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Where are the femenists?
8-23-2016
The state sanctioned violence against Muslim women is on the rise. This week the world witnessed armed French police confronting a Muslim woman on Nice beach, forcing her to remove her Burkini as part of the controversial ban on the swim wear. Although such racist and misogynist attitude would be deemed illegal causing public outrage in the west. However, almost all civil liberties, civil rights groups, and especially the women's rights groups have shown a deafening silence. Where are the feminists?
The civil rights, and especially, the women rights groups need to identify and recognize such attacks are affront to our way of life. Whether its on the beaches of Nice, or streets of London, or train in Toronto, to public transit in Sydney Australia, Muslim women are being attacked primarily because they are women.
The bitter truth reality is that the Muslim women, especially in the west, with their utter defiance, choosing to protect their modesty, their identity, and their refusal to become a sex object, for otherwise, a male dominated chauvinistic culture, who sees women as weak, and feeble – a subservient- and wishes to keep things that way. There has not been a single terrorist attack carried by a woman wearing hijab or niqab.
This is Islamophobia and Womenphobia bundled together, and there are no other words to describe it. Yet, women rights, and civil rights groups are often misguided and misled into believing, causing them to remain silent on this issue by authorities and especially media by making it seems like some sort of a stand against "Radical Islam," or "Liberating" or "Empowering" Muslim women.
This indeed is the biggest lie which these groups have bought into, especially, the feminists, without even realizing how damaging it is for their cause, in long run, if they choose to remain silent. This is about male domination, and under the disguise of "fighting" radical Islam, or "protecting" citizens, right wing male dominated agenda, which does not care for creed, race, or religion are getting their adrenaline rush. As a result, at the end no one will be safer, Muslim or non Muslim women, or men, from their right wing, racists, misogynist agenda – No One!
Only if the women's rights activists would pause for a moment and ponder, why is it that we always hear about lone Muslim women being attacked, spat on, punched, kicked, her Hijab pulled, etc, and the assailant is almost always a man.
How often do we hear about a lone Muslim men, who are also easily identifiable, being attacked on the streets, on a subway, in a restaurant, etc? Hardly ever! Because the assailant almost always certain that such provocation may result in more than he may bargain for.
This alone is suffice to start a discussion that why is it that the assailants, whether it’s a random attack, or enforcing some male dominated twisted, convoluted, legislation against, what women can and cannot wear. The assailant is always a man, and the victim is always ,exclusively, a woman.
Why aren't their legislations banning Muslim or Buddhist men to wear long traditional dresses, or banning Sikh men from wearing turban or carrying a dagger in public, or banning Jewish men from wearing Kippa. We all know what happened to Party Quebecois, in last Quebec's provincial elections when a segment of Men groups from various ethnicities were targeted in an election campaign platform, suggesting such a legislated ban on Men's attire, if succeeded at the polls. Party Quebecois was slaughtered at the polls.
Unfortunately, under the current climate, and unending "War on Terror" Muslim women serve as an easy target for certain chauvinistic males to satisfy their ego, some acting alone and others in disguise of either being a legislator or enforcing legislation.
The unfortunate incident on Nice beach is also part of this male domination, which, if left unchecked can have lasting impact on women's rights.
The mother of two who is only identified by her first name, Siam, was forced to remove the blue top she was wearing. She later told the news agency AFP, that she was also handed a ticket, a fine, which AFP reported, read that she was not wearing “an outfit respecting good morals and secularism."
She told AFP, “I was sitting on a beach with my family, “I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming.”
A witness to the scene, Mathilde Cousin, confirmed the incident. “The saddest thing was that people were shouting ‘go home’, some were applauding the police,” she said. “Her daughter was crying.”
Following the Bastille Day Lorry Attack, 15 towns in Cannes banned Burkini on its beaches. "Last week, Nice became the latest French resort to ban the burkini. Using language similar to the bans imposed earlier at other locations, the city barred clothing that" reported Guardian, “overtly manifests adherence to a religion at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks."
The Guardian added, "The ban by several towns will come before France’s highest administrative court on Thursday following an appeal by the Human Rights League, a French NGO. It is challenging the decision by a lower court in Nice, which upheld a ban on the outfit by the town of Villeneuve-Loubet."
"Villeneuve-Loubet, just west of Nice, was among the first of 15 towns to ban the burkini, triggering a fierce debate in France and elsewhere about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women’s rights and secularism."
It is for this reason alone, its time for the women's rights groups to step up to the plate and denounce such attacks and acts of violence against women packaged and presented as legal and legislated. There is absolutely nothing legal about it.
There has not ben a single terrorist attack carried out by a woman wearing a Hijab or Niqab. This is not about "Protecting Citizens." This is about a male chauvinistic mindset trying to satisfy their ego. This is about make dominated legislators trying to dictate what women can and cannot wear.
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