DISPLAYED on the poster was an image of a Muslim woman wearing a hijab, accompanied by the words: "how can we liberate them?" The poster was disturbing enough, but even more disturbing was the fact that it was distributed all over Amsterdam in 2003 as a government public service announcement. Two persistent false images dominate the propaganda used by Islamophobes. One is that Muslim women are oppressed because of ��" not in spite of ��" the teachings of Islam. The other is that Western imperial powers, particularly the United States, are genuinely interested in liberating Muslim women, especially following the American-led occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. In reality, these false images are not new at all; their roots date back to the European occupation of Muslim lands during the 1700s. Today, they are so widespread thanks to Western media. While Reformation-era Europe learned much from its Muslim neighbours (especially in sciences and medicine), it seems Western culture has a very short collective memory. Present-day media rarely refer to Islamic truths that paint a very different image from the depressing and confusing portrayals of women that readers are more likely to find in their pages. Where can non-Muslims learn, for example, that in Islam women have souls; that they have equal intellectual capabilities as men; that they have as much right and need of advanced education in every field of human inquiry; that they can initiate divorce; keep their family names after marriage; or have separate and distinct careers in their own right? Alongside the false imagery of missing information is the insidious media-hyped disinformation that Muslim men (especially “religious” ones) are sexist, oppressive wifebeaters. You'd think that the media in our so-called “liberal” society would pay more attention to concrete issues that genuinely compromise and demean the quality of life of Western women, who are statistically at greatest risk from the effects of poverty, pornography, domestic abuse, marginalisation, or lack of educational opportunities in career-building fields (like maths and sciences). And you'd think that these same media would invest far more emphasis on the urgency of exposing human rights violations committed against Muslim women in Palestine, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other area in which war and civil unrest produce many more victims among non-combatants. Other truth to keep in mind when confronted with media stereotypes and comparisons are that ultra-orthodox Muslim women often have more traditions and practices in common with ultra-orthodox women from other faiths (Judaism, for example) than with many of their own co-religionists. This is even true of many Christian sects and denominations, and has been so for generations. Similarly, Muslim women in the developing world suffer the same deprivations and obstacles as woman of all religious groups in the same socio-economic circumstances. Very little is published about high-achievers (past or present) among Muslim women. Even today, surprisingly few people know that in our modern era, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh have all had Muslim women as their prime ministers; or that in many Muslim countries women routinely achieve high-profile professional careers as medical doctors, lawyers, governmental ministers, academics, judges, ambassadors, airline pilots, athletes, actresses, directors, writers, poets, corporate CEO, political officials, or that they serve in the army, police forces, and as customs and border officials ��" to name but a few occupations that are still considered “non-traditional” in Western culture. As well, you'll find little mention that in many Muslim countries female university and college students in engineering and science classes far exceed the numbers found in the West. This is the case in Iran and Egypt, to name only two Muslim countries. Some of these women are fully practising Muslims, some are not. Some are bare-headed and indistinguishable from any women you'd meet working or studying in Europe and North America; others wear headscarves, or hijab; and a few may wear a full head- totoe Burqa. But the way they choose to dress has nothing to do with their level of competence. In the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Muslim women athletes from Egypt, Iran, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Pakistan proudly represented their countries. Two of them, Bahraini track star Roqaya Al-Ghasara and Iranian rower Homa Hosseini ��" both of whom wear the hijab in public ��" won the honour of being flag bearers for their countries at the opening ceremonies. "The hijab has never been a problem for me. In Bahrain you grow up with it," 25-yearold Al-Ghasara told a Reuters reporter [1]. "There are more women in sport all the time from countries like Qatar and Kuwait. You can choose to wear the hijab or not. For me it's liberating," she added. Al-Ghasara's close-fitting running hijabs come in red or white, the Bahraini colors. In fact, Reuters reported that the women in Al- Ghasara's hometown were so proud of their pioneering Olympic sprinter that some got together to design and sew a set of tailormade aerodynamic hijabs for her to run in. Al-Ghasara made news in 2005 as the first female medalist of the West Asian Games after the event was opened to women and the first Bahraini athlete to win gold in international athletic competition. Egyptian fencer Shaimaa el-Gammal, 28, wore the hijab for the first time in Beijing ��" her third Olympic competition. She called the change a sign she has come of age and, like Al-Ghasara, feels more empowered than ever. Hijab-wearing Muslim women athletes began appearing at the Olympics and other international sporting competitions a few decades ago and they have always drawn curious stares. "People see us wearing the scarf and think we ride camels,” el-Gammal told a journalist recently. “But Muslim women can do anything they want … When I fence I'm proud that I'm a Muslim. It's very symbolic for women in my country." Iranian women with hijabs competed in the 2008 Olympics in rowing, tae-kwon-do and archery. From Afghanistan, where a majority of women still wear the head-to-toe burka, sprinter Robina Muqimyar competed in the 100 metre race wearing a hijab. In the summer of 2008, British singersongwriter Yousuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) became a high-profile victim of false accusations regarding "veiled women". He won libel damages and an apology from a news agency after it reported erroneously that he had refused to talk to non-veiled women at an awards ceremony. [2] Islam, 59, is best known for a string of 60s and 70s hits such as "Moonshadow". He changed his name after becoming a Muslim during the late 1970s. He has said he plans to donate the "substantial" libel payout to Small Kindness, a UN-linked charity he chairs. When interviewed by Reuters about the court case brought by Islam against World Entertainment News Network, Islam's lawyer Alam Tudor described the article as suggesting that the singer was "so sexist and bigoted that he refused at an awards ceremony to speak to or even acknowledge any women who were not wearing a veil". Tudor said the article had embarrassed the singer, creating a false impression of his attitude to women and also casting serious aspersions against his religious faith.
