Lila Abu-Lughod

Lila Abu-Lughod writes two very important articles on the topic of feminism as relating to Muslim women. "Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving" explores the attitudes of the West towards Muslim women in a historical and military context, while "The Marriage of Feminism and Islam in Egypt: Selective Repudiation as a Dynamic of Postcolonial Cultural Politics," which explores the two concepts of feminism and Islamic reawakening in Egypt, as well as colonial history that influences both.

"Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving" is written primarily on the War on Terror and how it is justified through Western perceptions of Muslim women. Most clearly demonstrated by Laura Bush during a speech in 2001, these perceptions are rooted in a colonial, Orientalist mentality of Islam; wherein Muslim women are inherent victims, oppressed by their seemingly traditional (read: old-fashioned), patriarchal religion and in need of salvation by the West- salvation by the means of bombings and invasion. This "victimization" is seen most notably through the practice of veiling, which continues to mystify the Western world- Abu-Lughod cites an event for Medecins du Monde at which a series of photographs was presented on "Afghan Women; Behind the Veil" with an introduction that simultaneously eroticized it and identified the veil as an oppressive cultural force (789). Abu-Lughod (and myself) is deeply troubled by the similarities between Christian missionary writings on Egyptian Muslim women from 1907 and Laura Bush's 2001 speech about Afghan Muslim women; though a century apart, both Western perspectives silence Muslim women's lived experiences and speak on their behalf for the desperate need for liberation. In the context of the War on Terror, this is especially distressing as the supposed need for liberation justifies the acts of violence committed by the U.S. military. Bombing civilians becomes acceptable to the U.S. if it's for the sake of emancipating oppressed women- but with that, the only empowerment permitted is Western feminist liberation. As Abu-Lughod discusses early on in the article, the Western world was confused when Afghan women chose to continue wearing burqas after the end of Taliban rule, leading to general confusion about women's liberation- if it isn't inherently Western, is it right? Of course, as WGS students, the answer appears obvious. My question then becomes, does women's liberation have to have a specific appearance, or can it be wholly individual?

In "The Marriage of Feminism and Islam: Selective Repudiation as a Dynamic of Postcolonial Cultural Politics," Abu-Lughod writes on how Islamists in Egypt are influenced by modern and colonial ideas of women's empowerment in their everyday beliefs. She begins by presenting modern feminist ideas demonstrated in television shows that depict female protagonists who struggle between establishing family lives or careers, but never portray anything but human nature as the cause of that struggle. On the other hand, however, Islamists are advocating for women's empowerment through more conservative practices- primarily, a "return to the home" (255), education only as a way to better raise children, and marriages based on love, for the sake of the husband's happiness. Abu-Lughod argues that these ideas are influenced by 20th century scholar Qasim Amin, who could be considered a feminist yet advocated for distinctly European ideals (i.e., a loving, happy marriage as the better way to support and uplift the husband (257)). The issue with this is that the same Islamists who are influenced by Amin's bourgeois-European ideologies, are also disillusioned with the West and are opponents of it's influence. Ultimately, Abu-Lughod's message is that Muslim women continue to be the experts on Muslim feminisms, as they are the ones living their unique experiences that cannot be adequately summed up by anyone else, including male Muslim scholars such as Amin. This sort of misrepresentation of Muslim women's beliefs and goals is historically consistent and continues to this day- in fact, nearly all marginalized peoples have experienced being spoken for by those other than themselves. We have also seen this in the second wave of feminism, where white women tended to speak on behalf of women of color (especially black women), often misrepresenting their specific needs and demands and disregarding that their experiences were not the same. My question is, how can we continue to uplift the voices of the oppressed and limit the misrepresentation of marginalized peoples- in this case, Muslim women?