I choose feminism over racism.

Are there any Muslims supporting the Project Ijtihad or the Moral Courage Project out there?

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:25:02 -0400

Please reblog so I can follow you.

The Tipsiest Toad of All: It is with great regret that I write to inform you all that I have decided...

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:02:17 -0400

The Tipsiest Toad of All: It is with great regret that I write to inform you all that I have decided...:

lookoutsideyourself:

inthemess:

The Tipsiest Toad of All: It is with great regret that I write to inform you all that I have decided to distance myself from the feminist…

thetipsytoad:

This is not to say that I won’t continue to work until everyone, from every walk of life, is able to enjoy all the rights and privileges that a human being deserves. This is also not to say that I will be identifying myself with any anti-feminist movements. I am simply going to strive to be a compassionate person. It’s funny, actually. It seems that there needn’t be a movement for that at all, rather it should simply be the way things are.

Lately, I have noticed that the feminist movement has really diverged from my initial understanding of it. Many feminists are arguing back and forth, or with potential assets, over what is politically correct and what is offensive. Feminists claim to fight for sympathy, compassion, understanding and equality, but I’ve noticed that a large amount of discrimination and accusation actually comes from a lot of feminists. This place should be an outlet for discussion, but it’s really just a battlefield disguised as one!

Do you see what you are doing? You have one of the greatest tools in the history of the world at your fingertips. You have the power to reach out to thousands of people with your words in less than 24 hours! Lucretia Mott and Emma Goldman would have lunged at the opportunity to spread awareness through such an incredible tool as the internet. Do you think they would have used their words as hateful artillery toward people who only wanted to help, or even to those who disagreed? I doubt it.

One thing I would like to address, as I have previously, is the use of the word “privilege” as an argumentative strategy. I think it is important to make you all understand how that turns a person off to your movement, and how not only is it a fallacious argument — it is completely antithetical to the principle of understanding, which is so important if you want to spread your ideas to others. You can’t really begin to understand a person’s privileges until you understand them as a person.

Someone being a white male does not automatically make them “privileged”. Someone having a job does not make them “privileged” by default. Until you have asked about a person’s struggles, you cannot accuse them of being “privileged” based solely on the fact that they are able-bodied.

I have discussed this in detail before, but a lot of people have accused my boyfriend of being “privileged”, and yet he does still identify with the feminist movement. People have used this term without asking him about his life. Did they know he was homeless for a time? Did they know that he suffers from an anxiety disorder? Did they know he experienced some abuse in the home when he was a child? Or do these things not matter, simply because he is a white male who now has a home, with food on the table?

Some people are discriminating against some very valuable assets, and I for one consider it a miracle that these assets have chosen to remain with the movement.

What is the point of trying to convince us to join your movement if we are not allowed to speak because we are somehow “privileged”? What is the point of a movement at all if you cannot allow discussion?

I seriously doubt that this letter of renouncement will have much effect on the feminist community. But, I do feel that I am representing a large group of voices who have gone silent because of the staggering amount of in-fighting in the movement.

Goodbye, feminism.

Sincerely,
Noelle

These are very real issues. Being a feminist doesn’t mean you can’t be a prejudiced shit head sometimes. Worth the read.

Sad, but I understand. I still call myself a feminist (well, sometimes) despite these issues, but it does bother me a lot.

I disagree with the OP’s definition of privilege (though I do agree that the ‘privilege card’ is overused and derails a lot of discussions), but otherwise this is spot-on. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Dina Al-Shibeeb: How about honor killing, women drivers and the revolutions?

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:29:00 -0400

Dina Al-Shibeeb: How about honor killing, women drivers and the revolutions?:

Arab women met on Thursday in Jordan to warn that religious fundamentalism poses a threat to women’s rights. As Ayaan says, “Radical Islam will be defeated by the emancipation of women.”

A very interesting article for all my feminist followers.

Islam Needs Reformists, Not 'Moderates'

Sat, 07 May 2011 17:33:12 -0400

Islam Needs Reformists, Not 'Moderates':

It is time for those who love liberal democracy to join hands with Islam’s reformists. Here is a clue to who’s who: Moderate Muslims denounce violence committed in the name of Islam but insist that religion has nothing to do with it; reformist Muslims, by contrast, not only deplore Islamist violence but admit that our religion is used to incite it.

Please read the whole article by extraordinary lesbian feminist and Canadian Muslim Irshad Manji before reacting to the quote above. I cannot wait for her new book, Allah, Liberty & Love.

If you feel too lazy to read a whole article, on the link there are also 3 short videos you should make sure to watch.

mehreenkasana: SNAP. SNAP. SNAAAAAP. So much win.

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:48:14 -0400

mehreenkasana:

SNAP. SNAP. SNAAAAAP.

So much win.

"To me, it is not racist to demand, as a white woman or white man, “I will not accept little..."

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:43:45 -0400

“To me, it is not racist to demand, as a white woman or white man, “I will not accept little girls in my country to be forced into marriage, or their genitals to be cut, for them to be pulled out of school, for them to be condemned to a life of submission or violence or death through an honor killing”…. What you want for that girl is what you want for your own little girl.”

- Ayaan Hirsi Ali

In Arizona, Faleh Hassan Al-Maleki sentenced to 34.5 years total for "honor" killing of daughter

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:42:11 -0400

In Arizona, Faleh Hassan Al-Maleki sentenced to 34.5 years total for "honor" killing of daughter:

Noor Al-Maleki’s murder was without honor, Steinle said. She was like any other 20-year-old woman whose desire for independence caused tension with her parents. Her father reacted with hatred rather than understanding, Steinle said.

He recounted lessons from Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, which preach forgiveness and compassion.

“For someone to say this crime was committed to restore someone’s honor, they really do not understand what religion is all about,” Steinle said.

When I first read about Noor Al-Maleki I simply broke into tears. I am glad the father will have some time to think about what he’s done and question the concept of honor and shame that is unfortunately so prevalent back in his home country.

If you read this, please have a minute of silence for Noor Al-Maleki.

On progressives and Islam

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:40:00 -0400

brad-t:

I’m always caught off guard by the support that Islam gets from liberals/progressives, when the tenets of Islam and the ways Muslims live today are very conservative in nature. Islamic societies are societies where women are stripped of their sexual and medical rights and treated as second-class citizens, where facts are ignored in favour of holy words, where conflicts are solved not by debates and concessions but by violence, where the poor are continuously exploited and deprived of opportunities and knowledge.

I understand the defense, though; Muslims and Middle Easterners in general are exploited and discriminated against by the “first world” and, in particular, there have been various military atrocities committed against them by America and Israel. However, we have to be able to draw the line between protecting innocent people and their freedom vs. protecting their backwards, harmful ideologies.

Modern Islam is conservative extremism.

*(Islam as it is in the world today, I don’t want any ridiculous culture vs. religion arguments)

Thank you, thank you, thank you. That said, I not only hope that my fellow Leftists go back on the track of protecting all women (not making an exception to certain cases because they happen to be Muslim, which to me is racism), but I also hope for more Muslims like The Fatal Feminist.

lavidaescorta: carefreewhitegirl: Anonymous asked:I keep...

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:34:34 -0400

lavidaescorta:

carefreewhitegirl:

Anonymous asked:I keep seeing this photo around Tumblr and I’d like to see what you think of it: CFWG, or something more? Personally I’m torn. I think the photo stands to make an important comment, however when re-posted with comments like “The woman on the right is more oppressed”, I think people are taking it a step too far. The photo itself doesn’t ask who is more oppressed, it just places the two women side by side in a very interesting and though provoking manner.

She is and she isn’t. If I understand correctly, the point of her being blindfolded is to highlight just how ill-informed westerners are about islam. The figure’s blindness is a metaphor for the western world. And her naked body represents the embarrassment we should feel from our ignorance. I suppose you could also view it with a CFWG lens: here’s this chick who is blindfolded because she doesn’t care to see the rest of the world. Regardless, I don’t find it particularly evocative or interesting, so, I dunno.

I think it’s interesting how they’re inversions of each other. The Muslim woman is completely covered except her eyes, and the Western woman is uncovered and exposed except for her eyes.

Random tangent, but it reminds me of that song, Just a Girl by No Doubt: “Take this pink ribbon off my eyes; I’m exposed, and it’s no big surprise.”

I think this can definitely be a depiction of the issues of both, maybe even a sort of common basis for both cultures because both, in their own way, oppress women. Women in the West are told to be free and “allowed” to a certain degree to flout and embrace their sexuality, but they will still be judged and our society will maintain a sort of ignorance over them, this Western lens that completely blinds them to other ways of life, faith, thinking they’re free when really they’re still facing objectification and undermined for their sexuality.

Whereas, on the other hand, the Muslim woman is completely covered, discouraged from showing her body, taught that it is indecent because it tempts men and that her honor comes from keeping it concealed. She can see, but it’s still through the lens of her culture, and she can’t speak out about what she does see. I also think it illustrates the way they see each other based on how both cultures view womanhood and sexuality as well as tradition. Where a Muslim women might see Western women as being sexualized and dehumanized or even blindly participating in their own oppression, Western women may overlook the identity of a Muslim woman and see only an oppressed person hidden from the world and given no identity, regardless of if her garb is meaningful her, chosen, or not. Both, if biased by their own culture, would probably see the other as forced or coerced to make such dress decisions rather than making their own for their own reasons. Both are in the public eye, being looked on, being judged by others. Heh, the fact that people make value judgments on who’s more oppressed could actually be interpreted as a nasty attitude the picture is exposing. Bodies turned political and stripped of identity and autonomy.

So there’s bias in both directions really, and a message of institutional oppression in different forms as perceived by opposite parties. Pretty thought-provoking picture, I would say, and clearly controversial in its complexity.

Excellent commentary.

Violence against women in Tahrir Square

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:41:25 -0500

Violence against women in Tahrir Square:

socialisimo:

Right now, thousands of Egyptian women who gathered to commemorate the centenary of International Women’s Day in the newly liberated Tahrir Square are being assaulted, harassed and brutalised. Not by Mubarak’s thugs, but by the men who lately stood beside them as equals on the barricades. As I write, images and reports are coming through on Twitter from women fleeing male aggression in the symbolic heart of what is already being called the Arab Spring. Speak it aloud, let it ooze over your tongue: how bitter does it taste?

“During the revolution, women weren’t women — they were simply Egyptians,” writes Egyptian journalist Ethar El-Katatney. “They stood right next to men to liberate their country… women will not — and cannot — go back to being silent.” It appears, however, that many Egyptian men would prefer their women to do just that — to shuffle back to their kitchens and stop demanding silly things like social equality and political representation in the new secular constitution of the country they have just reclaimed.

Solidarity has been the watchword of this global resistance movement, but some men seem slow to understand what that word really means. One cannot reserve solidarity for members of one’s own gender. The vomitous hypocrisy of turning patriarchal violence against one’s comrades in the same space where you fought state violence together just weeks previously should be obvious even to the mobs of men and boys currently chasing women through the streets of Cairo.

I just finished watching the Peter King hearings on radicalization and here are my final thoughts.

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:52:15 -0500

letthetruthlaugh:

I agree with the woman who spoke at the end and said that it was insufficient without cooperation from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and other law enforcement officials. It was mostly anecdotal.

Dr. Jassers testimony, in my opinion, was totally useless. He accused many different groups of different things, but no one had any evidence.

Mr. Bihi, one witness, said that organizations like CAIR, and corrupt Mosques were targeting and taking advantage of Somalian youth. He and 20 other families had their children smuggled back into Somalia, according to him, by the mosques which then denied everything. He said terrorist organizations want to keep these minority communities in conflict so they can continue to exploit and abduct the youth. He said he was thankful someone was finally giving the Somalian community a voice.

I think that in general, its not unprincipled to do a hearing on radicalization in Muslim American communities. However, this hearing isn’t happening in a vacuum, it takes place in a context. As one member of the Committee said, he’d served on hearings about the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads, militias, and all other specific groups.

However, if they don’t have hearings on other groups and other issues, or these meetings aren’t productive then these hearings will be very suspicious.

I would not say this was disrespectful to Islam or a witch hunt. I’ve never heard so much support and adoration for Islam in my entire fucking life. Because the patriotism and goodness of Muslims was universally revered and no one blamed anything on the religion, I don’t think its reasonable to conclude this was a witch hunt or islamophobic.

Ultimately what I watched amounted to nothing, though I did learn some interesting things from the Sheriff.

I wish more people would stop and think for a moment and try to be objective like you, rather than jumping ten foot high whenever somebody utters the word “Islam”, must it be to bash Muslims or bash the person who’s trying to open a discussion.

letthetruthlaugh: islamicfeminist replied to your link: I am going to be honest, don’t listen to...

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:47:13 -0500

letthetruthlaugh:

islamicfeminist replied to your link: I am going to be honest, don’t listen to what anyone tells you about the Peter King hearing. Watch it for yourself and make your own decision. Its long, not everyone has time, but I really think this is not an issue you will understand if you are listening to otheres rhetoric about the event. News media uses the term “witch-hunt” like its a given. True or not, make that decision for yourself.

You’re my favourite Tumblr. ♥

Thank you very much! So you’re back in action?

Not as much as I used to. I think the “mini-burnout” I made left me fragile. In order to keep my ego from identifying to the cause and make me very vulnerable again, I’m coming back “in small doses.” I’m way too sensitive to deal with some stuff I read on Tumblr, either pure racism (I’m trying to stop using the word Islamophobe) or…pure racism. Yes, because to refuse to question any practice of someone, no matter how sexist or racist it is, just because of their “non-whiteness, non-Christian/Atheist-ness” IS racist, if you would do otherwise for someone of a different race or religion.

You have a similar spiritual philosophy (if I can call that this way) as mine, so you must understand how I feel. Division is not the way to go. Love is the way to go.

You have the only blog which I feel 100% safe and comfortable to read.(Except the erotica photography posts, but I just disregard them!) I wish there were more Tumblrs like yours.

Irshad Manji on Peter King's Hearings on Radicalization among American Muslims

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:50:00 -0500

Taken from a thread on her Facebook page, here are her comments. Behold, the feminist I respect the most:

First comment:

So… after watching the King hearings, reflecting on them while getting other work done, and reading this thread, I have a few thoughts to share:

As some of you know, I’ve been accused of “singling out” Muslims by writing a book entitled, “The Trouble with Islam Today.” Many people (including non-Muslims) have argued that it should have been called, “The Trouble with Religion.”

In a genuine back-and-forth, there will be many responses to a suggestion like that. But one of my replies is that there are plenty of dissidents within Christianity and Judaism today. These religions are not lacking for internal critics who speak their truths openly and visibly. Not quite so in Islam today. We, Muslims, have a lot of catching up to do in the dissent department. Hence my exclusive focus, back then, on Islam.

Since then, I’ve taken my own journey from a singular focus on Muslim reform to the more universal message of moral courage. I’ve come to realize that moral courage is necessary, and in many cases urgent, in various communities.

Teaching about moral courage through the lens of Muslim reform diminishes the need for neither. It humanizes the struggle of Muslim reformers AND shows that the abuses of power that liberal Muslims are challenging can be found, in different manifestations, elsewhere. Thus, a dual message of Muslim reform and moral courage actually builds empathy and solidarity among individuals who normally wouldn’t find common ground.

What does this mean for the King hearings? See my next post…

Second comment:

If you’ve read my post above, you’ll see the context in which I’ve come to believe that Rep. Peter King blew it politically. It would have been no skin off his nose to make these hearings about ideological extremism in general, starting with Islamism (an ideology), not Islam (a religion).

He therefore could have been a trailblazer in addressing the culture of ideological polarization that’s developing in America — a polarization that needlessly demonizes reasonable conservatives, reasonable liberals, and reasonable people everywhere.

By tackling the problem of Islamism as part of a wave of ideological militancy, King could built trust among people from various parts of the political spectrum. So far, he hasn’t.

BUT since this is a *series* of hearings and not just a one-off thing, King still has time to listen, learn, grow and announce that future hearings will deal with the kind of ideological radicalism that leads non-Muslims to threaten the security of Americans, too.

Our fellow Facebooker, Nathan Soloman, posted an article in this thread that points out the following: Since Sept 2011, Muslims have been involved in 45 domestic terrorist plots. Meanwhile, non-Muslims have been involved in 80 terrorist plots.

Yes, there are statistics and then there are lies. It’s tough to know where the spin starts and stops. But this we do know: America, being a land of free thought, will incubate organizations that strives to intimidate others to shut up and conform. So, it stands to reason that that there are extremists working as more than just freelance crazies outside of Islam too.

Start with Islamism so as not to cave to political correctness. Then move forward to analyze and expose other dangerous ideologies, so as not to cave to political cowardice.

Third comment:

One *final* thought for now:

My friend, Rep. Keith Ellison, got it right today. He explained that he disagreed with the premise of the hearings, but he wanted to participate anyway. Why? Because he could use the hearings as an opportunity — a blessing in disguise, to quote Ismail Bey’s words in this thread.

Congressman Ellison’s passionate, deeply personal tribute to the Muslim who lost his life as a 9/11 responder will have done more, I dare say, to touch the hearts of mainstream Americans than any vitriolic protests against the hearings. Without the national platform afforded by these hearings, Rep. Ellison wouldn’t have reached nearly as many people with that story as he was able to do today.

I’d like to see other Muslims take Keith Ellison’s lead and participate in these hearings — precisely to lower the suspicions that many Americans have about why moderates are so silent. Moderates are still too silent, except when expressing grievances as self-appointed victims.

Moderate Muslims: Break the silence. Since you insist that you have nothing to hide, make the hearings a bullhorn for education!

If you haven’t read her book already, do yourself a favour and do it. I love her so much, she gives me so much hope about the future of Muslims and Non-Muslims together.

I'm glad you're back.

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:15:00 -0500

Thank you, Juthika. <3

But I’m only half-back, really…I come and peek when I have something to share. I don’t look at the Islam tag anymore because there is too much crap in there that makes me instantly depressed. If I get as involved as I was at the beginning, I’m afraid I’ll get myself sick again…

I am very careful. I wish I was stronger but I’ll keep doing the job as best I can until someone better than me finally steps up.

Thanks again.

fyeahpoliscipanda: thatprettyoddfeminist: stfukyriarchy: [Text...

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:49:00 -0500

fyeahpoliscipanda:

thatprettyoddfeminist:

stfukyriarchy:

[Text surrounds a panda on a blue and red background. Top text: “Don’t you think feminism is outdated?” Bottom text: IDK, Maybe you should ask the women in Saudi Arabia.]

I think you mean everywhere.

oh shut the fuck up. saudi arabia, my ass. i am sick and tired of hearing you exceptionalist fucks act like women have all their rights in the western world, and it’s places like saudi arabia that make feminism still relevant today. there is plenty wrong in the western world, including the united states. ever hear of the gender pay gap? ever hear the incredibly high rape and domestic violence statistics? ever hear of the amazingly low representation of women in congress? feminism is still relevant today for all of these reasons, not just because of saudi arabia.

Honestly, I don’t disagree. There totally is discrimination in the United States; sexism is still a major problem here. I don’t deny that. I was trying to go more for pithiness, though, and in doing that failed to keep that in mind. I’ll be putting up a better one shortly, if you’re interested.

(I also think that we can all agree that women have it undeniably harder in countries such as Saudi Arabia or even South Africa where “honor killings” for being raped and public executions for the most minor of “offenses” are commonplace.)

And I thank you for that. While I think the rectification by thatprettyoddfeminist was justified and necessary, too often do people shushhh about the much, much worse conditions of women in the Middle-East, Africa and some parts of Asia because they are afraid of coming off as the easily thrown word “Islamophobes”. Not only that, but when these women move to the West, they don’t magically become free of the heavy sexism and violence that was culturally accepted back in their home country. It unfortunately often follows them along their husbands and family.

Thank you for being one of the rare progressives to speak up about the violence that is made to our sisters in the Middle-East. I wish there was more like you on Tumblr.

See the new version of this here.

Today, as I hope you know, is the International Day of the Woman.

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:52:12 -0500

Among all the issues that feminism is still fighting for, please take some time to teach yourself about all the awful sexism that some women are still subjected to in their Muslim communities, sometimes not just outside of Europe and North America but right under your nose. Their veil is not meant to protect themselves from the same compassion you give to any other woman of any other race, nationality or religion. It shouldn’t even matter when it comes to give support to those that have to live under even heavier patriarchy than we do.

Thank you, and happy women’s day to all of my female followers. ♥

"[…] Note to non-Muslims: Dare to ruin the romance of the moment. Open societies remain open..."

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:44:32 -0500

“[…] Note to non-Muslims: Dare to ruin the romance of the moment. Open societies remain open because people take the risk of asking questions — out loud. Questions like, “Why is it so easy to draw thousands of Muslims into the streets to denounce France’s limited ban on the hijab, but impossible to draw even a fraction of those demonstrators into the streets to protest Saudi Arabia’s wholesale imposition of the hijab?” And when Muslims insist, “We’re democracies in our own way,” they need to hear this question posed: “What rights do women and religious minorities exercise in such democracies — not in theory, but in actuality?” No doubt, among the responses you’ll get is that the West should take a hard hard look at how it’s mutilating women through breast implant and tummy tucks for the sake of social acceptance. Agreed, the West should look hard. Still, in all my years as a feminist in the West, I’ve never met a girl whose parents have disowned her because she wouldn’t inject silicon into her boobs — and yet more than a few Muslim parents have rejected their daughters for resisting clitoral circumcision. Non-Muslims do the world no favors by pushing the moral mute button as soon as Muslims start speaking. Dare to ruin the moment.”

- Irshad Manji, The Trouble With Islam Today. An excellent lesbian Muslim author and journalist.

Woman's life threatened by cousin after decision to stop wearing the hijab.

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:32:30 -0500

Woman's life threatened by cousin after decision to stop wearing the hijab.:

Munir Al-Hakim, 30, at the Isleworth Crown Court, received a six month prison sentence — suspended for two years. He also received a 12 month restraining order and was ordered to complete 225 hours community service.

That’s it? I bet this woman is still terrified. I hope she’s safe.

Women activists carry a mock coffin of Ayse Pasali, who was...

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:17:16 -0500

Women activists carry a mock coffin of Ayse Pasali, who was shot to death by her ex-husband, during a demonstration, planned as an alternative to Valentine’s Day, in central Istanbul, February 14, 2011.

My heart feels so heavy, but looking at these women fighting for their rights give me hope. Turkish Muslimas won’t submit!

Let me start by saying that I respect you. I like your blog and I agree with your morals and opinions. I'm also a Muslim feminist and I like what you're doing. But I came across something in your bio that confused me. "I am inspired by Irshad Manji and Ayaan Hirsi Ali". I am Somali, so maybe I'm being a little too harsh, but honestly, I think Ayaan Hirsi Ali has given the world a very inaccurate view of Somalis and Muslims in general. Her books speak of her rough childhood and life in Somalia. I'm not saying that Somalis are all for womens rights or anything, far from it. My own parents would never agree with most of the things I say. Sexism is so common in Somalia that no one even notices it. The women don't even realize it's wrong. But she makes it sound far worse and most of the things she says are really, really insulting. And with her immense hatred for Islam, the Quran and Muslims, how could you ever respect her?

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:08:00 -0500

I respect her because her cause is noble. Have you checked her Foundation that helps to protect women in the West from Fundamentalist Islam? I respect her because she refuses to give in to the death treats to express her freedom of speech. I respect her for fighting so hard for what she believes in.

That said, I know her books can be very gloomy. Unlike when reading Irshad Manji, you don’t feel very hopeful. But nonetheless, at least she does something for her fellow women. She disappoints me a lot when she talks about economics, but on feminist matters I believe she excels. Have you read her last book, Nomad?

Anyways, thank you for your message :)