Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving Analysis

After the September 11 attacks, it was widely believed that the terrorists responsible were hiding throughout the hills and caves of Afghanistan. The United States chose to invade Afghanistan because it was searching for the terrorists. President Bush believed that the Taliban was hiding Osama Bin Laden and his people. The United States and our allies were successful at removing the threat during World War II, but while our military was able to overthrow the Taliban and capture some of Bin Laden’s associates, we are still involved in a war in the Middle East.

Lila Abu-Lughod is an American anthropologist whose work is focused around descriptive ethnography and mostly based in Egypt. Her work aims to tackled three main issues: the relationship between cultural forms and power; the politics of knowledge and representation; and the dynamics of gender and the question of women’s rights in the Middle East (Columbia). Lughod in her 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

With all of its good intentions, people attempting to swoop in and ‘rescue’ Muslim women from what they believe to be an oppressive and violent culture, is actually doing more harm than good. In the novel, Do Muslim Women Need Saving?, Lila Abu-Lughod explores how this type of sympathetic aid from these seemingly superior, progressive, Western countries can reinforce negative stereotypes about women in the place she calls IslamLand (an overarching and ignorant term for where all Muslims reside). The author investigates the consequences of this post 9/11 concern about Muslim women in government and in the media. She explains how the power of choice is relative, Muslim women’s

One of the biggest anomalies among current events today is the 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, however, Americans were more concerned for their own safety rather than the safety of Muslim women. In the past, these women have had a history of abuse as a result of their disobedience and unfaithfulness to their religion. For example, in Pakistan, “...men, soldiers, and civilians have used rape as a strategy of terrorism against Pakistan’s women, particularly those who dare to transgress existing social hierarchies or who belong to stigmatized social groups (Sharlach 95).” Two of the most recent victims of authoritative Muslims that have managed to get their stories heard have been Mukhtaran Mai and Malala Yousafzai. Mai was raped as a result of her brother’s crimes and Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban as a result of merely wanting an education (Afzal-Khan 153). Although it seems that free will is an option for these women, few are brave enough to let their own opinions on issues concerning their lives surpass the demands of their religious leaders, who can possibly even be considered their masters. Women of this culture are

Before the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan many women had civil rights similar to the woman in America. (“Women in Afghanistan: the back story”) Horia Mosadiq, only a young girl when Russia invaded Afghanistan, spoke about her experiences as girl, “I remember my mother wearing miniskirts and taking us to the cinema. Those days were beautiful.” Afghan women were able to vote in 1919, and by the 1950s, women were finally equal to men with the removal of purdah, a social and religious practice of female seclusion. However, by the time the War in Afghanistan in the early 80s had started, the injustices against females soon grew in staggering numbers. (“Women in Afghanistan: the back story”) 'Afghan women were the ones who lost most from the war and militarization.' (Horia

The War in Afghanistan has been an all consuming conflict for the US government since we started to launch air strikes on October 7, 2001. This is a conflict that’s been brewing since before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This war has the continuation of past conflicts in it, conflicts that can be connected a good deal to the interference of other large powers, such as the USSR. From keeping an eye on the oil reserves, pressuring Iran, and keeping Pakistan stable, our interests and motives for occupying Afghanistan are undeniably laced with many ulterior motives, providing us with the issue of unfavorable opinion and our interests being the source of terrorist attacks. Afghanistan is a country that has been plagued with

The War on terror has been a main focus for the U.S for many years now. The U.S. first got involved in the war on September 11th, 2001, when two planes crashed in to the World Trade Center in New York City, and one in to the Pentagon in Washington D.C., making it the worst thing that has happened on U.S soil since Pearl Harbor. The one thing the U.S. did that nobody else could do was the way responded and how well the U.S. did. “The United States responded by attacking al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, one of several countries where the group had operations. The government in Afghanistan was brutal and supported the terrorists, so less than a month after the attacks of September 11, the United States invaded Afghanistan to break up al-Qaeda and the Afghan government” (Pressler). The U.S. is seen as a major world leader, and responded to this is not only to help their self, but also to prevent

Although some areas in Afghanistan and Iraq have improved and schools have been established, the United States has not done enough to help the people there. For example, the United States issued propaganda after the September 11 attacks that called for the liberation of women in Afghanistan. American citizens rallied in support of this movement and also supported the war because of it. Although some conditions have improved for women, the United States did not do as much as they said they would (Stabile). In addition, the opium trade has worsened in Afghanistan since the arrival of American troops; the country produces twice as much opium as it did in 2000 (Aikins). The War on Terror has also caused millions of innocent civilians’

This research will demonstrate the concept of Quebec majority versus the ones that are considered "other" or minority, specifically Muslim women. The methodologies and surrounding utilized by the print media along with the specific scope of specific issues created polarization amongst minority and greater part gathers. This research will summon an Orientalist focal point to show how racializing talks are portrayed in a monitored subtext over and the news print to support the protection of Quebec character. The strategy that is utilized is the basic analysis of two newspaper articles that are reflected from Gazette and Lap Presse. This examination aims to identify the importance of the representations of Muslim women in the specific recorded understanding of Quebecois in their particular dialect and culture. This essay will reveal that portion of the media procedures within the Quebec context. This will exhibit that Muslim women are minimized and victimized on the premise of their race, sexual orientation and social character. Revealing that the news print media makes harming depictions of Muslim women. The end goal is to counter these negative depictions. Individuals must be instructed how to think fundamentally about the media and build up the fitting media education ways so that they can comprehend what social value are implied.

In the article “Do Muslim Women Need Saving,” Lila Abu-Lughod an anthropologist, who has expounded on Middle Easterner women for many years. She questions whether Muslim women do actually need saving. One of the focuses is on the obligatory wearing of a covering of veil called burqa. Abu-Lughod discusses many groups that state that the Muslim women do need saving from the persecution that propels them to wear the burqa. She additionally proclaims that anthropologists, among others, ought not to be excessively culturally relativistic with the exception of that they ought to comprehend and regard cultural inequalities. Abu-Lughod has attempted to accommodate the public image of women exploited by Islam with the complex women she has known through

Gender Roles were very important in Colonial America. Nowadays, young women are taught that they could grow up and be whatever they want--but it wasn’t always this way. In Colonial times women were limited in what they could do or even say. Although they had limitations, without the roles they played many people wouldn’t have survived. Gender Roles were passed from generation to generation with many limitations for women. Despite these limitations, many women were comfortable in their roles. The lifestyles of these women have directly impacted today’s society in the form of the feminist movement.

The US led Afghan war ignited soon after the 9/11 attacks on America, killing approximately 3000 US citizens in New York City at the time of George W Bush’s presidency. The tragic attack was brutally carried out by a prominent Al-Qaida Leader Osama Bin Laden, who had just fled his hometown in Saudi Arabia and was living in Afghanistan’s rugged mountains of Tora Bora. The Taliban Government heavily dominated Afghanistan at the time Osama Bin Laden carried out attacks on US soil, and he claimed responsibility for the attack subsequently. As a result, US requested the then Taliban leaders Mullah Omar to hand over Osama to the US authorities since he was responsible for the ferocious inhumane attacks on the US soil, killing thousands and damaging millions of dollar worth of property for revenge and retaliation purposes. The then Taliban leader rejected the US’s offer and denied giving up Osama to the US authorities considering him a special guest, and giving up guest was significantly against cultural code and values for the Taliban, especially for Mullah Omar – the leader. Therefore, George W Bush declared war on Afghanistan, sending thousands of troops and attacking the country. However, taking revenge, retaliation from Osama, and even demolishing Taliban’s terroristic domination over Afghanistan was a reasonable excuse for the US to take immediate action, but sending thousands of US soldiers who some didn’t make it back home, spending billions of US dollars, which also caused

Chapter eight of Hooks briefly talks about neocolonialism by defining it as the focus “on who has conquered a territory, who has ownership, who has the right to rule” (hooks 2000). She puts into context the idea that white wealthy women have taken on colonialism when it comes to feminism by putting their problems as the priority and ruling problems that are seen by the world. Since they are the powerful ones their “feminist roles” are viewed at the real roles of feminism as more attention is brought them making those who do not fit in the wealthy white women in the shadows. I thought it was interesting that she used terms normally associated with the conquering and taking of land from the less powerful to describe what feminism has come to

Women's Status in Islam

          The role of woman, her position and status in society, and her nature have been issues of debate and discussion informed by religion, tradition and culture, misogyny, feminism and - many times - downright ignorance and bigotry.