If Islam Vanished Tomorrow…
I. Rida Mahmood
Most ‘Western’ critiques of Islam fixate on the visuals, with a peculiar obsession over Muslim women’s dress codes as the glaring proof of Muslim backwardness.
So, let’s look back at Ivanka and Melania Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2017, when we witnessed a media fanfare celebrating their courage and feminist defiance for refusing to comply with Islamic dress codes, in a land regarded as the heart of Islam. But then, only a few days later, the two women visited the heart of Catholicism, i.e., the Vatican, and were photographed next to the Pope wearing black maxi dresses, black veils, and big, bright smiles.
For those with bipartisan sensibilities, don’t fret: Michelle Obama did the same in 2009, and her choice to unveil on her 2015 visit to Saudi Arabia was paraded as a “strong message to women.” Two more First Ladies from both sides of the political aisle, wives of presidents among the most hawkish on the ‘Middle East,’ also donned the Good Catholic Girl look on their visits to the Vatican in 1994 and 2007. In fact, every modern First Lady has covered up for the Pope, along with many European female heads of state – who touted their privilege to wear white veils instead of black.
The demands for female modesty are identical, whether coming from Riyadh or Rome. But only when the command issues from a non-white authority that it suddenly sounds the alarm on women’s oppression. When the order comes from a white man in Europe, it is welcomed, treated with respect as tradition, dignity, or even reverence.
Read the full essay here:
https://iridamahmood.substack.com/p/i...
Most ‘Western’ critiques of Islam fixate on the visuals, with a peculiar obsession over Muslim women’s dress codes as the glaring proof of Muslim backwardness.
So, let’s look back at Ivanka and Melania Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2017, when we witnessed a media fanfare celebrating their courage and feminist defiance for refusing to comply with Islamic dress codes, in a land regarded as the heart of Islam. But then, only a few days later, the two women visited the heart of Catholicism, i.e., the Vatican, and were photographed next to the Pope wearing black maxi dresses, black veils, and big, bright smiles.
For those with bipartisan sensibilities, don’t fret: Michelle Obama did the same in 2009, and her choice to unveil on her 2015 visit to Saudi Arabia was paraded as a “strong message to women.” Two more First Ladies from both sides of the political aisle, wives of presidents among the most hawkish on the ‘Middle East,’ also donned the Good Catholic Girl look on their visits to the Vatican in 1994 and 2007. In fact, every modern First Lady has covered up for the Pope, along with many European female heads of state – who touted their privilege to wear white veils instead of black.
The demands for female modesty are identical, whether coming from Riyadh or Rome. But only when the command issues from a non-white authority that it suddenly sounds the alarm on women’s oppression. When the order comes from a white man in Europe, it is welcomed, treated with respect as tradition, dignity, or even reverence.
Read the full essay here:
https://iridamahmood.substack.com/p/i...
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