Unholy Matrimony and (Un)Veiling Feminism

In the article "(Un)Veiling Feminism" Najmabadi discusses the conflicting dynamics between feminism, secularism and nationalism. She brings up many key points on the issue of contrary fears between modernity and tradition as explained in this quote, "...by mudding the clear lines of what or who is Islamist, has enabled feminist who speak secularism to find more hospitable and growing cultural space. The resistance of drawing such clear lines has been exasperating to hard-line Islamist set on keeping these boundaries clear and patrolled"(33). While, reading this I couldn't help but relate it to current issues occurring here in the U.S issues dealing with social cultural practices going against  legal institutions. We see the clash in our everyday life but obviously in different contexts. In America we also discuss what it means to be American and automatically reduce every "American" to a single unified experience, which is unfair to do. Najmabadi explains a similar problem with the concept of what Iranianess is. She also explains the common issues in women's activism and discusses the hijab. She highlighted the conflicting opinions between women on this specific issue. I think its important to note that she explains each aspect of feminism, secularism and nationalism from different perspectives and then inflicts her own ideals. Modernity and tradition in my opinion have always clashed and I've noticed that in my personal experiences as well. To know and learn the perspectives of different people help highlight your own opinion on an issue.

In the article "Unholy Matrimony" by Juliet A. Williams, she explains how she was first introduced to  the idea of sighed which is a temporary marriage. She then goes to explain the different dynamics on how the culture itself views sighed vs. how the western world views these marriages. The molding of modernity and tradition which was explained in Najmabadi's article comes into play here with how Williams mother in law views her sons relationship Williams explains, "Recognizing the social complexities of the practice, Ali's mother nonetheless believed that a temporary marriage would provide the best way to reconcile her son's lifestyle choices with her own commitment to maintaining within the family a respect for the boundaries of propriety established in Islam"(614). This brings up many questions. Although, it seems both are getting what they want to what extent is does this completely blur the lines of modernity? Also, I found it very interesting how William included how the U.S chooses to cover and critique sighed's. The media has a lot of power in shaping and manipulating people's opinions and social aspects especially when it pertains to the Islamic world. One of the New York times article's headline was "prostitution has made a comeback". Headlines like this are what then carry a negative context when relating it back to the Islam World. Our media has painted a picture of how this concept of temporary marriage only furthers proves the sexual oppression of women and the dominance in men. Where in the Islam context they see it as a sign of progression and modernity especially for women to gain financial independence.

Both articles explain the dynamics of modernity and tradition and how it is viewed from different perspectives. My question is as a society how can we help stop the bias western news media platform from allowing them to misconstruct and manipulate social cultural practices?