3rd
Anne Hits a Landmine, on Women in Morocco
I wrote this winter about how easy it is to offend with watermelon — which I love.
I seem to have stumbled into a similar trench with this short observation about Morocco, mentioned in the NYTimes.
Many of you follow me on Twitter, because of my interest in International Women’s Rights. The intellectual issues of getting involved in the Lubna Ahmed Hussein case have been thought-provoking for me.
Understanding what feminism means to other women in the world is so critical. More than anything, I’ve come to understand that the concept of “self” is a huge dividing line in cultures.
I was called a “liberal perfectionist” yesterday. In some brief reading, I understand that the criticism has to do with my thinking that an individual woman matters at all, versus the larger good of the society.
Progressive ideas, however imperfect they are (and coming from an imperfect source like America) truly are destabilizing. In writing a short post about women’s rights in Morocco, I have pissed off some people big time.
I’ve written extensively about my own thinking in the comments section of the article: Will Morocco Slow Reforms for Women And I’ve been called some pretty nasty names as well, so be prepared. I don’t actually understand what I wrote, that’s so disturbing.
What’s amazing is that I tried to be sensitive, not understanding the politics of Morocco. In posting it at all, I’ve unleashed the furies. Anne
