Burqa: A sign of oppression?

I loved today's class. There was one question and the whole dynamic of the class changed.

" Masculinity is valued because conflicts are handled in manly ways. How can we change patriarchy before we change the way conflict is handled?"

 The discussion that followed was so spontaneous. Great ideas were shared and debated. I felt really privileged listening to my class mates who seems to be so passionate and knowledgeable about what we were, are learning.

But the part of discussion that I want to talk more about is the " oppression of women in Middle East".
People around the world see that women in Middle East are often oppressed by their men and have no freedom. There may be cases of such oppression existing. That is not the point. The point is it is not only in Middle East that "such oppression" occurs. Many people see the burqa as a sign of female submissiveness. They see it as something that is forced onto a woman. I was watching Paris Jetaime about few weeks ago. A muslim woman in France is asked by a stranger why she wears the hijab when her hair is so beautiful. Her answer was touching, " For me, my hijab is part of my beauty. When I feel that I belong to certain culture, that to me is beauty." I think it is ignorant and wrong for those of us from outside to assume that burqa is a sign of oppression.

Part of this mentality is forced on by governments for political ends. When US invaded Afghanistan, they made the general public believe that there were on a liberation movement for women ( and to topple the Taliban as well), the white man's burden. Arundhati Roy said, "US govt. was trying to convince the rest of their world that the US marines were actually on a feminist mission...Can we bomb our way to feminist paradise?" The main motive for such publicity is to justify an unjust war. But it also fulfills another mission. The mission to hide real oppression in their own country. No matter how democratic America is, women are still invisible in lots of spheres. I think it is important to reflect on yourself before commenting on others. Innocence is a bliss but it is a dangerous bliss.

I remember Victor saying that often it is important to remind oneself that even if we are using the same language, we might be meaning different things. A little knowledge is dangerous. So even if is out of good will that one goes to help others, it is possible that one might do more harm than help. As such, when Burqa which is symbolic is easily targeted as a sign of oppression, there are other "real" hidden oppression that still exists, maybe not on the other side of the world, maybe it is happening right behind you.

It is important to see the irony and take notice. Take notice and make a change. You do not need to look half way across the world to stop oppression. All great movement starts at home.

On a more general note, I am also struck by how relevant my classes are to one another. Just when Catia was mentioning Enloe, we were studying one of her articles from the book, " banana, beaches and bases". The same discussion about the masculine sphere of politics was brought up in Peace and Justice. On the other side, I was learning the concept of GDP in our macroeconomics class. It is wonderful and encouraging in an academic way. Seeing how all these concepts complement each other truly shows the beauty of a liberal arts education.