Seeing through the Hijab

I always find it particularly interesting that the Western mindset is in many ways, almost identical to what it has always been. For centuries, the West has felt it to be their duty to civilize the rest of the world, primarily Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and what is now North America. There has always been a sense that, whether it was via the indoctrination of Christianity or the now equivalent indoctrination of American Exceptionalism, that other countries that did not have the same ideals or ways that the West has, they need to be modernized. They need to change to the way the west is. Because, in effect, the west is progressive and the paradigm. All other nations are subjected to terms like "Second World (communist)" and "Third World."

Especially in the past ten years, the traditions and culture of many of the Middle Eastern, Arab, Muslim and Indian subcontinental population has come under particular scrutiny. As as is typical, the West has found it necessary to trumpet how cruel and repressive the Islam world is, often calling for the President to "get tough" on them. The West processes it's self-aggrandized view of itself and compares itself to such nations, and when there are discrepancies, the immediate response is often, "They are broken, we need to fix them". Is that really the case?

The website Muslimah Media watch say this of itself in it's about page:

(http://muslimahmediawatch.org/about-2/)

"Muslimah Media Watch is a forum where we, as Muslim women, can critique how our images appear in the media and popular culture. Although we are of different nationalities, sects, races, etc., we have something important in common: we’re tired of seeing ourselves portrayed by the media in ways that are one-dimensional and misleading. This is a space where, from a Muslim feminist perspective, we can speak up for ourselves.

As Muslim feminists we aim to locate and critique misogyny, sexism, patriarchy, Islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia as they affect Muslim women. Furthermore, we believe in equal opportunities, equal respect, equal freedom, and equal value — regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, and ability."

These are certainly not weak women. They are clear on who they are and what they want to achieve. Yet, many of them can be clearly seen wearing the hijab by choice. Does their choice make them backward? I can't help but think at times that the Western view may be the one that is broken in many ways. If the view here is truly the paradigm, then why is there such discontent? Why can Berger's findings be traced back for centuries? Why can bell hooks write with such fervor? Why can we nod our heads as we read the work of Susan Bordo?

The women who write for this online publication clearly do see flaws in their society. However, the major difference is that they do not champion their society as the best, while at the same time constantly trying to change every facet of it. Instead, they seek to even the playing field for everyone, while keeping their cultural and even religious identity to a large extent.

Nikhat Kazmi wrote a beautiful essay called: Shattering Illusions: Western Conceptions of Muslim Women. Though not an author for the site, she does what Western writers could never do; write fro the point of view of someone who is a member of that culture. Muslimah Media Watch does the same.

In the end, I find it incredibly ironic, that centuries ago, Europeans sought to spread religion as a means of elevation, but now are becoming more and more Agnostic or Athiest. Yet those who value chastity, modesty and religion, are often labeled as backwards. What a difference a few centuries make.

http://muslimahmediawatch.org/
image source: http://peacethought.com/images/hijab2.jpg