Tags
burqa, Egypt, feminism, France, Islam, Middle East, Mona Eltahawy, Tariq Ramadan, women, Womyn
I have a theory that if womankind watches Mona Eltahawy each morning, the global patriarchal structure would fall and by Sunday midday a new matriarchal world order would be in place:
For more empowerment and insights into developments in the MENA region, visit Mona’s blog, here.
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There is merit in what Ramadan said, and I am referring here to the external imposition/banning of a female dress code to “liberate” woman or, at the very least, to assist in her emancipation. The dress question is clearly one related to identity, identification, and in many cases resistance. So I don’t see how an official ban or imposition of a certain dress code would serve to emancipate women.
That said, Eltahawy brought up the invisibility argument and in so doing she reinforced Ramadan’s point. This is what the veil question is usually reduced to, visibility and invisibility. The conflicting desires to expose and conceal. This cannot be imposed, in this respect I agree with Ramadan. If it’s the mentality of these women that these secularists want to change, then that’s a different story altogether. Targeting their dress serves nothing but to infuriate communities and to alienate European Muslims.
And I’m not in favour of veiling, in principle. But it is a convenient, and sometimes necessary, decision that women take for a number of reasons. Nobody from the outside, neither the religious father nor the secular state, has the right to intervene in this decision. Key here is addressing the issue from the roots, not tackling one manifestation of women’s oppression haphazardly. This is counterproductive.
Wow. She pegged it: he was silencing her. First by not allowing her to speak, then by labeling her. I would have cut Tariq’s mic.
I don’t sense a sincerity about women. I feel he is using that angle to support a continuing agenda of silence, and maintaining a status quo.
Tololy, I disagree on this: “So I don’t see how an official ban or imposition of a certain dress code would serve to emancipate women.” It will allow those who are forced to wear it by men have the law on their side. The state intervened against male opinion to allow women to vote, too.
“Targeting their dress serves nothing but to infuriate communities and to alienate European Muslims.” Must everything be based on keeping people from fury? They chose to live there. Alienation, from I have seen in Austria, Holland and Germany, is a very definite choice of the population.
I wonder why this part of the world feels very free to impose all kinds of restrictions to maintain religious and cultural identity, but insists that the West conform to their standards?
In the first place, Europe has failed to adhere to its human right principle of freedom of choice even of on what to wear. my reply to kinziblogs is that certain European govt has no need whatsoever to conform to other standards, but they have to follow their own sincerly without any bias.
Imposing only to Muslim women to adhere to certain standard dress code is ridiculous and absolutely against her will even by giving excuse of emancipation from patriarchal force which most of the time is not there. why dont just let the women who has been force by their parents or husband to liberate themselves by getting divorce or stay away from parents instead of imposing the dress code.
It is really mere excuse which actually Europe wants the whole world to accept without critical thinking. I salute Mr. Ramadan of what he had to convey. He was wrong to talk when Ms. Mona was talking and accused her without producing evidence. But on this topic Ms. Mona has talking nonsense about visibility where when a Muslim women chooses to be in public in her dress then she is forced not to be in public by the law or has to adhere to the new regulation which is against her will.