Author: Angry Malay Woman

I like plants.

Book review: The Material of Knowledge: Feminist Disclosures

By Susan Hekman, Indiana University Press This is a book for the post post-modernist thinker. Written by professor of political science, Susan Hekman, The Material of Knowledge: Feminist Disclosures seeks to alleviate the theorist’s conundrum with the material consequences in the event of natural disasters and destruction. Many theorists today are curiously silent on tsunamis,… Continue reading Book review: The Material of Knowledge: Feminist Disclosures

Is Muslim feminism more than just a hijab defense?

There may be 1,001 Muslim feminist critiques on the European burqa ban and its attendant jokes and jibes, insults, and ridiculousness. But what should remain clear is that we Muslim feminists are not just about the hijab. The recent discussion on LGBT acceptance on MMW revealed the cracks in the Muslim “sisterhood” and it began… Continue reading Is Muslim feminism more than just a hijab defense?

Eid Mubarak / Selamat Hari Raya!

September is a difficult month. It’s when my MA overlaps with my PhD, and when I’m finishing my dissertation on “traditional” homosexuality in Indonesian fiction, which is not going as well as I initially intended. DGM still seems half-constructed, like an unfinished new home, and I feel a bit sad about that. BUT, the grand… Continue reading Eid Mubarak / Selamat Hari Raya!

Must science reign supreme?

In the beginning of ‘The Enemies of Reason‘, Richard Dawkins’ latest TV crusade against the irrationality of religion and spiritualism, he asks: why is it during an age in which science is proving more ‘truths’ about life and the universe do people still turn to UFOs and miraculous burnt marks on toast that look like… Continue reading Must science reign supreme?

When the green-eyed monster is female, my feminist heart dies a little

We envy only those whom we feel ourselves to be like—we envy only members of our reference group. There are few successes more unendurable than those of our ostensible equals.” Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton Once, I had pooh-poohed the idea that female friendships are tricky. What’s so difficult about maintaining friendships with another… Continue reading When the green-eyed monster is female, my feminist heart dies a little

Last Say on Niqab Should be From a Woman Who Wears It. Obviously.

(First published over at Muslimah Media Watch. To be honest, I’m pretty fed up about having to discuss and write on this topic ad infinitum. So let’s call for a moratorium from now on) I took the a brief moment from work to watch a 12-minute segment on BBC’s Newsnight about why British women choose… Continue reading Last Say on Niqab Should be From a Woman Who Wears It. Obviously.

My version of Godwin's Law

According to Godwin’s Law: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1 In my version, (which extends beyond discussions on the internet) the probability of a comparison involving bikinis approaches 1 as debates on the burqa grow longer. I have heard statements like, “If women have… Continue reading My version of Godwin's Law

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Categorized as Feminism

Ramadhan Mubarak!

Yes, I haven’t been very active here of late. But allow me this brief opportunity to wish all Muslims a blessed Ramadhan. And happy wishes to non-Muslims friends and family who must with deal the whining and grumbling bellies of abstaining souls.

The women of Indonesia's Film Religi

Film religi is an Indonesian cultural phenomenon quite unlike any other in Southeast Asia. It is a film genre that is focused on religion (mainly Islam) and its attendant hot issues like polygamy, deviant prophets, interfaith relations, and global ‘terrorism’. Riding on the popularity of the hugely successful Ayat-ayat Cinta (Verses of Love, 2008), a… Continue reading The women of Indonesia's Film Religi