Red Room: The True Threat Brewing Inside American-Muslim Communities: Women

islamoyankee
I like Samina’s piece because we have not been having the gender conversation at all. I think it does show the structural sexism that is not unique to Arabs/Muslims/Catholics/etc.. I think she also ends on the right note, that this show may not represent everyone’s experience, but it’s creating a lot of good conversations.

Red Room: The True Threat Brewing Inside American-Muslim Communities: Women.

The truth is, we need Nina Bazzy on T.V. as much as we need Suehaila showing us that she’s not the stereotypical conservative we envision when we imagine a hijabi. Together with superstitious Samira and rebellious Shadia, these women are breaking our notions of Muslim women. 

At the same time, they’re are bravely shaking things up in the American Muslim community, forcing Muslims — men and women both — to begin questioning age-old ideologies that infantilize women. And that’s the first step to eradicating them. 

The creators of “All-American Muslim” could have chosen families who better fit our stereotypes. But that wouldn’t be a reality show. For the reality is: patriarchy and the subjugation of women is the greater threat brewing in the Muslim American communities. And watching women fighting back is inspiring.

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