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1980

Encounter with American : A Muslim Woman's View of Two Conferences

Leila Ahmed

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This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] feminism is inseparable from other movements for social justice, so hastily wipe out the centuries of history that had forged the in America and elsewhere. However, they might disagree about Black woman's collective experience. One evening, a play about the necessity of banning AID as a Convention exhibitor, or as a Calamity Jane, who was a racist even according to the play's source of travel money that might bring Third World women to author, proved a torment for many in the audience. America to the NWSA or that might send NWSA representatives A fourth and final purpose of Bloomington was to offer abroad. Ultimately, the Third World Caucus offered a resolution women a place in which to cultivate common ground. An NWSA that suggested that AID involvement with NWSA violated that meeting initiates and deepens conversations, friendships, and section of the NWSA Constitution that pledged the romances. It lets a woman who might be thought to be impolitic, organization's support of the well-being of Third World women. impolite, and freakish in her home community see human The resolut1on also asked NWSA to study AID and to suspend images similar to her own. She is no longer a solitary feminist or any link with it until that research was completed and discussed. opponent of nuclear energy or lesbian. She has colleagues and It was important that the Third World Caucus should play peers. The Convention is both exhilarating and a profound relief. such a role. The actual number of Third World women at the Organized around the idea of change, the Convention Convention was small. Of the 796 people who handed in the participants displayed their own signs of change. The phrase demographic data cards, 23 said they were Black; 17 Hispanic; "women of color" entered the language of many. The sub­ 15 Native American; 9 Asian. Yet the Third World was a strong, stitution of "wimmin" for "women" attracted some. Lesbians palpable force. The Delegate Assembly happily learned that a were a vigorous, vital group, but more men seemed to be "woman of color" would be a Coordinator of the 1981 Con­ wearing badges in Bloomington than in Lawrence, Kansas, and vention, at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and that little boys lived in the dormitories and rode elevators that central themes would be race, , and the contributions of otherwise forbade men to be in them after 10 PM. One cannot Black women. have the comfort of illusions about the degree of change that Less happily, the Convention still showed the en­ NWSA has brought about in the world beyond its gatherings. tanglements of feminism and racism. During a workshop about We are still marginal, if illegitimately so, to many educational the chances of "sisterhood" between Black and white women, institutions and projects. We must still devour our dreams for one of about 20 formal sessions on Third World matters, a Black sustenance. We still have our contradictions, unexamined ac­ woman asked if white women were prepared to Jet Black women tions, and bouts of pettiness. Yet we do educate. We do dream. lead them. She was never fully, honestly answered. At the same Despite our frailties, we are energetic and alive. Bloomington place, a white woman called for a "humanistic feminism." She was a part of the process of the creation of our history, even as said that "hu" was "hue," and that we were all women of color. other organizations, which may ignore or mock us, slouch Her pun insensitively ignored the years of effort within feminism toward obsolescence. to acknowledge the reality of differences among women, the consequences of race and class and sexual preference. Calmly, Catharine R. Stimpson is Professor of English at Douglass with patient courtesy, a Black woman told her that she could not College, Rutgers University.

richness and general manifoldness to it­ Encounter with American Feminism: and a sense too of the manifoldness of A Muslim Woman's View of Two Conferences feminist stances in America. My own interest being Third World Leila Ahmed women, I attended the workshop on "Class By and Race Issues in Women's Studies." Angela Jorge , treating the topic ex­ April 1980. The Barnard Conference, "The self-consciously dismantling the rigidities of perientially, described experiences of the Scholar and the Feminist"-my first direct tradition; being aware of the responses of a Black Hispanic community and related them as opposed to page-mediated encounter with highly-and diversely-responsive audi­ to Puerto Rican culture, and Florence Howe American feminism. And then it came home ence; straining to catch verbal short­ then outlined relevant developments in to me: how simple the one-dimensional cuts; sometimes clearly missing nuances women's studies. Offered concurrently was experience of reading; how easy, ordered, that relied on a depth of American ex­ "Perspectives on the Black and Hispanic and amenable to order it makes things perience: all this makes it impossible to Family," and, another I was sorry to miss, seem-coherent and amenable to respond to the conference as a coherent "Defining the Erotic" from a lesbian coherence. Sitting in that hall, listening to event-not because it was incoherent, perspective. papers that often clearly drew on the obviously, but precisely because there was Of course it is only in the academy, for­ rhetorical strategies of an oral tradition, such a sense of vitality, ferment, such a mally, that the discussion of such topics, quite different from those in scholarly relations between women, the erotic be­ writing, even in that feminist scholarship tween women, is new. Women have been

Women's Studies Newsletter VIII :3 (Summer 1980) 7 discussing such topics among themselves excluding notion of Africa, a funny-shaped world hasn't always been backward com­ down through the ages, discussing them at shrunken continent-no Egypt, Morocco, pared to the West. But from then on the least in that vast array of nonverbal ways Sudan); third, it could mean a Third World claims made for and what a generally that we have of "discussing" things that had achieved visibility through nice "feminist" it was seemed to (gestural language being only the most revolution, as in China or Cuba. me to grow more and more absurd. Divorce, obvious). I have a particularly vivid sense of The women who seem to be excluded by they said, had had to be bitterly fought for in this because in the society in which I grew these definitions are the Muslim women of the West; in Islam it has always been up-in -elaborate understandings, the Third World-these are most par­ available. (Available for men, they should "statements" about how women related to ticularly the invisible ones. When we are have said, since it deprives women of their women, were never made verbally but were seen, it is always as Other, although no children and can deprive them of shelter. signaled in an infinite number of ways: by culture is more directly continuous with the Divorce is still bitterly fought for, for silence sometimes, or by the kind of Judeo-Christian than the Islamic, no part of women-in those countries where Islam is language with which we surround a subject. the world closer to the (older) Western not too implacable even to permit a fight.) My sense too is that much of what was thus world. We all know that Jerusalem is sacred Panelists also said that in Islam women conveyed was oblivious to, disregarding of, to Christian, Jew, Muslim. But do we allow and men are equal. But women inherit half even running counter to the dominant ourselves to become aware of the cultural what men do; two women must testify for culture. Thus, it remained inarticulate, implications of this? That if one could lay the every one man; men can have four wives­ "hidden," not dangerous. blueprints of cultural ideologies one over the the list of inequities is interminable. They other-Christianity, Judaism, Islam-the said Islam was a feminist religion because it Then the NWSA Second National Con­ lines would most often merge? ls it this banned the murder of girl-infants and, in vention at Bloomington. Here too I headed submerged resemblance, I wonder, this permitting four wives, it was actually being for sessions on Third World women. mirroring back in different cultural idiom of restrictive, previous custom allowing more. "Teaching about African Women": Brenda all the inbuilt injustices to women in­ All this is standard Muslim apologetics that Berrian (University of Pittsburgh) showed stitutionalized in their own societies, in­ we Muslims grew up with. What's always that comparisons could be made between ternalized in themselves, that makes it so left out when we hear ''how it improved the women in Africa and Third World women in necessary for us to be Other-makes dif­ condition of women" is that it improved it in America by looking at women in parallel ficult, such an uneasy thing, this looking at Arabia. How can I, how can any Egyptian situations-moving from rural to urban Islam? with any notion of Egypt's pre-Islamic settings. Susan Rogers (University of One session at the NWSA Convention did history, regard as anything but, for women, Minnesota) shared outlines of her courses, focus on Islam; the room was packed. The constrictive and disastrous in terms of lost notably "Comparative Study of Women: session itself I found bizarre. "Islam and rights and freedoms, the coming of Women in Liberation Struggles, China, Feminism": no dearth of topics to which a monotheisms, the conquest of Egypt by the Cuba, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau." In session with such a title might address it­ Arabs, and its Islamicization? And yet all another session, "Women and Develop­ self-from the law-reforms relating to this is not to deny Islam's vision of dignity, ment: Third World," Suresht R. Bald marital life that "conservative" Muslim justice, and equality for all, though this (University of California/Santa Cruz), not feminists are fighting for, piecemeal, vision has not been realized in the letter of focusing on particular societies but aiming at against entrenched resistance, to the stance its laws. a theoretical overview, analyzed con­ of radical feminists who see Islamic ideology Two of the panelists were Arab diplomats' sequences of political change for women in as fundamentally inimical to women, believe wives: the Saudi ,Arabian Ambassador's terms of a grid of variables (types of that no mere reform can be adequate, and wife, and the Arab League Representative's revolution, nature of struggle, ensuing see resolution only in radical social change wife. They were simply doing their job-the economies, cultural matrices). Irene and the rejection of that ideology. Expecting work that is part of being a diplomat's wife, Thompson (University of Florida) spoke on the panel to address topics within that making the claims and assertions one ex­ women in China. spectrum, I was wholly nonplussed to find pects of public relations people / events American interest in Third World women. that the general thrust of the presentation (startling at the time only because the Well, one thing had become clear to me, was the mind-boggling assertion that Islam program had not announced who they were). reading through women's studies materials was a feminist religion. But the third was a professional academic, and attending the conferences: I wasn't a The panelists were three Muslim women. from whom one might have expected more. Third World woman, or didn't count-was The first began by pointing out that Muslim invisible. "Third World women" I now came women had had rights (to own property) only Some final thoughts. On how the larger to understand, could mean one of three recently gained by Western women-thus society seems so oblivious of this movement things: first, it could mean minority women attempting to establish that the Muslim within it: an attitude apparently endorsed, in the ; second, it could mean embodied in, the New York Public Library: it Puerto Rican or African women (but with an is impossible to obtain the Womeli 's Studies

8 Women's Studies Newsletter Vlll :3 (Summer 1980) Newsletter in any of its Manhattan savagery I've only seen erupt in people on sexuality. Familiar throughout our history, branches. this one issue: control of another's your history. And a personal matter-and yet not sexuality.) Trying to calm the mother, to It's hopeless. I then think, hopeless, personal. Through all this, a family crisis. A remind her that it was just this right to there's just too much against us. And then I relative who had moved to the United States control her own sexuality that she had once remind myself of Helene Cixous's lovely years ago-her daughter now at college and fought for, to defuse her anger against her "species of mole as yet not recognized"­ having an affair with her teacher, a married daughter. But I too was grieved and angry at and. after all, I've seen them working in man in his forties. From whom she con­ what had occurred. The man, after all, was New York and Bloomington. These are her tracted venereal disease-which is how her married, had had an affair the previous year words: "We are living through this very parents became involved. Hysterical phone with another student, was now offering to period when the conceptual foundation of a calls from the mother, desperate ones from pay the daughter's medical bills-provided, millennial culture is in the process of being the daughter. Scenes between them that of course. she kept his identity secret. Well, undermined by millions of a species of mole reenacted in their verbal, emotional I could match that tale with one from any as yet not recognized." savagery scenes I had witnessed 20 years suburb in Cairo, any dozen villages in Yes. ago in Cairo-between the mother and her Egypt. This whole hideous heritage of Leila Ahmed studied English at Cambridge own mother. (That special fiery, lunatic exploitative, deformed, and deforming University and is a teacher and writer.

Concerns of Women's Studies committees and through caucus and regional representatives at the Delegate Assembly. Programs at the NWSA Convention: During the entire four and a half days, there was hardly a moment when one could not A Graduate Student's Perspective find something interesting to do. One could have spent an entire day browsing through By King Ming Young the book exhibit, or viewing the films and filmstrips related to women's issues which As a graduate student, I found the Con­ of an organization which cuts across racial were being shown continuously. vention an inspiring educational experience. barriers remains an enormous, yet exciting, As a graduate student in educational The high level of energy with which par­ challenge. Some of the dialogues at the administration, I was most interested in ticipants arrived became more intense as the Convention reassured me that there is not sessions on the development and ad­ week went by. A sense of excitement and a another academic arena more committed to ministration of women's studies programs spirit of mission permeated the atmosphere. addressing the issues of sex, race, and class from an institutional perspective. Most of People were eager to share their experiences than women's studies. The plan to focus the participants at these sessions were in women's studies and to learn from others. next year's Convention on race and racism coordinators of women's studies programs. Many left with a heightened realization of reflects this commitment. A problem common to many programs is how much remains to be done at their in­ One can easily understand why an inadequate and unstable funding. Many stitution. They also left with an increased annual meeting of this kind is so important coordinators are either not compensated for commitment to bringing about the needed to so many women. It not only provides a their work as coordinators or hired on un­ institutional and social changes. support network, but it also reenergizes stable sources of funding with little in­ One concern prevailed throughout the people, many of whom are overworked, stitutional commitment to making their Convention: how can NWSA avoid becoming underpaid, and receive little support from positions permanent. The lack of release a predominantly white women's or­ their own institutions. The mere opportunity time for teachers and coordinators engaged ganization? If women's studies is to be a for sharing similar concerns with other in developing women's studies courses or tool for social change, it must strive to in­ women is invaluable. As Elizabeth Janeway administering programs has been one corporate democratic ideals into its process said at the opening session, "Sharing important obstacle to the growth of women's and structure. An organization which is not validates thought. Without sharing, you studies on many campuses. integrated in terms of race and class will might feel you are an isolated freak." Another concern of program coordinators only repeat the same forms of oppression The Convention program was struc­ is how to gain academic respectability, which characterize male-dominated in­ tured in such a way as to balance the time for legitimacy, and therefore autonomy, while stitutions and organizations. Judging by the caucus and regional meetings, workshops, remaining responsive to community needs. small percentage of Third World women at and entertainment or leisure. It was both a A women's studies program needs the the Convention, it is clear that the building Convention where people met and ex­ changed ideas and a Convention where the business of NWSA was conducted through

Women's Studies Newsletter VIII:3 (Summer 1980) 9