One man investigates in the UK
June 15, 2013 8:07 AM Subscribe
This post was deleted for the following reason: Single link blog op-ed. If there's something you want to discuss about this in particular it might be good to make that a bit more clear. -- jessamyn
Betteridge's law of headlines right? (I did read the article and I'm not very convinced.)
posted by meta87 at 8:31 AM on June 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by meta87 at 8:31 AM on June 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
I find it both curious (on the part of the women) and suspicious (on the part of the author) that he's only talking to women that not only converted to Islam, but a rather fundamentalist version of Islam. This is the niqaab the women are wearing, they're all talking about segregating themselves from men, and they all know each other, which makes me think they're all a part of the same mosque. Checking some of the author's other articles, which to varying degrees extol the virtues of a more fundamentalist philosophy, I suspect he attends the same mosque as the women and is writing from a somewhat biased perspective.
posted by Punkey at 8:36 AM on June 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Punkey at 8:36 AM on June 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
Basically that women converting abdicate what they perceive as a rigged game, exchanging one form of gender performance for another?
I'm in no position to judge other people's feminism, but the concept that an omnipotent god is impressed that you cover your body, who apparently decided that more 'naughty' space needed to be covered on women than men, doesn't sound very feminist.
Similarly I am deeply suspicious of anyone talking about how their friends running around trying to express sexual autonomy, rigged game or not, are so saaaad. It sounds far too much like a world weary ex-gay talking about how the "lifestyle" was killing him, as if there was only two states of being: unhappy club bunny or conservative muslima.
their decision to become Muslim may be a powerful indictment of some women’s lives in the west. That’s the impression they all left me, especially Jessica who would repeatedly ask whether feminism had delivered on its promise.
Control over our own lives? Which promise is this person talking about?
Poor feminism never promised to make people happy. It promised to open up more options, which it did. It didn't even eliminate the option to be the "angel of the home" if you could get the gig. But the minute a woman acts in the least bit stressed by anything that's not a baby or a completely housekeeping related occupation, someone is going to huff about how feminism failed the collective female gender. Because our pretty little heads aren't suit to the rigors of anything outside narrow gender boxes, apparently, instead of maybe life being full of stress potential.
posted by Phalene at 8:39 AM on June 15, 2013 [10 favorites]
I'm in no position to judge other people's feminism, but the concept that an omnipotent god is impressed that you cover your body, who apparently decided that more 'naughty' space needed to be covered on women than men, doesn't sound very feminist.
Similarly I am deeply suspicious of anyone talking about how their friends running around trying to express sexual autonomy, rigged game or not, are so saaaad. It sounds far too much like a world weary ex-gay talking about how the "lifestyle" was killing him, as if there was only two states of being: unhappy club bunny or conservative muslima.
their decision to become Muslim may be a powerful indictment of some women’s lives in the west. That’s the impression they all left me, especially Jessica who would repeatedly ask whether feminism had delivered on its promise.
Control over our own lives? Which promise is this person talking about?
Poor feminism never promised to make people happy. It promised to open up more options, which it did. It didn't even eliminate the option to be the "angel of the home" if you could get the gig. But the minute a woman acts in the least bit stressed by anything that's not a baby or a completely housekeeping related occupation, someone is going to huff about how feminism failed the collective female gender. Because our pretty little heads aren't suit to the rigors of anything outside narrow gender boxes, apparently, instead of maybe life being full of stress potential.
posted by Phalene at 8:39 AM on June 15, 2013 [10 favorites]
"No" and 'Betteridge's thingy' about headlines. Lazy post IMO.
posted by panaceanot at 8:47 AM on June 15, 2013
posted by panaceanot at 8:47 AM on June 15, 2013
Whether they are in fact exchanging one rigged game for another some young women experience Islam as an 'opting out' of a system of out-of-control materialism.
It seems the alternative is being condemned to continually aspire to the shoes the bags the boyfriends the clothes and the make up. If you want to reject all this, where do you go?
posted by fingerbang at 8:59 AM on June 15, 2013
It seems the alternative is being condemned to continually aspire to the shoes the bags the boyfriends the clothes and the make up. If you want to reject all this, where do you go?
posted by fingerbang at 8:59 AM on June 15, 2013
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posted by birdherder at 8:30 AM on June 15, 2013 [6 favorites]