Thanks for pointing that out. You’re right about it. However, I critiqued the content of his article. The title was just briefly critiqued to emphasize the issues brought up in the article and sum up my critiques.

I found myself going back and forth though when reading his article. I hated the beginning; as much as I can definitely understand that it’s a horrific experience that he’s describing, the language that he used really put me off. He described that woman in such a passive way, and really described her body parts way more than anything else about her. As you say about the rest of the article, he totally reinforced images of Muslim women as silent and perpetually victims.

On the other hand, there were things that he acknowledged about the political and economic agendas related to Iraq and Afghanistan that few people actually touch on, and despite a lot of problems with his article, I was actually pretty impressed that at least he brought these things up. I particularly liked his example about the Bush government freaking out about the clause in Iraq’s draft constitution about oil being in Iraqi control, and how the fuss about having access to oil ended up undermining the section on women’s rights. I mean, I didn’t even know that! I thought he was surprisingly direct in calling people on their claims of “liberation” of Muslim women when their real interests were political and economic, and I was glad to see that… but it definitely didn’t make up for the problems of the rest of the article.

Like many of the commenters, I too was annoyed that he mentioned Irshad Manji as the main Muslim feminist, and was also somewhat annoyed that Amina Wadud leading the prayer was showcased as the big advance that Muslim women are making. First of all because I personally feel like Wadud’s contributions around understandings of the Qur’an have been more valuable to the Muslim community than the specific issue of female-led prayer (for anyone who flinches every time you hear Wadud’s name because you’re not comfortable with women leading prayer, I would still recommend reading her work, which is actually quite compelling, and a whole lot less radical than many people expect it to be.) More importantly, without wanting to dismiss the issue altogether, I don’t feel like the women-led prayer debates are seen as that big an priority in a lot of communities, and they really aren’t affecting people to the degree that other issues are. What about women who are fighting for greater access to mosques (both in terms of physical space – I don’t really care WHO is leading the prayer if I’m squished in some tiny women’s section filled with screaming children – and in terms of community leadership)? Or women who are working to educate other Muslim women about their rights in Islam? Or Muslim women who are working against poverty, domestic violence, war, etc.? Because it’s not just Islam-related issues that are oppressing Muslim women…

Anyway, thanks for posting about this. That was definitely an article that deserved a serious MMW analysis!

Now, regarding the Manji issue (and I don’t want you to construe this as an attack of any kind) but I personally think the focus is less on the fact that she is decisive but rather that when compared with Amina Wadud and the majority of Muslim feminists, Manji doesn’t have any real educational qualifications to back up her conclusions. Wadud on the other has a PhD, studied extensively in Qu’ranic studies etc. So where Wadud says she is offering a feminist re-interpretation of the Qu’ran I take more notice in what she says because she has the credentials to back up her claims. Manji, on the otherhand, lacks those credentials and (as Phillip mentioned above) writes exclusively from a western, liberal democratic framework, one that is ill-equipped to apply to Islam.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not attempting to silence Manji’s (or anyone else’s) experiences. The problem for me is if people start making claims about knowing what’s “the problem with Islam today” then I’m expecting an actual theoretical inquiry into the nature of Islam. For me, Wadud is in a better position to provided that discussion, not Manji.

Sobia, i’ll only post when I agree with you to avoid any misunderstandings from now on. : )

I also wonder whether people like Philip really know what Amina Wadud’s policies are on Islamic feminism? Now, Amina Wadud does not oppose to polygamy for example (I was only a few feet away from her when she said this, so blame my hearing). Principally because she believes that some women are comfortable with it and choose it, and also because it’s permitted in the Quran.

You see, from one Muslim feminist alone you can have a myriad of opinions which on the surface perhaps appear contradictory to feminism, but they all point towards equality and freedom of choice. I don’t know how that can be divisive.

Another example: I identify myself as a Muslim-Marxist feminist (yeah, inspired by that “Religion is the opiate of the masses” guy). As a Marxist feminist I believe that capitalism victimises a huge number of working-class women in the developing world. The Quran doesn’t really mention about the mechanism of capitalism, so that’s why I chose it for myself. Marxism as a struggle for economic equality, by the way, might appear to be very divisive, especially if you are a shopaholic feminist.

Hirsi Ali does not identify as Muslim anymore. She identifies as ex-Muslim. Her position is very clear to everyone. And as much as I dispise her and her tactics I cannot deny that her views of Islam are based on her own experiences with it. What she fails to acknowledge is that others experiences with Islam are just as valid.

Wadud, to me, is not divisive. Just because some traditional Muslims don’t like that she lead prayers or is promoting a less sexist interpretation of the Qur’an does not make her divisive. To the non-Muslim she does nothing to misrepresent or diminish our community. Her and Manji are worlds apart.

We cannot silence Muslims just because we do not agree with them.

Finally, after ALL I wrote, Manji and Wadud is the only point you picked up on? From now on please ensure that your comments address the actual post and remain on topic. Any further discussion of Manji or Wadud is off topic and need not be brought up. If you (or anyone else) have an axe to grind with them, do it on your own blog or wait for a post that is about them.

Now back to the ACTUAL post.

@Rochelle:

Excellent point.

When I speak of the West/North and East/South dichotomy I speak of the regions in political terms. Yes, we are also Western/Northern (as I mentioned in my post) but we are not the ones making, or even influencing, government policy.

Additionally, I was speaking specifically of Muslim women in the East/South not those of us here in the West/North as it was the Eastern/Southern Muslims who Hari referred to as needing saving, not us.

Plus, as a Western/Northern Muslim woman I recognize my own privilege and know that I cannot truly speak for the Muslim women of the East/South. As much as I may on MMW, at the end of the day I do not live the life of an Eastern/Southern Muslim woman.

Hm…I think we may need some more contributors from the East/South….

@ Fatemeh:

Thanks

It’s difficult to read tone but not words.

@ Rochelle: Good points. I think one of the issues is that Hari does some of that essentializing by equating Muslim women with East/South, and so that’s where we usually get pigeonholed. Plus, a lot of white “western” feminist groups seek to aid Eastern/Southern Muslim women (focusing on Afghanistan or Iraq, for example), while completely ignoring difficulties Western Muslim women face (like in Britain or France).

I liked this post a lot, as I do this blog in general. But I just want to bring up the question of what constitutes the “West/North” and, on the other hand, the “East/South”, and what this dichotomy serves for us.

I think we can all agree that essentializing Islam or the “East” is a big no-no. But we also have to make sure not to essentialize the “West.” I live in the West, a lot of you live in the West, and a TON of Muslims live in the West. Yes, there is the social history of colonialism, and it plays a big, manifest role in the world today. But I demur the West/Muslim dichotomy, if only for the fact that a lot of people are Muslim, and Western at the same time. And to put the two side by side like that conjures up Class of Civilizations shutters for me.

Just something to think about…