A Muslim Woman’s Perspective on Obama’s Speech

Feminists have given Obama’s three paragraphs on women [2] in his Cairo speech [3] a resounding thumbs down. (Click here [4] for the XX Factor discussion.) I agree that Obama’s remarks were paltry compared to the depth and insight of his statements about Israel/Palestine and the war in Iraq. The bit about hijab was especially disappointing. In a region with unequal family laws, socially acceptable sexual harassment, and discriminatory legal codes, the hijab is hardly the main point of debate. Hijab and education are “safe” issues because one can bring them up without pointing fingers at men or regurgitating the stereotype of the brown Muslim man keeping the brown Muslim woman down. In taking this route, Obama ensures that he appeals to Muslim women who care about these two things without alienating Muslim men. This was politically shrewd, but estranging to women who have more pressing concerns about personal safety or finding a job to support themselves and their families.

In all this, there hasn’t been much said about what Obama did right. The fact that Obama even mentioned women’s rights is a big deal. And those three paragraphs were delicately crafted to contain subtle nods to both reformers and traditionalists.

Take his statement, “I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles”; this was a shrewd linguistic move that soothes fears about tradition being thrown out of the window. At the same time, his mention of education was a nod to reformers: in many Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, the Emirates, and Qatar, female university attendance has risen in the last decade; reformers believe this will translate into long-term social and political change. His promise to “partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams,” reassures those reformers that the U.S. supports the same progress they do.

Finally, Obama took care not to merely point fingers. Crucially, he included the fact that America isn’t exactly a bastion of gender equality: “Meanwhile, the struggle for women's equality continues in many aspects of American life, and in countries around the world.” We often forget that when we point our fingers at other countries and find things about their gender systems objectionable, we’re living in a glass house built upon obscene rates of discrimination, rape, and violence against women. That doesn’t absolve anyone, but Obama carefully reminded us that we are all moving forward together in improving things for women.

That’s why those three paragraphs are a pretty big deal. Peter Daou at the Huffington Post is correct in suggesting [3], “If we are to fix America's image in the world and if we are to heal the planet's myriad ills… It will be done by leading through example, by righting the many wrongs here at home, by seeking justice and fairness for all …” Including women’s rights in a speech about solving conflicts and moving forward does just that.

Photograph of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images