Muslim ladies are often subjected to a variety of stereotypes. From the’silly veiled girl’ that is portrayed as an oppressed survivor in need of a christ, to the notion that women who wear veils are unable to assume for themselves or do not have any passion. These prejudices are dangerous in their description of a society, but also in the manner that they deny the trailblazing work of women responsibility designs across the region. Whether it is the first female mayor of a metropolis in Iraq or the many Muslim female lawmakers, these women lebanese girles are a clear concern to the tale that has been created that says Arab women are useless and never get charge of their own lives.
Research conducted by George Gerbner, father of Cultivation Theory, shows that negative prejudices are cultivated through repeated multimedia images. This is particularly true when it comes to the Arab media. During the coronavirus pandemic in 2019 for example, a large percentage of jokes circulated on social media sites reflected negatively about arab women. The’silly veiled female ‘ image was the most prominent one. Other negative images included women https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-to-make-long-distance-relationships-work being illiterate, limited in intellectual capability, immoral, materialistic or opportunistic.
Dr Balaa highlights the importance of countering these stereotypes with positive portrayals of Arab women and how these are achieved in literature. She uses the example of Firdaus in Saadawi’s novel The Book of life where she is able to rebel against her rapist and show ‘ a different type of femininity.’ This is important as it illustrates that women can face multiple forms of oppression at the same time that are not solely related to their religion or their ethnicity as Arabs.