Bushra Ishaq
It is a tremendous honor for me and for all Muslims in Norway that I, as a Muslim, was selected by the Norwegian crown prince Haakon Magnus as part of the Norwegian delegation at the international summit "One Young World," held in London during the period February 8-10, 2010. This has been seen as a sign of acceptance of our identity as Norwegian Muslims and a very important and inclusive signal from the crown prince, as Islamophobia is on the rise and stereotypes about Muslims alienate many young Muslims in Norway.
Islamophobia is a phenomenon stretching its wings all over Europe, and Norway is no exception. In several parts of Norway, hijab has been banned. In addition, Norway has been criticized by the Council of Europe (CEO) for its racist undertone in political rhetoric, as generalizations and stereotypes about Muslims are getting more prominent. Nevertheless, Norway stands as an exceptional case in Europe regarding tolerance toward Muslims, which has been affirmed by the crown prince.
Honourous Nomination by the Prince
The Norwegian Royalty is very unique in the world context. Our royal family is very humble and has a great compassion for humanity. Crown Prince Haakon has set up the Global Dignity and Global Redesign initiatives, which aim at promoting human dignity and reducing poverty. They are also very inclusive when it comes to minorities in Norway, and this is evident in the recent visit by the royal king and the crown prince to the Islamic Council Norway (ICN).
Being a good role model in society is part of being a good Muslim, which is the most important thing we can do when we want to give a good image of Islam in the West.
It was on this visit that the crown prince heard my speech and got so impressed that he nominated me to be part of the Norwegian delegation to the "One Young World" conference. The conference's aim was to gather young pioneers from each country all over the world in order to discuss global challenges, such as climate change and poverty, with the consultation of a number of today's prominent leaders, such as Kofi Annan and Mohammad Younus. For me, the Muslim Student Society (MSS) leader, to be chosen as the Norwegian pioneer is a true recognition of and respect for the eminent, hard work I have been doing in Norwegian society.
Being a good role model in society is part of being a good Muslim, which is the most important thing we can do when we want to give a good image of Islam in the West. In Norway, a new study has shown that Norwegians' fear of Islam is bigger than their fear of climate changes, according to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. This is scary, but it also means that we, Muslims, have a responsibility to create new platforms for dialogue with the West. We must engage ourselves more deeply in the media to create insight and understanding of Islam, in order to cross the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims.
A Muslim Feminist
Recently, I have been also chosen by Norwegian government as part of the women's panel that will provide advice on gender equality. Most interesting is that I, as a Muslim woman, am regarded as a feminist in Norway.
It is important to emphasize that I stand for traditional Islam, as it promotes women's dignity, and therefore, I see no need for a reformation in Islam as Dr. Amina Wadud argues. Instead of the theoretical discussion about feminism and Islam, I am more interested in feminism at the grassroots level, or women's basic rights: the right to education, choice of spouse, combating of domestic violence, etc.
If we are to seek a universal feminist movement, we have to take into consideration the implications of multicultural contexts and women's various cultural and religious values.
It is important for me through public debate to challenge Western feminism, because it is one of the reasons why there is an increasing wave of discrimination against Muslim women with hijab. As a Muslim woman, I wish to discourage attitudes that are behind the views of imperialistic feminism, where Western white women want to save Muslim women with their own antireligious feministic ideals that criticize hijab as a form of suppression. Why are Muslim women ignored? Cannot they talk for themselves and fight their own battles? And who has the power to shape feminist ideals? If we are to seek a universal feminist movement, we have to take into consideration the implications of multicultural contexts and women's various cultural and religious values.
Muslim women — just like others — should have the right to define their own feminist ideals and to decide on their own what they consider as suppression of such ideals. As Western women have the right to wear bikinis, also Muslim women must have the right to get dressed as they want — whether with hijab or not; the choice should be left to them. As no one has the right to impose hijab on women — under the Islamic rule that coercion in religion is not permitted — society does not have the right to force women to take off hijab under the official banning policy. I stand for the right of women to choose, according to certain basics, the ideology of feminism.
Women's panel is a precious platform for me as a Muslim feminist, and I hope that I can help Norwegian government to change course in the gender equality debate. It is important to rise above the level of so-called crisis of feminism, where women's suffering is only discussed in contexts relating to women from minority backgrounds. Violence and discrimination against women know no boundaries with regard to culture, faith, or social strata. We must therefore mobilize an equal women's struggle to include everyone, not only women from minority backgrounds where Norwegian ethnic feminists fight the battle on our behalf. Aside from political influence, I hope that women's panel provides me with the opportunity to talk more about feminism in the public debate, in which my efforts until now have been exerted with a one-sided focus on integration.
Bushra Ishaq is a well-known Norwegian-Pakistani debater, columnist at the Aftenposten newspaper, and head of the Muslim Student Society (MSS) of Norway. She has been engaged in the Interreligious Dialogue Group arranging dialogues between the Islamic Council Norway (IRN) and the Norwegian Church. In addition, she is a medical student, doing research on heart failure at the University of Oslo.
source: islam online
