Muslim women’s experiences as double ambassadors

Blog post by Rosa Martinez-Cuadros, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain and Alberta Giorgi, University of Bergamo, Italy
 
When considering ‘Islam’ and ‘feminism’ in Europe, people often think to the topics of migration, terrorism, and related narratives of women’s oppression within ‘Islam’ and opposition between ‘Islam’ and ‘Europe’. These narratives have been fuelled by the rise of far-right movements and Islamophobic discourses that associate ‘Islam’ with chauvinism, or male dominance. Additionally, European feminist movements are traditionally secular, with a long story of opposition to, and emancipation from, religion (Christian religion, more specifically): hence, religion, including Islam, is often primarily framed as a context of oppression for women.
 
This creates a complex environment for activist Muslim women living in Europe, especially those who aim to be engaged in civil society organizations and local politics. In this context, how do activist Muslim women respond to these challenges? Do they identify as feminists?

In our Identities article, ‘Muslim women as “double ambassadors” of Islam: breaking stereotypes in everyday life and Muslim communities’, we address these questions with a focus on two European Countries, Italy and Spain. Our discussion results from qualitative research conducted by us in different projects which implied mostly interviews to activist Muslim women.
 
We have focused on the experiences of women in Italy and Spain, two Southern European countries with similarities regarding migratory context, feminism, and religion. Historically Catholic, both Italy and Spain are relative ‘newcomers’ of immigration, with a consequent growing presence of Muslim residents in recent decades. Moreover, both Italy and Spain share similar trajectories in terms of their feminist movements and challenges regarding diversity issues and LGTBQ+ rights.

However, our results are also relevant beyond Southern Europe, as the current political climate is challenging for minorities living in all Europe, as well as for the advancement of gender and LGBT+ rights. As the far-right movement gains traction, even in the European Parliament, Islamophobic narratives persist in public, political, and academic discussions.
 
We make two main points: The first is that Muslim women activists in Spain and Italy are not hostile towards feminism, but they are often uncomfortable with what they describe as a ‘hegemonic perspective’ within feminism, according to which religion is something to emancipate from, perceived as oppressive by default.

​Second, we highlight how Muslim women activists in Italy and Spain take a role as ‘double ambassadors’: one the one hand, they attempt to challenge the stereotypical views of Islam by presenting themselves as modern and emancipated women; on the other hand, they also perform an activist role in relation to gender rights within their Muslim communities.

In embodying this double identity, Muslim women have to negotiate their roles within and outside their communities, navigating their strategies in relation to the pressures experienced in different social groups. As Islamophobia is growing, activists exert caution when speaking at public events, as not to offer arguments that can be weaponized against Islam and Muslims. In this sense, the context could limit the chances to publicly discuss feminism and gender rights within Islam.

At the same time, their gender-related activism is sometimes frowned upon in their local Muslim communities – in this sense, the reference to ‘Islamic feminism’ may offer a form of legitimacy, directly connecting gender-related activism, and feminism, to religion. 
 
Our article emphasizes the importance of focusing on the lived experiences of Muslim women to fully understand and analyze the negotiation between Islam and feminisms. Muslim women in Europe, like other minority groups, become pioneering activists with complex societal roles, constantly navigating the consequences of their actions. They serve as role models for younger generations, who may likely face even greater challenges as they take on the multifaceted ambassadorial role in the future.

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Image credit: Photo by Timothy Kolczak on Unsplash

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Read the Identities article:
​Martinez-Cuadros, Rosa & Giorgi, Alberta. (2024). Muslim women as “double ambassadors” of Islam: breaking stereotypes in everyday life and Muslim communities. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power. DOI: ​10.1080/1070289X.2024.2379714

Read further in Identities: 

Muslim women as ‘ambassadors’ of Islam: breaking stereotypes in everyday life   OPEN ACCESS

Examining BSA Muslim women’s everyday experiences of veiling through concepts of ‘the veil’ and ‘double consciousness’

Hijack or release? On the heuristic limits of the frame of instrumentalization of religion for discussing the entanglements of populism, religion, and gender