Do Muslim Women Need Saving?

Focusing here on stories of individual women, Columbia University social scientist Abu-Lughod (Veiled Sentiments) deconstructs the idea of saving oppressed Muslim women and takes a sobering look at issues including the “honor crime,” arranged marriages, the burqa, and veiling. In accessible, lucid prose, Abu-Lughod explains how sensationalized memoirs, or “pulp nonfiction,” have perpetuated stereotypes and made Muslim women a symbol of an alien culture. The author dispassionately points out the hypocrisy of colonial feminism, and how more often than not, there is a clear political agenda behind the liberation of the “women of cover” and how the role of the U.S. is often overlooked. The women presented here see their Islamic faith as a source of strength to fight injustice, not the cause of it. They’re not asking to be rescued from their religion, the author contends, but from the discriminatory legal system, poverty, outdated patriarchal family traditions, and border controls that continue to inhibit their freedom. While offering no easy solution, the author recommends observation over moral crusades, stating: “Anyone seriously interested in Muslim women’s rights must follow them as they move.” This book is an excellent place to begin. (Nov.)