Orientalism, Colonialism and the Representation of Muslim Women. Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology SOC 885: Women and Islam.

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Orientalism, Colonialism and the Representation of Muslim Women
Introduction
In the current world, the issues surrounding religion as it relates to gender predominantly concerns the situation of Muslim women and its indication towards the state of civilization. For instance, the concept of feminist Orientalism is identified by three characteristics that include the assumption surrounding the oppositional binary between the West and the East where Muslim women are victims of oppression (Khalid 15). Conversely, their Western counterparts are considered to enjoy the benefits of full freedom within society. Secondly, the conception that points to the fact that Oriental women are only victims of a male chauvinistic society, therefore, experience no amount of resistance within the social transformations. Such an approach is seen as an attempt to marginalize the Oriental women, therefore, calling for saviors amongst Muslim women. This approach could be a call for the westerners to emancipate Muslim women from Muslim men. The third aspect of feminist Orientalism involves the construction of a monolithic entity of Muslims and therefore, the ultimate belief that Muslim women are subjected under the same condition, therefore, lacking any form of a unique aspect of identity that they can own. Consequently, feminist Orientalism must be perceived within the wider scope and capacity of Orientalism. Orientalism is considered to have the capacity to create not only knowledge but also the very reality that the concept tends to describe. Historically, there have not been major changes amongst the Oriental and Muslim women (Khalid 18). This reveals that various common traditions, as well as stereotypes, continue recurring with negligible or no change at all. There is always a constant and inseparable association between the Orient as well as sensuality since the female Orientals relate to creatures of male power. In this case, they are considered to express unlimited sensuality and appearing more or less stupid and ultimately willing and submissive. The infiltration by Western colonialism led to several overarching changes amongst the Muslim communities politically, economically and culturally.
Objective
This essay focuses on the position of Muslim women in the society, in this case, explaining their religious identities, practices as well as roles within the society as pertains to the various stereotypical notion associated with their experiences. This essay explains the several changes arising from state policies alongside economic changes, ideological and cultural developments that impact the lives of both male and female within the society. In this case, some of the particular significant developments are associated with the treatment of women in Islamic societies. The first instance that openly discusses the issue of women appeared amongst the male intellectuals in Egypt and Turkey. Questions are surrounding the issue of gender as well as religion in many contexts such as abortion, divorce, and polygamy. However, the issue of religion as it relates to gender especially the position of Muslim women and its indication concerning the state of civilization has become predominant in the current global context. This paper attempts to provide identification on the current nature of reproduction represented by the old orientalist narratives concerning Muslim muhajaba women. This is in the view of the new user-based American virtual media. In this case, there is a need for examining the paradigm shift as regards the power discourse.
In this essay, the concept of Orientalism focuses on a set of discursive relations alongside practices that structured the existing colonial relationships between Europeans and Muslim colonies. Through the discourses that are considered Oriental, “the Orient” that also included the Middle East as well as Asia were considered primitive or lesser as compared to the modern European civilization. Such colonial narratives served the purposes of rationalizing and justifying the expansion of European rule by exploiting Islamic land. However, in modern times, Orientalism is still ripe within the Western imagination and serves as a source of legitimizing more modern neo-imperialistic practices. This helps them maintain the positional superiority of the West as pertains the Islam and Muslim societies.
Examples
The act of wearing veils can be considered to have made Muslim women subject to dual oppressions that may include but not limited to racism and Islamophobia within the society. This also includes the patriarchal oppression alongside sexism from within their communities (Ameli & Zohreh 15). Muslim women are also subject to representations of the Orientalist of veiled as well as burqa-clad women that always portray them as primitive and oppressed. In the 19th century, there was a cultural shift within the Islamic societies that ensured that the veil becomes a marker of cultural differences between Europe and Islamic societies and also presents a visible signifier of gender homosociality. However, in the mid-19th century, the veil was conceptualized in Europe as a form of oppression. This would be used as a key strategy in the colonization of some countries such as Algeria. It could be considered an understatement if the veil of Muslim women is considered as an “overdetermined sign”. this is due to the nature of weight appropriated to its meaning that includes the aspect of disqualifying Muslim women as autonomous subjects, the symbol of oppression, a sign of civilization threat and also as a religious challenge towards the modern secular societies.
A good example can be shown in the case of Aqsa that occurred in Canada. On this account, Aqsa’s Facebook site reveals that she was an active agent in the process of negotiating her own identity as well as a sense of belonging as a teenager in Canada. The revealing pictures on tight and short clothing that could be termed as provocative suggested the much that was going on just besides removal of the hijab as displayed in her pictures. The normal interpretation from different sources described the act as presumably showing the expression of a normal teenage girl. This is reflected from one of her friend’s sentiments that “she wanted to just show her beauty”. However, such perspective seemed inconsistent for Aqsa with the tradition of wearing a hijab. The aspect of compulsory barring of skin amongst the American teenage girls and the compulsory wearing of veils by Islamic women can be identified as a comparison between absolute lack of choice and absolute freedom of choice within different societies. This can be referred to as the question of moral absolutes as conferred upon individuals by their respective societies. The case of Aqsa, the choice of rejecting hijab and embracing the concept of the Western dress is an emblematic representation of personal autonomy and the show of her freedom from traditions. This also forms an iconic realization on the integrative nature of society’s potential and at the same time a symbol of tolerance of multiculturalism as well as a secular nation.
There is numerous debate that is taking place amongst the young Muslim women concerning their daily realities on the subject of exclusion as they try to navigate peer as well as institutional pressures. This is as per deviation from the dominant ...