Happy Muslim Man and Women Who Confuse You
By Mona Eltahawy
I was well into my two-eggs-sunny-side-up brunch last Saturday morning at the local café when I found a copy of that day’s New York Times opened at the opinion section. I browsed it as I munched on my toast and then turned to the front page of the paper where a picture I saw stopped me dead in my tracks – and in my eating.
It was of lawyers in Pakistan celebrating the reinstatement of a chief justice who has been suspended by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in March. Joyous abandonment was the only phrase that came to mind when I saw those men, some with their heads thrown back as they punched the air in victory.
I could not take my eyes off those happy men. I scoured their faces, one by one, vicariously celebrating with them their breathtaking joy. And then it hit me why the sight of these men was moving me to tears.
Here were happy Muslim men. How often do we see happy Muslim men?
It’s quite convenient that they were Pakistani because I’ve developed a theory about the Muslims we see on our television screens and whose images usually take up the front pages and they are usually from Pakistan.
Here’s how it goes:
Angry Bearded Muslim Man is the most favored of all. Whenever the Muslim world is supposed to be upset or offended, invariably that story is illustrated by images of Angry Bearded Muslim man marching – usually in Pakistan – shouting, fists raised in the air in righteous anger never joy, and burning something: an American flag, an Israeli flag, an effigy of President Bush. Preferably all three!
Angry Bearded Muslim Man’s female equivalent is Covered in Black Muslim Woman. She’s seen, never heard. Visible only in her invisibility under that black chador, burqa, face veil, etc.
So there you have it – in those images you have conveyed all you want to say about Muslims: the men are angry, dangerous and want to hurt us; the women are just covered in black.
While there are indeed some Muslim men and women who fit both such descriptions they are by no means the majority and they are utterly insufficient in describing the diversity of views, appearances and attitudes among Muslims. But they make for sexy TV and front page photos. And they are my biggest competitors when I give lectures or appear on television.
My first U.S. TV appearance was on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor”. Talk about trial by fire! After the usual back-and-forth yelling, some viewers sent me email asking “Are you sure you’re a Muslim? Where’s the headgear?” Others wanted to know why I spoke English so well. Clearly, I did not deliver on the Covered in Black Muslim Woman that central casting usually offers to viewers. I was confusing them.
Which brings me back to the happy Pakistani lawyers on the front page of the New York Times.
I am a huge fan of confusion. I am the last person to deny the danger of radicals in the Muslim world. Much of my time and effort goes into denouncing violence in the name of religion. But just as importantly I wave the flag for those of us who call ourselves liberal, secular Muslims. In other words, I live to confuse you by subverting the stereotype of Muslims that you always see and hear from. By breaking the false equation between conservatism and authenticity we end the monopoly over religious thought by radicals and their supporters.
When we stop equating conservative with authentic, we recognize our diversity and refuse to allow one voice to speak for us all. Only then can we be recognized as human beings, in all our differences.
For Muslims, that will become possible when you see more Happy Muslim Men and Women Who Confuse You.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Interesting. But radicals that would support terrorism cannot be equated with conservatives. Most conservatives I know denounce terrorism just as much you do, but the news wants to portray them in a certain way. So I think breaking the link between terror groups and authenticity is what is needed rather than breaking conservatism with authenticity. Even a Muslim woman is dressed in all black, that doesn’t necessarily take away from her brains nor does that mean she’s a terrorist.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:10 am
I would say that a Muslim woman that would confuse would be a girl covered yes in black that is also successful in whatever profession she chose. Not being covered is not the only sign of liberation.