Dalam kolum saya di Merdeka Review baru-baru ini, saya membincangkan tentang tanggungjawab kita sebagai sebuah masyarakat dalam menangani isu misogyni (atau pembencian wanita di bawah dan atas sedar) di Malaysia. Hari ini, saya ingin menjemput pembaca untuk memikirkan tentang peranan lelaki dalam menangani seksisme dan penyertaan mereka dalam gerakan feminisme. Boleh dikatakan bahawa tanggungjawab yang… Continue reading Laki-laki feminis, sila tampil ke hadapan
Category: Media
Reggae Mansion: Blatant discrimination and exclusivity in the worst possible taste
I wrote and published this piece for Loyar Burok on 1st November, generating in what was a considerably powerful response from the Malaysian public online that resulted in the public dressing-down of Reggae Mansion via The Star newspaper. Suffice to say, this is testament to the fact that a successful link between online blogging and… Continue reading Reggae Mansion: Blatant discrimination and exclusivity in the worst possible taste
More thoughts on femininities in Indonesian Islamically-themed cinema
Empowered femininities? It is worth exploring the relationship between women and film religi in which female characters assume the role of boundary markers of nation and religion. The reference to women as markers of the boundaries of national ideology is a common theme in post-colonial nations-states, serving as symbolic representations in the rhetoric of inclusion… Continue reading More thoughts on femininities in Indonesian Islamically-themed cinema
Cute big bodies: Fashion for plus-size Muslim women in a Malaysian magazine
Malaysia is a fat-phobic country, and so it’s welcoming to see pockets of fat acceptance in the media. In this case, a rare fashion spread for “plus-sized” women in a local Muslim women’s lifestyle magazine, Nur. Reading the text above, the use of the word “comel” (cute) to mean larger body is interesting; while it… Continue reading Cute big bodies: Fashion for plus-size Muslim women in a Malaysian magazine
Is there an emergence of new masculinities in Indonesia’s Islamic cinema?
When new femininities are introduced in the new wave of religious film-making, different strands of masculinities also emerge albeit in more implicit ways. Like heterosexuality, non-disability, and whiteness, masculinity is often referred to as ‘unmarked’ social category in which male dominance has been historically treated as the ‘norm’ while ‘gender’ is often taken to be… Continue reading Is there an emergence of new masculinities in Indonesia’s Islamic cinema?
A brief note on Islamic film-making in Indonesia
The ways in which cinema and religion are intertwined are not unique to Indonesia nor to Islam. The rise of Pentecostal “video-films” in Ghana, the Hollywood mainstreaming of ‘Ben Hur’ and Mel Gibson’s ‘The passion of Christ’, and the popular reception of ‘Karunamayudu’, a Telegu retelling of the story of Jesus, watched by over 100… Continue reading A brief note on Islamic film-making in Indonesia
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?
Now that Sophie Dahl is out of our kitchen, who will be the next female TV chef?
First published at The F-Word Blog +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For the few people who care, Sophie Dahl will not be returning to our television sets to teach us how to make an eggs Benedict that’s saucy in more ways than one. Dahl had a shaky start, with mixed reviews from episode one and had more media buzz… Continue reading Now that Sophie Dahl is out of our kitchen, who will be the next female TV chef?
Aquila: A new kind of Muslim woman?
First published in Muslimah Media Watch +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For those familiar with women’s “lifestyle” magazines, the call to be “sexy” in some way or another is not new. We women need to have “sexy” everything: attitude, legs, skin, armpits, you name it. So pervasive is this message that I’m surprised that no one has spontaneously combusted… Continue reading Aquila: A new kind of Muslim woman?
Coulda, woulda, shoulda: Islam as rehab for women
(First published over at Muslimah Media Watch) British novelist Martin Amis has expressed regret that his late sister did not embrace Islam to save herself from self-destruction. Everyone is understandably confused. To begin with, Amis is not a neutral figure on Islam and women: he thinks that Muslims should be masterminded into becoming “more like… Continue reading Coulda, woulda, shoulda: Islam as rehab for women
Alicia Izharuddin 