1.

What has been historically the problem with Western feminists trying to get
involved with women’s rights issues in the Middle East? (Describe the dilemma
faced by feminists on page 77). The article states that it is one thing to care; it is
another to decide on a specific course of action. If the Western feminists get
involved in women’s rights issues in cultural settings they are not familiar with,
they run the risk of offending local sensibilities and will almost inevitably be
accused of imposing Western values on unwilling populations
On the other hand, if they choose not to act in the name of cultural sensitivity,
then they are essentially staying silent in the face of injustice, a morally
problematic situation for those whose very raison d’être is helping women fight
the oppression of patriarchy. Feminists have struggled to

2. How did the “second wave” feminists view the women of the third world? How is this
problematic? It didn’t occur to the Western feminists that women in other parts of the
world had their own culturally specific notion of “women’s rights.” Westerner’s
developed a form of theorizing—‘sisterhood is global’—which assumed that those white
concerns were the concerns of women everywhere” When second-wave feminists
looked outside of their own borders, they did so from a position of dominance, power
and presumed superiority. They saw societies that seemed to them to be stuck in time,
consumed by outdated ideas of tradition and religion. Little effort was made to
understand these “backward” cultures on their own terms. Instead, Western feminists
tended to look at Third World women as a composite, monolithic group of powerless
women lacking any agency. This resulted in a cultural gap that did not bode well for
relations between Western feminists and their non-Western counterparts.
3. On page 79, what was the “Orientalist” view on women in the Middle East? Be sure to
explain what “Orientalist” means. Orientalism is a term used by art historians and
literary and cultural studies scholars for the imitation or depiction of aspects in the
Middle Eastern, South Asian and East Asian cultures.
Despite the fact that a relatively small number of women wore the veil at the height of
Arab secular nationalism, the Orientalist image of the oppressed, secluded veiled
woman continued unabated in Western literature. Muslim women were seen as passive,
sexless beings covered up in masses of cloth, a sharp contrast to the self assured
“sexually liberated” women of the advanced West.

4. Using page 82, explain the issues surrounding women and their choice to wear
headscarves. Muslims do choose, of their own free will, to wear the headscarf. From the
perspective of many Muslim women, wearing the ˙ijàb is a way in which to assert one’s
identity and, more importantly, to assert one’s autonomy and independence.
Understood this way, the ˙ijàb is in keeping with feminist ideals insofar as it provides
women the opportunity to reassert their moral and political agency. With the ban on ˙ijàb
now in place, thousands of women are being denied the right to make their own
decisions about what they can or cannot wear.
5. In the section titled, ‘Looking Ahead: Problems & Possibilities” (this begins on page
86) what, according to the author, must Western women do in order to be effective
feminists in the Muslim world? With financial resources and organizational knowhow,
they can provide much needed assistance on the ground to local activists. Western
woman will also need to gain knowledge on the muslim women in her culture and
beliefs so that the Western woman can meet the muslim woman in the middle or find
middle grounds to be able to move forward.
6. What is your reaction to the following: (page 88) Ranjana Khanna puts it eloquently
when she observes that postmodern sensitivities can often lead to “paralysis, or a rather
self-satisfied navel gazing on the part of some who agonize about how to be ethical
when it comes to dealing with gender politics outside of one’s own context” (2001: 101).
This postmodern silence, although masked in good intentions, is ultimately no different
in effect than the silence of right-wing isolationists who scream “America first.” ? Is it
possible to speak out against oppression without forcing your own views onto other
cultures? My reaction was that I realized that even though Western Feminists may think
that they have the right answer for the Muslim women, they need to fully live and
understand what the Muslim woman feels before they can say that they have a better
solution. I understood why it would turn into paralysis. I’m not certain that it’s possible to
speak out against oppression without forcing your own views onto other cultures,
because people most of the time don’t live the other cultures and fully understand them,
so quite naturally you will have your own biased opinions.
7. Carefully read the conclusion. What irony does the author find between American’s
imposing their beliefs on those and the Middle East and the rates of rape and incest in
the USA? The author states that America has the highest rate in the world of rape and
incest and how can America help the Middle East with their significant problem on
feminism, if America obviously has their own issues to be dealt with. On the other hand,
there is also argument that what does rape and incest have to do with the issue of
feminism in the Muslim culture.
8. What is your impression of the article? Did it change or challenge any of your
preconceived ideas about feminism in the Middle East? Did it clarify or complicate the
theory of “Postmodernism” for you? My impression on the article was eye opening for
me. I don’t know much about Middle Eastern women. I’ve just always looked at the
culture as being a very private one, and I haven’t ever indulged in it. It didn’t change any
preconceived ideas that I had, because I really didn’t have any, other than me thinking
that it’s a really private culture. It did give me more insight on the matter and I am glad
to have read it. I really liked this quote: As An-Naim argues, “local acceptance enriches
the universal idea by giving it meaning and relevance to people’s lives”. I hope that
Westerners can help improve the Muslim situation, as every woman as well as man,
deserves happiness to the fullest.