The Muslim Woman as Victim: Western Aid Efforts and Stereotypes

Aid efforts aimed at Muslim women from the west often attempt to address perceptions of cultural oppression, symbolized by Islamic veiling, before other conditions which arguably are far more oppressive and violent. While oppressive conditions for women exist that have little to do with veiling, the “…twin figures of the Islamic fundamentalist and his female victim…” appear to motivate aid efforts that focus nearly exclusively on religious oppression while conveniently distancing themselves from political and economic conditions often created by western countries (Hirschkind and Mahmood 341). Oppressive conditions can exist in any country, and failing to acknowledge that oppression is not always joined to Islamic practice can cause aid efforts to miss the mark.

The United States’ involvement in Afghanistan began for it invaded the country 13 years ago. American feminist groups concerned with the Taliban’s treatment of women spoke out of genuine concern over the religious group’s decimation of educational, and political opportunities for women. Women in Afghanistan were suddenly compelled to wear the burqa, a head-to-toe garment that even covers the eyes. Afghan women disappeared under yards of cloth, and American women reacted with horror. As Hirschkind and Mahood argue, women in Afghanistan certainly faced enormous oppression and constraint, yet the burqa was perhaps the least of it even as it became the most important thing for United States aggression to challenge in Afghanistan (341-42). Well-meaning feminists took on only a small part of oppression, and arguably one of the least important parts.

While Islamic veiling is an obvious symbol of Islam to westerners, it remains little understood. It is perhaps difficult for non-Muslims to understand that Muslim women overwhelmingly choose to veil. Women who wear hijab out of religious devotion often see it as a choice and even see the veil as a form of freedom rather than a symbol of oppression (Bullock 191). In fact, Muslim women may see westerners as the oppressed group, because they are constantly pushed to live a sexualized life above all else (Kahf 29-30). Hence, when well-meaning aid groups speak out against veiling, they may actually be attacking a religious practice that women find liberating. It is only through reducing Muslim women to “victims” that westerners can arrive at the conclusion that all Muslim women are oppressed by the veil, and that removing this custom is the path to liberation.

If the veiled Muslim represents Islamic oppression to westerners, then western aid efforts have worked to the extent that they have helped encourage a war in Afghanistan to free women from Islamic oppression. However, this argument is based on western notions of oppression that have transformed Muslim women into victims in need of pity (Hesford and Kozol 1). Muslim women may be victims of many things, but this has little to do with religion. Poverty, war, and western support for political policies that do not favor universal rights are also important contributors to oppression around the world. Western aid efforts would be more effective if they took into account how Muslim women actually feel about veiling.

Works Cited

Bullock, Katherine. "An Alternative Theory of the Veil." Rethinking Muslim Women and the Veil: Challenging Historical & Modern Stereotypes. Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2002. 183-192. Print.

Hesford, Wendy S., and Wendy Kozol. "Introduction." Just advocacy? Women's Human Rights, Transnational Feminisms, and the Politics of Representation. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2005. 1-29. Print.

Hirschkind, Charles, and Saba Mahmood. "Feminism, the Taliban, and Politics of Counter-Insurgency." Anthropological Quarterly 75.2 (2002): 339-54. Print.

Kahf, Mohja. "From Her Royal Body the Robe Was Removed: The Blessings of the Veil and the Trauma of Forced Unveilings in the Middle East." The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore, and Politics. Berkeley: U of California P, 2008. 27-43. Print.