The chapter “The subject of freedom” in the book “The politics of piety” by Saba Mahmood gives the reader a little taste of what more is to come in the rest of the book. It discusses the stereotypes the west has put on Islamic societies and how these stereotypes have become a breeding ground for islamophobia and ignorance. It also discusses because of this stereotyping Muslim women are seen as subordinate and in need of saving. The rest of the chapter discusses how Muslim women are making social movements from within their own groups and are empowering themselves without any help from the west.
I really enjoyed reading “The subject of freedom” by Saba Mamood. I thought it really brought to light the reality of how powerful the opinions of the West can be. Mahmood tells about how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 influenced negative stereotypes against Islamic societies. There is also a common misconception that Muslim woman are subordinate and oppressed, this idea was grown out of ignorance. It gives an example of why it is important to learn more about other societies before we make an uneducated assumption. I believe this reading resource will help people learn to look at many sides to a story and not make assumptions without learning further.
Keywords: Muslim social movements, Islamophobia, Stereotypes, Ignorance
Author: Lily Kim
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