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The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women
An astounding insight into how white feminism is intertwined with Islamophobia, and why Muslim women are so often left out of the conversation.
Growing up, journalist Shahed Ezaydi was asked how she could possibly call herself a feminist if she also practised her faith. By treating Muslim women as invisible and excluding them from feminist spaces, or hyper-visible with an obsession of ‘saving’ them, we are perpetuating gendered Islamophobia and white feminism. But Muslim women don’t need to be saved, and religion is not the only form of oppression.
The Othered Woman is the book Ezaydi wishes her younger self could have turned to, to dispel the myths of how Muslim women are oppressed and who by. It shows that these myths translate into very real harm at state level in the UK and globally, and showcases the many intersectional feminists fighting for liberation in their own way. Accessible and compelling, this is urgent reading for anyone who considers themselves a feminist.
Growing up, journalist Shahed Ezaydi was asked how she could possibly call herself a feminist if she also practised her faith. By treating Muslim women as invisible and excluding them from feminist spaces, or hyper-visible with an obsession of ‘saving’ them, we are perpetuating gendered Islamophobia and white feminism. But Muslim women don’t need to be saved, and religion is not the only form of oppression.
The Othered Woman is the book Ezaydi wishes her younger self could have turned to, to dispel the myths of how Muslim women are oppressed and who by. It shows that these myths translate into very real harm at state level in the UK and globally, and showcases the many intersectional feminists fighting for liberation in their own way. Accessible and compelling, this is urgent reading for anyone who considers themselves a feminist.
288 pages, Paperback
Published March 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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February 15, 2026I’m so excited for this one!!!
May 14, 2026
Such an important book delivered in an accessible and real way. I genuinely think everyone who grew up in the West should read this. Spending seven years as a hijabi, experiencing constant Islamophobia, before taking off the veil as a white-passing person, I've always known very acutely that being able to move through the world in peace is absolutely conditional. How people talk about muslim women in the West and globally is completely insane, based on a lot of misunderstanding and outright propaganda, and this book is a well-informed way for everyone to start unpacking that and learn how to listen.
February 2, 2026
Incredibly well researched, readable, informative - but also full of hope. A must read for any feminist!
April 12, 2026
"The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women" by Shahed Ezaydi is a fantastic primer for anyone who isn't already mired in awareness of feminism, Islamophobia, and racism... and still a great read for those of us who are.
Ezaydi confronts the issue of feminists (she specifies "white feminists," but let's be real, it's basically just mainstream feminism) and their role in perpetuating and in fact justifying the Islamophobia and racism that both Muslim women and men experience. She addresses questions of "oppression," hijab and liberation politics, Islamophobia and UK state violence, feminism and its role in global conflicts, and more.
While I was already very familiar with most of the content discussed, the author's strength is in collecting this discourse from various corners of the internet/ journalism/ academia and putting them all together in one place that you can then hand off to your hella annoying coworker or microaggressively Islamophobic professor. I also did glean several bits of interesting information that I didn't know (like Muslim children in Denmark being required to have a medical excuse form to abstain from eating pork because religious rights aren't acknowledged!).
The one point of criticism that I had was that the author was limited by her own framing of the discourse within a feminist framework, so e.g. when she brings up the infamous Mia Khalifa, she actively tries to abstain on passing judgment on her "hijabi porn" - even though no such pass should be given, seeing as how Khalifa ACTIVELY AND DELIBERATELY exploited fetishes for hijabi/ Muslim women for her own career. Disgusting. There also wasn't enough interrogation into how Malala or Mahsa Amini's stories were more than just "fighting for education" or "fighting against religiously repressive government" - no mention of Malala's positionality as the daughter of a fairly known individual with political corruption attached to his name, or Amini's connection to Kurdish independence movement.
Overall though, I really liked this book and will be keeping it on hand, alongside Nadine Asbali's "Veiled Threat"!
Ezaydi confronts the issue of feminists (she specifies "white feminists," but let's be real, it's basically just mainstream feminism) and their role in perpetuating and in fact justifying the Islamophobia and racism that both Muslim women and men experience. She addresses questions of "oppression," hijab and liberation politics, Islamophobia and UK state violence, feminism and its role in global conflicts, and more.
While I was already very familiar with most of the content discussed, the author's strength is in collecting this discourse from various corners of the internet/ journalism/ academia and putting them all together in one place that you can then hand off to your hella annoying coworker or microaggressively Islamophobic professor. I also did glean several bits of interesting information that I didn't know (like Muslim children in Denmark being required to have a medical excuse form to abstain from eating pork because religious rights aren't acknowledged!).
The one point of criticism that I had was that the author was limited by her own framing of the discourse within a feminist framework, so e.g. when she brings up the infamous Mia Khalifa, she actively tries to abstain on passing judgment on her "hijabi porn" - even though no such pass should be given, seeing as how Khalifa ACTIVELY AND DELIBERATELY exploited fetishes for hijabi/ Muslim women for her own career. Disgusting. There also wasn't enough interrogation into how Malala or Mahsa Amini's stories were more than just "fighting for education" or "fighting against religiously repressive government" - no mention of Malala's positionality as the daughter of a fairly known individual with political corruption attached to his name, or Amini's connection to Kurdish independence movement.
Overall though, I really liked this book and will be keeping it on hand, alongside Nadine Asbali's "Veiled Threat"!
May 8, 2026
A very eye-opening read! It really made me look at myself and all the experiences I had as a Muslim woman 🤔 it's incredibly informative for BOTH Muslims and non-Muslims which I LOVE about this book! It really serves it's purpose and breaks down REAL feminism which many of us instantly associate with 'white feminism', making it a hard subject for many Muslims to approach. This book showed me that Western feminism is not the only feminism and that it is, in fact, very harmful to our communities and the world in general.
This is definitely a must read for Muslims and non-Muslims, females and males looking to make the world a better place, together.
Very good job to the writer!
This is definitely a must read for Muslims and non-Muslims, females and males looking to make the world a better place, together.
Very good job to the writer!
April 14, 2026
This was a great read for my journey in understanding intersectional feminism. Ezaydi has compiled a plethora of information about the Muslim woman's lived experience, the racism that is still rampant within the community, how American positioning of Muslim women has lead white feminists to see most of their oppression as linked to their religion, as well as how we will ALL benefit from approaching feminism with an inclusive, nuanced lens.
Fans of The Trouble with White Women and Hood Feminism will appreciate this addition to the conversation around intersectional feminism.
Fans of The Trouble with White Women and Hood Feminism will appreciate this addition to the conversation around intersectional feminism.
April 5, 2026
Author does not like Muslims being portrayed as monolithic group but white feminism makes a great monolithic straw man. Lots of use of “that is not to say” stating an obvious counter argument but then quickly dismissing it.
April 28, 2026
A great read on what Western feminists can do to listen better to Muslim women. This books goes into some interesting history and highlights some issues that many in the West have towards this faith. I think this book is a good starting point for expanding one's understanding of various issues.
April 19, 2026
Very well written, researched and argued.
May 6, 2026
4.5/5
Books about feminism tend to be hit-or-miss for me, mostly because they don’t always move beyond the fundamentals of feminism and/or intersectionality.
The Othered Women briefly touches on the basics, but dives into the depths of white feminism, the harm it causes, and what Muslim women (especially in Great Britain) need from the movement as a whole.
This is the kind of nonfiction I really enjoy; I feel like I'm taking a college class in something that actually interests me. Reading this was the best part of my morning commute for most of April, and I strongly recommend it.
Books about feminism tend to be hit-or-miss for me, mostly because they don’t always move beyond the fundamentals of feminism and/or intersectionality.
The Othered Women briefly touches on the basics, but dives into the depths of white feminism, the harm it causes, and what Muslim women (especially in Great Britain) need from the movement as a whole.
This is the kind of nonfiction I really enjoy; I feel like I'm taking a college class in something that actually interests me. Reading this was the best part of my morning commute for most of April, and I strongly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews