Muslim Women and Misogyny Samia Rahman
Event details
Debunking lazy stereotypes, writer Samia Rahman offers a courageous exploration of Islamophobia, patriarchy and identity. What is it really like to be a Muslim woman in today’s Britain?
Muslim women are among the most fetishised and objectified groups in society today. Much is assumed and imagined about their lives, and it is all too easy to succumb to orientalist myths. For too long, Muslim women have been reduced to two-dimensional stereotypes: empowered heroines rejecting patriarchal religious teachings, or victims of a misogyny believed to run deep within Islam. But why is this neatly packaged view so pervasive? Are oppression and subjugation actually so central to Muslim women’s lives? How is this misogyny influenced by white supremacy and Islamophobia? And where do the biggest threats to Muslim women’s freedom and safety really come from?
Drawing on her book, Muslim Women and Misogyny: Myths and Misunderstandings, Samia will explore the relationships between misogyny and Muslim women’s experiences in Britain today, untangling complex issues such as Muslim feminism, representation, toxic masculinity, marriage and sexuality. Based on extensive interviews with both women and men from Islamic communities, she offers a powerful, much-needed response to the misappropriation of female Muslim voices, revealing the many faces of Muslim womanhood within the UK.
Book sales
You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too.
Author photo credit: Rehan Jamil
About the speaker
Samia Rahman is a writer, scholar and journalist, whose research focuses on Muslim women, patriarchy and structures of power. The former director of the Muslim Institute and former deputy editor of the quarterly Critical Muslim, she is studying for a PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London.
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