We are identified by different names and titles, some show endearment, some show status, and some are mere markers of where we are from, what language we speak, and what groups we belong to. I’m called and referred to by different names, for example I’m a daughter, sister, wife, professor, friend, blogger, Qatari, woman, among others. Still the new title I’ve been given is a bit troubling. Some colleagues, readers, and students have started calling me a feminist or have asked me if I am one. I had students and reporters framing and introducing their questions with: “As a feminist, what do you think of this and that”? I’ve also noticed that some of the search engine terms that people use and through which they are directed to me blog are: Feminist Amal Al-Malki, Feminism and Amal, and the likes.
In all honesty, I don’t see it as an accusation as I do teach a course on Islamic Feminism, and have published several articles on the topic. I’m also involved in women leadership and empowerment programs on campus. I am a scholar and an educator who happens to be a woman belonging to a region that is witnessing prosperity and progress and women are certainly beneficiaries of this phase as much as men.
As much as I would love to be known as an advocate for women’s rights, the term “feminist” troubles me! The first question to ask is whether the term itself is derogatory. The answer is of course not. No one can deny what feminism has offered women everywhere. The problem is that when the naming comes from this part of the world, I’m not sure that the connotations are neutral. Some people still connect feminism to Western feminism and even worse to cultural imperialism.
The problem with this narrowed perception is that people use feminism as a homogeneous term while it is not. There are different feminisms in the west and the States and the same applies to feminisms in Arab and Muslim countries. There is the Islamic feminism which grounds their arguments in Islam and its teachings and is different than Muslim feminism which uses arguments outside Islam, for example national secular law or international human rights agreements.
Some condemns feminism because some of the early attempts took secular and drastic approaches, like taking off the hijab in Egypt and burning the Abayya in Kuwait. Still you can’t judge these actions unless you look at each particular case individually and analyze the sociopolitical contexts in which they appeared. And let us not forge that t the feminist movements in the Arab world were the first to stand behind Muslim women’s right to don the hijab in France and saw it as a practice of religious freedom that should not be affected by any secular law.
The idea of women coming together is scary to some, assuming that the outcome of such gatherings cannot be good for men. Not all feminist are women, some are actually men. Believe it or not some of the prominent figures promoting women’s education and emancipation at the beginning of the 20th century in Egypt are men, like Qasim Ameen, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, and Mohammed Abdu.
Am I a feminist? I am a female who is very conscious of the gender roles assigned to me as a woman in the society, some of which are very limiting to my potentials. I am a woman who thinks that women should share decision making positions with men, especially the ones where men decide on what is better for women, or make laws that will affect women as much as men in the society. I am a woman who thinks that women are still not granted their full rights that God has granted them. I am a woman who calls for a drastic change in how society perceives women. Does this make me a feminist? I though it makes me a human! But again, I don’t really mind if I am called one now that I made my case. I am a feminist, like many men and women out there calling for social justice and freedom for all.
This entery was published in March as a column in Woman Today, a Qatari based monthly magazine
Ahmad
Interesting topic! I was talking to my friend about the same thing today. Why do people think only women can be feminists? Everyone knows that women are stripped of many rights in this society. Many men use religion as an excuse. What i still don't understand is why don't women as for their right? Right to travel, right of divorce, right to drive without a consent from a male. There are way more rights that are denied and I'm still waiting to see a woman that can grant at least some of these rights to other women. I wish i could do something about it. Whatever I do will not seem reasonable to many men and women because as a guy calling for women's rights, I would not be heard and would soon be ignored.March 18th, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
Alice
Assalam alaikum. This is a nice article! I agree with you that it is vital to differentiate various kinds of feminism. There are some feminists who try to elevate women by disrespecting and putting down men. That kind of feminism is a disgrace. And I'm sad to see Arab women, Muslim women joining their rows. Unfortunately this kind of "feminists" are more famous. No wonder many people condemn any feminists as a result. As for Islamic feminism- it's a beautiful phenomena. I wish it spreads and becomes reconsigned in the society. Although it is a shame that Muslim women have to fight for their rights given to them by God. Dear Amal Almalki I really admire you. You are a role model for modern Muslim women. I'm envious of those Qatari women who are lucky to study under you. You are an inspiration for many I'm sure.March 19th, 2010 @ 2:59 pm
Amal Almalki
Alice, you're very kind. It fills me with pride that I have such intellegent and inspiring readers. I have checked your blog and enjoying it so much. Stay in touch.March 19th, 2010 @ 3:29 pm
Amal Almalki
Ahmed: Our Arabic proverb says “One hand doesn’t clap”. There is an urgent need for both men and women to work together on dispelling all inequalities in the society. We need your voice, please use it.March 19th, 2010 @ 3:32 pm
Alice
Dear Dr Almalki your words flatter me :) I love your website- teaches me many things. I'll be commenting more for sure.March 20th, 2010 @ 7:28 pm
Jinu Johnson
Amal, I am in complete agreement on this one. Women have a major role to play in society and then have the calibre to do the same. H.H Sheikha Moza is a prime example, and I truly feel that Qatar is ahead of its counterparts when it comes to emancipation of womens rights. Allow me to take the liberty to fuel your thoughts on the same lines again. If men and women are equal, do you agree with reservation for women (in parliament etc), that most womens group ask for? is this not saying that since we are inferior we need to be looked at in silo? This is the one element where I have always been at loggerheads. Rgds, J.JMarch 27th, 2010 @ 9:26 am
TheMaterMind
As always, I agree to most of what you says Prof.Amal, but I have my own points to clarify... One: I don't like the term feminism because -especialy in this region - it is associated with alot of negative meaning. To me, feminism is someone trying to "give wemen there rights", but that should already be done by all muslims! so giving youself the title "feminist" is not neccacery at all; especialy since its goals fall under the title "muslim" and it has negative meanings associated with it - at least to me that is- . Second: you said "There is an urgent need for both men and women to work together on dispelling all inequalities in the society" , I think there SHOULD be differences between the roles given to men and wemen because I notice that there is a distinction between the roles of men and wemen in the Islamic Religion. And so we do not really want to dispell ALL inequalities, we only want to dispell those that are not part of the Islamic relegion. Because at the end of the day we are all muslims, so we believe that Allah knows best, so we totally trust his religion: Islam, and we follow it presicely. or do you not agree with me Prof.Amal?March 29th, 2010 @ 2:08 am
Amal Almalki
I do agree with you partially as always. The term "feminist" means different things to different people, and as I expressed my ambivalence towards being called one, I won't oppose it as a term only because some percentage of people associate it with negative connotations forgetting that it is considered by other as a form of heroism. Regarding your point on women and men are different in Islam. They are different physically but are equal in rights and responsibilities. And I stand by my word; men and women should stand hand by hand and ask for their legal and religious rights. One more thing, you can't give yourself a title- a title is granted/given to you, whether deservingly or not. One can claim to be a masterpiece writer, but if readers and critics don’t agree, then he is not. Similarly, you can't be a doctor without obtaining a PhD, can't be a father or a mother if you don’t have children, and so on. My point is I'm not giving myself any titles here.March 29th, 2010 @ 12:54 pm
genesis
dear dr. Amal, allow me first to salute you for continuing your quest of exploring what does feminism means for a Qatari women starting from your sole & only arabic article about Islamic-feminism then aseel al awadi & finally in this post . I agree with Ahmad & assure him that there are many Qatari intellects who supports women rights and believe that the time have came for women to have bigger role in our society. Feminism in Qatar have came a long way, from earlier attempts by dr.moza almalki, many featured articles in Qatari newspapers by the Queen Bee of Qatari press "Nora Alsaad" & finally the appointment of Sheikha Maha al-Thani as the first Qatari women Judge in courts. I think this would have not happen without the continuous support & great ambition for developing the Qatari society of HH sheikha Moza Al Misnad Recently, Mariam AlSaad written article suggesting the establishment of a Qatari women Association and i think this will be announce anytime soon. I hope you be part of it.i think it's time you're exposed more to the Qatari society outside the boundaries of Education city. All the luck & thank you for yet another great post :)March 31st, 2010 @ 9:05 pm
Alice
Amazing things have happened to me. In the last few weeks I've undergone a "revolution". Your articles about feminism were among those things which triggered my own "emancipation" process :) I can't believe how some of my ideas have radically changed. Common sense finally won a victory. This change is going to make my life harder... living in this culture it'll be harder to tolerate many things. I'm sceptical that I'll be able to contribute to the process of Emancipation of Gulf women... yet we never know what God plans are... maybe something good will come out of it... Maybe I'll be able to encourage other women to fight for their rights and to not give them up.April 12th, 2010 @ 2:19 pm
Amal Almalki
Alice: The most important thing is that you find peace within yourself. We are as humans constantly changing, hoping that it is for the better. I hope you can share more about this transition that you are going through!! BTW, one of my students will be presenting about the Niqab, and I gave her the link to your post of your personal reasons for wearing it. She will survey the reasons behind wearing it in general and critique it in light of different theories we have been dealing with so far.April 12th, 2010 @ 10:15 pm
Alice
Oh, I have just deleted that post about niqab :-S I'm sorry, I would restore it if it was possible for your student. She can write a comment on my blog with her e-mail address and I could repeat same reasons for her plus I can answer any questions she needs. After I wrote that post about niqab I thought about it again and again. I realized that what I wrote there was not exactly true to how I perceive my niqab right now. My transition- just as you wrote a peace within oneself is important. I do realize I'm undergoing changes, still adopting to the new environment (culture), still adopting to Islam etc. It's wonderful that as humans we are able to change and grow (but also degrade), I just hope that these changes in my will always be for the better inshallah. Thank You very much for the wise words of support! I'm not sure this is the right place for me to talk about it as it might be considered to be off top... but I'll share some points: I'm a convert to Islam. Many converts when they enter Islam they take their freedoms for granted and don't value them. They lived in a society where barriers between good and bad dissolve more and more..- alcohol and drugs, fornication, pornography, gays, prostitutes, people who don't want to marry any more, children without fathers etc- many women want to run away from it. And at first they don't mind giving up some of their rights, hey don't mind sacrificing for the sake of a new better more dignified life in Islam. They are ready to change themselves to submit in many aspects to the new lifestyle. Many go to extreme- it's funny to watch when ethnic Muslim women fight for their rights, undergo emancipation, take off their veils, go to work- then many convert muslims who were there (education, work, wear what you want) they often do the opposite- leave work, cover up, become super obedient and submissive... Why does it happen- self determination- why would someone choose Islam if they are not going to be good Muslims, and also pressure from Muslim helpers who want to teach a new convert as much as they can and make them a super pious woman. So these women submit and submit and give up their rights and take it as norm being dependant on men, being humble and patient, obedient, super religious. I thought of these women in Yemen- all covered up, all super submissive and religious- is it how I want all women to be? No. Those women cannot do anything to change their lives for the better. If a woman looses respect for herself (like puts on unaethetic clothes that degrade her, for example), she cannot expect others to respect her. If we give up our rights, we should not be surprised to see others (men) violating them and taking more and more control. I read some materials on emancipation process in Egypt and was shocked- I could never think that Muslim women were in such a bad social situation. I was shocked that religious Ulama resisted emancipation and fought it. I just came to realize that many of my ideas were wrong. Extreme views on anything are never too good. Muslims without tolerance, education, learning from other cultures- we just won't go far if we don't change.April 13th, 2010 @ 10:36 pm