{"id":7112,"date":"2016-09-30T19:44:19","date_gmt":"2016-09-30T23:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?p=7112"},"modified":"2016-09-30T19:44:19","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T23:44:19","slug":"noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/","title":{"rendered":"Noor Tagouri Responds – But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women’s Empowerment?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Noor<\/a>
Noor Tagouri. Image Source: www.noortagouri.com, Twitter and tumblr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

By Zehra Rizavi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece<\/a> today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest issue of Playboy<\/em> magazine \u2014 this sentence might seem like an oxymoron, but it is all too real. The incongruity of a hijab-wearing Muslim woman posing in a publication that for the last 63 years has built an empire on men\u2019s desire to gawp at naked women has understandably left many bewildered.<\/p>\n

Tagouri is a successful journalist and an activist against human trafficking with a substantial following on a variety of social media platforms. She dresses modestly, wears a headscarf and proudly practices her Muslim faith, which plays opposite to the standard imagery of the magazine.<\/p>\n

All of that I can celebrate. What I cannot get behind is her decision to be featured in Playboy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Tagouri excitedly tweeted that she was \u201chonored\u201d to have been named a \u201c2016 Renegade\u201d by the magazine and to be showcased in its pages. According to her response piece, she was eager to share an image of a modest, covered woman in a magazine that reaches millions. Among many of her reasons why, she said, \u201cI did it for YOU, the person who read the interview and thought it was inspirational, the person who was confused, the person who was disappointed in me and the person who wasn\u2019t sure what to think.\u201d<\/p>\n

But why choose to discuss modesty on a platform that promotes precisely the opposite? (Yes, as of last October the soft-core porn magazine no longer features naked women, but this rebranding does not negate the fact that for decades Playboy<\/em> has made millions by featuring nude women on its pages. And, shifting from stark naked women to near naked ones is hardly a move towards decency. Just take a look at the cover of the issue in which Noor appears.) Why try to dismantle stereotypes through a vehicle whose express purpose it is to reinforce stereotypes?<\/p>\n

It is Playboy\u2019s<\/em> unapologetic mission to fetishize women, to reduce them to caricatures and costumes that its readers (and I use that word loosely) can salivate over. Playboy<\/em> likes to masquerade as a vehicle for hard-hitting journalism, but take a look at any given issue\u2013there are far more pages splashed with pictorials of barely covered women than there are pages of investigative journalism or editorials. At the end of the day, it is a smutty magazine that profits from objectifying women, so you have to ask if along with the sexy nurse and titillating flight attendant, the chaste hijabi is just another costume for the magazine to sell to its audience. I for one am deeply uncomfortable with one of my Muslim sisters being fetishized by a salacious publication.<\/p>\n

I doubt it was Tagouri\u2019s intention to be exploited by Playboy<\/em>. She wanted to increase Muslim women\u2019s visibility and perhaps show that Muslims have assimilated into American society. Her open letter attests to this. But is this the way to promote one\u2019s faith and gender, to reclaim one\u2019s story? By engaging with the public via a profane medium that is the antithesis of one\u2019s religious principles? Does this not rob the hijab of its meaning and its dignity, reducing it to a marketing ploy or a buzzword rather than an expression of modesty? Playboy<\/em> magazine features hijab-wearing woman for the first time ever! You\u2019ll want to see this!<\/p>\n

In an article in The Muslim Vibe<\/a>, Zainab Chami perfectly crystalizes this problem of trying to integrate into the wider American society by forfeiting one\u2019s religious values.<\/p>\n

If we are so desperate to be humanized by the dominant culture, let us consider what being featured in a publication like Playboy<\/em> will really communicate: We as Muslims are not a threat because we will engage with you in your risqu\u00e9 mediums, even though they violate principles of Islamic modesty by their very existence.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tagouri argues in her response piece that the prophets never dismissed an audience because they deemed their message \u201ctoo good\u201d for a particular set of people. She is right. They shared their message with the poorest, most disenfranchised of members of society, but never using a stage or channel which by its very mission ran counter to the prophets\u2019 beliefs. We can visit women\u2019s shelters, hospitals or prisons. When there are so many other mediums through which to reach people\u2013albeit not flashy, glossy ones\u2014why choose Playboy<\/em>?<\/p>\n

At only 22 years of age, Tagouri is at the start of her career. She will likely go on to accomplish a great many things. This ill-conceived decision should not define her and the Muslim community should not demonize her for it. However, it needs to be said that there is no pride or honor in being hailed by Playboy<\/em>. In her interview with the magazine Tagouri recounts the story of a 6th grade girl who when bullied for wearing hijab, likes to watch Tagouri\u2019s videos for inspiration and encouragement. You have to wonder if this young will girl pick up the latest copy of Playboy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Zehra Rizavi has a Master\u2019s degree in Communications from American University and is Managing Editor for altMuslimah<\/a>, which is unaffiliated with Altmuslim.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Zehra Rizavi Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest issue of Playboy magazine \u2014 this sentence might seem like an oxymoron, but it is all too real. The incongruity of a hijab-wearing Muslim woman posing in a publication that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":7114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[1842,45,1841,53,1839,1840],"class_list":["post-7112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","tag-fetishize","tag-hijab","tag-misogyny","tag-muslim-women","tag-noor-tagouri","tag-playboy"],"yoast_head":"\nNoor Tagouri Responds - But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women's Empowerment?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Zehra Rizavi Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Noor Tagouri Responds - But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women's Empowerment?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Zehra Rizavi Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"altmuslim\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-30T23:44:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/27\/2016\/09\/Noor-Tagouri_website.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Guest Contributor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Guest Contributor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/\",\"name\":\"Noor Tagouri Responds - But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women's Empowerment?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-30T23:44:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-30T23:44:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/2d865aff786b53f8ec13c56a6f5518ec\"},\"description\":\"By Zehra Rizavi Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Noor Tagouri Responds – But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women’s Empowerment?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/\",\"name\":\"altmuslim\",\"description\":\"Global perspectives on Muslim life, politics & culture\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/2d865aff786b53f8ec13c56a6f5518ec\",\"name\":\"Guest Contributor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7378f6254ac5bdf4936a66cb60d0dd4a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7378f6254ac5bdf4936a66cb60d0dd4a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Guest Contributor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/author\/altmuslimguest\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Noor Tagouri Responds - But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women's Empowerment?","description":"By Zehra Rizavi Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Noor Tagouri Responds - But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women's Empowerment?","og_description":"By Zehra Rizavi Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/","og_site_name":"altmuslim","article_published_time":"2016-09-30T23:44:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/27\/2016\/09\/Noor-Tagouri_website.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Guest Contributor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Guest Contributor","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/","name":"Noor Tagouri Responds - But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women's Empowerment?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-09-30T23:44:19+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-30T23:44:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/2d865aff786b53f8ec13c56a6f5518ec"},"description":"By Zehra Rizavi Muslim-American journalist Noor Tagouri posted a response piece today to the backlash she has faced for choosing to appear in the latest","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/09\/noor-tagouri-responds-but-is-playboy-the-medium-for-muslim-womens-empowerment\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Noor Tagouri Responds – But is Playboy the Medium for Muslim Women’s Empowerment?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/","name":"altmuslim","description":"Global perspectives on Muslim life, politics & culture","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/2d865aff786b53f8ec13c56a6f5518ec","name":"Guest Contributor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7378f6254ac5bdf4936a66cb60d0dd4a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7378f6254ac5bdf4936a66cb60d0dd4a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Guest Contributor"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/author\/altmuslimguest\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/590"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}