Week 7: The Subject of Freedom

In this week's reading, Saba Mahood discusses the concept of freedom and how the western, liberal view of freedom and agency is not as universal as many assume it to be. I believe Mahood sums up her argument with the statement, "...what may appear to be a case of deplorable passivity and docility from a progressivist point of view, may actually be a form of agency - but one that can be understood only from within the discourses and structures of subordination that create the conditions of its enactment" (15). This point reminds me a lot of the Chandra Mohanty piece we read, where she emphasized taking into account the whole context of a situation before simply assuming Muslim women are oppressed. 

Mahood specifically looks at the mosque movement in Egypt, which has been going on for around the last 25 years. The mosque movement is a rise in the amount of teaching of Islam beliefs in the mosques, especially by and to Muslim women. These "classes" aim to teach women how to incorporate their religious beliefs into their everyday practices. Mahood talks about the importance of taking into account these women’s perspectives in regards to their own agency.

What I found to be most interesting in this piece was towards the beginning of the chapter when she talks about how progressive feminists define freedom and agency. She says that according to progressive feminists, “In order for an individual to be free, her actions must be consequence of her ‘own will’ rather than of custom, tradition, or social coercion” (11). I find this definition of freedom to be completely contradictory to the most basic of Muslim beliefs we have studied. Islam is based around the belief that the best way to live is in submission to Allah. Therefore, you forsake your “own will” for the will of Allah. However, it is unclear whether or not this definition of freedom is referring to the individual’s actual belief that she should submit to Allah or if it refers to her freedom to choose to submit to Allah. However, even if it is the latter (which through my understanding is what Mahood would belive), would that mean Muslim women use their freedom and agency and choose to be “less free”  by being Muslims?

I don’t believe Muslim women would say that they are “less free” than women who make all decisions according to their “own will” as opposed to Allah’s.  As seen in the example given by Mahood regarding veiling, many Muslim women choose to veil to act modestly, while others do not believe the veil is not necessary to be modest. In this example, is any woman “more free” than the other based on the decision she makes?

While this article brought up even more to discuss, what I left questioning the most was whether or not it presented an alternative definition of freedom that I felt comfortable with.  And even more, how a definition of freedom can be reached by Mahood, without subscribing to total cultural relativism.