In
this week's article: "Of Being an Arab Woman Before and After September
11: The Enactment of Communal Identities in Talk," the concept of false
notions of female oppression are discussed.
One
woman in particular makes it known that while she is Arab, she is not oppressed
and seems to blame the images in the media for propagating this myth.
A
fairly recent “cultural phenomenon” involves a group of young women who want to
show that the hijab is not a symbol of oppression, but rather just another part
of who they are. They have done this by coming together to show a different picture
of Muslim women in the U.S.
According
to the group’s official Facebook page, Mipsterz-
Muslim Hipsters: “A Mipster is someone at the forefront of the latest
music, fashion, art, critical thought, food, imagination, creativity, and all
forms of obscure everything. A Mipster has a social mind, and yearning for a
more just order, a more inclusive community unbounded by stale categories,
unwilling to plod blindly along in a world as obsessed with class as it is
unmindful of its consequences.”
As
part of their campaign, a video was released showing a number of Mipsterz on
the streets doing everyday things to the Jay-Z song “Somewhere in America.” The
video and the song choice have received mixed reviews, but the main criticism in
the comments section of the article is that if these women were in a country
like Saudi Arabia they would be punished for dressing in such tight clothing.
Critics of these women seem to be saying that, yes, here in America this is what a
Muslim woman can look like, but in a conservative country it is not.
The
group is trying to show that scarves can be seen as a tool of empowerment and
not oppression. Is this the way to get people to change how they view Muslim
women in general, and Muslim women living in America in particular?
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