ASA141
Week 5
Muslim women don't need to be saved from a tyrannous Islamic oppressor. There are many forms that feminism and female agency can take on that does not have to be an echo of Western ideologies. Muslim women in the pan-Arab world shape their own individuality and are in control of their own lives through their conservative dress and veiled style. The burqa, hijab, or other forms of veiling is not a sign of oppression, but a marker of respectability, and a way for Muslim women to feel safe and protected from strange men. It is a way for them to uphold their family’s honor and liberate them into moving out of segregated living spaces while still observing the basic moral requirements of separating and protecting women from unrelated men. In fact, across the pan-Arab and Islamic spheres of the world, being veiled allows Muslim women to obtain a sense of agency. They get to choose for whom they pull cloth over their face out of respect for. Thy are empowered to “save” their beauty and physical appearance for themselves and their loved ones, and not be objectified in public. It is a way for Muslim women to be in control of who they deem is worthy enough of their true appearance, and who is also worthy enough of their modesty. The freedom women have to do whatever they want to their hair under their hijab, or their bodies under the burqa do not have to be open for public display or criticism. Their bodies do not have to be colonized by Western ideals nor do they have to be subjected to Western-normative standards of beauty.
In what ways can veiled forms of fashion be taken advantage of by political and religious leaders to control women's bodies and enforce codes of patriarchy onto them?
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