Maya Pietrzkiewicz on "Do Muslim Women Still Need Saving?"

In Lila Abu-Lughod's, "Do Muslim Women (Still) Need Saving," she argues that Laura Bush's speech about saving Afghan women is harmful to women's lives and promotes colonial feminism  The rhetoric of Afghan women being in danger promotes the superiority of western ideals based on colonial feminism.

Laura Bush's speech about the importance of US presence in Afghanistan used the 'oppression' of Afghan women to justify US military action in the region. The former First Lady and some feminist organization promoted the invasion of Afghanistan to save women for the name of freedom and liberation of women. However, this sort of promotion is part of colonial feminism since it uses western ideals of feminist liberation to dominate the region. This sort of promotion of dominating Afghanistan for women's rights refuses to recognize the true reasons of human suffering in the region. It ignores the political, economic, and social problems that are internal or external problems based on US interactions with the region. By using women's rights as a marketing ploy, women become objects to promote damaging actions is hypocritical of feminist values. Therefore, the action of colonial feminism is inherently harmful to women.

The colonial feminists that try to 'save' the oppressed women of Afghanistan ignore the autonomy of Afghan women and their needs. By promoting war actions to the region it harms the women's lives since they will live in war zones that are actually dangerous to women and their families. However, colonial feminism also prevents Afghan women from choosing their own paths in their communities for a good life. The ideals colonial feminists push on Afghan women are not ideals that connect to their definition of a good life. Pushing an agenda that women's liberation is a set standard prevents the exposure of real problems women face in their communities. Colonial feminists are not saviors of Afghan women, but the oppressors of women's autonomy to define and take action to have a good life.

A modern situation of colonial feminism is the controversial action of US feminist organizations trying to stop the practice of female genital mutilation in Africa. Female genital mutilation has been a controversial topic because the practice has different connotations based on where you come from. In western countries, like the US, female genital mutilation is seen as sexually oppressive. However, for many local communities the practice of female genital mutilation it is a beauty standard and a right of passage for women. I myself may not agree with the practice itself however, some argue the actions US organizations take to end the practice are in line with colonial feminists such as unveiling Muslim women is saving them. Many US organizations use female suffering to promote western ideals on African women by going into their communities to stop the practice. The issue here is that for the practice to end, the community itself mush reach agreement to end the practice and not an outsider dominating a community. The women of the community must have autonomy on how their community can change and not the west.

link: https://sometimesitsjustacigar.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/the-saviour-complex/

Where else is colonial feminism present in the world?