Stereotype: Islam Oppresses Women

Historical Perspective on the Stereotype

In these times, the Muslim woman has come to embody the definitive symbol of backwardness and oppression and acts as a visual cue to reinforce claims of the 'alarming ascension of Islamic aggression, militancy and terrorism’. The foundation for Muslim women to be the pinnacle of the degraded image was laid in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when European colonialists became obsessed with emancipating the 'Other' woman in order to subvert and destroy the indigenous cultures over which they ruled (Ahmed) and was further intensified by the erroneous idea in feminist discourse that the only true model of liberation was the Western model of feminism (Abu-Lughod).

Another key feature is the Western obsession with lifting the veil (literally or figuratively) and discovering the secrets of the hidden Muslim woman. As in everything seen that is viewed in polarities, a abyss is maintained between the ‘liberated’, not veiled Western woman and the ‘oppressed’, veiled Muslim woman. Therefore, the Western feminist writing about the Muslim woman takes on a coded male role: penetrating and taking control of the feminized, passive and silent Muslim woman and essentially releasing the Muslim woman to come out of the shackles of her oppression and reveal herself to an audience of those who equate Westernization as the only means of liberalization.(Abu-Lughod)

Stereotypes of Islam and Muslim Women

The cumulative outcome of continuous stereotyping and misrepresentation is to construct a polarization between ‘them’ and ‘us’ through recurring negative messages of the target group the group that becomes the ‘others’. In promoting and sustaining the values of the white, Western dominant society, the media and other sources of information including textbooks, often draw a line between the ‘First World’ and the ‘Third World,’ between the ‘West’ and the ‘non-West.’ This line of demarcation is created by the steady construction of images that make a distinction between the positive attributes, capacities, and strengths of the West and those of the countries of the East or the Third World. The First World is rational, progressive, efficient, moral, modern, scientifically and technologically ordered, and on the side of the good and right, whereas the East or Third World is defined as traditional, underdeveloped, overpopulated, irrational, disordered, and uncivilized (Razack 1998).

Orientalism: Concepts of Eastern Women

There are two symbols that have been chosen by the West to perpetuate the distinct rift between the West and the Arab (or Islamic) world to stand for Muslim women and the oppression they are challenged with from the ‘sexually obsessed and frustrated’, ‘indulged’, ‘faithless’ and ‘inherently tyrannical’ Muslim man. Firstly, female genital cutting, (a ruthless, erroneous concept which is neither within the scope Islam nor this article see http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/positionpapers/fgm.html for more information) and the veil. The veil is one of the key symbols of a woman’s position in the Muslim world. Muslim women's veiling is the reference to the common Orientalist impression that underneath the veil, all sorts of murky, suspicious, deceptive notions are entertained.

The Western concept of the Middle Eastern ‘other’ that is rooted in Orientalism requires Muslim women to preserve certain lifestyles and beliefs based on their own constructions of social and cultural ideas. Such constructed representations of Middle Eastern women further exacerbates the constructed Western image of the veiled woman to promote desired public opinions and in turn political out comes.

Western feminists focus on issues such as veiling, as an element of an Orientalist pursuit. They further construct the Muslim woman as a passive figure: she is not allowed to speak for herself. This takes attention away from the real lives of Muslim women and the real oppressions that they might face. In turn, because of the Orientalist projection of Western feminism, the word "feminist" is used as a term of derision against indigenous women's rights activists implying that their arguments are imported Westernisms, not authentic to the inhabitants of the culture, and thus can and should be rejected.

Women’s Issues as Emotional Flares for Propaganda verses Realities

Woman’s issues are often used to flare-up emotions when observing cultural differences. At the time when in Western culture modernization took place, religion was marginalized. Westerners tend to feel that their secular feminist model is the sole expression of female emancipation. The image of a Muslim woman portrayed in the media is often simplistic: a Westernized woman is modern and a Muslim woman is backward, oppressed. The reality is that even veiled women have responsibilities and are professionals. This reality is not only difficult for the many westerners to accept, but is even irritating and seemingly impossible.

The Western media hides such examples where women often voluntarily choose to veil or wear a burka. Many in the West cannot see that such women are an indication of the West’s own lack of comprehension of other cultures. This is why it is so easy to use women’s issues in propaganda: there is a tremendous lack of knowledge and sensitivity toward Muslim women. It is the ideal issue to use when emotions are fueled by ignorance. The public will want to save these poor oppressed souls and will fully support the propagandist.

The term, ‘Veil of Oppression’ was on CBS News. Time Magazine referred to the burka as ‘a body bag for the living’. British columnist, Polly Toynbee called the burka ‘a public tarring and feathering of female sexuality”. Toynbee has also stated, “[The burka] transforms any woman into an object of defilement too untouchably disgusting to be seen…it turns women into cowering creatures, demanding and expecting violence.”

The symbol of veiling and Muslim women fully covering is used in propaganda, so the Western mind can equate it with tyranny. When the media uses this symbol the public emotionally accepts freeing these oppressed women in any way possible. When public emotions have flared and people feel they must turn against any ‘axis of evil’ and ‘fight against terrorism’ ‘for truth, justice and the American way.’ These vague terms are used to manipulate the public. However, it is vital to critically analyze what is really behind these words.

Not many average American citizens will understand that the veiling may in reality be a symbol of faith, modesty, and protection for those who wear it. Many people believe what the media feeds them. In reality, if Muslim women are a symbol of anything, it is a symbol of the West’s failure to respect people who have different values than their own and who make choices many Westerners may not make or totally understand. It is the role of the educator to create the understanding, so the effects of such propaganda can at least begin to crumble at its ignorant foundation by bringing knowledge and understanding into students: tomorrow’s public.

A Few Facts about Muslim Women

Spiritual equality, responsibility and accountability for both men and women is a well-developed theme in the Quran. Spiritual equality between men and women in the sight of God is not limited to purely spiritual, religious issues, but is the basis for equality in all temporal aspects of human endeavor. Spiritual equality, responsibility and accountability for both men and women is a well-developed theme in the Quran. Spiritual equality between men and women in the sight of God is not limited to purely spiritual, religious issues, but is the basis for equality in all temporal aspects of human endeavor. (Gender Equity in Islam)

According to the Muslim Women’s League position paper on economic rights of women: (http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/essays/econrights.html ):

”Women were given rights in the Quran to contribute to the economy by owning and selling property 1400 years ago. Verse 4:32 emphasizes the equality of men and women in the economical growth of a society.

“Men shall have a benefit from what they earn, and women shall have a benefit from what they earn. (4:32)

“This verse, aside from giving women the right to earn, supports the economic theory of "equal pay for equal work.The core of this theory is that women and men should be compensated by the work they perform regardless of gender. The Quran addresses this issue by referring to both genders and stating that each be compensated by their work. If it was intended that women receive less than men it would have been explicit. This is a concept that even in today's Western society has not completely been adopted. In a recent study Working Women magazine reported that although women's salaries in the United States are starting to catch up with men's in recent years, still women earn 5 to 15 cents less on the dollar than men working in a similar job.”

From the inception of Islam, women have full rights to their possessions and are free to do business, yet this should all be done within the context of the religion and the culture. If the will is there to maintain Islamic and cultural mores within a society, it can be done as in Saudi Arabia, parts of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, but if the country buckles under Western pressure, like in Bahrain and Kuwait, modernization will be heavily linked with Westernization and secularism.

Political involvement is a means to fulfill one’s obligations to society. Islamic history provides precedents for involvement in the political system which can take many forms, from voting in elections, to holding a position as a legislator or a judge, to being a head of state. The Quran, sunnah (ways of the Prophet Mohammed), and Islamic history provide ample evidence of women undertaking various forms of political involvement from the bai’ah (a symbolic contract between the leader and the people wherein the leader promises to obey Islamic law and the people, in exchange, promise their allegiance), to fighting in battles to influencing political decisions. Ignoring the contributions of Muslim women deprives our Islamic heritage of valuable role models while continuing the stagnation of Islamic thought. To exclude women from political involvement simply because they are women is an act of tribalism based on gender, which is actually forbidden in Islam. (Women in Society: Political Participation)

It has been noted that many countries have realized concrete and qualitative advances in regard to woman participating in all fields of development and production. The social, legal and economic progress has allowed women organize and become more active in decision making circles. The situation of women in the Persian Gulf countries is moving towards further progress and development although the range of development fluctuates among countries. However, it is of utmost importance that women’s issues be handled without forcing them out of context, as any such approach would only compound existing complications.

Actually, economic rights or political rights problems facing women in are not generally dissimilar from troubles facing men. These issues affect women in addition to men. In that framework, the demands of Gulf women could serve as a mechanism to secure rights for the entire society.

There is a need for various channels through which women could express their opinions and organize themselves in unions in order to activate proposed laws and legislations and make them permanent. It may be thought that the socio-cultural environment of Arab countries countries, with all its traditions, values and mores, is an almost impossible environment in which to isolate women’s issues and problems from their wider social and cultural context. It could be possible to make these changes within the cultural context if the people themselves feel these changes are necessary. Change should not based on impositions made by outside forces, and where examples of so-called positive change is based on the Western model. Similarly, enhancing and modernizing women’s roles ought to run concurrently with a wide-ranging course of development and modernization of all the socio-cultural components of the existing societies within the societal context.

Over the last decades of the twentieth century in particular, there has arisen a strong trend of Muslim women and men who choose to refute male domination and misogyny as being alien to their perception of Islam. These Muslims find empowerment and equality through Islamic sources to match their vision of a religion that is egalitarian at its heart.

Overcoming the Real Oppression

Many Muslim women and men alike are ruled by dictatorial regimes. Their lives are worsened by extreme poverty and lack of education. These conditions are not caused by Islam, but are exploited in the name of Islam. A misguided, narrow interpretation of Islam reinforced the patriarchal system in Afghanistan. All educators, Muslim scholars and leaders can help change the vision of an Islam that infringes on women rights as expressed in Islam. Islam does support a woman’s right to education, healthcare, marriage, divorce, and equal pay for equal work to bring about change in Islamic societies.

Given the opportunity, Muslim women will strive to do what is best for their family and contribute positively to society. Muslim women need their Islamic rights and the freedom to make choices. A majority of covered women are not catering to a male-dominated understanding of Islam but cover by choice for their belief in Islam and not for any human being.

Change that may take place in Muslim societies along with a decline of patriarchal power may give these societies a chance to define themselves, develop themselves and come forward as just societies built from within. The veil when worn in these reformed societies may no longer be a tool for propaganda but may become an example of how modernization and religion can be well balanced within a healthy society.

Recommendations for Teachers

Ethnocentric, hegemonic, and stereotypic mind-sets and discourses within educational systems should be drastically changed. Long-established curriculum which represents the hegemony of Western white male dominated culture is often intrinsically misrepresenting women and minorities, yet it is imposed on all students. In this way, students from diverse cultures become marginalized. No student, from any group should become alienated in the classroom. It is beneficial if international communities inside societies are looked upon as component of an archetype for the world’s global community.

A new light on how to reflect on one’s own societal weaknesses and gain greater understanding of different cultures through critical analyses of all information and attending to all questions raised by the dissemination and impartation of accurate information must be keenly attended to. Religion plays a significant role in history and society. The study about religion is indispensable to comprehending both the nation and the world. Omission of facts about religion can give students the fake notion that the religious life of humanity and civilizations was and is insignificant or unimportant. The ignorance even the basic symbols, practices, and concepts of the various religions makes much of history, literature, art, and modern-day life obscure. Moreover, knowledge of the roles of religion in the past and present promotes a cross-cultural understanding that is fundamental to world peace. Studying about religion is also imperative if learners are to cherish religious freedom, as the first freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

Links for Information on Islam

Islamic Information Center, http://www.Islaminfo.com

Islamic Institute, http://www.islamicinstitute.org

Islam Online, http://www.islamonline.net

Muslim Journal, http://www.muslimjournal.com

Muslims: Teachers guide. PBS Frontline, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/

Muslim Women's League, http://www.mwlusa.org/index.htm

Suggested Readings

1. An Identity Reduced to a Burka Al-Marayati, Laila and Semeen Issa (2002) http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/opinion/veil.html

Like the differences in our clothing from one region to another, Muslim women are diverse. Stereotypical assumptions about Muslim women are as inaccurate as the assumption that all American women are personified by the bikini-clad cast of "Baywatch." Anyone who has spent time interacting with Muslims knows that, despite numerous obstacles, Muslim women are active, assertive and engaged in society. Nevertheless, recent articles in the Western media suggest the burka means everything to Muslim women, because they routinely express bewilderment at the fact that all Afghan women didn't cast off their burkas when the Taliban was defeated. The Western press' obsession with the dress of Muslim women is not surprising, however, since the press tends to view Muslims, in general, simplistically. Headlines in the mainstream media have reduced Muslim female identity to an article of clothing--"the veil."

2. An Islamic Perspective on Women's Dress http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/positionpapers/hijab.html

No subject seems to receive more attention as an issue unique to Muslims than that of women’s dress. Muslims and non-Muslims alike dwell on this issue, using women’s appearances to categorize others in an effort to understand them. In some instances, the dress of the Muslim woman ends up meaning more to others than it does to the woman herself with often far-reaching political and social implications. Examining the reasons for such obsession is beyond the scope of this position paper, but deserves consideration nevertheless, as we ask ourselves why so many people are so preoccupied with the appearance of Muslim women.

3. An Islamic Perspective on Violence Against Women http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/positionpapers/violence.html While women in many parts of the world have made advances in areas previously closed to them, the problem of violence against women remains pervasive. Unfortunately, this violence takes many forms and occurs across national, cultural, racial, and religious borders. Islam condemns all forms of violence against women. The basic Islamic premise of equality between women and men cannot be achieved so long as violence against women persists.

4. Conceptions and Misconceptions of Women in the Middle East. Holmes-Eber, Paula PH.D. Jackson School of International Studies: University of Washington: http://jsis.washington.edu/jsis/conceptandmisconcpt1.pdf

This article gives a general outline of three specific misconceptions of women in Islam: "Middle Eastern women are oppressed, unable to leave their homes, work, or have basic education," "Women in the Middle East are forced to veil because of Islam," and "Islam is a monolithic religion that uniformly denies women basic rights." It is a good source of background knowledge as well as very interesting. It would be beneficial to someone looking for specific information about the reasons our western conceptions are false.

5. PBS Frontline Muslims Reading and Links http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muslims/etc/links.html An excellent selection of background material covering Islam, Islam and democracy, the Quran, Islamic law, and Islam and the West.

6. Position Paper on "Honor Killings” http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/positionpapers/hk.html

Due to recent media attention, the problem of “honor killings” has come under increasing global scrutiny. In various countries throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East and parts of South Asia, women who bring dishonor to their families because of sexual indiscretions are forced to pay a terrible price at the hands of male family members. Attempted murder and other forms of corporal punishment have been reported. The most severe manifestations of punishment affect only a small percentage of women, even though the notion of family honor and shame is extremely important in most communities of the Muslim world. Women from other faith groups may also be subject to similar attitudes from within their own communities in those countries. Clearly, the prevailing view that devalues and belittles women is derived from sociocultural factors that are justified by a distorted and erroneous interpretation of religion, especially of Islam.

6. Sex and Sexuality in Islam http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/essays/sexuality.html

The purpose of this chapter is to explore important issues of sexuality from an Islamic point of view in an effort to expose demeaning cultural habits which have no basis in Islam, and to offer alternative understandings of these issues based on the primary sources of Qur'an and Hadith. Topics covered: An historical Perspective, sexual development, Pre-puberty, puberty, young adulthood, reproductive years, post re-productive age, sense of shame, menstruation, virginity, sexual fulfillment, sexual rights of the wife, rights of the husband, sex outside marriage, rape, homosexuality, contraception, abortion, female genital mutilation, sex education.

7. The Utility of Islamic Imagery in the West: An American Case Study. Progler, J.A.Brooklyn College at CUNY. http://www.themodernreligion.com/assult/imagery.html

This article discusses the specific stereotypes westerners have for Islamic societies.. It also discusses the repercussions of these stereotypes in our media, or advertising, and our inability to distinguish these ideas from reality. The author discusses the idea of "the Other" and Orientalism in colonialism and how this relates to our modern views. It is helpful in gaining understandings of the general preconceived ideas westerners have about the Islamic culture through the ages and why they are false.

References and Resources

Abu-Lughod, Lila ed. Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998.

Ahmed, Leila, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992

Afghanistan’s Veil of Oppression. CBS News.com 23 Oct. 2000. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/10/23/eveningnews/main243429.shtml sited 20 Jun 2006

Al-Marayati, Laila and Semeen Issa.(2002) An Identity Reduced to a Burka LA Times Sunday Opinion, 20 Jan 2002 sited 20 June 06 http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/opinion/veil.html

Brumberg, Joan J. and Jackson, Jacquelyn, “The Burka and the Bikini.” Globe Newspaper Company. Boston Globe. 23 Nov 2001. p A31 http://foucault.info/Foucault-L/archive/msg08086.shtml sited 20 June 06

Chandra Mohanty. Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourse. In Third World Women and Feminism, edited by C. Mohanty, A. Russo, and L. Torres, eds. Bloomington: Indiana University Press 1991.

Gender Equity in Islam. (1995) Muslim Women’s League. http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/positionpapers/gender.html sited 20 June 06

Issues of Concern for Muslim Women. (1995) Muslim Women’s League. http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/positionpapers/issues.html sited 20 June 06

Nilufer Göle. The Forbidden Modern: Civilization and Veiling. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. 1996.

Razack, Sherene. Looking at White People in the Eye: Gender, Race and Culture in the Courts and the Classrooms. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 1998.

Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1979.

Toynbee, Polly. Behind the Burka. Guardian Unlimited 28 Sept 2001. http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,559536,00.html sited 20 June 06

Women in Society: Economic Rights. (1995) Muslim Women’s League. http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/essays/econrights.html sited 20 June 06

Women in Society: Political Participation. (1995) Muslim Women’s League http://www.mwlusa.org/publications/essays/polirights.html sited 20 June 06