Racism in Western Feminism is Hurting Women Like Me

by Archismita Choudhury

See the picture to your left? “Some people are afraid of what might happen if EVERY GIRL could learn to read and write.” A few days ago, I uploaded it on a Facebook page that I run.  Next thing I know I was being accused of ISLAMOPHOBIA!!!

Apparently I was being Islamophobic because the girl in the picture is wearing a “burqa.”  I realized that the person accusing me was saying that through this picture I wanted to imply that Muslims are crude and that I was demeaning Islam.

First of all, if we are going to be talking about racist stereotyping, let me say this: Even though I’m an Indian, and most people have heard of the diversity of religions, cultures, languages, regions, tribes in India, I can’t tell with any certainty what religion or region or even country the girl in this picture belongs to!  How do you know she isn’t a Sikh, a Christian, a Hindu or a Bahai girl? I guess all us brown people are the same, yeah?

When asked what made her think the post targeted Muslims or Islam, she said “I take back Islamophobia, on first glance the veil blended into her hair and I thought I saw a burqa. But I will not back down that this still is charged with a lot of ethnic imagery. Going out on a limb here but this image has a whole lot of white privilege. Furthermore, by displaying a woman of SE Asian decent you are perpetuating Orientalism — making Eastern cultures seem crude and barbaric.”

Ok, first of all – even if the veil blended into her hair, that would not be a burqa. That would be a HIJAB (pro tip – do your research: the burqa covers head to foot, the hijab is just a head-scarf where the face is seen). And yes of course this is charged with “ethnic imagery!” That is because in the countries where females are denied education due to institutionalized sexism, most of them dress this way. What would you prefer? Shorts? That is an option, obviously, if you want to exercise “White Privilege” by dictating how other cultures be represented in social media. Guess the “ethnic imagery” is too sensitive for your tastes, huh? Are you unwilling to accept and/or recognize the brutal and violent sexism present in other countries? Scares you? Makes Eastern cultures seem “crude” and “barbaric”? How did you come to that conclusion from that picture? I do not think the picture in any way insinuated that.

I think it insinuates that the sexism (and I emphasize sexism here) present in Eastern cultures is crude and barbaric. Don’t you agree?

You don’t? Why?  Scared of being “politically incorrect”?  Maybe people have jumped on you shouting ISLAMOPHOBIA when you were criticized Islam or the sexism in “Eastern” cultures?  Maybe someone said you had White Privilege (therefore, you OBVIOUSLY can’t talk about it as well)?

Did you challenge the “racist” ,“Islamophobic”, “Orientalist” tag(s) like I am? Human rights violations are not justifiable and never can be. Never. Ever. Ever. And do not let anyone shame you with accusations of not respecting “cultures” into believing so.  I think the real racism comes from the people saying you must respect “other” culture’s prerogative to perpetuate practices that hurt, harm and kill women and girls.

Let me explain something else about racism.  See, when you accused me of “white privilege” on Facebook I thought it was funny because you  were already fundamentally biased in how you assumed that I must be white!!  This means you think that it is only white people who run sites on FaceBook. And you also assume that the only feminist issues that can be discussed without being subjected to such criticism (omg CULTURE, y’all!), are the ones that “first world white feminists” have labelled as feminist issues.  So the fight for abortion rights in the west is a feminist issue, but the fight against “honor” killings, dowry murders, female feticides that we women in the third world are subjected to are not feminist issues? Right? Because it sure seems that way when you silence such objections in the guise of culture.  Ironically, what you are doing is also done by patriarchs, misogynists and sexists.

Now see as an Asian feminist, I also want to know why we don’t see Christianophobia (is there a name for this?) in the same light as Islamophobia? I have seen people engage in virulent attacks against Christianity – and how they try to control women’s bodies by controlling issues of abortion and birth control.  And the critics are encouraged (yay! Speak up! Someone needs to tell them the truth, whoopee!!)  But whenever people criticize Islam, or third world cultural practices that oppress, and even kill females, we see cries of ISLAMOPHOBIA, ORIENTALISM, WHITE PRIVILEGE.

I mean, yeah, I know, Islamophobia is a problem in many societies, both western and eastern.  For e.g. the killing of innocent Sikhs mistaken for Muslims in the Wisconsin Gurudwara is actually Islamophobia, even if misplaced.

BUT people also need to hear and accept the truth about what happens to girls and women in other parts of the world, such as in Asia, where extreme sexism, misogyny and VIOLENCE against women are justified in the name of culture and religion (be it Hinduism, Islam, Christianity or whatever). 

And the truth I want to speak as an Indian is: INDIA IS WAY WORSE FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN THAN FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES ARE.

It’s not an off-handed statement.  But I would like to see you, who speaks of ‘white privilege,’ contend with this as a woman in your society.  INDIA is the fourth most dangerous country to be a girl. We have 1/3 of the world’s child brides.  One woman is burnt to death every 5 minutes only because someone was greedy for some more dowry.

And I also speak from my own experience, of course.

I have LIVED this stuff.

Yeah, I know I was born in a comparatively privileged class in India BUT it is only COMPARATIVELY.

For example, my father’s friend’s wife told my mum not to let me be too educated when they were talking about their children’s future plans regarding education (she has three daughters), or I might get “out of hand” and my mum was totally shocked (she’s a moderate feminist). If the so called privileged class in India thinks this way, think of the majority of the population living in India where virulent misogyny is acceptable, ironically always under the guise of “culture”.  Do you still say a “culture” which condones such sexism is not “crude” and “barbaric”?

Take a look at this video and see for yourself what women say about why they are not allowed to have an education in Indian villages.  They are saying exactly what this poster above is saying — that the men don’t want them to have an education because they don’t want them to become strong and independent.  Do you have something to say to them in response???? [click on this link to see the video]

I feel so angry when I find myself muzzled by people sitting in places far away, and pretending to be so enlightened and broadminded about the kind of abuse being inflicted on the girls and women in my country.

I’m really angry. I am ANGRY at the marginalization of my reality, my experiences!

I have no interest in being “politically correct” if it means sugar-coating critical issues affecting girls and women with denial and patronizing them.

How can the problems be corrected if no one is even willing to acknowledge the true extent of the problems and attempts to address such issues are silenced through accusations like this?

STOP shaming people (both in Asian AND western cultures) for speaking out against such issues. If you’re not comfortable speaking about it (for whatever reasons), please DO NOT SHAME OTHER PEOPLE FOR DOING SO.

STOP marginalizing women of colour and their lived experiences.

It marginalizes me because right now, my experiences are “othered”. People automatically assume all the pages on Facebook are all run by white people and “we” shouldn’t talk about “their” (the people from the third world who apparently are not on facebook) issues.  I’m a woman suffering under patriarchy too. This attitude does a disservice to me by saying my problems are too “complex” and “politically incorrect,” to be discussed globally as feminist issues.

I want this issue to have the same political and social clout that feminist issues in the west do.

I don’t want the west acting like a savior, or charity giver, and putting this cultural and politicized violence against women in my country on the same platform as hurricanes, earthquakes and famines. 

I just want you to recognize that my experiences are just as valid as yours, my problems are just as valid, my fight and my criticizing the culture which promotes such misogyny IS JUST AS VALID. I never heard someone tell me I cannot criticise Republicans because I’m not white or not American.

Issues affecting the women in my country should have the same legitimacy and global platform as feminist issues in the west.

Institutionalized misogyny and sexism that often violently violates the rights of girls and women in the guise of culture and religion in my country should be recognized and condemned – just as western feminists have fought the Christian and Vatican mandated anti-abortion/ anti-birth control mentality that attempts to control their bodies and reproduction.

Issues of dowry murders, child-brides, and female genital mutilation should be discussed on an equal political and legal platform with abortion rights, sexual harassment and pornography, as issues that all feminists must acknowledge as Feminist issues, and that must be condemned and fought internationally.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Archismita Choudhury is doing her Bachelor’s studies in Social Sciences at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahti. She defines herself as a secular humanist, a writer and a feminist, who “runs safe spaces for feminists to converse and have dialogue on the web.” She blogs at Feminism and Love (and Other Things) and tweets at @Archismita.

Also see part II of this debate: “Culture Centrism in India’s Feminist Movement is Hurting India’s Women”