While there was much to like about President Obama’s speech to the “Muslim world”, it also revealed a stunning naivete in his understanding of the Islamic worldview. His predecessor George W. Bush incorrectly assumed that democracy could be planted and would take root anywhere in the world, once a tyrant was removed from power. After all, everyone believes in freedom, right? Similarily, Obama has flattened the drastic differences between the Muslim and the Western worldview–and even conflated the worldviews of Arabs and other Muslims, as though they are a monolithic people who merely need to be educated on how similar we all are. Nowhere is this simplemindedness more evident than in his comments on Islam and women. I would expect that feminists will have a response much more eloquent than mine, but here goes:
The U.S. government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it.
Huh? Wearing a hijab is not a “right” in many parts of the Muslim world—it’s what women do to avoid being stoned. The real question is whether we support a man’s right to force his wife to wear a hijab.
I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal …
This is a straw man. I’m not aware of anyone in the “West” who thinks that someone with a head covering is less equal. This ideology is inherent in the teachings of the Qur’an. The head covering is a cultural/religious expression of a man’s ownership of his wife and the belief that she should be seen by no one but him.
… but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous.
Bravo, Mr. President! This is true, but you’re building your argument on a presupposition that equality and prosperity are both positive ends–even when they may stand counter to one’s religious views. Westerners value prosperity over religious conformity. Be assured that this is a value that your audience does not share.
Now let me be clear: issues of women’s equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam. In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, we have seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead. Meanwhile, the struggle for women’s equality continues in many aspects of American life, and in countries around the world.
It’s ludicrous to compare the plight of women who may face job discrimination in the America with women who aren’t allowed to have a job, drive a car, choose who they marry, have a say over how many children they may have or whether their husband takes additional wives. This is an insult to truly oppressed women.
Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.
Thanks, Joel Osteen–I mean, Mr. Obama. These platitudes only reinforce the inadequacy of political leaders to advance a truly effective solution to the clash of civilizations. The only real change will occur in the pockets where people of both Western and Islamic culture encounter and submit their worldviews to the radical demands of the Cross, which require that they love one another.
