There has been a lot debated on Halftime performance. As a Muslim woman frequently subjected to weird (male) Orientalist views I resent this being added to the minds of millions of American men: woman of color belly dancing to Eastern Music while she has her wrists bound in rope 
As it is, you may know that Mia Khalifa’s videos are top ranked on PornHub from her mere 3 months as an “adult” actress that earned her a whopping $12K
Some of her videos have her naked except for hijab
This is a common fetish/fantasy
NOT empowering
melmagazine.com/en-us/story/mi…
Some of her videos have her naked except for hijab
This is a common fetish/fantasy
NOT empowering
melmagazine.com/en-us/story/mi…
You know EXACTLY what some execs are thinking about then when I enter the room.
And exactly how “empowered” he sees me - no he sees Shakira dancing with her wrists bound
Views on porn aside: $12K for top ranked videos - is that fair compensation? Is that a woman empowered?
And exactly how “empowered” he sees me - no he sees Shakira dancing with her wrists bound
Views on porn aside: $12K for top ranked videos - is that fair compensation? Is that a woman empowered?
I was ambivalent on halftime show until I got to 2:05
Do NOT market sick sexual slavery tropes to American men
Orientalist stereotypes
That affect ME in my interactions with those same men in work settings
Do not sell me out for your fame & profit
Do NOT market sick sexual slavery tropes to American men
Orientalist stereotypes
That affect ME in my interactions with those same men in work settings
Do not sell me out for your fame & profit
Comments I have received in work settings: comments on “arranged marriage” on two occasions from CEOs when discussing my joining their executive team
= submissive “daughter” role
Not a full exec on team
No, do not now add image of Eastern woman dancing with wrists bound
= submissive “daughter” role
Not a full exec on team
No, do not now add image of Eastern woman dancing with wrists bound
Another comment, this was by exec I was introduced to by a buddy for networking
who felt SO comfortable that he even put this in writing in an email:
“I have never seen an *ss your color naked before”
Is he collecting pelts? Place tiger next to lion on hunter’s wall
who felt SO comfortable that he even put this in writing in an email:
“I have never seen an *ss your color naked before”
Is he collecting pelts? Place tiger next to lion on hunter’s wall
Frankly, I have never been subjected to these types of comments when I am in Pakistan, even among execs
there, I am a normal human being as opposed to exotic fetish
reinforced by Orientalism in halftime show
not saying the Pakistan is perfect for women
This is creepy tho
there, I am a normal human being as opposed to exotic fetish
reinforced by Orientalism in halftime show
not saying the Pakistan is perfect for women
This is creepy tho
Several men I know in the banking/finance world have affirmed that this is commonplace still
Where sexualization of women, commodification of female sexuality is part of business meeting “entertainment” for execs
What does it mean for women execs?
bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/…
Where sexualization of women, commodification of female sexuality is part of business meeting “entertainment” for execs
What does it mean for women execs?
bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/…
I am NOT judging women who choose this form of work
BUT
If male execs are viewing women as bodies first in business meetings
and women are selling racial and cultural stereotypes through costumes
how do those men view women in the workplace who should be peers?
BUT
If male execs are viewing women as bodies first in business meetings
and women are selling racial and cultural stereotypes through costumes
how do those men view women in the workplace who should be peers?
Muslim women are sick & tired of being a political football
to be “saved” from our supposedly awful fathers, brothers, husbands, etc
“liberated” from veil
Well who is “saving” me from the guy with the weird Orientalist fetish
now perpetuated by an American woman of color?
to be “saved” from our supposedly awful fathers, brothers, husbands, etc
“liberated” from veil
Well who is “saving” me from the guy with the weird Orientalist fetish
now perpetuated by an American woman of color?
“Saved” implies I would be safer
Am I safer here?
Let’s look at stats
3 women dying per DAY sounds pretty high to me
nnedv.org/content/each-d…
Am I safer here?
Let’s look at stats
3 women dying per DAY sounds pretty high to me
nnedv.org/content/each-d…
Men often kill when women try leave - when women assert independence, when women stop being submissive
What kind of man do you think seeks out the woman in this image, broadcast in the Superbowl?
What is a man expecting out of me in the U.S., given this cultural expectation?
What kind of man do you think seeks out the woman in this image, broadcast in the Superbowl?
What is a man expecting out of me in the U.S., given this cultural expectation?
Also, about “saving” me
More U.S. stats, this time, pregnant women:
“Intimate partners are perpetrators in two-thirds of the murders. Victims are predominantly younger and people of color.”
realclearscience.com/quick_and_clea…
More U.S. stats, this time, pregnant women:
“Intimate partners are perpetrators in two-thirds of the murders. Victims are predominantly younger and people of color.”
realclearscience.com/quick_and_clea…
Pakistan is a complicated place as is outlined in this book
LOTS of violence vs women, yes
BUT also much violence vs men who lack privilege, power, protection
That is how patriarchy, tribalism, and privilege work - “wrong” man is at risk too
amp.theguardian.com/books/2011/may…
LOTS of violence vs women, yes
BUT also much violence vs men who lack privilege, power, protection
That is how patriarchy, tribalism, and privilege work - “wrong” man is at risk too
amp.theguardian.com/books/2011/may…
I’m not going to deny that I get treated better in Pakistan BECAUSE I am the “right” kind of woman there
In U.S. I am at intersection of gender, race, religion with a dash of Orientalism for added spice
In Pakistan, I “only” have to deal with gender issues, no fetishes
In U.S. I am at intersection of gender, race, religion with a dash of Orientalism for added spice
In Pakistan, I “only” have to deal with gender issues, no fetishes
This is actually 2nd time I have seen this characterization of an Arab or Muslim woman in an American cultural icon
The first time was last time I saw Nutcracker by @BostonBallet - same racist tropes in choreography
This different but implies slaves
The first time was last time I saw Nutcracker by @BostonBallet - same racist tropes in choreography
This different but implies slaves
Which country is it that had to fight a bloody Civil War
brother pitted against brother
to end slavery
still with deep unhealed wounds, festering
Hmm?
Slavery defined by skin color
Yet a woman of color *chooses* to dance as a slave to Arab music in Superbowl?!?!
brother pitted against brother
to end slavery
still with deep unhealed wounds, festering
Hmm?
Slavery defined by skin color
Yet a woman of color *chooses* to dance as a slave to Arab music in Superbowl?!?!
Broken thread. Rest here:
I recognize criticism of “scanty outfits” of the halftime show is tacit racism
cuz (primarily white) slim cheerleaders wear as little or less
two female performers can choose their dress
BUT not okay to create Orientalist “slave woman” image
cuz (primarily white) slim cheerleaders wear as little or less
two female performers can choose their dress
BUT not okay to create Orientalist “slave woman” image
Look, all cultures have a way to go still on gender equity, safe spaces, violence against women, etc.
But if someone wants to think about me, here is the first Muslim woman who was pretty darn empowered for her time
...even by today’s standards
fairobserver.com/region/middle_…
But if someone wants to think about me, here is the first Muslim woman who was pretty darn empowered for her time
...even by today’s standards
fairobserver.com/region/middle_…
Another Muslim, North African woman who controlled her own wealth and invested in education so well
her university founded in 859
is still is running today as the oldest continuously running degree-granting university in the world
girlboss.com/identity/2018-…
her university founded in 859
is still is running today as the oldest continuously running degree-granting university in the world
girlboss.com/identity/2018-…
“Winning the Pritzker, she said, opened the door to clients who might otherwise have judged her designs too alien, too exaggerated, and, perhaps, too feminine.
Hadid, who died in March 2016 at age 65, shattered many glass ceilings in the field of design.”
Hadid, who died in March 2016 at age 65, shattered many glass ceilings in the field of design.”
“Being a strong woman and a foreigner in London in a man’s field did not make it easy for her..Also, being so ahead of her time in her thinking and designs and being so uncompromising about what she wanted to do ..she had to contend with a lot”
latimes.com/entertainment/…
latimes.com/entertainment/…
Closer to home, this is my grandfather’s ophthalmology department in Karachi Pakistan in the 1950s
Count the women in this surgical sub specialty: half
Compare it to some surgery department photos, even today, in U.S.
So enough with “liberating” me from “bondage”
okay?
Count the women in this surgical sub specialty: half
Compare it to some surgery department photos, even today, in U.S.
So enough with “liberating” me from “bondage”
okay?
There is no one “right” kind of woman,
but I do appreciate American Muslim women of color creating diversity a role models & images
strong female role models who are complex and nuanced
American & Muslim
Athletic & feminine
Outspoken while dressing per her beliefs/comfort
but I do appreciate American Muslim women of color creating diversity a role models & images
strong female role models who are complex and nuanced
American & Muslim
Athletic & feminine
Outspoken while dressing per her beliefs/comfort
children’s book by @IbtihajMuhammad
which addresses bullying:
amp.wbur.org/hereandnow/201…
Given uptick of -isms and phobias (racism, xenophobia, Orientalism, Islamophobia), consider buying this book for school, library, gifts, your kids, etc.
which addresses bullying:
amp.wbur.org/hereandnow/201…
Given uptick of -isms and phobias (racism, xenophobia, Orientalism, Islamophobia), consider buying this book for school, library, gifts, your kids, etc.
Worth watching this video of what it means to break barriers, address “you can’t be what you can’t see” and have grit/resilience plus how your destiny sometimes finds you
today.com/video/olympian…
today.com/video/olympian…
This resonates:
“women who learned to navigate the complexities of being Muslim in a country where we were often seen as oppressed, voiceless or just plain weird. Where we were seen as ‘other.’”
gazettenet.com/Pasha-column-2…
“women who learned to navigate the complexities of being Muslim in a country where we were often seen as oppressed, voiceless or just plain weird. Where we were seen as ‘other.’”
gazettenet.com/Pasha-column-2…
If we could PLEASE get past veil, bondage, slave image of Muslim women
or legislating hijab bans or requirements
we could address other things like health
especially of interest to me is health of older women immigrants who self neglect, lack support
geriatrics.stanford.edu/ethnomed/pakis…
or legislating hijab bans or requirements
we could address other things like health
especially of interest to me is health of older women immigrants who self neglect, lack support
geriatrics.stanford.edu/ethnomed/pakis…
Plus, if we could get past Orientalism tropes then when I walk into a room I can be taken more seriously and be effective in the job I was hired to do
Not holding my breath on that one.. but I can dream & hope, can’t I?
Not holding my breath on that one.. but I can dream & hope, can’t I?
Muslim women are denied agency by everyone (West and East) with everyone attempting to regulate & legislate our bodies & dress
Treated as childlike, unable to recognize our own “oppression”
Yet many Muslim nations have had female heads of state
unu.edu/publications/a…
Treated as childlike, unable to recognize our own “oppression”
Yet many Muslim nations have had female heads of state
unu.edu/publications/a…
No, war does NOT liberate women
Don’t use me or my sisters in faith for:
“Her speech solidified the West’s rhetorical commitment to rescuing Muslim women from oppression, rationalizing war through the so-called greater goal of emancipating Muslim women”
theglobepost.com/2019/01/22/def…
Don’t use me or my sisters in faith for:
“Her speech solidified the West’s rhetorical commitment to rescuing Muslim women from oppression, rationalizing war through the so-called greater goal of emancipating Muslim women”
theglobepost.com/2019/01/22/def…
“evocation of ‘liberated Western women’ and ‘oppressed Muslim’ women in narratives on the War on Terror has been useful in the project of casting the United States as a beacon of civilisation”
Not in my name, no - your bombs do not liberate women
tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
Not in my name, no - your bombs do not liberate women
tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
“and in constructing, reinforcing and reproducing a polarity between the West and the Islamic world. The War on Terror has also generated narratives about male protectors and the female protected... simplistic and dichotomous characterisations of ‘good’ and ‘evil’”
“Western fascination with the ‘oppressed Muslim woman’ has once again flared up in media and policy debates.”
Fascination, fetish, objectification, infantalization.
usfca.edu/sites/default/…
Fascination, fetish, objectification, infantalization.
usfca.edu/sites/default/…
“The complex discourses surrounding women in the Islamic world have a long and deeply political history, and this narrative has been renewed and re-utilized numerous times to garner widespread public support for Western military intervention in the Middle East.”
“Yet when examined critically, it becomes apparent that U.S foreign policy and military intervention in the Middle East has both WORSENED the status of women’s rights in the region, and subsequently used the discourse of women’s rights as a justification for the “war on terror.’”
Let’s examine Muslim women being “saved”:
“when she heard a drone fly overhead, she became terrified. ‘Because of the terror, we shut our eyes, hide under our scarves, put our hands over our ears.’”
Fear also means kids not allowed to attend school
slate.com/human-interest…
“when she heard a drone fly overhead, she became terrified. ‘Because of the terror, we shut our eyes, hide under our scarves, put our hands over our ears.’”
Fear also means kids not allowed to attend school
slate.com/human-interest…
Maybe instead of financing violence & warlords, growing toxic forms of masculinity to destroy, bomb, kill
To “save” Muslim women 🙄
BUILD infrastructure
PAY women & non-violent men
INVEST in education
🤔
I know, what weird ideas if you want peace
npr.org/templates/stor…
To “save” Muslim women 🙄
BUILD infrastructure
PAY women & non-violent men
INVEST in education
🤔
I know, what weird ideas if you want peace
npr.org/templates/stor…
If “the West” *really* cared about “oppressed” women, instead of selling/giving guns and bombs to warlords
There would be more loans to female entrepreneurs
theconversation.com/how-microfinan…
There would be more loans to female entrepreneurs
theconversation.com/how-microfinan…
Here is a Nobel Prize winning Muslim man who is supporting women and men through micro finance
“‘Banker to the Poor’
Professor Muhammad Yunus ..belief that credit is a fundamental human right. His objective was to help poor people escape from poverty”
nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2…
“‘Banker to the Poor’
Professor Muhammad Yunus ..belief that credit is a fundamental human right. His objective was to help poor people escape from poverty”
nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2…
No, poverty alone is not the cause of terrorism, but it is part of the ecosystem in these countries.
Anger/frustration channeled to violence, including against civilians, is the issue.
That sounds like a toxic version of masculinity.
apa.org/pi/about/newsl…
Anger/frustration channeled to violence, including against civilians, is the issue.
That sounds like a toxic version of masculinity.
apa.org/pi/about/newsl…
How does the country with the most mass shootings, with 3 women killed by domestic violence DAILY, mostly committed by men, that supplies arms to the world, including feudal warlords in Afghanistan & Pakistan
“save” Muslim women?
What am I missing?
theconversation.com/el-paso-we-nee…
“save” Muslim women?
What am I missing?
theconversation.com/el-paso-we-nee…
I am proudly:
American
Muslim
Pakistani origin
Mughal roots
All make me: resilient, strong, complex, outspoken, tenacious, versatile, faceted, a foodie, a lover of beautiful fabrics & colors, word lover, social justice warrior
What I am NOT:
image of halftime show slave woman
American
Muslim
Pakistani origin
Mughal roots
All make me: resilient, strong, complex, outspoken, tenacious, versatile, faceted, a foodie, a lover of beautiful fabrics & colors, word lover, social justice warrior
What I am NOT:
image of halftime show slave woman
(Also, admitted, yes, a bit of a snob but I try not to let that show... but come on, do NOT even attempt to call that biryani - I saw how you made it, that is an insult to Mughlai cuisine and I will likely burst an aneurysm or ovarian cyst trying to politely stay silent)
I don’t give a flying fiddle what women do or don’t wear. I think we need to get over all this policing of bodies & clothing
fix BIG problems, “wicked problems”
Fellow women of color: STOP invoking Orientalist tropes to “sell” to white male gaze that fetishizes other WOC (me)
fix BIG problems, “wicked problems”
Fellow women of color: STOP invoking Orientalist tropes to “sell” to white male gaze that fetishizes other WOC (me)
I think I should close this thread. So here is one of my favorite poets, a Palestinian-American, widely traveled, including Latin America, on her grandmother
Because let’s honor & celebrate beauty and power of wise women full of peace thru hardship
oprah.com/spirit/arab-am…
Because let’s honor & celebrate beauty and power of wise women full of peace thru hardship
oprah.com/spirit/arab-am…
Actually, I fibbed (changed my mind, really), I want to close with a poem on hospitality because that is something that is a trait common across Muslim & Arab cultures
@YPPLaureate @NaomiNye6B @nye_naomi
@YPPLaureate @NaomiNye6B @nye_naomi
Broken thread again. Continues:
Continuing thread here
This was really the last tweet
