“As a Muslim feminist woman of color, I cannot relate to Slutwalks as it caters mostly to the definition of emancipation set by white women. Slutwalks deviate in terms of delivering the message against sexual assault. It turns a blind eye to women of cultures where flimsy clothes don’t necessarily lead to rapes. Muslim women get raped too. Nassim Elbardouh is right. “Do Not Rape” Walk sounds better. This isn’t to say that I don’t support Slutwalks. I simply can’t relate to a liberating movement that does not liberate nor acknowledge me.
Western feminism, despite its undeniable achievements, still perpetuates the image of a white woman as the liberated one. If these feminists do claim to represent all women, they need to understand the dynamics of the cultures other women hail from. Don’t care if you’re wearing a thong or burka, no one has the right to rape you. Burka clad brown Muslim women get raped too. Represent us. I want a movement that represents me regardless of my color and creed. End victim blaming and rape culture by representing everyone.”
via the rotund
Mehreen, I agree to your subscription of feminism that allocates for the emancipation of the coloured and lower middle class women.
However, the intent behind SLUTWALK is to not allocate freedom of expression to (white) women who choose to dress “provocatively”. It’s politicization of the thought process that seeks to legitimize rape or sexual harassment based on the attire of a woman. It also seeks ground to establish that rape is not a consequence of clothing choices or subversiveness of women – that includes coloured muslim women who chose to wear a hijaab or choose to not wear one.
It’s about recognizing that burqa clad, non subversive women get raped too. It’s about constructing a disassociation from the ‘asking for it’ blame that society inherently subjects victims to.
Kisses,
LM
I’m not Mehreen, she isn’t directly involved with this blog in any way, I just thought her perspective was a really valuable and important one to consider. You can find her on twitter @mehreenkasana or on wordpress @ http://mehreenkasana.wordpress.com/, but I’d guess she’s probably well aware of the intent behind Slutwalk. I think many of us are trying to strike a balance between supporting Slutwalk with all of its good intentions, and recognizing some of the shortfalls and places for improvement. Just because Slutwalk has good intentions doesn’t mean these concerns shouldn’t be voiced, and loudly.
Thanks for reading!
-Elise
Hi, Elise~
Thanks for sharing my thoughts on your blog; I see it’s attracted quite some media attention among feminists and debaters on gender equality on other websites as well. As a woman of color and from a different creed, I did indeed study the intention and agenda behind SlutWalk(s) and I agreed to it as long as it chose to represent my kind of women too. I don’t think every movement is immaculate in its nature; it comes with its set of flaws. You could call my perspective influenced by religious narratives as well. Here’s another very pertinent thought from black feminists on SlutWalk(s). Thought I’d share this with you:
http://suzyxisntreal.tumblr.com/post/10578788535/an-open-letter-from-black-womens-blueprint-to-the
Have a lovely, peaceful day.
Mehreen.