.... Which puts Muslim and Arab women in the United States in a similar position as those in the Middle East. Should they push their families, communities, and governments to prioritize women’s rights despite other macro challenges or should they wait for better timing?
Should they continue to attend mosques with inferior spaces and amenities for women or should they demand community funds be spent on making mosque facilities more equitable?
Should they continue to support organizations founded and run by men, with a few token women on the board referenced to counter allegations of patriarchy, or should they vociferously campaign for meaningful representation?
History has shown that it is never the right time to fight for women’s rights. And that is precisely why the incrementalists need the radicals to “poke the painful places.” Without the latter, the millions of Arab and Muslim feminists who are the real heroes will not have the political space to permanently heal those painful places. [altmuslim] Read more
