Now more than ever we seem to live in a world that thrives on absolutes, on generalisations, on binary rhetoric and dog whistle politics. We also hear and read that Arab or Muslim women are oppressed and subservient to men. Or that Arab and Muslim girls are forced into marriages. As a community, we have been at the receiving end of such stereotypes and public discourse for decades. Such absolute rhetoric denies me my experience and my everyday life as a woman; it denies me and hundreds of thousands of others our rights as human beings. It holds us accountable for the deplorable behavior of a few. It pigeonholes us and ignores the diversity, knowledge and richness within communities. It divides silences and marginalises us. It simplifies our lives for public consumption. It also stirs up hate and causes harm for generations to come.
Being an Arab woman in 2016 isn’t easy. But the overarching issue is being a woman in general in 2016. We are still underestimated in the working world, even though we’re running for president now; who would’ve guessed? I take pride in being a woman before being an Arab because it shouldn’t matter where I’m from or if you think about it; my “gender” shouldn’t either. Whatever I bring to the world that affects others should only matter. Women in the Arab World are changing everything! We are taking over the fashion industry; check out Dolce & Gabbana creating our own Abbaya Collection, business and politics; look at Amal Clooney, hijabis are in Playboy Magazine and not for modest their looks but their brains—who would’ve known right? Even though there are still some hesitance and judgement towards us, I do believe that we are changing minds of many people around the world of how the West preseves Middle Eastern women. Can’t wait for 2017, just watch us succeed!
Being an Arab American Woman, every action you take feels almost symbolic of a race that’s already so misrepresented in media. So I feel like everything I’ve done, I’ve wanted to make sure has been done in the most positive light. Growing up Arab, I’ve watched and heard so many western people/media channels speak so harshly about the conditions that females go through.
Arab American females are strong. Because not only do we deal with mixed opinions/racism of our culture but also the sexist remarks that get thrown our way. We don’t sit around and take it anymore. We’re entrepreneurs, now or in the making- we let the creativity speak for us. We are social media symbols, for our traditional clothing, hijabi/modest fashion, makeup, humor and views on politics. I am a finance student with the hopes of one day building a strong clientele in New York City.
Being an Arab Woman, to me, is about a focus on being human and embracing all aspects of who I am. It is also about the freedom for it to have whatever meaning I want it to. In the not so distant past, being a woman in my society meant that your path was already mapped out for you. For many women today, unfortunately it still does.
I celebrate the fact that I am not held to those same gender roles and am able to identify as it is relevant to me. Perhaps, because of this introduction to gender from which I have always rebelled, I now associate it with freedom and autonomy.
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