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Christina Hoff Sommers: The Subjection of Islamic Women [LINK-ZUM]

The subjection of women in Muslim societies - especially in Arab nations and in Iran - is today very much in the public eye. Accounts of lashings, stonings, and honor killings are regularly in the news, and searing memoirs by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Azar Nafisi have become major best-sellers. One might expect that by now American feminist groups would be organizing protests against such glaring injustices, joining forces with the valiant Muslim women who are working to change their societies. This is not happening. [...] One reason is that many feminists are tied up in knots by multiculturalism and find it very hard to pass judgment on non-Western cultures. They are far more comfortable finding fault with American society for minor inequities (the exclusion of women from the Augusta National Golf Club, the "underrepresentation" of women on faculties of engineering) than criticizing heinous practices beyond our shores. The occasional feminist scholar who takes the women's movement to task for neglecting the plight of foreigners is ignored or ruled out of order. [...]

On February 20, 2007, a Pakistani women's rights activist and provincial minister for social welfare, Zilla Huma Usman, was shot to death by a Muslim fanatic for not wearing a veil. And he had a second reason for killing her: She had encouraged girls in her community to take part in outdoor sports. The plight of women like Usman does not figure in NOW's "Six Priority Items," although Global Feminism is one of the 19 subjects it designates as "Other Important Issues." NOW hardly mentions Muslim women, except in the context of the demand that the U.S. military withdraw from Iraq. So what sort of issue does the flagship feminist organization consider important?

NOW has just launched a 2007 "Love Your Body" calendar as part of its ongoing initiative of the same name. The body calendar warns of an increase in eating disorders and includes a photograph celebrating the shape of pears. There is also an image of the Statue of Liberty with the caption, "Give me your curves, your wrinkles, your natural beauty yearning to breathe free." The calendar bears these inspiring words: "None of us is free until we are all free." To breathe free, college women are encouraged to organize "Love Your Body" evenings. NOW suggests they host "Indulgence" parties: "Invite friends over and encourage them to wear whatever makes them feel good - sweat suits, flip flops, pajamas - and serve delicious, decadent foods or silly snacks without the guilt. Urge everyone to come prepared to talk about their feelings and experiences."

This is pathetic. To be sure, serious eating disorders afflict a small percentage of women. But much larger numbers suffer because poor eating habits and inactivity render them overweight, even obese. NOW should not be encouraging college girls to indulge themselves in ways detrimental to their well-being. Nor should it be using the language of human rights in discussing the weight problems of American women.

[Article continues at link. NOW appears to share the problems of Greenpeace and Amnesty International USA. Rather than celebrate their victories and move on to new challenges, they have becomes generic leftist groups that rely on their past relevance for continued support. The above article describes some of the problems NOW has. Wikipedia has a summary of criticisms of Greenpeace. A co-founder of Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, has further criticisms. The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg counters some claims of the environmental movement. I have not yet found a worthy criticism of Amnesty International USA. AIUSA has moved away from their success in defending political prisoners and toward a generic leftist defence of "economic, social and cultural rights." Only individual human beings have rights, not economies, not societies, not cultures. AIUSA has been criticised by Christians for recently supporting legal access to abortion. But a criticism of AIUSA based on facts and ethics rather than superstition has yet to be made. There is real work to be done in improving the lot of women, of the environment and of political prisoners. These groups have stumbled in their charge. My criticisms are offered such that these groups might find their relevance again. One suggestion: less superstition, more science. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: B12, christianity, islam, sex, theocracy