Assignment 10
In the essay “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” by Lila Abu-Lughod she mentions that one of her principal points is to make us as reader aware of all the differences in the world. When she talks about differences she is telling us about religion, cultures, and behavior. Lila Abu-Lughod makes as to learn how in different cultures women have to follow rules or traditions in order to be considered “good women”. Lila Abu-Lughod mentions how Laura Bush in one of her speeches mentioned that American help Afghan women get their liberation. She stated “Because of our recent military gains in much of Afghanistan, women are no longer imprisoned in their homes. They can listen to music and teach their daughters without fear of punishment”(Pg. 784).
The essay also talks about how Afghan women under the Taliban were forced to wear a burqa as a sign of oppression. The burqa was also seen as a demonstration of deep faith to the Islam maybe this is the reason why even now they still wear a burqa even though they don’t need to do it. But as the essay mentions some women still do this as a sign modesty or respectability. If they do not use the burqa doesn’t mean they have freedom. On the contrary, they are still prisoners of a government or a society that believes to be superior, to dictate how they should dress. At least wearing the burqa makes them feel part of their community.
When she talks about women wearing a veil she mentions how some people confuse this type of clothing as a unfreedom, on the contrary women wearing this veils, are free to decide for whom they feel it is appropriate to wear a veil. As the essay mentions wearing a veil or a burqa is a choice that women can make or decide to, sometimes they do it because of the commitment to honor their family or religion.
The Islam has presented itself as a religion that oppresses women. One of the justifications for US intervention. In Afghanistan was to defend the rights of Muslim women, who were oppressed by the Islamic faith. This intention to “save” Muslim women had nothing to do with human rights or defend women to be better treated. As Lila Abu- Lughod mentions in the last part of their essay we a society should focus in treat Afghan women as a human being and not look in their ways of dressing or follow traditions “ Our task is to critically explore what we might do to help create the world in which those poor Afghan women, can have safety and decent lives”(pg 790).
