The American founder of the world’s most popular online magazine for Muslim women says Pauline Hanson’s recent burka “stunt” is symptomatic of Western democracies trying to disempower Muslim women and “look at them in an inferior lens”.
A little background on Pauline Hanson’s “stunt”:
Senator Hanson shocked her colleagues when she entered Question Time wearing the religious garment…The One Nation Leader was calling for the burka to be banned in Australia. The incident ignited a debate about dress codes in Federal Parliament and whether Senator Hanson should have been allowed to wear the garment into the Chamber.
In answer to Amani Al-Khatahtbeh: the West is most certainly not trying to “disempower Muslim women.” Sharia disempowers Muslim women. In fact, concerned citizens of the West are trying to advance human rights and equality for all. Unfortunately however, those abuses that are routine across the Islamic world under Sharia have made their way onto Western soil. FGM has become a shockingly widespread practice despite Western laws, and in the UK, “white girls” are getting raped by racist Muslim rape gangs; mass rapes still occur in other locations throughout Europe, such as Sweden and in Germany. In addition, Western nations are even being compelled to undermine their own security through the forcing of the burqa.
A panel of global thinkers and writers gathered for last night’s Melbourne Writers Festival edition of Q&A, where a young high school student asked: “In some Islamic nations, women are often deprived of basic human rights such as driving a car, voting or even punished for exposing an ankle…In a world where women are often the guilty party to the crime of rape and must endure severe punishment, aren’t freedom and religion mutually exclusive?”
What was actually wrong with that young high school student’s question? Nothing, of course. It was perfectly logical and reasoned. But instead of getting an answer, she was hit with the frequently employed tactic of making her out to be the guilty party. Oh, the horrors of being deemed “Islamophobic.” This charge or implication is now a default response to anyone who questions any aspect of Islamic practice.
Food for thought in this article: “If Muslim men like the veil so much, let them wear it.”
“West ‘trying to disempower Muslim women'”, Australian Business Review, September 4, 2017:
The American founder of the world’s most popular online magazine for Muslim women says Pauline Hanson’s recent burka “stunt” is symptomatic of Western democracies trying to disempower Muslim women and “look at them in an inferior lens”.
A panel of global thinkers and writers gathered for last night’s Melbourne Writers Festival edition of Q&A, where a young high school student asked: “In some Islamic nations, women are often deprived of basic human rights such as driving a car, voting or even punished for exposing an ankle.
“In a world where women are often the guilty party to the crime of rape and must endure severe punishment, aren’t freedom and religion mutually exclusive?”
Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, who founded the popular blog Muslim Girl aged 17, said the oppression of women in Islamic countries was often misrepresented by Western countries to “absolve ourselves of our own issues”.
“One of the biggest things that is always cited is honour killings. You would assume that this is just a problem pervading the entire, the entire region. But then when you look at countries like Australia and the US, the top killer of women is domestic violence. But we choose to refer to it as domestic violence like it’s a social issue and often really disregard it.”
The American writer said targeted judgment of Muslim women combined with a lack of cultural understanding was contributing to disempowerment around the world.
“We speak about (Muslim women) like we know what’s best for them. We just had Pauline in the parliament wearing a burqa and really hijacking an entire conversation about what that means,” she said.
The One Nation leader’s decision to wear a burka into the Senate earlier this month unleashed a stinging rebuke by Attorney-General George Brandis, who warned against the dangers of marginalising and humiliating the Muslim community in Australia.
British writer and journalist Laurie Penny agreed with Ms Al-Khatahtbeh, saying the debate over whether the burka should be banned often failed to take into account that women have agency.
“My experience as a feminist who is white is often told the other side of this story, when I try to make an argument about domestic violence and an argument about the fact one in five women in their lifetimes will be raped, I’m immediately told mostly by men why are you talking about this nonsense, and you should be talking about Muslim women far away,” she said.
“We can only talk about sexism and misogyny and violence when it’s being done in other countries far away.”
However Michael Fullilove, the executive director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, rejected the argument that Western countries can’t also critique the culture of others.
“There’s one other missing word I think and that’s universal. And I think human rights are universal. And I don’t disagree with what a lot of the panellists have said today but I do disagree with one point and that is because we have frailties as a society, therefore we shouldn’t be calling out human rights abroad. Because there’s domestic violence in Australia, we shouldn’t be calling out honour killings abroad. The idea that our society is so hopeless and frail that therefore it’s cultural to tell people how to live their lives — I don’t believe in that.”
But Ms Al-Khatahtbeh maintained it was her personal choice to wear the burka and it shouldn’t be viewed as a sign of oppression.
“It is pretty convenient we want to believe Muslim women are being forced to dress a certain way because people don’t want to believe we want to assert our own values and do something that defies what the West wants of us,” she said…..
Jim Conch says
God bless ’em. If they want to wear that awful suit, let ’em, as long as they don’t try to force them anyone else. As to why anyone would wear one when and where it’s not expected or acceptable is for what purpose. They won’t change anyone’s mind about anything so it’s pointless grandstanding.
gravenimage says
Jim, there are several problems with the Burqa. For one thing, Muslims *are* forcing those to wear it who do not want to. Women and girls have been murdered for wearing the Hijab.
And then, it normalizes Shari’ah strictures. This is a big part of it.
Then, Muslims–both women and men–have worn the faceless Burqa to wage Jihad–everything from welfare fraud to bank robbery to suicide bombings.
The Burqa is *not* benign.
mortimer says
gravenimage: “The Burqa is *not* benign.” The Islamic veil for women is like a dog collar on a dog.
pandainc says
Both of you are correct. The biggest problem is that it can be used to hide all sorts of nasty stuff that toes ‘bang’. I cannot believe how nice some of those lovelies smell after being in a black tent all day. Also from the article:
“If Muslim men like the veil so much, let them wear it.” What??!!?? and hide their carefully groomed beards?
gravenimage says
True, mortimer and pandainc.
Bindon Blood says
When will Western leaders admit that Muslims rally cannot live in a Western culture? Most Muslims do not agree with Western culture,like it or respect it or want to live like it. They want to bring their culture to the West . The West has a simple choice, refuse to accept Muslims or become like Muslims. There is no Middle way.
Michael Copeland says
What they agree with, or like, or respect, or want, does not, alas for them, come into it.
” It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision:”
Koran 33:36
tim gallagher says
Totally agree with you Bindon Blood. Islam is 100% incompatible with our values. It is them or us. The only answer is to keep Muslims out. It is a simple choice. Everyone should be able to see this by now. When will our politicians wake up?
Manuel 2 Paleologus says
I agree with your point of view. The West must keep Muslims away.
mortimer says
Huh? ‘EMPOWERED’??
Exactly when did Muslim women get ‘EMPOWERED’?
Islam means ‘SUBMISSION’. How does SUBMISSION ’empower’ women? It doesn’t.
Sen. Hanson wore the Islamic veil to show that it DOES NOT EMPOWER women, but demeans, isolates and DISEMPOWERS them.
The purpose of the Islamic veil is to DISEMPOWER and ISOLATE WOMEN and DESTROY their independence.
tim gallagher says
Mortimer, It’s ludicrous to call wearing the all-covering black tent “empowering”. Apart from saying that the burqa was demeaning to women, Pauline Hanson said her main point in wearing the identity covering burqa in the Senate was to show what a danger it is to have anyone walking around anywhere in public totally covered with no-one able to tell the person’s identity. I’m in Australia and on the news this morning, as an unpdate to what Hanson did, a National party member, George Christensen, a good tough member, is seeking to have the burqa banned everywhere in public on security and safety grounds. Hopefully, the burqa will be banned . Apparently, it is already banned in Switzerland, France, et al. It is a bloody monstrosity and a definite danger having people wandering around whose face can’t be seen. I know when I come across people covered up in this way I am revolted by it. Totally alien to our western way of life. Anyone could be hiding inside the black tent.
Manuel 2 Paleologus says
She is another phsyco sick muslim woman who wants to ‘upgrade’ the pathologic sickness of womanhood in islam world. If she want to profess her absurd faith, she should go to Saudi and walk behind her master-man.
mortimer says
Western Feminists ENDORSE a religion that calls itself ‘SUBMISSION’?
Feminists fight AGAINST THE SUBMISSION OF WOMEN to patriarchy… so why do they endorse SUBMISSION to ISLAMIC PATRARCHY?
Question for Feminists: HOW IS SUBMISSION TO ISLAMIC PATRIARCHY ‘GOOD’ FOR WOMEN?
Susette says
I am a feminist and do not support anything about islam or its patriarchy. My belief is that until ALL muslim women are FREE to choose to wear burqas, niqabs, hijabs, or not, then it is only symbol of islamic patriarchal oppression. That includes awful countries like Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, etc. where it is forced…set the ladies free! When muslim women in Western societies say they freely choose coverings for modesty or to honor allah, that’s laughable. That they think showing women’s hair is immodest, is a stinging example of just how ridiculous islam is. Muslim men can’t handle seeing a woman’s hair without his thoughts becoming lusty? Oh my…greater evils exist. And, one can’t legislate thoughts, whether through religion or government. So why are women punished for what men think? I have more respect for a woman in a bikini than a burqa because bikini-girl chose her attire, burqa-babe did not.
Westman says
If a woman wants to be noticed because of strange-colored hair, tatoos down both arms, and enough piercing metal to attract lightning – it is her choice. It is not her choice, however, to force society in how it interprets her visage.
If a woman wants to wear a burqa as a sign of submission to the demands of men and Allah, free people have every right to see her visage as what they believe it to be. If that makes her appear as the “other” or of secondary value within her own society, then that is the result – she has chosen it and Allah has disempowered her within the greater society.
In a free society, wearing a black covering around the face and body, in 100 degree weather, is never going to look “normal” nor will its wearer be considered normal. It will only look normal for a Muslima, something immediately recognized as different and avoidable as a poisonous tree frog – its true purpose.
gravenimage says
And at least women with silly hair colors and piercings are not forcing other women to wear them, nor are they imprisoning or murdering those who do not.
mariam rove says
Freeing Muslim women from 7th century backward practices are now called disepowering. M
mortimer says
Exactly. For them, the enslavement of women is now ‘freedom’. Islam (the religion of forced submission) is now ‘peace’.
They do not realize that in Mohammed’s Last Sermon, he said, ‘Women are your prisoners.’
Anne Smith says
Foreseen by George Orwell in 1984. The inversion of what words mean.
gravenimage says
Miriam and Mortimer, Muslims are adopting the language–or jargon, in this case–of freedom to impose oppression. They will use our freedoms until they are strong enough to crush them entirely.
Native jo says
The burqa is a uniform. It makes a statement. It means that they will not allow assimilation of their community. There has already been Muslim women refusing to allow cops i.d. then only to claim mistaken identity when they get arrested for something.
gravenimage says
Very true, Native jo.
Michael Copeland says
The veiled muslim woman is “a Soldier of Islam…..
Flag-carrier for Islam; the flag is, of course, the veil.”
Pascal Hilout,
former Muslim
http://gatesofvienna.net/2017/09/pascal-hilout-a-veiled-woman-is-a-soldier-of-islam/#more-43848
gravenimage says
Muslim blogger: Western democracies “trying to disempower Muslim women”
………………………
This is only true if you believe that the only power Muslim women should have is the freedom to impose Islam.
More:
“We speak about (Muslim women) like we know what’s best for them.
………………………
How *dare* we think that any Muslim women might have a problem with being deprived of freedom, mutilated, beaten, or “Honor Killed”? What “cultural colonialism”…
More:
British writer and journalist Laurie Penny agreed with Ms Al-Khatahtbeh, saying the debate over whether the burka should be banned often failed to take into account that women have agency.
………………………
Of course women have agency. In many cases, they can choose to wear that Burqa, or they can be jailed or murdered. See? Agency.
Barguest says
Indeed, it’s not ‘agency’ when your ‘choice’ is influenced by the threat of physical violence. But then ‘journalist’ Laurie Penny – SJW to the rotten core – chooses to ignore that wee factoid. Laurie Penny has abandoned logic, facts and reason in favour of virtue signalling. She is, though she’ll never admit it, nothing more than an enabler of tyranny, oppression and injustice. As are all who run interference for islam. I despair at such stupidity.
gravenimage says
True, Barguest.
Wellington says
The West is trying to disempower Muslim women? Think the exact opposite here, to wit, when has the Islamic world EVER empowered non-Muslim women? Yeah, ponder this query.
Overwhelmingly so, when a criticism of a criticism of Islam appears, as here, it is either due to 1) complete ignorance; or 2) sheer mendacity.
There is no third choice.
zachary says
Total BS what in the Hell do you want everybody to kiss the ground you walk on go back to the Middle East you have no intention of assimilating Leave
Jayell says
There is something very odd about the situation with muslim women that I do not understand. Whilst theoretically they appear to be horrendously oppressed and disadvantaged, in practice the ones that I have met have come across as quite aggressive (sometimes unpleasantly so), hardly submissive and highly defensive of the ‘faith’ that is supposed to be disadvantaging them so much. And whilst I am aware of a lot of social dysfunction (divorce, separation, etc) between the sexes (often instigated by the women) I have also come across a lot of support for their menfolk despite the dubious islamic relationship, almost as if they’re a lot of masochists! I’m afraid that I really don’t have any interest in meeting these people or getting to know them since their attitudes and behaviours are so repugnant, but since we’re apparently stuck with them for the time being at least it would be nice to be able to make some sense of what passes for their culture.
Anne Smith says
You make a very good point Jayell. I have noticed the same thing. A lot of Muslim women are extremely noisy and vociferous and will shout anyone down.
The BBC employs some very loud female Muslim interviewers and news reporters who can get very aggressive when speaking to those with whom they quite obviously do not agree. Mischal Hussain comes to mind.
tim gallagher says
Jayell and Anne, isn’t this aggression by Muslim women, when directed at non-Muslims, just the expression of the whole hatred of the infidels which is central to Islam. They are surely brought up to hate non-Mulsims and lash out endlessly at non-Muslims. Islam just produces this endlessly aggressive and violent mindset. Of course, there are the Muslim women who just packed up and ditched the whole stinking creed, such as Wafa Sultan and Nonie Darwish. These Muslim women aggressively lashing out is also part of this endless victimhood Muslims claim. They think, how dare any non-Muslim question them,etc. I guess it’s also Muslim supremacism. They are right, everyone else wrong. It’s the way they are brought up. Like Jayell, I feel repugnance for them and have zero interest in meeting them. I just wish we could get rid of them from our countries. What an improvement that would be.
manat bint allaha says
how dare they take away my right to be someone’s fourth wife?
gravenimage says
Grimly amusing.
manat bint allaha says
..”The American writer said targeted judgment of Muslim women combined with a lack of cultural understanding was contributing to disempowerment around the world.”..
our lack of cultural understanding toward the benefits of being stoned after being raped, is appalling..
David M says
I e-mailed Pauline Hanson & congratulated her & told her I hope she does it again. Then I e-mailed AG Brandis & asked him why he was getting upset, the burqa is not mandatory in Islam, & if he did not like Pauline wearing it to ban it. He famously said a few years ago everyone had the right to be a bigot, the hypocrite that he is. Then after one of our loony Greens told Pauline the next Islamic attack in Australia will be Pauline’s fault, I e-mailed Sarah Hanson -Young & told her she just offended everyone, & did she just realise she just asserted the Muslim community was violent, & unless we appease them they will attack us? Typical surrendering loony left Green that she is.
gravenimage says
Yes–brava Pauline Hanson!
davej says
The burka is symbolic of Islamic ideology – the covert, disguised, deceptive and also oppressed woman whose cooperation is forced and dictated by the Muslim Misogynist Men in their lives. The three M’s:
Medieval Malevolent Males.
Malicious Mendacious Muslims.
Misguided Misinformed Morons.
Malodorous Mummified Miscreants?
OOPS that was islamophobic and I am now under arrest.
Robin Datta says
No shoes, no shirts, no service.
Just as the breathalyser calculates the alcohol, so to the burkhalyser should estimate the stench.
John Forbes says
Actually the Pauline Hanson things was brilliant & exposed the FRIGHTENED & the LUNATIC LEFT !
Actually needs to be a lot more complete with Mohammed Cartoons in every national news paper !
a) GREENS SENATOR HANSON- YOUNG ( a member of the LUNATIC FRINGE on the LEFT – claimed Pauline had inspired ISIS – As if they need INSPIRATION ! It is in the KORAN & The Life of Mohammed !
b) BRANDIS & thought was going to BREAK DOWN in TEARS – Could have got a ROYAL GONG for that performance because he was PETRIFIED !
c) In the mean time MOST Australians thought it was a scream !
Tom says
A woman kept within a prison of cloth, a burka, is a captive to a male dominated religion which sees her as being worth less than half the value of a man.
A woman kept within a tent of cloth is merely a possession of a man, who is neither restricted in his dress nor threatened for not covering his body.
A woman trapped within a burka is neither free nor is she valued and so becomes easily disposable and easily replaced.
A feminist who denies the above, is not only wilfully blind, but is also stupid for there, but for the grace of God, goes she, and there lies her future.
gravenimage says
There is a grim picture of a woman in a blue Burqa in the back of a truck surrounded by blue trash bags. It takes a moment to realize that she is not another bag of garbage.
Liila says
Yeah, let’s be sold off and raped to death when we’re 6,7,8. Let’s be beaten and abused in every possible way. Let’s allow the dick-obsessed pedophiles to murder us, at their own choosing, when they want to, knowing that they will never be held accountable. Let’s allow them to use us as brood mares for their psychopathic offspring. Better hope for all sons, though, because if you have a daughter with brothers the males can murder her at any time in “honor killing” and they will be celebrated for doing the right thing. Let’s make our women wear garbage bags in public, after we slice off their clitoris’, minor and major labia, and sew their vaginas shut so they will never be able to enjoy sex, and will run the risk of dying. The lifetime of pain doesn’t matter. No wonder these moreslum pigs love western women so much. And still, these libtards celebrate and support the ‘religion of peace’ whilst they continue to bear their fangs at those of us who don’t think this is the best behaviour in life…
Henner720 says
Thats what leftist do. Low expectations. Racist in the form that these people are lower ranging . All being in need off help, understanding and special treatment as were they handicaped children. Leftist racism.not recognicing the immense force in the ideology imbeciles as they are.
Sarah says
You know what, Ms Kahta-Whata-Wing-Wong? I don’t care if you want to wear a burqa. Knock your socks off. Wear one to your heart’s content. Have at it! Anyone should be allowed to wear a burqa!
Just be prepared to live indoors in your own home and never leave it while you’re wearing that bedsheet draped over you.
See? Its called compromise.
Because when you live in a democratic country with social values that include female equality and laws and cultural ethics that include not covering your face to prevent identification – then you either toe with those laws, rules, ethics and values – or you can eff off to somewhere like Afghanistan where you’re able to proudly tread the streets (with the permission and strict supervision of your male owner, of course) wearing your beloved burqa.
Take it or leave it. We’re not required to adjust to you. You are required to adjust to us. There is no argument here nor even a discussion to be had. Drape your bedsheet over your head away from the rest of us. If you want to enjoy the benefit of the Western world and all the advantages that provides you – then don’t drape yourself in a piece of fabric designed to differentiate between dark ages bedouin sex slaves and dark ages bedouin female meat, supposedly ‘safe’ thanks to its ownership by a male.