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Beyond Veiled Clichés: The Real Lives of Arab Women
Magnificent. Surprising. Illuminating. Australia needs this book.
NIKKI GEMMELL
As someone who has a foot in both the Western and Arabic worlds, Amal set out to explore the lives of Arab women, in Australia and the Middle East, travelling to the region and interviewing more than sixty women about feminism, intimacy, love, sex and shame, trauma, war, religion and culture.
Beyond Veiled Clichés explores the similarities and differences experienced by these women in their daily lives - work, relationships, home and family life, friendships, the communities they live in, and more. Arab-Australian women are at the intersection - between Western ideals and Arab tradition. It can get messy, but there is also great beauty in the layers.
In a time of racial tension and rising global fear around terrorism, there is a renewed fear of 'the other'. At its heart this fascinating book normalises people and their experiences. The breadth, variety and beauty of what Amal has discovered will enthral and surprise you.
NIKKI GEMMELL
As someone who has a foot in both the Western and Arabic worlds, Amal set out to explore the lives of Arab women, in Australia and the Middle East, travelling to the region and interviewing more than sixty women about feminism, intimacy, love, sex and shame, trauma, war, religion and culture.
Beyond Veiled Clichés explores the similarities and differences experienced by these women in their daily lives - work, relationships, home and family life, friendships, the communities they live in, and more. Arab-Australian women are at the intersection - between Western ideals and Arab tradition. It can get messy, but there is also great beauty in the layers.
In a time of racial tension and rising global fear around terrorism, there is a renewed fear of 'the other'. At its heart this fascinating book normalises people and their experiences. The breadth, variety and beauty of what Amal has discovered will enthral and surprise you.
289 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2017
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439 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 16, 2017
This is a very readable exploration of Arab women's voices, both within Australia and the Middle East. It challenges simplistic readings of Arab women by reveling in the diverse opinions, personalities, backgrounds, lives and passions of the subjects. Awad is drawn to the meaty and difficult parts of a story, and the book never reads superficially or lightly as a result. Rather than shying away from controversial or divisive topics, she plunges straight at them, and the book is much richer for it.
I read Susan Carland's Fighting Hislam: Women, Faith and Sexism a few months ago, and given the overlap between the communities they examine, and the similar elevator/blurb pitch for the two books: to reveal the voices of women who are often not heard, it was inevitable they would be contrasted in my head. Both books are worth reading, both authors are women I deeply admire. And the complete difference in style, content, and impact of the books really made me reflect on the differences between academia and journalism.
The topic of Awad's book is Arab women. Part of Awad's objective is to challenge the common stereotype of the veiled Muslim woman as all Arab women. There is such a strong association in contemporary Australian culture between Arab women and Islam, that obscures very real religious diversity. (I spent some years living amidst a Maronite Lebanese community: which was my first realisation of how little I knew, and how much I had simply assumed, about Arab Australians).Awad includes Christian and atheist women and touches lightly upon issues faced by such women living in countries where Islam is a state religion. She also wants us to understand the distinctive elements of Arabic culture, often simply collapsed in "Muslim" culture by the media.
All of this is ambitious, and the book pulses with Awad's sense of how much she wants to say. After reading Carland's careful, cautious approach, this seemed at times both exhilarating and reckless. Awad has no hesitation inserting her own experiences and opinions into the mix: much of the chapter on sex, for example, is comprised of Awad's own experiences. Knowing Awad's strong views on identity politics, in a different example, colours how you read her accounts of her subjects' views on Arab identity. There is a sense of dialogue in the book, we see these women as they are interviewed by Awad, who felt to me a constant presence.
I had left Carland's book frustratingly unsatisfied, but dying to read her full thesis. The success of Awad's journalistic approach in a book did make me reflect on some of the difficulties of academic books. While journalists, like Awad, are concerned with revealing truth through stories; academics are often painfully concerned with ensuring truth emerges unscathed through a web of bias, distortion, happenstance, and assumptions. Carland was very careful not to overly insert herself, to ensure her subjects were described with enough context but not too much, to ensure the reader understood who these women might be typical of and who they weren't, to understand her methodologies and to be hesitant in making assumptions. It is why I think her thesis will be so brilliant, but it is also why the book is perhaps less successful as a stand-alone.
Awad's approach frequently irritated me, as journalistic accounts often do. But a writing this review a week or two after finishing the b0ok, I'm acutely aware of these women rattling around in my head, most especially those from Lebanon. I came in knowing little about Lebanon, and Awad's writing invokes such a sense of a cosmopolitan city fallen on difficult times, with a globally engaged, activist and pulsating culture. Her interview subjects there are so little concerned, really, with the topics that eat up activists in the West. When reading the book, I often found Awad's barrelling into multiple topics distracting - challenging my desire for system and focus - but Awad reveals not only Arab issues through this, but the tensions and struggles of living through war, in a region wracked by decades of it.
I had a Turkish friend confess to me privately the other day, over IM, that she supported the Western feminist fight to allow women to wear hijab, but that it still tore her in two, and she skipped over that content because it was too painful. If I hadn't read this book, I would be have been more surprised by that comment, but it gave me enough to know what I don't know, and maybe that is a start.
So this is a book which provides scattered insights, and not a holistic overview. But it also challenges the idea that a holistic overview is ever going to be more than a simplification. It encouraged me to listen a lot more, and assume a lot less. I really hope there are more books which pick up this conversation.
I read Susan Carland's Fighting Hislam: Women, Faith and Sexism a few months ago, and given the overlap between the communities they examine, and the similar elevator/blurb pitch for the two books: to reveal the voices of women who are often not heard, it was inevitable they would be contrasted in my head. Both books are worth reading, both authors are women I deeply admire. And the complete difference in style, content, and impact of the books really made me reflect on the differences between academia and journalism.
The topic of Awad's book is Arab women. Part of Awad's objective is to challenge the common stereotype of the veiled Muslim woman as all Arab women. There is such a strong association in contemporary Australian culture between Arab women and Islam, that obscures very real religious diversity. (I spent some years living amidst a Maronite Lebanese community: which was my first realisation of how little I knew, and how much I had simply assumed, about Arab Australians).Awad includes Christian and atheist women and touches lightly upon issues faced by such women living in countries where Islam is a state religion. She also wants us to understand the distinctive elements of Arabic culture, often simply collapsed in "Muslim" culture by the media.
All of this is ambitious, and the book pulses with Awad's sense of how much she wants to say. After reading Carland's careful, cautious approach, this seemed at times both exhilarating and reckless. Awad has no hesitation inserting her own experiences and opinions into the mix: much of the chapter on sex, for example, is comprised of Awad's own experiences. Knowing Awad's strong views on identity politics, in a different example, colours how you read her accounts of her subjects' views on Arab identity. There is a sense of dialogue in the book, we see these women as they are interviewed by Awad, who felt to me a constant presence.
I had left Carland's book frustratingly unsatisfied, but dying to read her full thesis. The success of Awad's journalistic approach in a book did make me reflect on some of the difficulties of academic books. While journalists, like Awad, are concerned with revealing truth through stories; academics are often painfully concerned with ensuring truth emerges unscathed through a web of bias, distortion, happenstance, and assumptions. Carland was very careful not to overly insert herself, to ensure her subjects were described with enough context but not too much, to ensure the reader understood who these women might be typical of and who they weren't, to understand her methodologies and to be hesitant in making assumptions. It is why I think her thesis will be so brilliant, but it is also why the book is perhaps less successful as a stand-alone.
Awad's approach frequently irritated me, as journalistic accounts often do. But a writing this review a week or two after finishing the b0ok, I'm acutely aware of these women rattling around in my head, most especially those from Lebanon. I came in knowing little about Lebanon, and Awad's writing invokes such a sense of a cosmopolitan city fallen on difficult times, with a globally engaged, activist and pulsating culture. Her interview subjects there are so little concerned, really, with the topics that eat up activists in the West. When reading the book, I often found Awad's barrelling into multiple topics distracting - challenging my desire for system and focus - but Awad reveals not only Arab issues through this, but the tensions and struggles of living through war, in a region wracked by decades of it.
I had a Turkish friend confess to me privately the other day, over IM, that she supported the Western feminist fight to allow women to wear hijab, but that it still tore her in two, and she skipped over that content because it was too painful. If I hadn't read this book, I would be have been more surprised by that comment, but it gave me enough to know what I don't know, and maybe that is a start.
So this is a book which provides scattered insights, and not a holistic overview. But it also challenges the idea that a holistic overview is ever going to be more than a simplification. It encouraged me to listen a lot more, and assume a lot less. I really hope there are more books which pick up this conversation.
November 18, 2017
"It takes a lot of courage to wear a hijab in a Western society and just as much courage to not wear a hijab in the eyes of the Muslin community."
Beyond Veiled Cliches is Awad's investigation into the lives of Arab women in the Middle East and in Australia. Delving into their lives, their hopes and aspirations, their struggles, their relationships, breaking down the damaging stereotypes held at large by Westerners in a society that is harsh on it's minorities. These are the often untold stories of these women broken down to encourage understanding and respect for an often misunderstood religion and culture.
This book gives important insight into breaking down the stereotypes of Arab women. It is a complex situation that even now I'm not completely convinced I wholly understand. What I did take away from this was the importance of taking an preconceptions about Arab women in both Australia and the Middle East and throwing them away. We all know stereotypes are a poor method to encapsulate groups and the complex issues related to religion, culture and politics in both the Western world and the Middle East are particularly difficult to explain in simple terms.
We need to learn that not all Arab women are oppressed, afraid of men, are meek or unable to stand up for themselves. Instead we need to take out narrow stereotypes and throw them away and instead listen to the women who live these lives, many of which start by describing themselves as no typical Arab women because guess what? There is no typical Arab women, just like there are no typical Western women.
I did find that I didn't one hundred percent connect with the way in which this was written so did not love it as much as I expected. I was, however, exposed to fascinating insight and perspective and hope that now I am a little less ignorant. I also look forward to watching Amal in conversation about her writing at Adelaide Writers Week in March.
Beyond Veiled Cliches is Awad's investigation into the lives of Arab women in the Middle East and in Australia. Delving into their lives, their hopes and aspirations, their struggles, their relationships, breaking down the damaging stereotypes held at large by Westerners in a society that is harsh on it's minorities. These are the often untold stories of these women broken down to encourage understanding and respect for an often misunderstood religion and culture.
This book gives important insight into breaking down the stereotypes of Arab women. It is a complex situation that even now I'm not completely convinced I wholly understand. What I did take away from this was the importance of taking an preconceptions about Arab women in both Australia and the Middle East and throwing them away. We all know stereotypes are a poor method to encapsulate groups and the complex issues related to religion, culture and politics in both the Western world and the Middle East are particularly difficult to explain in simple terms.
We need to learn that not all Arab women are oppressed, afraid of men, are meek or unable to stand up for themselves. Instead we need to take out narrow stereotypes and throw them away and instead listen to the women who live these lives, many of which start by describing themselves as no typical Arab women because guess what? There is no typical Arab women, just like there are no typical Western women.
I did find that I didn't one hundred percent connect with the way in which this was written so did not love it as much as I expected. I was, however, exposed to fascinating insight and perspective and hope that now I am a little less ignorant. I also look forward to watching Amal in conversation about her writing at Adelaide Writers Week in March.
December 10, 2018
Thank you for writing this wonderful book. Thank you for showcasing the different perspectives of Arab women who come from all walks of life. We need more of our stories told.
June 18, 2017
In 'Beyond Veiled Cliches', Amal Awad has offered an insight into the complex worlds of Arab women, both in Australia and the Middle East, their 'real lives', and the myriad ways in which non-Arab people fail to grasp their individual experiences and choices. Through a consideration of religion, culture, love, shame, sexuality, strength and determination, Awad shows us that "no one has ownership over the ideal way to live."
It is my privilege to have read this new book, having had the pleasure of reading each of Awad's previous books, fiction and non-fiction. In this thoroughly readable text I found new knowledge, enlightenment and empathy. Awad explores the individual realities of a broad range of women through interviews conducted across several countries. A highly recommended read that will have you wondering how anyone can possibly make generalisations or assumptions about a woman's reasons for covering or the notion that she needs to be 'saved'.
It is my privilege to have read this new book, having had the pleasure of reading each of Awad's previous books, fiction and non-fiction. In this thoroughly readable text I found new knowledge, enlightenment and empathy. Awad explores the individual realities of a broad range of women through interviews conducted across several countries. A highly recommended read that will have you wondering how anyone can possibly make generalisations or assumptions about a woman's reasons for covering or the notion that she needs to be 'saved'.
September 8, 2017
A book easily on my favourites list, 'Beyond Veiled Cliches' is full of great personal stories.
This is a well-written work that lets the interviewees speak frankly, and share unique and interesting experiences, entwined with the writer's.
Ultimately this book leaves the reader understanding that these ladies are powerful, doing their thing, running their lives, laughing and crying, thinking hard. They're figuring this complex world out and making individual decisions day by day, from their own perspectives.
Just like you and me.
This is a well-written work that lets the interviewees speak frankly, and share unique and interesting experiences, entwined with the writer's.
Ultimately this book leaves the reader understanding that these ladies are powerful, doing their thing, running their lives, laughing and crying, thinking hard. They're figuring this complex world out and making individual decisions day by day, from their own perspectives.
Just like you and me.
January 15, 2018
I really enjoyed the multitude of perspectives Amal Awad canvassed in this book, and how she linked manifestations of patriarchy in the Middle East to a larger misogyny problem that permeates every society, but I found the different threads and the narrative style of interspersing large chunks of interviewees' quotes with Awad's own observations hard to manoeuvre. It was nevertheless refreshing to hear about Arab women through the eyes of an Arab woman, and the exclusion of men as they were relegated to the sidelines of the women's stories was more than welcomed.
March 12, 2018
This an interesting and eye-opening book. The format reminds me of journalistic documentaries aimed at exposing the truth and breaking preconceptions. This book does exactly that but, as the author noted, there much more depth and complexity that is left untouched. An insight into the multi-faceted lives of Arab women from different religions and backgrounds, fighting as women for women.
February 1, 2022
Amal Awad presents a multitude of perspectives, she links manifestations of patriarchy in the Middle East to the larger misogyny problem in every society. Amal presents Arab women, otherwise stereotyped and socially appropriated, through the eyes of herself as an Arab woman, and that is what makes this book an excellent and honest read. Whether you're a woman, or a man.
January 19, 2019
Awad takes a similar approach to Susan Carland in 'Fighting Hislam', using interviews with women from various backgrounds about their experiences and the issues they face. However, where Carland's book examined the lives of Muslim women in the West, Awad's focus is on Arab women from around the world.
Awad makes the important distinction that these stories are about Arab women. Arab and Muslim are often used interchangeably in the West though, as Awad points out, this is a misconception:
'The Middle East is religiously diverse – beyond the three Abrahamic faiths, there are people who identify as Druze, Bahai'i, Yazidi and Zoroastrian, to name just a few […] The Middle East is anything but 'one size fits all''.
The women Awad interviewed belong to a variety of different faiths and cultures. She spoke to women of different educational backgrounds. Women who were career-driven, women who were mothers and, importantly, women who were queer and in same-sex relationships.
For me, reading about Arab women who identified as queer was particularly interesting. This isn't something that is openly spoken about. Even within Anglo-Australian culture, discussions of queer identity are still coming into the public sphere – and met with continued opposition from conservative groups. The stories of the women Awad spoke to were often heartbreaking, but also uplifting. One woman, Melissa, described the interesting dynamic of her relationship with her girlfriend. She couldn't bring her girlfriend home to meet her Christian family as they were not accepting. But her girlfriend's Muslim family were fully supportive of their relationship and recognised her as their daughter's 'life partner'.
This touches on what makes Awad's book so powerful. It seeks to dispel the misconceptions of a largely Western audience towards Arab women by showing how diverse and complex their lives are. She shows the positive and negative experiences of the women she interviewed, as well as sharing her own experiences of growing up Arab in Australia. This is what makes Awad's book important, particularly to an Anglo-Australian audience: it forces the reader to see Arab women as people. She strips away the dehumanising stereotypes of Arab women that dominate the media – from the veiled 'victim' figure to the orientalist sex symbol – and lets Arab women speak for themselves.
At a time when the Australian government continues to spout post-9/11 anti-immigrant (and largely anti-Muslim and anti-Arab) sentiments, it's vital to have these counter-narratives at hand. Awad's book is written for a general readership, making it accessible and engaging. This is definitely a good starting point for anyone interested in reading about the issues faced, and challenged, by women from the Middle East and Middle Eastern backgrounds.
Awad makes the important distinction that these stories are about Arab women. Arab and Muslim are often used interchangeably in the West though, as Awad points out, this is a misconception:
'The Middle East is religiously diverse – beyond the three Abrahamic faiths, there are people who identify as Druze, Bahai'i, Yazidi and Zoroastrian, to name just a few […] The Middle East is anything but 'one size fits all''.
The women Awad interviewed belong to a variety of different faiths and cultures. She spoke to women of different educational backgrounds. Women who were career-driven, women who were mothers and, importantly, women who were queer and in same-sex relationships.
For me, reading about Arab women who identified as queer was particularly interesting. This isn't something that is openly spoken about. Even within Anglo-Australian culture, discussions of queer identity are still coming into the public sphere – and met with continued opposition from conservative groups. The stories of the women Awad spoke to were often heartbreaking, but also uplifting. One woman, Melissa, described the interesting dynamic of her relationship with her girlfriend. She couldn't bring her girlfriend home to meet her Christian family as they were not accepting. But her girlfriend's Muslim family were fully supportive of their relationship and recognised her as their daughter's 'life partner'.
This touches on what makes Awad's book so powerful. It seeks to dispel the misconceptions of a largely Western audience towards Arab women by showing how diverse and complex their lives are. She shows the positive and negative experiences of the women she interviewed, as well as sharing her own experiences of growing up Arab in Australia. This is what makes Awad's book important, particularly to an Anglo-Australian audience: it forces the reader to see Arab women as people. She strips away the dehumanising stereotypes of Arab women that dominate the media – from the veiled 'victim' figure to the orientalist sex symbol – and lets Arab women speak for themselves.
At a time when the Australian government continues to spout post-9/11 anti-immigrant (and largely anti-Muslim and anti-Arab) sentiments, it's vital to have these counter-narratives at hand. Awad's book is written for a general readership, making it accessible and engaging. This is definitely a good starting point for anyone interested in reading about the issues faced, and challenged, by women from the Middle East and Middle Eastern backgrounds.
March 20, 2018
This was an interesting read, providing insights into the lives of Arab women in an effort to counter the stereotypical views and cliches that exist about these women. The author has spoken to many women in the Middle East and Australia in her research, and insights from these interviews are grouped into themed chapters. There is also an element of memoir, as the author shares her own experiences as they relate to these themes. I found the chapter on why women choose to wear or not wear the veil particularly interesting.
Interesting as these women's experiences were, I felt that some voices were missing. Most if not all of the interviewees quoted seem to be educated or at least literate women who live in urban areas. The voices of refugees, uneducated women and those living in rural areas are largely missing or only heard secondhand. The author acknowledges in her prologue that the stories are not exhaustive, but I would have been interested to read some additional perspectives. Nonetheless, the stories that are included are well worth reading.
Interesting as these women's experiences were, I felt that some voices were missing. Most if not all of the interviewees quoted seem to be educated or at least literate women who live in urban areas. The voices of refugees, uneducated women and those living in rural areas are largely missing or only heard secondhand. The author acknowledges in her prologue that the stories are not exhaustive, but I would have been interested to read some additional perspectives. Nonetheless, the stories that are included are well worth reading.
May 10, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️ At 230 out of 285 pages I decided to quit. I had been torn for a while but finally decided to drop it. The topic was great and Amal Awad managed to capture a lot of interesting women voices from the Middle East and Arab women in Australia - however sadly I found the writing style very jarring and difficult for me to get into.
I have “Do Muslim women need saving?” by Lila Abu-Lughod lined up to read as it is a topic I am very keen on learning more about (I am very certain the answer will be “NO!”), but this book wasn’t quite for me.
I have “Do Muslim women need saving?” by Lila Abu-Lughod lined up to read as it is a topic I am very keen on learning more about (I am very certain the answer will be “NO!”), but this book wasn’t quite for me.
December 16, 2018
I can usually fire through most books at pace, but Beyond Veiled Cliches really warranted a leisurely osmosis. It forced me to stop, consider and re-consider, and take note of all the individuals who shared their time for this work.
I particularly loved the indirect challenge to western, white feminist views. It's only given a small amount of direct address (as warranted) but I f*cking love the way it nails the issues.
My 83yo Nan read this after me, and she really enjoyed it too. Extra stars for that! Worth the overdue library book fines.
I particularly loved the indirect challenge to western, white feminist views. It's only given a small amount of direct address (as warranted) but I f*cking love the way it nails the issues.
My 83yo Nan read this after me, and she really enjoyed it too. Extra stars for that! Worth the overdue library book fines.
January 21, 2018
I originally heard Amal Awad being interviewed for this book on ABC radio, and the book sounded as though it would be interesting because the author seemed to be exploring, rather then stating a point of view.
I have not been disappointed; the book was compelling and beautifully written, and deserved the five stars that I gave it. The flowing style, met and matched, the tempo of the subject matter, and I can't wait to read more.
I have not been disappointed; the book was compelling and beautifully written, and deserved the five stars that I gave it. The flowing style, met and matched, the tempo of the subject matter, and I can't wait to read more.
February 5, 2019
Pretty good. Informative.
June 15, 2019
A MUST READ!
Beyond Veiled Cliches offers a great insight into the lives of Arab women. It is beautifully written, giving these women a voice and refutes several cliches about us, Arab women.
Awad addresses a wide range of topics such as wearing a veil or not, sexuality and careers and patriarchy. It's like a documentary with a captivating personal touch.
Beyond Veiled Cliches offers a great insight into the lives of Arab women. It is beautifully written, giving these women a voice and refutes several cliches about us, Arab women.
Awad addresses a wide range of topics such as wearing a veil or not, sexuality and careers and patriarchy. It's like a documentary with a captivating personal touch.
January 23, 2020
Some of it was hard to read as it felt a bit disjointed in parts but was good to understand the:
• Idea of separating culture and religion
• The complexities of thoughts / rules / beliefs and how these create conflicts for people in everyday life
• and how a lot of Arab women want to counter the perception that all women in the Arab world are powerless
• Idea of separating culture and religion
• The complexities of thoughts / rules / beliefs and how these create conflicts for people in everyday life
• and how a lot of Arab women want to counter the perception that all women in the Arab world are powerless
October 11, 2019
A nuanced look at women; how their own history and culture shape them.
January 20, 2021
The good and the bad part is it's not about fixes, it's about truely listing to experience.
April 17, 2018
I heard Amal talk at the Perth Writers Festival, which prompted me to buy her book. However, I found her talk far more interesting than the book. The book is very repetitive, with the same points being made several times. Unfortunately, it did not hold my interest and I gave up before finishing it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews