Is it possible to be a Muslim feminist, or is it an oxymoron?
http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/andrabi.htm
Can muslim women be true feminists, or just a variation that their religion allows?
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M$9 Answers
The Wikipedia article is a good starting point:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_feminism
And here's a great article, written by a Muslim feminist, about how they're often misunderstood and thus mistreated:
http://www.altmuslimah.com/a/b/a/3171
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M$
It's rather as if a fundamentalist Muslim were to ask if there is any way that a woman can be a feminist and yet truly be a Muslim.
Or if a conservative Christian were to ask if being a Gay Christian isn't an oxymoron.
As someone that's experienced different cultures, you can probably see that all you are really doing with questions like that is exploring your own preconceptions and your own uses of words.
In fact it's probably just a long way round of saying "I don't agree with you, and I deny the validity of your views, and your right to hold them."
In this case, the woman seems very intelligent and articulate, and is deliberately using the words she uses to provoke thought.
-- Quote
"To people from the West I may seem a contradiction," she said in excellent English, her diction a tip-off to an upbringing in a wealthy family and a college education....
If she ever has a daughter, she said, maybe she will be a prime minister.
-- /Quote
I'm not going to tell you that a woman who thinks her daughter should have every right to be the leader of her country is not a "true feminist" because she also believes in a dress code that I find strange.
I'll tell you one thing about dress codes and sexuality. All cultures have them, and all of them think the other cultures that have looser codes are strange, decadent or immoral, and other cultures that have stricter codes are stupid, oppressive or prudish.
Hunter-gatherer tribes that don't wear a lot more than a string would find your own views about what is acceptable dress to be just as odd as you find the burqa.
However they would feel quite undressed and abashed if they had to go out without their string.
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M$
With the experience that I have had living in the Middle East and from what I know of the Koran, I (personally) find this question to have a more cultural connection than purely religious.
Asiyah is not what I would categorize as your typical muslim. She herself states to be a 'conservative'.
I sometimes wonder if a woman like her would be helping women as a whole within the varying degrees of muslim culture.
Apparently, in some fundamentalist chauvinistic circles, people are falling all over themselves to admit to being complete and total jerks.
Now, that said, within "feminism" there's a lot of variation. In America, for example, there are feminists that are anti-porn (because it degrades women) and feminists that are pro-porn (because some women take control and make careers out of it). That might help your perspective on Muslim feminists, who certainly also have wide-ranging views on their goals too.
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@mithrandir
I wouldn't respect you if you did take back your word so easily!
And, yes, I've been around and involved with anti-man political organizations (including one that refused any sort of hierarchical structure - which meant they couldn't get anything done), so I get where you are coming from. I just wish there was a way to mainstream equal rights for all, while also clearly and admitting the obvious: males (and especially white males), as a whole, rule the world, and, as a group, women and minorities start with a disadvantage. Again, as groups: of course there are examples of incredibly successful women and minorities (like, say, Sec. Clinton and Pres. Obama), but as a whole, it's men, men, men, men everywhere.
Well, whether you are a 'jerk' for not supporting feminism, depends on your definition of feminism.
I fully support feminism as long as its definition is 'equal rights to men and women'.
However, feminism is more and more often is just about equal rights, it is about women being 'the better sex', and how the world would be a better place if all world leaders would be women. These feminists even state that no man can ever be a feminist by nature. That's just one bridge too far for me.
So, instead of stating that I'm supporting feminism, I always state I support 'Equal rights'.
@gno
Hehe, so funny "hearing" you write "I'm a pro-porn feminist" using your avatar's Lilly VonStupp voice. "Vud ju like ano-zer schnitzengruben?"
HERE is a Muslim feminist and a braver woman than I'll ever be a brave man. She voted in Afghanistan yesterday, despite Taliban threats to cut off fingers of voters. I love the defiant pose!
@mithrandir
I strongly (and politely!) disagree. Feminism is NOT about setting up women to be "better" than men. Yes, there are radicals out at the fringe (Andrea "all sex is rape" Dworkin), but these radicals don't drive the movement or set policy. When Rush paints feminists as feminazis, he is demonizing a legitimate movement and stiffling debate (not to mention deeply insulting the memory of the Holocaust).
So step up: Admit you are a feminist and take back that word. And if you are a conservative, be a conservative feminist!
@videopia, I will not take back my words, and I still stand firm. In The Netherlands, we have a feminist magazine, called 'Opzij' (translated 'move over'). As long as that magazine does not accept a male as part of their staff (they refused his job application based on gender), I remain a firm believer that 'feminism' is not the correct term, but 'equal rights' is.
I also oppose any 'positive discrimination' of women on middle- or higher management or similar. If women want to get selected for a job, they have to be better than their male competition.
I like the anti-porn vs. pro-porn comparison. That in itself is an interesting subject we could tackle for days on end.
Personally, I'm a pro-porn feminist. But I'm also a feminist who *chooses* to be a stay-at-home mom. Why? Because feminism is supposed to be about choices, open doors, and opportunity. That's my take on it anyway.
It seems likely that it would be possible for a liberal Muslim, if there are any, to be a true feminist. Although most Muslim oppression of women seems to be cultural, there does seem to be some that is built into the religion. However, that is true of Judaism too, and that has by no means stopped Jewish women from becoming true feminists. They are from the liberal and moderate versions of that religion. It is not clear that liberal or even moderate versions of Islam exist at present, but they could in the future.
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M$
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M$
So, from my own experiences, I know what it's like to embrace a particular religion, yet also denounce parts of it at the same time, kind of melding together bits and pieces to make your own belief system. This is why I call myself "spiritual" instead of "religious."
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M$These feminists were (mostly) women who stood right in the middle of their society. They were often religious themselves, and often very patriotic.
Does the fact that they didn't agree with the basis of their social environment mean they cannot be part of that same social environment? No. They are an active part of the dynamics of that environment, and by being part of that environment, they try to change the ways of that social environment.
In our western world, it has taken almost a century to get to the point where we are right now, and all that time, western feminists have been right at the center of our society, working hard to achieve their goals.
So, now we see that the Muslim world is going through a similar movement of female liberation. Women are slowly standing up and try to achieve similar freedom as they see that western women have. Just like the western women, they are at the center of their society, and will have to struggle to incorporate female freedom into their Muslim society. Are they less Muslim because of that? Quite the opposite, I would say. They are some of the most involved Muslims, and deeply care about their religion.
So does the muslim feminist exist: Most definitely!
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M$
Here is her wikipedia page;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto
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Ah, ok. I indeed misunderstood your point. I thought your point was: You can't be a muslim feminist, as you will get killed because of it.
Thanks for clearing that up.
She was born in Pakistan, but spent most of her life in the US and UK before becoming the PM.
So if the question is about a muslim feminist brought up in a muslim country, she wouldnt qualify.
@mithrandir. I'm not sure that you understood my point. She was a Muslim feminist. Period. The answer to the question is, "Yes, it is not only possible to be a Muslim feminist, she was a shining example of one."
So, what you are saying is that if a feminist gets opposition (in this case leading to her death), she is not a muslim feminist?
Many of the western feminists have had major opposition, spent time in jail, been thrown out of societies, or have been trated as outcasts. Does that mean they weren't western feminists?
I believe this says it all. Good point.
Asiyah Andrabi said" "If gold is left uncovered along a roadside, anyone will grab it, because it is a precious thing. It is the same with an uncovered woman."If she cannot believe that women are just human beings and men can control their emotions about women, how can she work for equality?
She can't even believe that non Muslims are human beings just like her. She can't understand the concept of freedom of religion. I guess, this question is grabbing more attention than she actually deserves.
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M$
