Why Feminism Must Change….or Die

Feminism – noun
“The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.”

Feminists are funny. They think that they are so hard-core, advocating for equal rights and social justice. They want people to stop judging them, to start treating them with respect, and to give them the flexibility and freedom to do basically whatever they choose. But in fact, these same feminists are just as guilty of being judgmental, close-minded, and extremist as some of the people they say are so backwards.

The feminists claim to “liberate” the soul of women by allowing them to throw off the shackles of oppression and inequality. This, in theory, is great! And, like I mentioned in my previous post, Islam teaches this type of liberation and equality and encourages all its adherents to treat women as partners and equal to their male counterparts.

However, feminists take their liberation a little far at times. For example, the feminists argue that women should be allowed to wear “whatever they want” and should be respected without regard to their outer appearance. So women should be able to wear mini-skirts, bikinis, and other clothing that bears more than it covers. Ok, fine, whatever. If it helps ya sleep at night…fine. But what I cannot accept are two issues that relate to this clothing/physical appearance issue:

1. Feminists argue that women should be able to dress however they want and that there should be no consequences from men in the forms of judgment, rape, or even sexual desire. Ok, this is just ridiculous.

While I am not at all excusing or justifying a man’s conduct if he takes advantage of a woman or rapes her, I assert that women must share in social responsibility to ensure their own safety. Saying otherwise would be analogous to saying that I should be able to walk in the middle of a busy street and expect (1) that no car will hit me, and (2) to put all blame on the driver of the car if in fact, he did happen to hit me. No one would support this position because it’s absolutely ludicrous!

I argue that women hold some amount of social responsibility for their safety and their dignity in the way that they dress. I won’t put a percentage on it or say that it’s equal, 50/50, but any other position is just not logical.

2. Feminists think that they are the most open-minded, liberal thinkers in the world. This is just not true. Feminists like Eve Ensler are just as close-minded and judgmental as the leaders of the Taliban that she blasts in her monologues. Yes, this is a bold statement…I know. But it’s true.

Feminists like Ensler claim to be so open, so liberated, transcending societal constraints and pre-conceived notions about women and their role in our culture. But yet, her monologues include images of women wearing hijab who she claims are oppressed and should refuse to cover their beauty and instead reveal their bodies so as to free their souls. Whatever, Eve.

So basically what you’re saying is that women should bear their bodies in public in order to be liberated. Well, what if some women feel liberated and good about themselves when they cover themselves up? The feminists judge girls who are different from them, like all my awesome Muslim sisters who choose to wear hijab and dress a bit more modestly than others. They make assumptions about these girls and refuse to acknowledge their way of dress as acceptable in their world view.

I mean, how funny would it be if I showed up to some feminist meeting wearing hijab?! They would feel sorry for me and try to convince me that I didn’t have to wear that thing, that I didn’t have to hide my beauty, and that I should show it all off!

But what if I said to these feminists, “Um, honestly, I like how I look. I like hiding my beauty and only sharing it with a select few. I like how I feel when I walk outside, and I don’t need to change how I look to feel liberated. I feel wonderful and peaceful and free in my heart, and I love everything about my life, especially how I carry myself in public.”

Then what? Could I be their spokeswoman? Because I should, right? I am proud of my femininity. I am comfortable and confident, I am outspoken and I demand to be respected and treated on an equal footing as men. So shouldn’t they ask me to be their keynote speaker at their next convention? But they won’t. Why? Because at the very core of the feminist movement is a radicalism and extremism and a close-mindedness just as bad, just on the opposite side of the spectrum as the ultra-conservatives, which include groups like the Taliban. Both extremes have rough edges that need to be smoothed out.

So where is the mid-point? Where should these two extremes meet to find harmony and progressive thought? I assert to you that the perfect meeting point for conservative and liberal thought is in Islam.

Islam demands equality for men and women in all affairs, but recognizes that men and women are different. Not different in a bad way! Different in an incredible, miraculous way that allows us to come together and create a partnership that allows our world to operate smoothly and effectively. Men have roles and rights and priviledges. Women have roles and rights and priviledges. Sometimes these roles and rights and priviledges overlap. Sometimes they stay separate. Separate….but equal.

Women are encouraged to dress in a modest way that doesn’t reveal her physical assets. This isn’t something that is meant to oppress or subjugate women! This is something that is supposed to lift women up!

By encouraging women to dress modestly, Islam is really sending an amazing message to the men: “You better respect these women and love them and take care of them and look at them for their incredible brains and hearts and keep your desires in check. You’re not gonna get eye candy every two seconds as you walk down the street. And if you want eye candy, brother, you better be ready to take on the responsibilities of marriage, and that’s no small matter. A woman’s sexuality is a gift to you, and you aren’t going to get that gift for free. You’re going to have to work for it and show that you are worthy of it.”

At the same time, the Qur’an says that there is no compulsion in religion, and that a woman’s relationship with God is a private matter. Therefore, how she chooses to dress is her individual choice and she cannot and should not be forced to dress in any particular fashion. Therefore, Islam truly espouses the most progressive, liberal, open-minded and accepting standpoint on the entire spectrum of views.

So again, I’m not saying that feminism is bad…I’m actually a huge promoter of the concept of social justice and equality. I just think that the Western feminist movement has gone too far and has actually become a radical movement that has foregone its progressive, open-minded roots. It just needs to be revamped, centered, and focused around giving women equal rights. It honestly just needs a few lessons from Islam.

So feminists…how ’bout letting me give that keynote speech? I am, after all, at the epitome of “real” feminism.

~ by raggiungere on February 28, 2007.