Research and publications

The ideal Muslim man is… blond and blue-eyed.

Isn’t it depressing that according to Nesrine Malik the so-called ideal Muslim man is blond and looks suspiciously white? Apparently, this beautiful mythical creature can be found in the popular Turkish soap opera, Noor, where he can be seen observing Islamic customs like a good Muslim son-in-law (*half-hearted sarcasm*). She writes: […] the male protagonists… Continue reading The ideal Muslim man is… blond and blue-eyed.

Cinema of sexism: Misogyny in Malay films

Because woman did not fight back, man quickly took over the advantage and made her the scapegoat for all his vices and fears. […] He was intimidated by woman’s sexual desire, and so he invented the mutually exclusive virgin and whore. […] He was ashamed of growing old and ugly, and even more ashamed of… Continue reading Cinema of sexism: Misogyny in Malay films

The first Asian Women Blog Carnival!

This is a delayed therefore somewhat unnecessary announcement, but the first Asian Women Blog Carnival has been launched. Hosted by ciderpress, the carnival covers themes of racism, identity and cultural appropriation – all great stuff. My featured post “Foreign Bodies as Sexual Playgrounds” has been getting crazy amounts of attention in the last few days… Continue reading The first Asian Women Blog Carnival!

Published
Categorized as Feminism

Migration: Belonging and displacement

In an early sequence of a 1991 Channel Four television feature, Northern Crescent (a film about the white-Asian conflicts in Britain following the Rushdie affair), shows a new primary school headmaster, Mr. West, who introduces himself at assembly to his students, most of whom are of Pakistani ancestry. Mr. West asks the students to name… Continue reading Migration: Belonging and displacement

Retro pop orientalism: Dissecting Alison Moyet's 'Love Resurrection'

Written for and (soon to be) cross-posted at Muslimah Media Watch As we all know, pop culture can’t get enough of ‘the mysterious Orient’ and its ubiquitous exotic women. The 80s New Romanticism movement is a case in point. Known for its exaggerated and often outrageous attitudes to fashion and music, the movement inspired pop… Continue reading Retro pop orientalism: Dissecting Alison Moyet's 'Love Resurrection'

I'm now writing for Muslimah Media Watch

Now that I’ve come back from camping on the Dorset coast and tucking into obscene amounts of giant oysters and crab, allow me to proudly announce that you’re now looking at the latest contributor of Muslimah Media Watch! Trumpets, please. You will find more MMW-Cycads cross-postings beginning this week, so watch this space.

Open thread: Is religion good for women?

This week, The Guardian is running a series of articles on whether or not religion is good for women. I suppose if whether you speak from first-hand experience or from news stories and statistics, you will find that religion with its roots firmly planted in patriarchy is never going to be good for women. Savitri… Continue reading Open thread: Is religion good for women?

Truly Asia: I don't want to sleep alone (2006)

In Malaysia, vacuous horror flicks and Hollywood copycats rule the local cinemas. They promise nothing but instant sensory gratification yet still manage to attain box-office success. In many of such films glamorous personalities compliment the glitzy and oh-so aspirational KL scene. They’re good-looking, they’ve got star quality, who cares if they’ve got no talent, but… Continue reading Truly Asia: I don't want to sleep alone (2006)

On medieval interfaith insults

In the fairly early days of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, dissing each other with crude language was all the rage. Alexandra Cuffel’s new book Gendering Disgust in Medieval Religious Polemic (2009, University of Notre Dame Press) shows how late antique purity laws and biological theories help provide a repertoire of filth from which the rival… Continue reading On medieval interfaith insults