Books by Shakira Hussein
The so-called War on Terror, in its many incarnations, has always been a war with gender at its h... more The so-called War on Terror, in its many incarnations, has always been a war with gender at its heart.
Once regarded as helpless victims waiting to be rescued, Muslim women are now widely regarded by both Muslim and non-Muslim disciplinarians as a potential threat to be kept under control. How did this shift in attitudes come about?
Shakira Hussein explores the lives of women negotiating the hazards of the post-9/11 terrain, from volatile Afghan refugee camps and Pakistani weddings to Australian suburbia and campaigns to ‘ban the burqa’. Her unique perspective on feminism, multiculturalism, race and religion is one that we urgently need.
Journal articles by Shakira Hussein
Journal of Intercultural Studies, 2017
This article reconsiders the 2005 Cronulla riots after ten years. We begin by examining three exa... more This article reconsiders the 2005 Cronulla riots after ten years. We begin by examining three examples of events misread ten years ago, to illustrate some key changes that have since shaped Australian racism. The first two, concern the rallying call to ‘Leb and wog bashing day’ at Cronulla in December 2005, and the attack there on two Bangladeshi students. These are shown to be indicative in a shift in the focus of racist Othering in Australia, from the ‘Arab Other’ to the ‘Muslim Other’, as Islamophobia becomes increasingly mainstreamed in Australian culture following the trend throughout the global West. Second, the incongruous chivalry-cum-feminism of the beachgoers who participated in the riot and were interviewed in the 2006 Four Corners television documentary, Riot and Revenge, illustrates some key features of Islamophobia as it has developed and become entrenched: such as accusing Muslims of …
borderlands.net.au
1. This paper reflects upon research encounters between the author and members of the women's win... more 1. This paper reflects upon research encounters between the author and members of the women's wing of the Pakistani Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) [1]. As one of the two major religious parties, and through its close collaboration with the Pakistani military, the JI bears considerable responsibility for the disastrous erosion of women's rights - particularly legal rights - over the past quarter century. The women's wing strongly supports this patriarchal ideology. As a Muslim feminist, I approached the JI women with some trepidation, and was therefore taken aback to be at times reluctantly charmed by my interviewees. In this paper, I explore the paradoxical politics of female commitment to a patriarchal ideology, but I also reflect on the dynamics of primary research across an ideological divide, and on the implications for both parenting and research of combining the two.
Transforming Cultures eJournal, Jan 1, 2007
As the question of Muslim women's dress codes comes under intense media and political scrutiny, t... more As the question of Muslim women's dress codes comes under intense media and political scrutiny, two competing discourses have emerged. The first of these discourses centres around the veil (in whatever form) as a symbol of patriarchal force. The second discourse has emerged largely in response to the first, and asserts that covering is an exercise in women's choice and a symbol of female empowerment. This paper argues that neither of these discourses adequately describes the complex negotiations that Muslim women employ with regard to dress. I discuss the discourse of 'force' with regard to media imagery of Taliban era Afghanistan, and 'choice' with regard to contemporary Australia, grappling with the issue of how to challenge the representation of the Muslim women's dress as a symbol of oppression without reinforcing its standing as a symbol of cultural loyalty.
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borderlands e -jo u rn a l w w w .b o rd e rla n d s.n e t.a u 1 V O L U M E 8 N U M B E R 1
Contemporary Islam, Jan 1, 2009
Australian Feminist Studies, Vol 28 Issue 13 2013, Apr 2013
This paper maps a shift in emphasis in the representation of Muslim women in Western discourse fr... more This paper maps a shift in emphasis in the representation of Muslim women in Western discourse from that of victims in need of Western rescue to that of active participants in Islamism and the ‘Islamisation’ of the West. Muslim women activists have developed an articulate response to representations that depict them as passive victims, emphasising that many women undertake their religious practices (in particular, those relating to dress) by ‘choice’ and play an active role in resisting patriarchal practices imposed in the name of their religion. Their responses to representations of Muslim women as perpetrators of Islamic extremism who must be disciplined into acquiescing to Western/Enlightenment/secular norms, however, are still evolving.
Campaigns against the halal certification of food in Muslim-minority societies reveal the shift i... more Campaigns against the halal certification of food in Muslim-minority societies reveal the shift in the representation of Muslims from a visible, alien presence to a hidden, covert threat. This paper uses one such campaign in Australia as a point of entry for analysing the ramifications for Muslim identity of this ‘stealth jihad’ discourse. Muslims living in the west are increasingly targeted not for ‘standing out’ as misfits, but for blending in as the invisible enemy. The scare campaign against halal certification closely parallels previous campaigns against kosher certification, highlighting the increasing resemblance between contemporary Islamophobia and historical anti-Semitism.
Book chapters by Shakira Hussein
The Routledge Handbook of Islamophobia, 2019
Islam in world politics, Jan 1, 2005
Gender and Global Politics in the Asia-Pacific, Jan 1, 2008
CHAPTER 9 Women's Engagement with Islam in South and Southeast Asia Shakira Hussein Perh... more CHAPTER 9 Women's Engagement with Islam in South and Southeast Asia Shakira Hussein Perhaps the most striking feature of contemporary Muslim women's con-versations about gender is the sheer breadth of the territory covered. Such conversations may range from ...
Beyond the hijab debates: new …, Jan 1, 2009
Challenging Identities: Muslim Women in Australia, Feb 2010
Gender issues have played a central role in public discourse on Islam in Australia. This has plac... more Gender issues have played a central role in public discourse on Islam in Australia. This has placed Muslim women in a 'double bind' between racism and patriarchy, as well as burdening them with a duel responsibility to respond to negative stereotyping of Muslim women as victims and Muslim men and victimisers. While the double-responsibility generates pressure to 'speak out', the double bind imposes pressure to maintain silence.
Griffith REVIEW, Jan 1, 2011
Bewitched & Bedevilled: Women Write the Gillard Years (Hardie Grant), Dec 5, 2013
Short stories by Shakira Hussein
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Books by Shakira Hussein
Once regarded as helpless victims waiting to be rescued, Muslim women are now widely regarded by both Muslim and non-Muslim disciplinarians as a potential threat to be kept under control. How did this shift in attitudes come about?
Shakira Hussein explores the lives of women negotiating the hazards of the post-9/11 terrain, from volatile Afghan refugee camps and Pakistani weddings to Australian suburbia and campaigns to ‘ban the burqa’. Her unique perspective on feminism, multiculturalism, race and religion is one that we urgently need.
Journal articles by Shakira Hussein
Book chapters by Shakira Hussein
Short stories by Shakira Hussein
Once regarded as helpless victims waiting to be rescued, Muslim women are now widely regarded by both Muslim and non-Muslim disciplinarians as a potential threat to be kept under control. How did this shift in attitudes come about?
Shakira Hussein explores the lives of women negotiating the hazards of the post-9/11 terrain, from volatile Afghan refugee camps and Pakistani weddings to Australian suburbia and campaigns to ‘ban the burqa’. Her unique perspective on feminism, multiculturalism, race and religion is one that we urgently need.