Two former UCLA students spoke out against the negative
stereotypes of Muslim women as oppressed, illiterate sexual objects
Tuesday night at an event as part of Islamic Awareness Week.
The event, titled “Illiterate, Barefoot, and in the
Kitchen: Breaking Stereotypes about Muslim Women,” was led by
UCLA graduates Lynn Salahi and Edina Lekovic, who discussed the
history of Islamic women and their role in contemporary times.
They attributed misconceptions about Muslim treatment of women
to an ignorance of the beliefs of Islam, largely because there are
a lot of misrepresentations of the faith practiced by Muslims
throughout the world.
Communications director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council
Sarah Eltantawi, who did not speak at the event, said “People
end up mixing practice with practitioner.”
According to Lekovic, many people base their opinions regarding
the lives of Muslim women on images they see in the media,
especially television news.
“The media depiction of Muslim women is mysterious,
silent, and ashamed,” Lekovic said. “These are very
dangerous images.”
She said these depictions strip Muslim women of human
characteristics.
“When there is a human quality to Muslim women in media,
there is an erotic, belly dancer element,” said Lekovic.
Speakers said misconceptions of Muslim women can often be linked
to the veil they wear.
The veil is not a symbol of submission or male domination, but,
rather, the opposite ““ by wearing the veil, women are telling
men they do not wish to be viewed as objects, Lekovic said.
“The veil is an idea of liberation, of a woman being
liberated from her body,” said Lekovic.
Instead of supporting oppression of women, both speakers said
the true tenets of Islam support the ideals of feminism, such as
the ability to excel in a career, be educated and be part of the
political process.
“Islam taught Arabic society to respect women, to treat
them as intellectual beings, not just as objects,” Salahi
said.
Salahi said prior to Islam, Arab tribes and cultures were
characterized by strength, honor and family lineage. Women held low
status, but problems such as sexism were broken down with the
coming of Islam.
“The Koran displays balance among genders,” Salahi
said.
She referred to the Islamic understanding of the fall of man, in
which Adam and Eve equally reached for the fruit of the Tree of
Knowledge, meaning that both man and woman equally disobeyed
God.
Islamic Awareness Week, which takes place at different
universities throughout the country, has occurred at UCLA for over
five years.
“We see a need to proactively provide a positive light of
what Islam is,” said Mohammad Mertaban, president of the
Muslim Student Association.
The speakers encouraged a sense of personal responsibility in
the Muslim-American community to decry the falsities of Islam.
Lekovic noted that Islam has not been a part of American agenda
in the past, but events such as Sept. 11, 2001, have caused a
stronger desire for Americans to understand the practices of the
world’s fastest growing religion.
“Our generation of Muslim youth is deconstructing social
perceptions of Muslims,” Salahi said.