, Muslim women are not necessarily the ones coming out and asking for help. Further, the author says she does not know of one non-American woman that has ever said they wish to be more like American women. In order to present a case for female agency in any country, one must understand the significance of cultural difference and learn to accept that what is appropriate in other countries through customs and rituals is quite frankly, none of our business.

This conversation about Muslim women is as relevant now as it was 15 years ago, specifically because as a culture we still have no more understanding about Muslim women and the terror of their presence. Terror may seem excessive, but burqas on the beach seem to be an issue in the current French presidential elections which makes it seem like maybe it is us and not them that are we should be afraid of. Additionally, it has become common for some women to joke about the seclusion a burqa would provide, as if they would finally know what it feels like to walk down the street without being harassed.

The veiled woman has variations and although looking at it as a uniform, worker versus housewife, may seem oppressive, most women follow some sort uniform whether business casual or high fashion. To encourage or require a Muslim woman to unveil for her ‘comfort’ also known as our comfort seems equally reductive because issues of equality are more deeply rooted than clothing and remaining focused on clothes is like expecting a band aid to heal a broken bone. Abu-Lughod presents an excellent question when discussing liberating Afghan women, what do we do if liberation means something different to them, and when our need to fix things out weighs our understanding.

Our superiority driven desires to ‘save’ people is patronizing, but more than that it often seems like a short cut. If you can’t be bothered to do the work of learning about a culture and/or what your role in it is, but you can open a door to Westernize someone you are removing that person’s agency. It is only another role of expectations that the person had nothing to do with assuming, but is now left with the responsibility of maintaining. I agree in it being more valuable to shift the focus to demilitarizing and peacekeeping, but there is so much money to be made in a perpetual war state that I can’t imagine how it will change.

In her essay, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving,” Lughod argues that discussions on human rights in the 21st century count on molds of Muslim women in a way.  The importance of the political, economic, and social conditions of Afghanistan women is often not supported although it is significant. One of the authors concerns in this article is focused on  how people always immediately target the cultural aspect, and religion of Muslim women instead of other details that define these women and their rights. She believes the government has closed them out from many things including citizenship rights and denies them the most basic rights that they should be entitled to. The aftermath 911 is responsible for the closed eyed view on these individuals, and not respecting their cultural differences.

She wants to explore the issues of Muslim women, Palestinian women, Israeli women, women under the Taliban and terrorists who are oppressed indefinitely and she defends their honor. For example being forced to wear the veil or the burqa which is a full body covering including the face which symbolized a women’s respectability and marked her appropriateness. The burqa has separated men and women with family and home, not with strangers. Wearing this burqa/veil symbolizes being a part of a specific community, and living in this ethical way under specific standards. Muslim men are actually repressing Muslim women as well, they are in no way liberated or saved as they should be. They have a right to global equality like anybody else, and the human right to be able to have enough to eat, shelter, jobs, and be free to do what they want in their own communities. These women need support and if they cant have a voice Lughod will try and be that voice for all them as a whole.

Due Monday, May 1st, by midnight. Word count: 300 words. Please make sure everything is in your own words. Absolutely no quotes should be used. If you paraphrase from the text (from Abu-Lughod’s work or anywhere else), you must be sure to include the proper citation (either MLA or APA).

In her essay, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving,” Lila Abu-Lughod argues that discourses on humanitarianism and human rights in the 21st century rely in some way on constructions of Muslim women. Drawing on details from the text, describe in your own words Lughod’s critique of constructions of veiled women and “vocations of saving others” (2002:789).