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The Effects of Western Feminist Ideology on Muslim Feminists

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The Effects of Western Feminist Ideology on Muslim Feminists View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2005-03 The effects of western feminist ideology on Muslim feminists Whitcher, Rochelle S. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/2258 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS THE EFFECTS OF WESTERN FEMINIST IDEOLOGY ON MUSLIM FEMINISTS by Rochelle S. Whitcher March 2005 Thesis Advisor: Anne Marie Baylouny Second Reader: James Russell Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED March 2005 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: 5. FUNDING NUMBERS The Effects of Western Feminist Ideology on Muslim Feminists 6. AUTHOR(S) Rochelle Whitcher 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Women are potent symbols of identity. They signify a vision of society that identifies a nation. The Middle East provides a perfect example of this. It has one of the highest rates of population growth in the world, yet maintains one of the lowest literacy rates and labor force participation among women. This has a direct impact on their ability to be seen as modern states. Furthermore the Middle East has come under attack for having one of the poorest records of human rights, particularly in reference to women. Contrary to this implication Middle Eastern women have taken extremely active roles in the gender debate and the socio-political struggles within their societies. The results of this participation have yielded a number of different interpretations of what it means to be a feminist and if this title is even something that Muslim women want. It has also created a very complex relationship between the west and western feminism which has deep implications in contemporary gender politics. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Feminism, Gender, Egypt, Iran, and Orientalism. 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 85 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UL NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THE EFFECTS OF WESTERN FEMINIST IDEOLOGY ON MUSLIM FEMINISTS Rochelle S. Whitcher Lieutenant, United States Navy B.A., University of San Diego, 1999 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL March 2005 Author: Rochelle S. Whitcher Approved by: Anne Marie Baylouny Thesis Advisor James A. Russell Second Reader Douglas Porch Chairman, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT Women are potent symbols of identity. They signify a vision of society that identifies a nation. The Middle East provides a perfect example of this. It has one of the highest rates of population growth in the world, yet maintains one of the lowest literacy rates and labor force participation among women. This has a direct impact on their ability to be seen as modern states. Furthermore the Middle East has come under attack for having one of the poorest records of human rights, particularly in reference to women. Contrary to this implication Middle Eastern women have taken extremely active roles in the gender debate and the socio-political struggles within their societies. The results of this participation have yielded a number of different interpretations of what it means to be a feminist and if this title is even something that Muslim women want. It has also created a very complex relationship between the west and western feminism which has deep implications in contemporary gender politics. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 II. FEMINIST AND GENDER IDEOLOGIES .............................................................7 A. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................7 B. ORIENTALISM...............................................................................................8 C. FROM FEMINISM TO GENDER...............................................................13 D. PROBLEMS WITH THE STUDY OF WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST ...............................................................................................................23 E CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................26 III. EGYPT........................................................................................................................29 A INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................29 B. MUHAMMAD ALI .......................................................................................30 C. STATE SPONSORED EDUCATION..........................................................32 D. EMERGENCE OF A “FEMALE” VOICE.................................................34 E. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................42 IV. IRAN ...........................................................................................................................45 A. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................45 B. QAJAR PERIOD ...........................................................................................47 C. PAHLAVI DYNASTY...................................................................................54 D. REVOLUTION AND BEYOND ..................................................................61 E. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................66 V. CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................67 LIST OF REFERENCES......................................................................................................71 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST .........................................................................................75 vii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK viii I. INTRODUCTION Women have become potent symbols of identity throughout the world. They are mothers, wives, and sisters and in these roles are the caretakers of culture, enacting a vision of society that has the potential to define a nation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East. The Middle East encompasses over 20 different countries with a diverse array of languages, histories, and cultures yet when people talk about the Middle East they instantly identify it with the religion that ties all of these countries together, Islam. Islam is seen as one of the main factors in the subjugation of women in these countries. This simplistic analysis is problematic because it addresses the Middle East as a monolithic entity that is inherently imbued with biases. Left unaddressed is the rich socio-cultural intricacies involved in gender relations in these countries. 1 The Middle East has one of the highest rates of population growth in the world, yet maintains one of the lowest literacy rates and labor force participation among women. This has a direct impact on their ability to be seen as modern states. In their bid to modernize the Middle East has come under attack for having one of the poorest records of human rights, particularly in reference to women. Because of this, issues dealing with women’s rights have become, “part of an ideological terrain where broader notions of cultural authenticity and integrity are debated and where women’s appropriate place and conduct may be made to serve as boundary markers.”2 However, the effective investigation of women and gender relations within Muslim Middle Eastern societies requires the study of the societies within which they are rooted. Additionally
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