Wiam Wahhab’s Trash-Talking Politics

Last updated on: April 12, 2011 at 12:00 am by Sara Yasin

Wiam Wahhab’s Trash-Talking Politics 2011-04-12T00:00:31-04:00 Sara Yasin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Wiam Wahhab is the leader of the Tawhid Movement in Lebanon. A former MP and journalist, he is also a close ally of Syria. In a rant against Syria’s rival, Saudi Arabia, Wahhab compared Saudi women to “garbage bags,” in reference to the black niqab that is common in the country. Sparking the anger of protesters, Wahhab eventually retracted his statements, clarifying that his comments were not meant to insult the veil, but rather the lack of human rights afforded to women in Saudi Arabia.

While a follower of the Druze sect, Wahhab is still supported by Hezbollah. Therefore, this really isn’t a case of religious hatred as much as it is a case about politics. Wahhab has a reputation for being an unapologetic advocate for Syria. Therefore, it is not surprising that within the same speech, he also made attacks on the Wahhabi way of life, which is mostly tied to Saudi Arabia. His comments were in reference to a major anti-Hezbollah rally organised by the March 14th coalition, a pro-Saudi group. Thus, in light of Wahhab’s relationship with Hezbollah and Syria, his comments were not actually a comment on Muslim women, but rather a part of his own political agenda.

On the other side, those opposed to Wahhab used this opportunity to be outraged in support of the right of to wear a veil. Over 500 Sunni protesters in Tripoli gathered to express their outrage, and many organizations called for him to retract his statements.In this situation, there are two major things that aggravate me. First and foremost, this discussion and situation is not actually about the rights of Muslim women. This is about a man’s political agenda. While Wahhab may have cited concerns about human rights in Saudi Arabia, his primary concern, as with most political leaders, is with the interest of his party. Thus, he takes a page from George Bush’s book on feminism, and uses the image of poor and helpless Muslim women as a pawn in a campaign against his opponents.

However, his comments backfired, and now his opposition is speaking out against him in order to protect the veil. In fact, 70 Lebanese and Saudi women decided to file a lawsuit against him for inciting hatred against a religious group. Interestingly, the lawsuit also happens to call for the closure of the Tawhid Movement. Thus, protecting Muslim women is becoming a thinly veiled cover for a rather convoluted power play.

The second element that angers me involves the usage of “Muslim women’s rights” to justify a specific political stance. The rights of Muslim women are blatantly being used as a political pawn on both sides of the issue. Therefore, while Wahhab was using the rights of Muslim women to warn about the evils of absorbing more of Saudi culture in Lebanon, his opposition was utilizing the “protection” of religious rights in order to crush him. Such self-righteous pleas are thrown around in the name of protecting the veil and “protecting women’s rights” against allegedly hateful and abusive authorities. Both scenarios treat women as a homogenous group that needs protection. In actuality, these conversations are not about addressing human rights violations against Muslim women. That is what is most insulting about this conversation.

While I do feel that Wahhab’s comments were in poor taste, I think it is important to note the political context of this incident. If this were truly about inciting religious hatred, then the teams would be clearly drawn, as many of the parties involved are a part of large religious groups in Lebanon. I am just tired of the rights of Muslim women being utilized as a tactic, rather than being discussed as an actual point of a platform.

Previous Post

April 11, 2011

MMW Roundtable: Jonah Goldberg's Feminist Concerns

Next Post

April 13, 2011 Just...Ugh.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advertisements Art/Theater Books/Magazines Cinema Comics/Cartoons Culture/Society Events Fashion Film Friday Links Merchandise/Commodities MMW Announcements MMW Highlights Music/Radio News Photography Politics Profile Ramadan 2012 Ramadan 2013 Ramadan 2014 Ramadan 2015 Roundtable Satire Social Media Sports Technology/Science Television Uncategorized Video Web

Select a Month November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many books are in the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

30 21 27 13