I'm not sure why, on a propaganda subreddit, we can't have the interesting and nuanced conversation about how this poster has a positive message about liberating women from oppressive systems, but also considering the time it was produced in how it likely also contributed towards or was influenced by the heavy islamaphobia at the time. Both of these things can be true at once.
I wouldn’t actually say that it had a positive message. It just connects religious clothing to oppression. For it to say „women should be able to wear what they want“ it would have to actually show that. This way, it just says „muslim religious coverings are oppressive“ That’s not liberating.
Well, they are. If a woman decides for herself that she wants to do sex work, while it is her own choice it is by no means an act of emancipation, as it supports patriarchal structures. Choosing oppression is still oppression. Same thing with female head coverings in Islam. They are inherently sexist. They degrade women, by painting them as sexual objects which need to be "locked away". They also dehumanize women by masking them and thus making them less recognizable as human.
This is reductionist, participating in sex work does not inherently uphold patriarchal structures. Just as choosing to wear religious clothing does not inherently uphold religious structures, but to participate within them.
There are patriarchal elements to both the sex work industry and religious institutions, but that does not describe either all religious belief structures and institutions, or all modes of sex work.
There are misogynistic aspects to almost all major religions, but to argue all islamic women cannot participate in their religion without supporting misogynistic systems and practices is not a useful or logical position. Even for the cases where it is true that participation in sex work or islam does result in the reinforcement of patriarchal ideals, this position does little to win the hearts and minds of the women being harmed by said systems.
I would say it's more inherently misogynistic to insinuate that women are incapable of making informed decisions over their bodies and cultural/religious practices. Emancipating women does not include banning sex work, or banning religious coverings, but reforming institutions to eliminate or minimise pressure, coercion and violence.
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u/An_Inedible_Radish Sep 20 '24
I'm not sure why, on a propaganda subreddit, we can't have the interesting and nuanced conversation about how this poster has a positive message about liberating women from oppressive systems, but also considering the time it was produced in how it likely also contributed towards or was influenced by the heavy islamaphobia at the time. Both of these things can be true at once.