al-Qaeda: Feminist Influence?
Saijida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi’s ill-fated suicide bombing attempt proves that even in a fundamentalist Islamic organization like al-Qaeda, women are no longer confined to the traditional role of domestic provider. Rather, feminism is slowly but surely taking root, even if there is resistence to progress, and currently an apparent gender disparity in technical skills with explosives. The coveted occupation of suicide bomber may still be male dominated, but it is clearly no longer exclusively male, even in the most reactionary Muslim communities.
The glass ceiling is just exploding!
ill use this excuse to make a point that is a bit more serious:
I never get feminists who call for equal rights in combat units and so on, specifically in cases such as the Israeli context where the army is involved in managing an opressive military regime. Israeli feminist and anti-militarist organization New Profile response to such BS ‘feminism’ is so appropiate. Check em out.
i acknowledge the fact that the suicide bomber example is much more extreme, but the same point still holds: Feminism cannot be reduced to the demand for equal rights and privileges. In the context of a societal structure that itself is responsible for and promotes inequality and injustice that goes beyond the gender-dichotomy, gender equality in privilege and rights would be extremely hypocritical.
THe call for equal rights in a capitalist society leads to the same conclusions. In other words, feminism cannot be separated from a larger social criticism. in isolation from such larger context, feminist criticism may be very hypocritical.
You go girl!!! Womyn Power!
For a society that still practices “honor killings,” carrying out a suicide bombing is a way for women who hurt the family’s reputation to make amends.
That may not be the case here, since men do not have a monopoly on evil. But its been the case often during the intifada.
Cruelty has nor gender nor age
“Of course judging by your fascist progress in Europe”
“Fascist progress” by *Jews*? In *Europe*? Oh man, that’s funny. You should be on Comedy Central.
Further proof that anti-Jewishness is based on total and complete ignorance of history, current events, and basic reality-testing.
How does the word ‘feminism’ enter into a post about a lunatic suicide bomber who happens to be female? #@$! All ‘feminism’ is, is human rights for females, too. Not a big deal, if you are willing to think that Hillel’s advice, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to others,’ applies to all of humanity. O, what a happy place the world would be!
okay I just got to know.. where are these covens? why am I not ever invited? I’m going to have to add that to my list of “things to do” such as get my fair share of the vast Jewish media conspiracy
Yeah, a coven sounds fun. Except the blood-drinking, which is so not kosher. That post was beautifully written, though. Somebody reads a lot of Anne Rice.
Asaf,
you wrote,
“Feminism cannot be reduced to the demand for equal rights and privileges.”
Why not? It traditionally has been.
Miriam,
I don’t think feminism is or has been restricted to “human” rights. Rather, it has specifically used the language of “equal” rights. Not human rights.
Apparently, your interpretation of Hillel is not the cornerstone of feminist philosophy.
looks like a man 2 me!
David, perhaps, but thats besides the point.
Asaf, Your first point was not easily parsed. I’m quite sure I understood none of it. I was wondering if you would answer a question, as it might illuminate your perspective for me.
What do you think of fascists with brown skin in general? E.g. repressive, totalitarian movements that explicitly call for genocide, like that in Iran or the one proposed by Hamas. Do they represent “hypocritical” enterprises in the same sense you use the word above?
the kind of ‘feminism’ I pointed out to is inherently hypocritical because it limits its criticism to gender equality. In the context of a society as a whole, this call for equality usually translates
equality into privilege or equality in heirarchy. For instance, if feminism of the “egalitirian” kind would be applied in a monarchy, then the feminist must demands that in the ruling elite, women should hold the same rights as men: the right to capriciously execute human beings, for instance.
got it?
now apply that to any imperfect society and u get the same results.