Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving - 7400 Words

Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others Author(s): Lila Abu-Lughod Reviewed work(s): Source: American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 104, No. 3 (Sep., 2002), pp. 783-790 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567256 . Accessed: 18/01/2012 15:55 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information†¦show more content†¦I want to point out the minefields-a metaphor that is sadly too apt for a country like Afghanistan, with the worlds highest number of mines per capita-of this obsession with the plight of Muslim women. I hope to show some way through them using insights from anthropology,the disciplinewhose charge has been to understand and manage cultural difference. At the same time, I want to remain critical of anthropologys complicity in the reificationof culturaldifference. CULTURAL EXPLANATIONS AND THEMOBILIZATION OFWOMEN It is easier to see why one should be skeptical about the focus on the Muslim woman if one begins with the U.S. AMERICANANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION COPYRIGHT? 2002, 784 American Anthropologist * Vol. 104, No. 3 * September 2002 ism in a way they were not in other conflicts?LauraBushs radio address on November 17 reveals the political work such mobilization accomplishes. On the one hand, her address collapsed important distinctions that should have been maintained. There was a constant slippage between the Taliban and the terrorists, so that they became almost one word-a kind of hyphenated monster identity: the Taliban-and-the-terrorists.Then there was the blurring of the very separate causes in Afghanistan of womens continuing malnutrition, poverty, and ill health, andShow MoreRelatedDo Muslim Women Really Need Saving?1617 Words   |  7 Pagesher book Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? sets out to get rid of stereotypes that muslim women because of frequent ‘honor killings’ and the practice of veiling need to be rescued. She coins the term for the exploration of saving muslim women ‘Islamland.’ There is the perpetuating stereotype and dominant narrative that muslim women need saving and islam is a threatening culture from the eyes of the Western world, mainly American and European. Images from the media of oppressed muslim women has madeRead MoreUnder the Desguise of a Passageway to Happiness: Assimiliation779 Words   |  3 Pagesare. This fear and reaction is the reason for why efforts of assimilation occur, so that the dominant can integrate the minority and to conform to the dominant culture. Writer Sarah Ahmed discusses the issues of migration, assimilation, and what it really means to be happy in her chapter â€Å"Melancholic Migrant.† She traces the links between white culture and happiness; the idea of the whiter you are the happier you are. Ahmed presents arguments of other scholars, like Trevor Phillips, that present theRead MoreThe Relationship among Islam and Human Rights663 Words   |  3 Pagesrelated to this subject. Muslims support that governments have a responsibility to enforce law. In Islam th e people are not independent; God alone is sovereign. Human rights, therefore, are to be enforced only as they reflect divine law. Rights approved by God in the Koran are seen as unquestionable. There is a major similarity between the rights proclaimed through international law. But where there is a difference, then Islamic law is to be obeyed. On the other hand, few Muslims argue that the standardsRead MoreRadical Islamic Terrorism : What s Its All About?1409 Words   |  6 Pagesgo away. The purpose of the Paper is to look at what radical Islam is, and what we as Christians can do to help Muslims come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I think that the Church can do more than it is doing now to minister to both the local and international Muslim Community. Historical Context/Contemporary Overview. While Islamic Terrorism has been around for decades it didn’t really come to the forefront of the average American’s mind until after September 11th 2001. In the followingRead MoreThe Bombing Of The Twin Towers872 Words   |  4 Pagesthere is freedom. Yet, this is our unique brand of freedom. The Middle East is full of peoples with their own way of life that do not necessarily agree with the way we see freedom. Lila Abu-Lughod discusses one of the many difference between the United States and the Middle East, the use of head coverings and the burqa, in her article â€Å"Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?† She examines the cultural significance and different types of veiling. Culture permeates every part of life. As Americans, maybeRead More`` It s All On The Family : Intersections Of Gender, Race, And Nation1185 Words   |  5 Pageswe as women have adopted this image of family and injected it into other hierarchies involving race and sex. We then took it a step further by projecting this image onto our country and its policies. This rose-colored glasses approach is what allows so many to believe that we can rely or expect affluent, influential, white men to act in our best interest. But I’m left to wonder if we’ve taken the same approach in regards to feminist ideals. It seems today, feminism’s mantra is that all women are equalRead MoreSlacktivism Is A Term That Has On The Surface Been Used1456 Words   |  6 Pagescritical term – slacktivism. Activism needs to be a hands on production to truly be effective, when it is not, systematic problematic issues can occur. Issues, for example that a new phenomenon of slacktivism t hat allows white â€Å"activists† to participate only to the extent that they want to distance themselves from other white people who are in fact racists. Or an even more common phenomena of writing women out of the histories that they have helped to shape. Women in activism have been taken advantageRead MoreAnalysis Of Equity, Diversity And Inclusivity1130 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"tradition.† The Feminist Majority Foundation has been immersed in a campaign to support women and girls in their fight against the brutal oppression of the Taliban. Thus, this is a reason why the campaign exclusively focuses on the gender-based oppression of â€Å"Third World† women, without acknowledging the role of racism, colonialism, and economic exploitation. It also claims unity with â€Å"Third World† women and women of color, but the campaign is actually contributing to the stereotyping of Third WorldRead MorePersepolis : The Story Of A Childhood1654 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent ways women resist them. â€Å"Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others† by Lila Abu-Lughod is an essay detailing the misconceptions surrounding the veil. Through this essay we can see how colonial feminism, the form of feminism in which western women push for a western way of living on their third world counterparts, has shined a negative light on cultures all around the world - particularly Islamic women. The essay shows how women who don’tRead MoreThe Issue Of Muslim Women2059 Words   |  9 Pagesthe topic of Muslim women. Islamic women have been in the shadows for years, hidden by their spouses, therefore resulting in the reason why so many of them have been the subject of abuse. The devastating incident that led to many deaths on September 11th of 2001, could possibly be the most recent event that has sparked interest with the Muslim population (Daba-Buzoianu et.al 148). Even then, howev er, Americans were more concerned for their own safety rather than the safety of Muslim women. In the past