,
18 tweets,
4 min read
Read on Twitter
Is it wrong to make a little girl wear a hijab? I think is is wrong. Is it *child abuse*? No, it's not. The moment we refer to it as child abuse, we're basically saying it's a serious crime and the authorities need to get involved. This is *not* how you get communities to change.
Is it child abuse to *force* a girl to wear a hijab? Well it's child abuse to use physical force on a child in anyway. That's a red herring, and it's not what we're talking about here.
Many Muslim communities, and especially highly conservatives ones, feel pressured and singled out, especially with the wave of right wing populism which has had real consequences, not only extra-legally (attacks) but also legally (populists getting elected)
When a community feels targeted, it doesn't exactly open up. When communities feel threatened, a self defense response kicks in - they close up, close rank, and stop listening. This only empowers (rather than dislodges) the extremes.
When that happens - when a community feel targeted - they cooperate with authorities less. That could be detrimental when it comes to *real* cases of child abuse. It could make vulnerable individuals less safe, not more.
Furthermore, when communities feel targeted, they accept new ideas *less*, not more. When they close rank, new ideas become a threat and dissent becomes treason. Communities open up to new ideas the less threatened they feel, not the more threatened they feel.
And let me add: There are two conversations about changing Muslim norms. One is being had by Muslims in Muslim majority countries. Another is being had by (and about) Muslims in the West. These two conversations should not be confused. The contexts are very different.
Now one must question not only the wisdom but the agenda behind *legally* targeting conservative Muslim communities, if one *knows* it hinders rather than helps reform. Do you want to keep them ultra-conservative, so that you can keep problematizing and excluding them?
There's also the fact that lots of racists, the moment you call out their racism, immediately turn into humanitarians concerned about the children and about world peace, they just hate all Muslims because all religions are bad and they're concerned for humanity's destiny.
How do I know who's who? Well let's just say responsible humanitarians who are genuinely concerned about children typically don't call Muslims they don't know retarded terrorist pedophiles on Twitter and insult them, their parents, and their children.
Anyway I deleted the tweet not because I changed my mind but because I've had it with the abuse. I've been called everything from pedophile to terrorist to retard. And yes, Raif Badawy's wife is absolutely a willing darling of the Islamophobic right, as the abuse clearly shows.
And yes, you're totally 100% responsible for the audience you foster, especially when you specifically *direct* them to into someone's mentions, as one particular verified account did.
And guess what, you actually *can* be an "ex-Muslim" without being a darling of the racist far-right, followed and boosted by hordes of nakedly racist trolls, brimming with excitement at every opportunity to unload on any Muslimish person who crosses their path
Also this. Someone is really fond of conflating Israel with the Jewish people. Newsflash: You can oppose Israeli crimes without being an antisemite, and you can support Israel while being an antisemite.
I'm not going to tag the two verified account I blocked - but they should be ashamed of themselves, their behavior, and of the audience they have cultivated. I'm not holding my breath though.
PS my father was a victim of child abuse. He was (still is) a refugee. He's 71 years old now and he still suffers. Those who use the term "child abuse" lightly should be fucking ashamed of themselves.
PPS I hear people say that I should excuse the abuse hurled at me because "some people are hurting". Well I'm hurting too (as my two therapists knows full well). I don't go around projecting my hurt on others by calling them names. There are zero excuse for this behavior.
Now I'm muting notifications on this thread because I've just *had* it with the abuse.
