Lila Abu-Lughod: Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?
In the article “Do Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and its Others”, by Lila Abu-Lughod, the author talks about anthropology and tries to explain the reasons why America intervened in Afghanistan with the intention of saving women. She also focuses primarily on cultural differences between women in the world and her goal is to develop an appreciation of it because it has a meaning and is the product of a history that has been changing over the time. The author advocates for an exploration of the roots and nature of Afghan women, their culture rather than a political and historic view. She studies what is the significance of Afghan women wearing a veil, it is because they are forced to wear it as a sign of oppression, or it has a deep personal meaning. First, It was believed that Afghan women living under the Taliban and the terrorist rule were forced to wear a burqa, however, now they are no longer under the Taliban rule and continue wearing burqas. Lila Abu-Lughod explains that Southwest Asia has developed the thought that covering up with a burqa symbolizes modesty and respectability. She cites the anthropologist Hanna Papanek who described the burqa as “portable seclusion” because it allows women to move out of segregated spaces as well as separating them from unknown men. It also maintains women’s sanctity according to the ideas of the author.
“People wear the appropriate form of dress for their social communities and are guided by socially shared standards, religious beliefs, and moral ideas” (Abu-Lughod, 785), unlike Afghan women who choose to wear the covering style because it signifies respectable class and it was imposed by the Taliban as religiously appropriate. Even if they are liberated from the Taliban and the imposition of wearing burqas, not only afghan women but also Hindu women, women from Malaysia, Pakistan or muslims women would still find a modest clothing to wear because good respectable women from strong families wear burqas and in addition, wearing a burqa is thought to mean bodily virtue that takes women closer to God (786).
The author points out clearly that she do not support the oppression of women. She advocates for the human rights and especially women’s rights of afghan women that for her should be universal human rights such as the right to freedom from violence of global inequality and war. However, even when afghan women are liberated from oppression, people should respect and appreciate their differences, not always what we want is the best, a sense of respect for their culture the author draws attention to.
