Muslim women’s subordination serves male elite interests, not Quranic doctrine
Evidence
These acts are complicated. On the one hand, Muslim women expressed their agency by controlling the way their bodies were imagined in public spaces. In this sense, it was an attempt to rearticulate the common narrative of Muslim women as oppressed and abused. Muslim women wanted to demonstrate that the hijab is not threatening. Wearing brighter colors was an attempt to take away from the hijab the misconception that wearing it exemplifies their oppression. … It can also be understood as a reflection of power relationships and dynamics in society. Private citizens, through their surveillance of Muslim women’s bodies, create an environment where Muslim women feel pressure to alter and change their dress because of these antagonistic stares. The act of changing one’s attire to disrupt the gaze reveals that although there is a power dynamic in these social interactions, Muslim American women still exert some agency in response to their surveillance. By altering their appearances, Muslim women are trying to limit their racial experiences in public spaces. The uncomfortable gaze and the scowling looks create a hostile environment they have to navigate. Ironically, Muslim women feel they lack choice or free will in how they dress not because Muslim men oppress them, but because they are under the watchful eye of their fellow citizens. Controlling for dress is one of the ways Muslim women participate in the discipline of their own bodies while they rearticulate what it means to wear the hijab. — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 520 (
#complicates, via linked claim)
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Men assign women’s status to serve their own projects, not women’s interest — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 288; Women’s rights in MENA vary with socioeconomic conditions, not Islam — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 289; Sexist Quranic readings serve male-elite interests rather than inherent scripture. (+8 more)
Broader Connections
- Muslim women’s dress choices are constrained by citizen surveillance, not male oppression
#complicates(0.76) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 520