What Do Muslim Women Want?

When caricature takes the place of dialogue, everyone suffers -- especially when it comes to understanding issues affecting women, who struggle worldwide against being silenced. Some right-wing American bloggers recently twisted an article that I wrote in a way that did just that.

I wrote that many women activists in Muslim countries tend to emphasize issues such as honor killings, legal inequality, and lack of access to education, and that they express frustration that the obsession among Westerners with Muslim women's clothing can come at the expense of these concerns. I also pointed out that many Muslim feminists defend their dress in terms of nationalism, anti-imperialism, or as a matter of faith.

This provoked a small firestorm of distortion in the West: "Wolf Wants to Institutionalize the Burka," etc. It was depressing to see a simple appeal for Westerners to listen to Muslim women deliberately distorted into a representation of all Muslim women as meek, will-less beings in need of rescue.

I was so sure that Muslim women should be allowed to speak for themselves because of the faces of Muslim feminism I encountered in recent travels -- notably in Jordan, a country fascinatingly poised between tradition and innovation, developing under a forward-looking monarchy that is seeking to modernize and, to an extent, democratize. For those Westerners who worry about Islamic fundamentalism in the Arab world, surely Jordan is a worthy model to understand, support, and engage.

The women leaders I met in Amman were not saying, "Please tell the West to save us." They were too busy making egalitarian, modernist new worlds of their own, with an Arab, and often Islamic, imprimatur.

Princess Rym Ali, sister-in-law of Queen Rania -- the Chanel-wearing media star who is rebranding a more contemporary Jordan -- is one vivid example; Princess Rym is making immense progress in a more behind-the-scenes way. She met me in a leafy Amman suburb, in the palace that she shares with Prince Ali and their small children. A former CNN journalist, her quiet bearing and diplomatic manner belie her courage: she captured her husband's heart as she was reporting from Baghdad on the eve of "shock and awe," standing firm before the cameras even as the bombs were falling.

Princess Rym and Prince Ali have supported a new film institute, the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, a joint production with the University of Southern California that is bringing together bright young people from all over the Middle East to learn contemporary filmmaking, apprentice with international film productions, and get the region's stories out. Though she can no longer practice journalism directly, Princess Rym is also co-founding new Jordanian journalism school. Her aim is to replace journalists' acceptance of the "party line" -- even if the party is her own extended family -- with a more critical perspective.

She directed my attention to Jordanian-made films about the subordination of women inside the home, and to Rana Husseini's powerful book on honor killings, Murder in the Name of Honor . But her implicit message was that these critical examinations of women's inequality in the Arab world are most enlightening when they are created by women's advocates from within that culture, rather than sensationalized or superficial versions of the problem created in the West.

Mary Nazzal, owner, with her family, of a chic and bustling boutique hotel, is another dynamo who looks as if she stepped out of a fashion shoot. But it would be a mistake to underestimate her seriousness. I call her "Martha Stewart meets Che Guevara," because, when not renovating the elegant public spaces of her hotel, she is suing Israeli generals for war crimes that she claims were committed against civilians in Gaza.

Nazzal was trained as a British barrister, and chairs the board of the Human Rights Legal Aid Fund. Her organization is intent on using international law to hold accountable members of the Israeli military who put civilians in harm's way during the invasion of Gaza -- events that the recent Goldstone Report confirms. She is passionate about the Palestinian cause, mixing her cutting-edge legal advocacy with a willingness to listen to decent people from all sides of the conflict, and a fierce attachment to peace in the region based on due process and justice.

Finally there is Rana Husseini herself -- a role model for investigative reporters everywhere who began documenting and investigating honor killings in her newspaper, The Jordan Times . Honor killings claim an estimated 5,000 women every year, and are increasingly common in immigrant communities abroad. According to her account, a woman can be killed for "laughing at a joke in the street, wearing makeup or a short skirt...or being raped by a brother."

After she began her series of reports, Husseini received death threats at her office almost daily - as well as hundreds of letters of support from readers. As a result of her brave investigations, which included interviews in prisons, many Muslim countries are revising their criminal codes, and the issue has taken center stage internationally.

These women are exactly the kind of leaders that everyone should be cultivating and supporting, rather than overlooking because of a belief that they cannot exist in the Middle East. We would do better to find out more about them than to waste our time on superficial debates about how they -- and many others who are just as accomplished -- should dress.

 

 

Comments

[Qanta Ahmed - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for saying so articulately what is rarely expressed so clearly: Muslim women are very much aware of the restrictions on their rights, particularly when educated, powerful and enlightened Muslim women among them champion these rights. This is exactly how women gained their substantial rights through Islam in its earliest period: by forming a socially cohesive and informed group to lobby for their needs and demands which were subsequently met and in fact exceeded. As author of In the Land of Invisible Women, which details my experience in the Kingdom, as a critical care physician who has practiced medicine in Saudi Arabia for two years and as one who has been engaged with the Kingdom for the past ten years I am very confident the same changes are afoot in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where similar women, supported also by royal patrons ( men as well as women) are accomplishing tremendous progress. I wrote about one such woman, Dr Maha Al Muneef here on HuffPost in a blog posting this summer. She launched the first Child Abuse Registry at the King Faisal Specialist Research Center this past week under the auspices of both Princess Adeela's support ( daughter of the Monarch) and that of the nation's Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Rabeeah. These women are extremely powerful and as Naomi so acutely observes, are not concerned about matters which seem to obsess Western bias

[Qanta Ahmed - Huffpost Blogger]

You can find the column about Dr. Maha Al Muneef here to give you a taste of the power of these women.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/qanta-ahmed/invisible-women-at-work-m_b_206759.html

[tj101]

Gay women i n the US do not have the same rights as hetero women. Women are second class citizens in the US.

Conservatives are still fighting the Equal Pay for Women Act. In Bahrain, women, on average, get paid 40% more than their male counter parts.

Women are subjugated here in the US as well.

[tj101]

And as an addendum, this article is now on HP -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/07/louis-gohmert-hate-crimes_n_312435.html

GOP demonizing the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Bill, saying it will lead to to the legalization of necrophilia, pedophilia, and bestiality:

Yes, folks, right here in America, the GOP is comparing woman's rights to bestiality.

[Gasparilla]

One guy.

[Gasparilla]

And very few women work in Bahrain, so you are probably talking some executives. The average woman in Saudi Arabia can't work in a public place. {She might talk to.....men.}
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_pay_for_women

[tj101]

Show me statistics of Bahrain, "your word" has little weight.

And I notice how you conveniently ignore that Gay women in the US do not have equal rights.

It is obvious these women are expendable to you, as they clearly negate your oversimplified theory. how very convenient for you.

Wicki? That explains *everything*.....

[River Tam]

While I do believe this is a serious issue, I'm not sure what it has to do with the article. The article focuses on Muslim women's issues, not on gay women in the US. That's a completely separate matter.

[UKOH]

I lived for several years in Saudi Arabia. Being male the culture of the country made it impossible for me to engage in meaninful dialog with Saudi women. However my wife, as a teacher, WAS able to talk to them. Also the compound we were living in was run by a Saudi woman. Inside the compound, all the normal rules are suspended so I was able to have long and interesting conversations with her.

Saudi women DO care about being forced into a dress code. They are terrorised (quite literally, physical violence occurs) by the Matawas - the self apointed "religious police" into following the strict dress codes etc. However, as you point out, that issue is not as strong as others. When in their own homes Saudi women dress freely - and usually extremely daring. The compound manager had no problem with not being allowed to drive. As she pointed out the roads are so dangerous it is a blessing NOT to have to deal with them!

Saudi women, from what I could gather, want to be treated with respect as equals. Wow, what a concept! As many Saudi's told me they will not change their society but they are convinced their daughters will. We should wish them all the very best of luck.

[tj101]

And I spent time in Tanzania where xtain men felt quite justified in beating their wives. It's not the clothing that's repressive. xtain women, too, hope things will be different for the next generation.

It's a shame you spent so much time abroad yet your world view didn't expand along with it.

Ethnocentric attitudes really keep this dialogue from moving forward.

[Gasparilla]

No one says that mistreatment of women doesn't happen elsewhere. You are just an apologist for oppression. You also said later on in this thread that I am a conservative Christian who hates Muslims. I am not religious at all. All I have said is that women in Western countries are far more free. Obviously, all you can do is make up attacks to cover your own defense of the subjugation of women.

[River Tam]

The original comment is not ethnocentric. He is relating what he learned from living in Saudi Arabia and from his and his wife's experiences there. You could accuse him of heresay (because he didn't talk to the women firsthand), but not really of ethnocentricity. If anyone here is ethnocentric, it is you since you refer to Muslims properly, but choose to type "xtain" instead of Christian. Speaking of which, it should probably be spelled xtian not xtain. I actually had to read that twice before I understood what you were talking about.

[plmgood]

People fear what they do not understand. It's ironic that these right wingers fear Muslim women, of all people. Have they forgotten the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, namely "FREEDOM OF RELIGION??" Oh that's right, if you don't act like them or believe in their false God, then you're un-America­n/un-Patri­otic. Muslim women in America were either born here or came here to be free. We need to stay out of the business of other countries and let them manage their own affairs and history.

Yet, seems that the Right and others only allow their 1st Amendment Rights and those that are of different opinions and views don't get any. How sad for America. Becoming the scourge of the world; arrogant war-mongers that are run by evil corporations.

If the Right fears Muslims for their "terrorism" then what about other religions, IE, Christian Fundamentilism, Catholicism, Jewish/Judism, etc... Each religion is infected with terrorists that want to maime and kill innocent people, all in the name of THEIR GOD.

Leave Muslim women alone. They are struggling to become equals in their world dominated by immature, arrogant males who can be fanatical. Besides, we need to look into our own backyard. Our Rights are being subtley taken away by the govt through the Patriot Act and other legislation, all in the name of War or War on Terrorism.

Open your minds and listen before judging others.

[fourpatts]

At last the left has found a religious cause it can support...the right of Muslim women in Arab nations to cover themselves completely in a burka while they fight for their right to education and to not be killed for wearing lipstick. And Mary Nazzal must really be living on the edge in Jordan, having the guts to sue Israeli generals for war crimes. Wow, I'll bet she lives in fear every day.

[tj101]

Having spent time in Tanzania, I saw plenty of xtain men completely dominate their wives. The lipstick you are so excited for women to wear as a symbol of quality, was used to cover xtain bruises.

Fix the problems in your own religion before you demonize others.

[voxpop4]

Ms Wolf is right taking on the rights of Muslim women. However, I don't care two hoots what these Muslim women wear. If they want to cover themselves up from head to toe..(although its, carzy) thats their business! But "HONOR" killings ...thats horrible and sick! But it tells us the real dire mentality of wahabbi radical Islam! And as for this Jordanian woman Nazzal..She fights for womens rights, but has the nerve to say Isreal "overreacted" in Gaza! Nevermind that King Hussein killed thousand of PLO Palestinans (Black September) when they threatend his Jordan. Is she suing King Abdullah for that? It only shows me the sicko mentality of Islam. Yeah, its okay to kill your Muslim sister for laughing, but Israel can't defend itself against rockets! Man oh man ...what a battle we are fighting with thes Islamic vipors!

[Pragman]

Can you not see the difference between Israel defending herself and comitting war crimes against civilians? Can you not see the difference between King Abdullah and what his father did decades ago?

[toritto]

Why did the West love Benazir Bhutto?

She was attractive. She was educated. She wore exotic clothes and lipstick! She was sooo like us!!

Probably very much like the educated Princess of Jordan.

She lived her life as she did because she was a wealthy woman from a prominent family.

She could live her life as she choose so long as she lived in London.

Her home culture murdered her as soon as she set foot on Pakistani soil.

Sheesh....

[jerabaub]

Not sure Wolf is right on this.

Just this morning I listened to a BBC report on Egypt in which Egyptian women are increasingly deciding to wear the full veil that covers their entire face. This has disturbed the largely secular, altho corrupt and authoritarian, Egyptian government, which views this decision as consistent with a more puritannical streak of Islam(which is probably is).

At any rate, we in the West should allow Islam to make its own decisions on the role of women.

Otherwise we will be in the untenable position of foisting our values upon others.

Once we decide that is our role, then we truly have bought into the notion of an "American Empire", dictating to the world.

And that would be disastrous, as well as presumptuous and arrogant.

Didn't we learn anything from the Bush debacle?

[Kernyl]

"At any rate, we in the West should allow Islam to make its own decisions on the role of women."

I agree. As long as women are involved in that decision. If they are happy as things are, fine. But I don't think most of them are.

[TXeagle]

part five.

Finally, the "west" as well as the east should understand this: what is importantnt is not what covers the head but what is inside it.

[TXeagle]

part four.

The west should leave Arab/Muslim women alone-they can stand on their own. What they want is for the westren governments to stop sending them death and destruction in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan and other places. They just want to be left alone.

[TXeagle]

part three.
thousands of them are inacrcerated in jewish jails for resisting jewish occupation of their homeland,Palestine. One recently relased Palestinian POW woman, gave birth to her son, Yousef, in a jewish jail and stayed with her because there was no one outside to take care of the boy toddler. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi women turned into widows and refugees as a result of GW crusade and war of choice on Iraq. Where is this humane west that symptahises with the women choosing to wear hijab?? Hypocrisy par excellence. Where are those hypocrites when the jews bombardred Gaza women, infants and children for 24/7 for 23 days? Did the bombs avoid the "oppressed women in hijab"???? - "Honor killings" = pure ignorance and has to do with evry thing except honor. It is squarely against Islam, Islamic values and Arab ethos; no honorable Arab would murder his sisiter or daughter over a whisper. Islam requires four competent eye witnesses who saw a couple in the physcial act before a judge renders a judgement. Men and women are treated absolutely equally before the judge. Thou few, the murderers of Arab women are also hypocrites: they target women but not their male partners-they would not dare to because they are cowards beside taking the law into their ownhands. -Rana Husseini's work on exposing "honor killings" is comandable thou I doubt very much that she recieved death threats-not in Jordan any way.

[TXeagle]

Part two
- Generally speaking-emphasis on generally-the west is full of hypocrisy: it focuses in a very selective fashion on "hijab" which is a non-issue in the Arab/Muslim world and portrays as a logo of oppression and degrdaing of women; it selects a non-issue and interprets it on behalf of Muslim women in a typical orientalist condesending fashion as the late Edward Said used to say. "Women advocates" in the west portary Arab/Muslim women as helpless victimized beings-which is absloutely false. Arab women are capable of speaking for themselves-they are articulte and forceful. The three Jordanian women Naomi mentioned are living examples. The likes of hirsi ali and Asra Nomani are not and don't speak for Isalm nor for Arab/Muslim women. Hijab is a non-issue in the Arab world: women choose to wear or not to wear it-it is just a statement of modesty-not more not less. End of the story. - Proof of westren hypocrisy: no word at all from those pretending to shed tears-chrocdile tears- over those "oppressed Arab women drapped in black from head to toe" and not over over their sisters in Palestine and Iraq: hundreds of thousands of Palestinian women have been occupied, oppressed, ethnically cleansed,raped, shot, murdered and turend into permenant refugees by jews for over sixty yeras and still labor and give birth at jewish military check points in the west bank as we speak;

[TXeagle]

part one
Naomi,

Good article. Thanks for taking taking the time and making the effort to write. I encourage u to visit more Arab countries and diversify your contacts and see more lower and middle class women and men-u will discover a gold mine of relevant info about true Arab culture.

Some observations are in order:

- Generally speaking-emphasis on generally-the west is full of hypocrisy: it focuses in a very selective fashion on "hijab" which is a non-issue in the Arab/Muslim world and portrays as a logo of oppression and degrdaing of women; it selects a non-issue and interprets it on behalf of Muslim women in a typical orientalist condesending fashion as the late Edward Said used to say. "Women advocates" in the west portary Arab/Muslim women as helpless victimized beings-which is absloutely false.

Arab women are capable of speaking for themselves-they are articulte and forceful. The three Jordanian women Naomi mentioned are living examples.

The likes of hirsi ali and Asra Nomani are not and don't speak for Isalm nor for Arab/Muslim women.

Hijab is a non-issue in the Arab world: women choose to wear or not to wear it-it is just a statement of modesty-not more not less. End of the story.

[Gasparilla]

No, not all choose to wear it. A lot of times there is no choice. If your story ends on that assumption, it's incomplete.

[tj101]

Wrong again gasp, she's proven to you beyond a shadow of doubt, that the world isn't as simple and 'black and white' as you portray it.

A point, i might add, that you are determined to ignore. The willful ignorance is on you.

[kheald]

Gasp - I recommend that you read this article from a highly regarded academic and feminist Lila Abu-Lughod

http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2006-09-01-abulughod-en.html

[JFToth]

I like Queen Rania. She graduated from the American University in Cairo where I used to teach anthropology. Yet she has as much in common with Jordanian women as Madonna has in common with American women. Which is to say: very little. I admire Rania’s sense of civic responsibility and feminism. Yet most women in the Middle East – and each country is different, so few experience the “honor killings” that seem almost distinctive to Jordan – live ordinary lives and deal with different issues than Rania has to consider. Mainly, a poverty & powerlessness that engulfs men as well.

Naomi Wolf would do well to talk to ordinary women as well as the elite. I would suggest the following book I use in my Middle East anthropology class because it gives a good sense of what ordinary women have to deal with.

It’s called "Women of Deh Koh" by Erica Friedl. It’s about Iran, which is different from Jordan, as might be expected. But it seems to echo many of the aspects of ordinary lives that I observed in rural Egypt.

[iskra]

The issue here isn't women at all. It's men and religion.

Certainly the Muslim women are more concerned with honor killings and education than they are about what they wear. What they wear is merely a symbol of their subjugation.

As long as they are hostage to a male dominated religion that codifies the second class status of women it will be a long road.

It's religion at the root of the problem, religion at the root of their wars and religion that keeps terrorism afloat. The question is what would possibly convince men to give up their position of domination enshrined in their religion? Nothing.

[viewfromuphere]

For me I guess where I have a problem is not what a Muslim woman chooses to wear but what happens to her in some countries should she choose not to wear garb proscrbed by the religious or cultural leaders of her religion.

Can they safely make a choice on what to wear isn't that the issue.

Let's not forget it wasn't so long ago historically that during Western rape trials the question "and what were you wearing"...was considered a legitimate line of inquiry for the attorney of an accused rapist.
The verdict sometimes rested on the victim's answer to that question.

Catholic women were required to cover their heads in church...it wasn't a choice for them. You wore some scarf just cause....

Of course that has fallen to wayside (although you still hear the ..well what was she wearing line...as if that in itself indicates an invitation to mistreatment but at least it's not supposed to be official)

Equality, in part, is the freedom to make choices safely.......and I'm sure the author has to admit that is simply not the case in some Muslim countries for women.

Yeh...honor killings, etc are certainly more important than clothing but let's not pretend having one's clothing choice proscribed by state, church or male members of ones family isn't an indicator of the lack of choice in other area's of that woman's life.

It's not the clothing...it's the choice to wear or not wear the clothing.

[Gasparilla]

But Catholic women also had the choice on whether to go to church or join a convent. They did not have to walk around in public covered from head to toe.

[viewfromuphere]

once upon a time...they didn't have a choice..that's my point.

once upon a time..extra catholic daughters found themselves in the cloister whether they wanted to be there or not. Their families sent a child to the church and that was it.

and that's my point...if you don't have choice about your clothese...what else don't you have a choice about and can you really divorce choices from each other.

I have no answer to that but I think it's a fair question.

[robear99]

i compeltly agreeeee