Pious or Oppressed?
“I move slowly in the world ,accustomed now to seek no longer for upheaval” (Visual Culture, 1999, p420).
For decades, the Muslim women’s head cover has been a subject of great debate in the West. Women who wore the veil or the Hijab (head covering) were simply viewed as oppressed, abused and with no mind of her own. She is in desperate need of someone to save her, someone who will bring freedom to her, someone who will make her equal to man…
This view has recently changed into some thing more. She is now a terrorist hiding something behind the veil. She is something to be feared, to be watched. The image below by Bruce MacKinnon is a reference to Cheryfa MacAulay Jamal, a woman from Nova Scotia whose husband was arrested in 2006 in an anti-terrorism raid. Qayyum Abdul Jamal was released from jail after charges against him were stayed on April 15. It was published April 18 in the Chronicle Herald newspaper.
Now, although it was her husband who was implicated, she is portrayed as the mastermind behind terrorism. This cartoon was published after he was released due to lack of evidence, two years after is arrest.
“…they objectively cut away slices of my reality. I am laid bare” (420).
I am not quiet sure who the “they” are. It doesn’t really matter. What really matters is the change that every individual can consciously make to get to know each other as fellow humans.
The struggle continues. She is now oppressed and a terrorist at the same time. She wears the veil and it signifies oppression,terror and so on. So what say you about the image below?
She wears the head covering. Pious or oppressed?
How about the women below? Are they Muslim women in the “madrasah” studying how to terrorize or are they pious nuns studying the word of God?
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The point is, the media has a way of manipulating the public with certain images to stand in for certain misconceptions. I would hope, that at some level, we all realize that we are all flesh and blood and that if we were stranded in some island, we will all become one, in hopes that we survive!
April 14, 2010 at 4:00 pm
I think we have reached a point where we have become so intolerable that it will take a lot for us to come back from it. We also don’t take the time to understand something that is different before we make an assumption or have an opinion on it. While I’m sure that there are women that are oppressed and even some that are terrorist, it is stereotypical and wrong to categorize everyone like that, I just find it to be pure ignorance. I also like how you pointed to the fact that nuns and Mother Theresa wore these head coverings also.
April 17, 2010 at 2:37 am
How about what is happening in France? This hysteria is forcing a goverment to actually outlaw women from being able to be veiled in that country… how hypocritical! Your discussion is very valid as we don’t often hear people criticize Amish women or Mother Theresa for being oppressed like this (well, at least not since our culture is more afraid of Islam). Great discussion.
April 25, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I wonder how much of it has to do with the face covering? You’ll notice in the two early images that the woman’s face is covered. What effect do you think that has?