This article was rather horrifying, and the topic is one that we discussed a few weeks ago, but I also wonder how much of this article involves serious cultural misunderstandings. I don't want to offend anyone, I just read it and thought about our discussions and readings about gender ("Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?"), and some questions popped into my head: How does this article impose Western values on Afghan culture? How might some of the words used in this article be misinterpreted by our Western norms like 'mental illness' or 'abuse'. What are the logical repercussions/solutions/problems that are implied by this article? Sorry if this offends, I don't mean it to, it is on the front page of the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/world/asia/08burn.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha1
4 comments:
It seems like the description of the trials and tribulations furthers the popular and comforting idea the these women need to be saved. There is a constant account of how these women aren't safe even in their own homes from those closest to them (their husbands and mother-in-laws). I feel like the article, by pointing out who exactly is victimizing these women, suggests that these women are defenseless against their own culture or religion. For example, the article mentions many times how young some of the women are when they marry, which to me suggests that it is their oppressive culture which forces them to marry at such a young age that is at the root of their troubles. The women interviewed all fit the western profile/idea of a women without hope: abused by their Muslim husbands, trapped in a culture that forced them into motherhood and second-class citizen status with no way out.
Thanks for posting this! It's an interesting discussion point.
I do agree that there are some Western ideas that are imposed on Afghani culture here, especially when they imply that marrying young is bad. Yet with that said, I think we have to be careful about simply dismissing these issues as being exaggerated. It's true that there are often few outlets for women to turn to when their in-laws/husbands abuse them and mental health is not talked about. These are real and prevalent issues that do plague women in very patriarchal societies. I think what the author of the "Do Muslim Women Need Saving?" article would say is that it's interesting they focus on Afghanistan when clearly this happens in other places as well. I think that we should be careful about disregarding real issues of gender violence/mental illness/etc. We can still acknowledge these problems while still being critical about which issues are given more attention than others because of America's geopolitical motives.
I think this article definitely imposes Western values on Afghan Culture. Especially when the article talks about getting married at a young age. Also, I dont think suicide by fire is often heard of in the West, at least from my knowledge. There are many women who are oppressed in the West and commit suicide in more commonly seen Western ways. Because self-immolation is not really heard of here, it gives a feeling of being cruel and unusual.. like we have to save them. However, I feel like just as many women in the West are treated poorly and oppressed by men, forcing them to commit suicide and hurt themselves. This is a problem almost everywhere.
This article also tries to show the difference between the civilized and the uncivilized. The article compares the western culture to the culture of these women. As stated in the article, their culture involves men that use girls to pay for debt which is an idea that is viewed as barbarian or "animal" like in the western cultures. Also, it is said that if a women escapes she may be raped or put in jail, then when she gets back home she may be beaten again and the husband will marry an "untainted" woman.
The idea of having two wives is an idea that is not accepted in western cultures.
Women are oppressed in many other cultures but I think that what makes the Muslim culture a target for criticism is the fact that the article is capable of comparing their culture to the western culture in a way that describes them as uncivilized. Thus, as we have discussed before, it is implied that Muslim women need saving.
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