Here is an article that appeared in Foreign Policy, which sent Twitter, FB, and all forms of social media buzzing: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/04/23/why_do_they_hate_us?page=0,0 discussing “the real war on women.”
For an example of a response, see http://neocolonialthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/a-response-to-mona-el-tahawy/
Over the course of this semester we have read a variety of books that have demonstrated the women’s position in multiple Middle Eastern societies. There were stories of women’s unlikely power and esteem, and still some of women’s oppression and plight for equality. Yet, I feel as though throughout our class conversations, we had come to some kind of conclusion that perhaps Middle Eastern women are not as oppressed as our Americanized views deem them, and have more influence in the household and in the community than we had originally thought; that the hijab is not a symbol of Middle Eastern women’s oppression, but of their choice and ability to hold a definite place outside the home. However, after reading Mona el Tahawy’s Why Do They Hate Us?, it would seem as if our conclusions were wrong again. Her article tells of the many injustices throughout the Middle East suffered by women at the hands of misogynist, patriarchal men who force the women to wear hijabs, stay at home, not drive, have virginity tests, be “circumcised” to curve their desire and the list goes on and on. This article was so appalling to me because it was written by a native Middle Eastern woman so it was free of our Americanized biases.
While I agree with the provided criticizer that it may be a little bit stereotypical to say that all men hate all women, or that all Arab men hate all women, it’s still impossible to deny the obvious abuses these women suffer every single day. I thought that I had finally gotten to the point that I accepted the Middle Eastern cultures for what they were and stopped thinking of the women as helpless victims, but now I find myself just as confused as I was before beginning this class. Do the Middle Eastern women have control over their actions and decisions? Or are they just pawns in the hands of the oppressive men of their societies? I don’t know anymore.
You should watch the youtube clip that I posted where author Leila Ahmed critiques Tahaway–they are both supportive of each other, but it is interesting to see the basis of the critique. Tahawy speaks for about the first 9 minutes and then the last 10 minutes is mostly Ahmed but a little back and forth.