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We dont all wear burqa's : Rising Islamic feminism | 24 comments (24 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: We dont all wear burqa's : Rising (none / 0)
Helen:

"In Islam, as elsewhere, women are doing it for themselves...cos the men aren't helping."

Did you study at the Sven school of sweeping generalizations ? I assume this isn't really meant to be serious. This is on a par with "Tony Blair ... stereotyping the Muslim community". There are, of course, plenty of men within Islam, as elsewhere, who are opposed to fundamentalism and who support the emancipation of women and they deserve recognition and support. Men also benefit from emancipation and education (which didn't do much for Mrs Thatcher), and it's likely that their children would too. Given that they also grew up in modern British society, many young Muslim men are likely to be quite different from their fathers.

In Britain there are organisations like Mpacuk. It tries to encourage Muslims to take an active role in politics and not to just follow their elders, e.g. in continuing to support Labour, even after Iraq. When a young Muslim woman wrote about how she refused to obey her father who wanted her to abandon her involvement with Mpacuk and focus on her studies, some guys told her to do what her father said. But some were very supportive:

Abdul:
"Are you guys serious? Are both of you men by any chance? If you are then I feel sorry for your daughters who wish to help the Ummah.

Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves..."

Muhammed:

"...Instead of applauding this sister for her bravery and firm stance to continue to perservere for the Ummah for the sake of Allah SWT (Jihad - a FARD) despite what obstacles she may come across, 'Lab' & 'outlook' just shun her actions! Typical backward muslim men! Women like this fight to do Jihad whilst you guys hide behind your PC's mumbling and shunning those that put Allah's Jihad first. [Mpak is for peaceful struggle "jihad"]

Mali:
"I think this girl father should be proud of his daughter, not stop her of doing good things, instead he should encourage her."

http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/451/35/

These guys should be supported as well as the girl.

Frankly I don't think that to "peel off the hijab, put on make-up, and head down the pub to get pissed" represents progress, but rather surrender to the corporations which want us all to be passive consumers - preferably drunk much of the time. Otherwise we might actually start thinking and changing things !

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sat Sep 2nd, 2006 at 10:19:17 AM EST
Re: We dont all wear burqa's : Rising (none / 1)
Well Ted, we all like to avoid generalisations that are unhelpful, but sometimes you have to use one or two to smooth the path of discussion. Simply attacking my use of one by pointing out that some muslim men are supportive (which I'd already suggested as the second woman I cite could hardly have done what she did at the age of 18 unless her father had been supportive) seems to be making an attempt to dismiss my entire argument as invalid. Well actually, I do think there is an issue with religion being used as a bludgeon to justify wicked misogynistic practice. This time it's islam, but hang around, I'll have a go at a few others in time.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Sep 2nd, 2006 at 01:51:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: We dont all wear burqa's : Rising (none / 0)
"Well Ted, we all like to avoid generalisations that are unhelpful, but sometimes you have to use one or two to smooth the path of discussion."

You don't have to use ones which, quite illogically, condemn, not only Muslim men, but all men:

"In Islam, as elsewhere, women are doing it for themselves...cos the men aren't helping."

You continue:
" seems to be making an attempt to dismiss my entire argument as invalid."

No, it's just rejecting your sweeping conclusion.

"Well actually, I do think there is an issue with religion being used as a bludgeon to justify wicked misogynistic practice. This time it's islam, but hang around, I'll have a go at a few others in time."

Of course there is an issue - but it doesn't entitle you to condemn all Muslim men, let alone men in general. The fact that you might attack others (I hope more logically) does not excuse your unwarranted generalisations, especially as conclusions.


Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sat Sep 2nd, 2006 at 07:47:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

We dont all wear burqa's : Rising Islamic feminism | 24 comments (24 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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