Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Muslimah Media Watch

Home
Muslim
Religion News
Muslim Women Get Naked! Femen’s Topless Tactics and Muslim Women in France

Muslim Women Get Naked! Femen’s Topless Tactics and Muslim Women in France

Last updated on: October 1, 2012 at 1:18 pm by eren

Muslim Women Get Naked! Femen’s Topless Tactics and Muslim Women in France 2012-10-01T13:18:50-04:00 eren

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.

Recently, Femen, the controversial Ukrainian feminist organization, has been established in France. Femen was founded in 2008 to protest sexism, patriarchy and violence while advocating for feminism. Its members became well-known for protesting naked against sexism, trafficking, religious institutions and sex tourism, among others. The group, which has become internationally known, has also been able to gather members in some other countries in Europe.

The movement’s founder, Anna Hutsol, is an educated 28-year-old who created the organization to enable women to gain access to the public sphere in an environment where men are still favoured. For the members, Femen sets itself apart from traditional Western feminism in that they aim to advocate for a “real women’s revolution” where women do not have “to be like men” to be recognized in society.

Femen pursues many of its political goals by holding topless protests (although most of their members remain dressed). Femen has protested in a number of places, an important one included the Iranian embassy in Ukraine; there, Femen protested the possible execution of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Likewise, its members have opposed the legalization of prostitution and sex tourism in Ukraine and they have demonstrated against Putin’s government.

Femen has now settled in France by invitation of some French feminists. What has been labeled as a “feminist boot-camp,” due to its goal of “training” women in a variety of areas including feminist ideologies (or what Femen considers to be “feminist”), now has its main office French in an area with a large immigrant Muslim community.

Femen’s slogans include things like “better naked than the burqa” or “Muslim let’s get naked,” so it’s not hard to imagine the reaction among some Muslim communities. Rt.com suggests that Femen has the intention to encourage Muslim women to “strip” in order to be free. Femen has been associated with taking stands against Shariah and some Muslim governments, and seems to be inviting Muslim women to join the movement.

A Femen member at a protest. Via International Policy Digest.

While Femen’s approaches are not necessarily anything new or surprising at least in the Western world, everything is contextual. Topless protests may work wonders in some parts of Eastern Europe and France, but may not be welcomed in other environments. In addition to the issue of “getting naked” and encouraging Muslim women to take off their veils further shows lack of understanding among different feminist groups internationally.

As sad as it is, some feminists continue to preach that feminism can mean one thing and only one thing. They are reluctant to recognize the possibility that “being like men” or protesting topless are not every feminist’s dream. Movements such as Islamic feminism (which is itself varied, and also has its problems and challenges) have demonstrated that Western feminism is not necessarily the answer for Muslim women because sometimes feminisms can even be Islamophobic as explored by Sharrae in an earlier post.

Furthermore, feminisms can be, and have been, exclusive in many contexts. Not recognizing the other’s need to find gender equality in different ways, or assuming that a certain level of covering or uncovering will be synonymous with equality, just serves to deny other women’s experiences and needs. Some feminists also takes for granted the idea that all Muslim women are the same and dress the same when in reality there is a wide variety; some wear hijabs and niqabs while others enjoy going topless, not because Western feminists have rescued them, but because is their own choice.

In an environment like France where many feminists, including Muslim ones, insist that taking a woman’s clothes off (i.e. niqabs and hijabs) means freedom, Femen just comes along to perpetuate the lack of understanding.

Besides, sometimes some feminists’ comments on the “Muslim question” of gender just make me roll my eyes… who told them that all Muslim women need another Western advocate to take their clothes off? Why do we continue to put emphasis on the clothing? Does it necessarily make us freer or more oppressed?

Whereas I respect Femen’s attempt to lead some kind of feminist advocacy, I am skeptical of the possibilities that this brings to Muslim women in France and world-wide. Reading things like “Better naked than the burqa” just sparks the sarcasm in me and make me think “Really????”

Culture/Society

Previous Post

September 28, 2012

Friday Links | September 28, 2012

Next Post

October 2, 2012 Powerful Actors or Oppressed “Others”?: Violent Muslim Women in the News

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

Follow Us!

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: God appeared to Moses in a burning bush on Mount Sinai.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE

Related posts from Muslimah Media Watch

#PrayforParis, Muslim Women and Third World Violence

Muslimah Media Watch

Sisterhood from Struggle

Muslimah Media Watch

Book review: Jewels of Allah by Nina Ansary

Muslimah Media Watch

Hate Crimes and Mother Tongues

Muslimah Media Watch

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Muslim

25 Years Later: How Much Has Changed for...

As we approach the 25th anniversary of September 11th, I’ve found myself...

Podcast: Third Spaces & The Rise of Yemeni...

In the latest episode of The Artistic Foodies Podcast, hosts Abbas...

HalalFest Picks: Best 60 Halal Spots for Super...

Back in 2016, I came up with a list of 29...

Unity Is America’s Strength — Division Is Its...

by Hidayatullah Ahsan When Valentina Gomez, a Republican candidate for Congress in...

Zohran Mamdani and New York’s Fight Against Islamophobia

This past June, against all odds, Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary...

What the Fourth of July Means to a...

As we mark another Fourth of July, millions of Americans will celebrate...

view all Muslim blogs

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos