Why British MP’s statements defending Muslim women do more harm than good

Last updated on: November 2, 2015 at 12:43 pm by Guest Contributor

Why British MP’s statements defending Muslim women do more harm than good 2015-11-02T12:43:54-04:00 Guest Contributor

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.

This post was written by guest contributor Shereen Malherbe (@malherbegirl).

Headline grabbing assertions made by British MP Baroness Cox regarding Muslim men having up to 20 children each have been condemned by the Muslim community. In search of the representation of women in the UK media, it didn’t take me long to come across the Telegraph article where the “20 children” claim appears among a number of other statements about egregious violations of women’s rights by Muslim men under Sharia law. Baroness Cox made the remarks in putting forward “proposals to close a loophole in the Equality Act which she said enables Sharia courts to practice sexual discrimination.” In the article, she positions herself as being a voice for Muslim women, however I would argue that her statements contribute to a negative image of the Muslim women she purports to protect.

Cox makes generalisations from what appear to be unquantified sources as she states, “My Muslim friends tell me that in some communities…”This in itself, is highly problematic and unrepresentative. Furthermore, her statement, ‘in some communities…’ is vague. Which communities is she talking about? And if it is specific communities why is the headline about all Muslims? Community and culture-based religious differences contribute to different interpretations which not the norm for all Muslims the world over, and for some, not even necessarily permissible in Islam. Grouping Muslims under the same banner does nothing except promote a single, incorrect, stereotypical image.

Source

In addition, the article is accompanied by an image of veiled women holding a ‘Sharia Law’ sign, despite the article’s intention being about women’s supposed discrimination in Sharia Law. Contradictory? Confusing? It appears so. Not to mention the headline is about men. Why then has The Telegraph chosen to use a picture of women and not an image of Muslim men which the headline is about? Is it just because veiled Muslim women have become more identifiable with Islam because of their clothing choices?

The article cites several other peers including Baroness Donaghy, who states, ‘it was not that long ago that women were unequal before the law’and that Britain cannot allow women’s rights to slide backwards. I agree with her that, “We must not tolerate the sweeping of violence against women or children under the carpet by any religion in the name of faith.” However, making sweeping claims about the violations of women’s rights does not help.

It also does not help to have this piece on the abuses of Sharia courts alongside a list detailing David Cameron’s plans to tackle extremism, a juxtaposition that brings a whole host of complex and not always related issues under a broad umbrella of extremism. This article, despite its short length combines Sharia law, voiceless Muslim women, multiple children from polygamous marriages and extremism linked to Muslim dysfunctional families. That is a lot to tackle in such a short piece and it results in extremely simplisitc coverage.

I am arguing not for less investigation of abuses of Muslim women’s rights, but rather for more: more detail, more specificity about how and why and where and more involvement of those directly affected. That people who write such articles do not attempt to seek out Muslim women’s voices for added depth to the discussion on Muslim women as victims is irresponsible and contributes to a negative public opinion of an already misunderstood religious group.

Now needs to be the time when media outlets are called to account for negative, misrepresentative stereotypes that are impacting on the increasing abuse of a group in society, a group Baroness Cox says she is trying to protect. Muslim women are becoming easy targets for attacks by those who have a distorted viewpoint of Islam in part because of biased, unrepresentative media articles written by those who have little contact, experience or knowledge of life in Muslim communities. This article, unfortunately is no exception.

Previous Post

October 30, 2015

Friday Links

Next Post

November 3, 2015 Facebook Foodies: Libyan Women’s Visibility Online

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

What is the Christian teaching about humility?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Boast often Demand honor Value others above yourself Be proud always