Illiberal religious choices can be autonomous rather than imposed by patriarchy

Evidence

Autonomy, figured as individual choice and free will, is seen as part of the liberal tradition particularly dear to Western feminists, who frequently fail to see the choice of Islamic piety among women as genuine or legitimate. Mahmood points out that “illiberal” choices can be autonomous, too—not simply imposed by oppressive patriarchy. — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 488

Categorization

• XREF: Directly addresses the blind spot Western readers bring to novels like Home Boy and The Reluctant Fundamentalist — a lens for testing whether a novel contests or reinscribes the victim-narrative. — connects to: Christian doctrine institutionalized women’s subordination despite early egalitarian impulses — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 204; Patriarchal societies deploy myths deliberately to impose their laws — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 666; Feminist theology sought to reform religion rather than reject it. — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 640 (+2 more)
• QUESTION: Worth verifying against Hamid and Naqvi directly: do either of their texts actually dramatize an ‘illiberal’ choice as autonomous, or do both quietly default to the liberal framing?