Jose Arroyo

Professor Werry

RWS 200 M & W 3:30-4:45

9 February 2015

Intro and Body paragraphs for Two Texts ( Haydar and Abu- Lughod)

            The topic of the veil on Muslim woman is a very controversial topic. One side says it is a choice and a way of personal freedom and the other side says it is oppression and sexist. There are two authors who argue for the first claim but argue for it in different ways. In the chapter from her 2003 book Body Outlaws, “ Veiled Intentions: don’t judge a muslim girl by her covering,” Maysan Haydar argues that the veil, that many Muslim women wear, is a choice and not oppression put on them by men. She wrote this text almost right after 9/11 when most Americans were frightened toward Muslim women who had this garment on. The sense of isolation by these women prompted Haydar to respond to these misconceptions and reveal to the general American public that the veil is a way of life for these women and is not to be seen as an oppressive tool. She tries to evoke a sense of unity and togetherness by the way she approaches this touchy topic. However, in her online scholarly article, “ The Muslim woman,” Lila Abu-Lughod does not try to create a sense of unity but rather an “us” and “them” approach and divides her readers. She argues for the same justice that Haydar is trying to implement but in more a harsh and authoritive way which most of likely would not have persuaded the Western Feminist audience she is writing to. So this why Haydar’s piece most likely was more persuasive to her broad audience due to the ability for her to connect to them on a more even keel level.

In Haydar’s piece she argues how most Americans should not judge a Muslim Women based solely on her veil and she also argues that even though the veil may seem like an oppressive tool, the Western idea of “freedom” is skewed. Many people in the United States were afraid of Muslim Woman after September 11 and the constant judgment of Muslim people persists today. For example, the misconception of “freedom” is constantly skewed to the person’s point of view as the lady on the “New York City bus.” She saw the “jilbah” a woman was wearing and configured that she was being oppressed by her religion and stated that at least she “, got to be free.”  Her statement reveals how people in general do not take the time to learn the reason behind wearing the view but it is easy for everyone to draw assumptions rather quickly. This exact statement is what most likely prompted Haydar to write tis piece because she is trying to clarify how many Muslim are not oppressed but rather they are their own person. She uses a personal narrative of her personal interests of , “karate,” and “skateboarding” to illustrate how she, herself, is not oppressed by the veil. This contradiction evokes her audience to realize the major cultural values that the West and the Middle East have. Both places believe in, “modesty,” but each side interprets the word in a different way. Haydar inserts how the veil to the Muslim culture keeps the women in modest form and respectable but also enables the women to be free from unwanted attention. But in contrast Western society believes that freedom is enabled by wearing whatever he/she choses to wear as long as it is, “modest.” The different interpretations creates a tension between both societies because Their, “priorities are out of line: American women spend hours getting ready for strangers.” This quote emphasizes how too much attention is put on image alone and not on the most important aspect of every human being: their heart. The ability to see the person fully rather than a sexual object is more essential to Haydar and the Muslim world.

In Abu-Lughod’s piece she argues for the same intention Haydar does but she utilizes different claims and evidence. She argues for a different interpretation of freedom between the two cultures. She states how, “Our,” image of the Middle East Women is problematic because it creates a divide between, “us,” and,”them.” This divide restricts us from being one and being united due to our entitlement of, “us,” being superior and the “oppressed” Muslim Women as being, “inferior.” The inability of, “us,” to see their side create this divide and this is why Abu-Lughod most likely wrote this piece toward Western Feminist to slowly but surely break down this divide by trying to listen to one another’s view on things.

But she also argues that we stray away from trying to save these women because the very thing we are trying to stop we are imposing on them. Everyone in the world has a different way of thinking and acting but is up to us to be, “aware of different paths in this world.” The claim by Abu-Lughod reveals the tolerance and patience we need to have and preserve to be able to understand one another’s culture.

One major difference between these two authors is how they support their claims. Haydar uses many personal anecdotes and the overall piece is a personal narrative as contrasted with Abu-Lughod’s piece it is more researched based. The anecdotes creates many overgeneralizations onto her audience which makes her general American public to question her creditability as compared to Abu-Lughod her research solidifies her claims more effectively.