A couple of weeks ago, I posted an article written by Theresa Corbin which explained why she chose to convert to Islam. As expected, the article received a polemic response. As I did not expect, many long-time readers reacted negatively to the piece. It is these responses I need to address. I was very disappointed to see how negative some comments were. Many people were not interested in listening to Theresa’s testimony of her conversion to Islam, and what horrified me even more were the comments directly attacking Muslim women who tried to explain how Islam benefits them. It seems like many people here have swallowed the Western media’s narrative of Islamic misogyny and the belief that the hijab is inherently oppressive of women (even though many Muslim women choose to wear the hijab). Many of these people seem to have little experience inhabiting Muslim communities or immersing themselves in Muslim traditions and customs. It is a mistake to condemn an entire group or their religion on the basis of contemporary societal attitudes toward them. My academic background is in the social sciences and anthropology. I was trained to do research, and a part of doing anthropological research is to gain as much information as possible and to refrain from judging the subjects of the topic according to my cultural standards. It is one thing to be a member of a community, living and working within a complex, deeply layered culture. It is another thing to be an outsider looking in on another community. Many people here are outsiders to Islam, and I was hoping that Theresa’s article could act as a window into someone else’s perspective. I was shocked to see that many people did not even want to take a peek. Many of you walked into the discussion with your mind firmly made up: Islam is evil, and anyone who chooses to be Muslim has made the wrong choice. I was very shocked to see some people interrogating the Muslim women who commented on the article, sweeping aside their statements to demand that they explain the misogynistic aspects of Islam, while accusing them of “cherry-picking” when they explained what Islam does offer women. There was very little desire for education or understanding in the comments section. Instead of criticizing the Muslim women in the comments section, the anthropologist in me would have asked questions: 1) What is so appealing about Islam? 2) Why Islam and not some other religion? 3) What support did you receive or not receive when you decided to convert? 4) Where did you learn about Islam? How did you find out about it? 5) How has your life changed since you converted? This is what I would ask Muslim women. It is better to explore the subject and find out why people make their decisions. The surface does not reveal much, but once you go beneath the surface, understanding follows. It is very important for you all to learn that people are complex. My training as an anthropologist has taught me just how complex they can be. All cultures are complex and interesting. People sometimes make decisions that seem senseless to outsiders. But the fact is, they understand their decisions better than you do. We should trust that Muslim women are capable of making their own decisions. It is an Orientalist, racist view to believe that Muslim women are confused and need to be saved from Islam. As a child, I was raised in an interfaith household. My mother was Muslim and my father was Christian. Growing up, I saw firsthand that being a Muslim was not just about fasting during Ramadan or being covered up (many women in my mother’s family did not cover their heads or faces, in case you’re wondering). Islam isn’t just about oppressing women; it’s also about ceremonies, traditions, communal gatherings, celebrations, and people living their lives. Western media reports do not shed light on any of these things. It is a shame that so many of you believe the Western media reports and forget that Muslims are also complex human beings. Despite having a Muslim mother, I was raised Christian. I have never been Muslim. I chose not to become one. I have concerns about the most problematic and misogynistic aspects of Islam but all monotheism is steeped in misogyny and my choosing Christianity as a child is no more valid or right than my mothers choice to be a Muslim woman. Believe me when I tell you that my decision not to become Muslim did not protect me from a lifetime of misogyny. I am surprised at the people who treated a woman’s conversion to Islam as some sort of death sentence for her autonomy and rights. Misogyny exists everywhere, and I, as a non-Muslim woman, have suffered at its hands all my life. I’m not sure why anyone here would believe that spurning Islam would be an improvement for a woman’s wellbeing. It certainly did not protect me from misogynistic violence. A couple of years ago, I was nearly killed at the hands of a white, cishet non-Muslim man. He was my boyfriend at the time. He had a knife at my throat and he had beaten me up. It is not just brown Muslim men who are a threat to women. I wish everyone could just realize this. Women are also at risk in the United States, no matter how much we like to think we’re an improvement to the Islamic world. One out of four women in the United States has experienced intimate partner violence. It is important to listen to fellow community members when they speak about their experiences. As feminists, we need to listen to fellow women, not shout them down and tell them they’ve made the wrong decisions because they’ve chosen to become Muslims. The whole point of feminism is to allow women to make their own choices. It seems that many people here believe that converting to Islam is a wrong choice for women to make. Regardless of what you think about her decision, you should not criticize her for deciding what is best for her. I am amazed at the Westerners who cheer on Malala Yousafzai while condemning Islam. What many people seem to forget or overlook is that Malala is still a Muslim. Even after getting shot by the Taliban, she has not turned her back on the Islamic faith. Think about that. Everyone needs to be careful to not replace Islamic patriarchy with Western patriarchy. I noticed that many people were doing to the Muslim women on that post what Muslim men are always accused of: you were silencing Muslim women and refusing to hear their voices. This marginalizes Muslim women just the same. Either way, Muslim women were not being heard. I don’t understand how this is an improvement. It is contradictory to complain about the ways in which Islamic patriarchy oppresses Muslim women while committing the very same offense. This page is a secular page. We do not support any religious doctrine, but we support any woman’s right to follow a religious path of her choosing. The whole point of feminism is to liberate all women so that we are free to do what we want with our lives. Everyone who wants to participate in this community must unpack their Western views of Islam and learn to listen to Muslim women. Let go of the Orientalist view of Muslim women. No one can be solidarity with women while silencing them. It’s not possible at all. -Tina
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 00:38:02 +0000
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