http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=94217&d=27&m=3&y=2007
Tuesday, 27, March, 2007 (08, Rabi` al-Awwal, 1428)
Status of Arab Women at Home and Abroad: NY Panel Discussions
Rima Abdelkader, Arab News
NEW YORK, 27 March 2007 - What comes to mind when you hear
"feminism"? When I asked my mother, she said, "women, power, and strength,"
three words not widely associated with the term. Back to reality, you probably
conjure up a negative image - that of a bra-burning, man-hating, warrior woman.
But what comes to mind when you hear "Arab" juxtaposed with "feminism"? These
coupled terms would be viewed as a formidable relationship, from the East, who
view feminism as a Western colonial "cultural transplant," and the West, who
view Arab women as oppressed. We have seen these portrayals once before in
American popular media. The typical Arab male is portrayed as a terrorist and
the typical Arab woman is portrayed as oppressed, covered and subordinate to
the male. The status of Arab women in their communities is often
misrepresented, both within and outside the Arab community. All too often, Arab
women are categorized in stereotypical roles - ranging from the hopeless,
oppressed figure to the sexy pop star. This begs an important question: Where
do Arab women really stand?
With regards to the hijab, why is it that a covered Muslim
woman is seen as "repressed," whereas a covered nun, bride, Amish woman, and
religious Jewish woman are seen as "devout"?
In the US, why is "liberation" synonymous with "less
clothing"?
As young, Arab-American women and men, what can we do?
These were just some of the questions that were posed to an
expert panel featuring an academic, community activist, and UN representative
at this past week's forum on the status of Arab women, moderated by Al-Jazeera
Arabic's DC Bureau Chief Abderrahim Foukara, and co-sponsored by the Network of
Arab-American Professionals of New York as well as the Adult Education
Committee at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.
Foukara's flight down from DC to NY to be a part of a room
packed with - for the most part - young, educated Arab Americans was seen as a
profound gesture of his support for Arab women's rights. He informed them that
feminism is shared by both men and women and referenced Arab male scholars who
advocated this suffragist idea a century ago.
Dr. Azza Karam, former senior policy research adviser at the
United Nations Development Program in the Regional Bureau for Arab States,
coordinated the latest Arab Human Development Report on Arab women and
addressed the most, significant challenges facing Arab women's development in
Arab countries. "The spring of Arab reform has yet to bloom," she said if Arab
countries do not make women's development a precondition to any type of
revolutionary change.
Unfortunately, Dr. Karam explained, others believe that,
"Arab women's rights have to be relegated to achieve this." She referenced some
Arab countries that have made this their requirement. Audience members found it
upsetting that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates still have not granted
Arab women voting rights.
Dr. Aseel Sawalha, urban anthropologist and Pace University
professor, focused on the emergence of postwar Arab feminism. Arab women's lack
of agency, she said, is the major hurdle in overcoming the social, political
and economic challenges inhibiting them from empowering themselves. She called
attention to the distress of Arab women and said, "More and more women are
suffering."
"Rarely is the question," she rhetorically inquired, "How are
Arab women being taken care of?"
Dr. Anny Bakalian, board president of TAMKEEN: The Center for
Arab-American Empowerment, in Brooklyn, discussed domestic violence within the
Arab-American community. Most Arab women remain silent, she said, because they
are "unaware of their rights and the services that are available."
"There are economic consequences, language barriers, lack of
trust, and fear of racism," she said that restrain Arab women from speaking out
about being abused.
Although this program did not give a definitive answer to the
complex question on the origin of misogyny and the future for an Arab women's
movement, many Arab-American men and women who attended felt that it helped
them reach an understanding of the representation of gender.
Columbia University law student, Hamiuda Jebara, an Arab
American male attendee, said, "The panel reminded people of the fight for
women's rights in the Middle East. The strife in the Middle East has drawn
attention away from other domestic and social problems. Hopefully, peace
occurs, and people have a better view on life and work to improve women's
rights."
Rutgers University clinical psychology student, Said
Shehadeh, another Arab American male audience member, said, "I would have liked
to hear more about the status of the Arab feminist movement (advocacy for
it)..."
He continued, "I guess I'm just coming from a feminist
background and was hoping to hear a more critical stance against patriarchy
within Arab societies. This requires (feminist) grassroots mobilization of
women and men alike."
The program was designed to nurture leadership skills among
Arabs/non-Arabs through civic participation, community action, and advocacy for
social change in hopes of raising awareness of the need for change. One Arab
mother living in New York City for the last 25 years said, "I would have wanted
to say to all the young professionals who asked what we can do, and I have a
daughter who will graduate this year and is probably their age, 'Go ahead,
believe in yourselves. Do not ask for permission, just do it.' Do not let your
mothers know that I said so."
There is a new Arab women's movement by Arab women in the
West who believe that the woman's job is not just to cook, clean and to bear
children and men's work is not just to defend their homeland and household.
Arab women are taking on different roles, dispelling stereotypes, while working
with their supportive male counterparts, like Hamiuda and Said.
- Rima Abdelkader has worked as a NY correspondent for
Bridges TV and as a journalist in the United Nations. She is on the board of
the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association and is an active member of
the New York Women in Communications and the Network of Arab-American
Professionals of New York. ([EMAIL PROTECTED]
)
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