Al Musawwir

challenging the new orientalism

from Amazon’s editorial review:

Over the past few decades, a new form of Orientalism has been developing. As exemplified by Elie Kedourie and Bernard Lewis, it points to Islam as the West’s archenemy. The rise of political Islam and its opposition to Western domination of the Islamic world are seen as evidence of a deep, abiding hatred of all things Western. Accordingly, the new Orientalists call for thorough reforms, among them regime changes, wars, and the imposition of “democracy” on Islamic societies. They warn that if the West shrinks from this challenge, the Islamists will surely gain power and destroy the West.

Not surprisingly, many of the new Orientalists are strong partisans of Israel.

For a taste of this wonderful book, check M. Shahid Alam’s excellent essay: The Muslims America Loves.

In the heyday of the old colonialism, the white man did not need any help from the natives in putting down their religion and culture. Indeed, he preferred to do it himself. Then, the opinion of the natives carried little weight with the whites anyway. So why bother to recruit them to denounce their own people. As a result, Orientalists wrote countless tomes denigrating the cultures of the lesser breeds.

Today the West needs help in putting down the uppity natives–especially the Muslims. One reason for this is that with the death of the old colonialism, some natives have begun to talk for themselves. A few are even talking back at the Orientalists raising all sorts of uncomfortable questions. This hasn’t been good: and something had to be done about it. In the 1970s the West began to patronize ‘natives’ who were deft at putting down their own people. Was the West losing its confidence?

The demand for ‘native’ Orientalists was strong. The pay for such turncoats was good too. Soon a whole crop of native Orientalists arrived on the scene. Perhaps, the most distinguished members of this coterie include Nirad Chaudhuri, V. S. Naipaul, Fouad Ajami and Salman Rushdi. They are some of the best loved natives in the West.

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scantily clad orientalism

Why is that even liberal/left activist/journalists have to draw attention to “scantily clad” women in the “middle-east” to prove that Arabs, Muslims etc. are really not so bad – and that the “west” has nothing to worry about.

A couple of recent examples:

First, from a supposed favorable article regarding the Islamic resistence of Lebanon, By Nir Rosen, subtitled:

“In the wake of Israel’s 33-day war with Hizballah, the 24-year-old Islamic movement has become the most popular political party in the Middle East. Here’s why that shouldn’t worry us.”

So, why should the Islamic movement not worry “us?” Rosen gives several reasons, but what is with this “scantily clad” nonsense?:

“There were youths in trendy attire, girls in tight jeans with hair exposed and who had turned their Hizballah T-shirts into stylish form-fitting fashion statements. “

And again:

“Throughout the country, women in chadors walk beside scantily clad beauties. “

So what is going on here? Don’t be afraid of Hizbullah because they got “scantily clad beauties” amongst their supporters? But be afraid, very afraid of men with beards, and women wearing chadors. These kinds of articles, while supposedly favorable of Muslims and Arabs, infact, recycle the same old orientalist and islamophobic cliches – only this time to show the “west” — Oh see, they are just like “us.” And what if “they” were not like “us” – would it be OK to then bomb ‘em?

Juan Cole has a similar blog entry, where he said that:

They are leveling the towns of the south altogether. They are hitting people who are not Muslim fascists.

And how does he “prove” that those being bombed are not “Muslim fascists” – well, you see, the women are scantily clad: The pictures he has posted on that entry says it all!

It is the kind of place where they play the pop music of Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram in the nightclubs.

And then there is this recent article on Iran in the mainstream press, suggesting that Iran is not so bad after all, why? Well because there is this island, and here:

“the island authorities draw the line at booze and bikinis,…and Women let their scarves slip and sang along, wiggling to the music in their seats or smoking hookahs…”