At the forefront of numerous grassroots, intellectual, and political movements opposing Israel’s ongoing war crimes, in the United States and elsewhere in the staunchly pro-Israel West, are Muslim women. Courageous Palestinian, Arab, South Asian, and Black women are leading mass protests, political action campaigns, teach-ins at universities, fundraisers for humanitarian aid, and writing letters to university presidents, demanding they protect their Palestinian and Muslim students from doxing, harassment, and intimidation by Zionist organizations on and off campus.
These Muslim women’s civic and political engagement is almost always met with attacks on their own safety, defamation of their character, and threats to their employment – all aimed at silencing their voices.If these threats on their lives and livelihoods do not work, Muslim women who speak up for the Palestinians – especially those holding positions in higher education – are dismissed as “too emotional”, “ignorant”, “bigoted”, or “professionally incompetent” by their pro-Israel peers.
Marginalized simultaneously for their religion, race and gender, Muslim women have long been forced to maneuver a triple bind to avoid discrimination, harassment and stigmatization. They are required to be “good Muslims”, “good women”, and “good racial minorities” all at once and at all times to avoid being targeted within the coercive assimilationist paradigm that constantly polices their behavior.
— To read the full article on Al Jazeera English, click here.
