Fint indlæg om burqa-debatten og det muslimske slørs påståede undertrykkelse af kvinden af Salons Rozina Ali her.
Mens muslimske kvinder i lande som Saudi Arabien tvinges til at iføre sig burqa, bliver de nu i vestlige, sekulære lande tvunget til at tage burqaen af, under henvisning til at det “truer kvindens værdighed”, som den franske præsident Nicholas Sarkozy har udtalt. Men, spørger Ali, hvad med valgets værdighed?
Of course, it makes me mad that women are forced to cover their heads in Iran or Saudi Arabia. In those cases, it isn’t a symbol of religion; it’s a symbol of patriarchy. It makes me just as angry, though, to see a veil ban imposed on women in the name of modernity and liberalism. Mullahs and governments are both guilty of attempting to unilaterally define what empowerment means for women.
I grew up on the opposite side of the world as my mother, but still encountered similar pressures to conform. It was difficult as a teenager to balance the modesty that Islam encourages with the latest fashion trends. I paraded in dresses and short sleeves throughout high school, much to the chagrin of my mother who was disappointed but never told me how to dress. As I grew older, I started reading feminist literature and chatting with like-minded female friends. I found that being a feminist was often equated with being free of the “restrictions” of religion. “Covering up” in particular was taken as de facto proof of oppression, which I knew to be a untrue based on my personal experience with modestly-dressed Muslim women who were outspoken, opinionated, and politically and socially liberal.
Viljen til at hjælpe undertrykte muslimske kvinder er åbenlyst velmente. Men er tvang og forbud af private religiøse tilkendegivelser virkelig vejen frem?
mycorporateblog by kristoffer holm pedersen 