Article Critique: Don't Judge A Muslim Girl By Her Covering
Article: Don't judge a Muslim girl by her covering
Author: Maysan Haydar
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1. What medium is this text? And might the medium influence the form and content of this text? How?
a. Print?
b. Oral?
c. Digital?
2. Who is the author?
a. What are the author's qualifications to discuss this topic?
b. How much do you know about the author's assumptions, beliefs, and experiences?
i. What unstated assumptions or underlying values and commitments does the author seem to hold? How might these influence his or her position?
c. What is the author's purpose or agenda? (It may or may not be identical to the position that the author takes in his or her argument.)
i. Does this purpose seem appropriate to the issues involved? How might this purpose influence the form and content of the author's argument?
d. How does the author appeal to kairos*?
i. Is the text responding to a contemporary problem, issue, or crisis or to a recent film, popular song, or news event?
3. What does the author want readers to do as a result of reading this text? For example, does the author hope they'll…
a. Assent to the argument?
b. Act on it?
c. Gain a richer understanding of an issue or problem?
d. Enjoy the experience of reading, viewing, or listening to this text?
4. What reasons does the author offer in support of his or her ideas?
a. Are they good reasons? Are any perspectives left out?
5. What kinds of sources (scholarly books and articles, statistics, interviews, articles from newspapers and magazines) does the author rely on? What media (text, images, video, graphics, sound) does the author use to support his or her reasons?
a. What kinds of appeals—appeals to logos, ethos, pathos**—do the sources make? Do the appeals seem appropriate given the text's rhetorical situation?
6. What objections might be raised to this argument?
7. How open to persuasion are you with this topic?
a. If you disagree with the author, how willing are you to listen to another point of view? If you agree with the author, can you maintain a critical distance so that you can examine the claims and support that the writer provides?
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Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering
The article ‘Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering’, with the objective of addressing the aspect of ‘Veiled Intentions’ was written in the year 2003 and it appeared in the book entitled Body Outlaws: Rewriting the Rules of Beauty and Body Image, published on January 2004. The publication of the book, by the Seal Press and Ophira Edut as the chief editor, brought the article to the limelight in the form of a print. The article is written by a feminist known as Maysan Haydar. In spite of the author being a feminist, she is also an observant of the Muslim persons who lived in New York.
The contributions and the desire to write the essay have been influenced by her position; being a Muslim observant. She writes the essay to unveil the idea behind the veil, what it represents to her and the extent to which she values it. Using the first person point of view, she addresses aspects related to her experience. Throughout the article, lots of focus is given to the first person experience. She also explores the public’s opinions over the Muslim’s veil. Her childhood experience, observations in New York and the judgments that she has been subjected to following her veiling gives her an upper hand in the exploration of the topic. The above highlighted aspects qualify her to address the topic.
The author’s primary objective is to change the manner in which majority of the people perceives veiling. For instance, she seeks to change the perceptions of the Americans. It is postulated that the Americans perceived veiling as a form of oppression and that the women were uncomfortable. However, through the article, the author addresses the benefits of veiling. She addresses it as being of great benefits as compared to the other forms of dressing that is considered revealing.
Haydar addresses the article to the young adults as well as feminists whose perceptions are wrong regarding the body covering of the Muslim women. Through her experiences, she affirms that the veil is not an oppression as many people perceive it. Describing it as beneficial, she argues that women who cover themselves are in a position to gain self-respect as well as comfort for themselves. For instance, she explains the manner in which she has gained freedom and the respect that she has earned from men due to her veiling.
Haydar’s essay responds to the contemporary issue regarding the body coverage by the Muslin women. She highlights some of the advantages of the veil as per her experiences to enable the audience to gain a deeper insight on the issue. In addressing her audience, she states that since people live in a world that has mixed messages, there is a need to bypass lots of harm and experiences; an aspect that she affirms that veil has helped her achieve (Haydar 2003, pg. 261). The implication is that she did not undergo harmful or tempting experiences since men had given her respect and that she was comfortable with herself.
The appeal of the author to her audience is a reconsideration of the perceptions surrounding veil. She feels that the audience needs to understand ...