Feminism : A Feminist Organization Essay

The main arguments of Mohanty, Liederman, and Sen have similarities and differences. First, Mohanty’s main argument emphasizes the issue of white Western women belittling those of other cultures and ethnicities within the feminist movement. By asserting a universal notion of womanhood, these white Western women show ethnocentric universality through their ignorance of how the meaning of femininity, oppression, and liberation in the women’s movement vary in ethnic and cultural contexts (Mohanty, 1984, p. 335). By using a mindset that ignores ethnic differences, they therefore falsely construct and analyze “third world women,” believing that these women desperately need help to advance in society. Mohanty argues that in order for a feminist movement to advance, women must discontinue a paternalistic method of marginalizing women of different ethnicities to recognize the varied meanings of femininity, oppression, and liberation and enhance their solidarity and effectiveness as a whole group. This ethnocentrism is also present in Liederman’s

During the reign of the Taliban, women were subjected to silence while injustice flared through the Middle East. Forced to stay submissive to their superiors, women had no rights nor freedom to surpass society’s upbringings. The main intention of the three novels eliminates the withholdings of education from certain groups. Without these fundamental regulations in women’s favor, the value of peace is threatened.

In Afghanistan, Women’s rights were very denied and completely dismissed. Women were treated horribly. They were beaten, abused verbally, and even killed. Under the rule of the Taliban, women were better off staying in the safety of their own homes.

The first assumption argues that “western” feminist discourses emphasize that all women are bound together by a shared oppression and are powerless (53-54). Mohanty systemically explores this theory through an in depth analysis of five categories in which women of the third world are traditionally presented as homogenous victims by “western” feminist. The first two categories, women as victims of male violence and women as universal dependents, arguably offer the most straightforward deconstruction of the gendered body of knowledge that is power. Women, especially women of the third world, are all seen as victims of male violence and control (54). All women are defined as powerless, and all men are defined as powerful (55). Similarly, all women are defined as powerless dependents in the second category. Mohanty argues, “this is because descriptive gender differences are transformed into the divisions between men and women” (55). This division possesses a privileged position as the explanation for the oppression of women (56). Therefore, women are seen as a powerless group no matter what the historical or cultural situation because they are deemed so prior to any analysis (56).

Historical information about the Setting: The major events in this book occurred in the last decade. After the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, the lives of many Middle Easterners (Iraqians, Iranians, etc.) and South Asians (Afghans, Pakistanis, etc.) were changed. Many people, especially women, were brutally slaughtered for disobeying the Taliban, a terrorist group that worked closely with al Qaeda. Not only were the Taliban extreme religious fundamentalists, they were also strict with enforcement. The US and many other countries have tried to end these terrorist organizations, but they hurt a great deal of innocent people, which this book goes further in depth about. In these recent years, there has been great progression in basic rights for women, as well as men, which most likely could have never happened prior to this time.

The Taliban implemented laws restricting the movements and actions of women in Afghanistan in public places. While attempting to visit her child in a home for young girls, Laila is beaten within an inch of her life as a consequence of walking outside without a male escort (Hosseini). The extreme course of action, beating a woman for walking alone, demonstrates the illogical and unjustifiable actions the Taliban promotes the practice of in Afghanistan. The women and men have dramatically unequal rights.

I previously talked about the mistreatment of women but something that is also very important is how women feel about all of this. It is very easy to find out the issue at hand but in order to really understand, we need to dig deeper. In the book, one character who lives Peshawar, Pakistan reminisces of how “easily violence happens here, how quickly it passes, with everyone acting as if everything is normal soon afterward” (Staples 81). Peace is a desperate situation for Afghanistan and Pakistan because of the Taliban’s sharia. When the character says that violence is easily caused, it relates to current day as well and how the treatment of women and Taliban rule is continuous. According to an article named “FATA women and the question of Taliban sharia”, “The precedent of Taliban rule and their treatment of women are visible next door to us”. This scenario is present throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan which make me wonder how these countries can return to peace after a long period of time where nothing was right.

he second article being looked at is ‘Muslim Women’s Quest for Equality: Between Islamic Law and Feminism’ by author Ziba Mir-Hosseini. This article looks at the plight of women in both the Middle East and Southwest Asia and looks the the distinction between sharia law and fiqh. Mir-Hosseini argues that Muslim women will be treated as second class citizens as long as patriarchy is justified and upheld in the name of Islam (pg.629). Both the invasion of Iran and Afghanistan were justified on the basis that Muslims were in need of “freedom” and “democracy”. By doing this is has brought upon many internal and external struggles. Muslims in these countries see the “neo imperialist intervention as a direct assault on their religion” (pg. 631). Further giving more reason to legitimize the power of radical Islamists such as Al-Qaeda.

The defeatist mindset of women can perpetuate their own continued oppression. This is the psychological result of extreme oppression, abuse and marginalization of women in a radically patriarchal society like Afghanistan. In this society, one might assume that the power of men is reinforced mostly by fellow men; however, it is enlightening to learn that women themselves can perpetuate male privilege when they succumb to defeatism. Khaled Hosseini does an excellent job demonstrating this phenomenon in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini effectively shows Afghanistan as the quintessential patriarchal society that is oppressive to women and subverts feminism through abuse of human rights.

Afghanistan is by far one of the most challenging places in the world to be a woman. During the rule of the Taliban in 1996 until 2001, women were treated with the upmost disrespect, worse than during any other leadership in the history of Afghanistan. They were living in a misogynistic society were they were confined to living in a house unless escorted by a male companion. They were not able to work or allowed to seek medical assistance from a male doctor. Under the Taliban regime, women are also forced to cover themselves completely from head to toe, even covering their eyes. Not only have these women lost their self worth but they have also lost any ounce of self-identity they had left.

In the 1920’s, women in America fought for their right to vote. Now, in 2016, all races and both genders are allowed to vote. Women are no longer discriminated against, and they are seen as strong, smart, and independent. Women in Afghanistan, however do not have the pleasure of even going outside without having to be covered from head to toe and without a male relative to escort them. Khaled Hosseini, author of A Thousand Splendid Suns, displays the struggle of Afghani women by telling the tragic stories of two women in the small town of Kabul.

Multiple women's organizations formed in diverse communities throughout the country, each with a different objective. The National Women's Organization focused on political, employment and governmental equality (National Organization for Women, 1966). The Redstockings called for "class consciousness" (Redstockings, 1969), attempting to break down class barriers to unify the cause. In 1975, a group of feminists opened A Women's Coffee House in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was originally formed as a collective but evolved into a hub for the lesbian community, centering on sexual oppression and the dominance of men (Enke, 2003).

What is feminist? Feminist are people who support feminism, which is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. Because people didn’t believe that women and men should all have equal rights and opportunities, women created movement to reform on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. One of the most famous movement is the National Organization for Women or the NOW, which was founded in 1966. What the NOW movement does is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, meaning that we should take action in order to be part of the American society that we are born

“The face of a woman is a source of corruption for men not related to them” (Taliban). History illustrates that world powers, including our own, are temporary. They ascend and collapse and the institutions they erect, the beliefs and social norms guide them, the economic systems, which support them, ascend, and collapse, too. The United States foreign policy has frequently been a tale of assertive intervention in foreign lands for strategic interests based on saving or civilizing them. The United States should intervene in countries to help the treatment and rights of women by eradicating poverty, forming bilateral relationships, and improving women’s education.

Equality has been a long-time goal for the feminism movement. Over the last 100 years did feminism equality advanced so much within the united states. Women have gained many rights that men have and perhaps more. Has feminism accomplished all their goals that there is no need for feminist in the united states? Many women believe that there is no need for feminist anymore.