Muslim Women in Eastern and Western Literature Compared

Introduction: Literature as a Mirror of Society

Representations of women in Middle Eastern literature provide a means by which the appreciation, perspective, and overall role of women—and how they are viewed by society—can be determined. While some argue that literature and daily lived life are entirely separate, literature serves as a measuring stick by which one can ascertain a definitive viewpoint on what the experience of being a Muslim woman is, and how such women are perceived. Literature can tell one a great deal about how societies work and can underscore the role that women play, or do not play, and how others see them. While both Eastern and Western literary traditions are incredibly vast, it is possible to identify certain trends that arise repeatedly. This paper examines the ways in which Muslim women appear as inspiration and as a vehicle through which stereotypes are expressed, by comparing Eastern and Western literature.

Muslim Women in Middle Eastern Literature

In Middle Eastern literature, one finds a wider range of representations of Muslim women, with more opportunity to observe how these women confront substantial obstacles. Nazik al-Mal'aika, the celebrated Iraqi poet, wrote the following world-famous poem regarding the injustice and devastating inequalities that besiege so many Muslim women, in her piece "Insignificant Woman" (Mikhai):

No eyes followed her coffin
to the end of the road
Only a memory of a lifeless form
passing in some lane...
A moon mourned in silence.

This poem clearly laments the way that Muslim women are treated in Middle Eastern society: as essentially invisible citizens who are not given the same ritualistic treatment in life or in death. There is a sense of tragedy in this level of inequality, and even the living natural world—embodied by the moon—mourns this dimension of unfairness.

An interesting aspect of Middle Eastern literature is how it represents Muslim women in the written scripts for film and television—treating the film or television script as a form of modern literature. This assessment is important because such modern literature has a powerful impact on local regions, perpetuating stereotypes or problematic cultural norms. Consider the research article "Selfish, Vengeful, and Full of Spite" by Mary Lou O'Neil (2013), which assesses the depictions of women who have abortions in four Turkish television series: Gümüş, Aşk-ı Memnu, Hanımın Çiftliği, and Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki, all of which aired within the past decade or so (O'Neil, 810). "O'Neil's study reveals that women in all four series are portrayed negatively and blamed for failing to conform to family and society's gender expectations" (Eltantawy, 766). Essentially, the literature of television and film punishes these women for defying cultural expectations of womanhood—specifically their failure and refusal to place motherhood above all else. These women are assigned questionable moral characters: they have affairs outside of marriage and prioritize their careers over their husbands or the primacy of being a mother. This is a clear example of traditional dogma toward women and femininity as it appears in Middle Eastern literature.

Classical Representations: Aisha and Early Islamic Texts

Most notably, in the Qur'an, Aisha—one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad—occupies a truly powerful and independent role of great influence. Aisha was highly visible and took on a very influential role during her time in Muhammad's life. "Aisha accompanied Muhammad to the early Islamic battles, and following Muhammad's death she opposed Ali's rise to the caliphate" (Ujayli, 18). It is also important to note that Aisha was instrumental in interpreting Muhammad's will and many of the teachings of Islam as a whole after his death (Ujayli, 18). She was a consultant in all religious matters, and over 2,000 hadith are credited to her (Ahmed, 73). Aisha stands out in the literature of this culture as someone viewed as a truth-teller and a woman of great expertise in all aspects of inheritance, law, literature, history, and genealogy (Ujayli, 19).

The honor, wisdom, and reverence accorded to Aisha in this early and classical Middle Eastern text stands in stark contrast to how current Middle Eastern literature portrays Muslim women. Contemporary literature continues to lament the plight of women under the warped patriarchy that shapes so much of life in this region. For example, one of the most famous Palestinian writers, Sahar Khalifeh, does not flinch when it comes to portraying the sobering realities of feminine life in areas of continuous aggressive conflict. Her novel The Inheritance tells a devastating and vivid tale common to this part of the world: Palestinian women give up everything they have and everything that matters to them for the men in their lives, only to receive zero acknowledgement or commemoration from their nation or their relatives (Khalifeh). This is a common thread in feminist Middle Eastern literature today—a scathing portrayal of the treatment of women and the tremendous sacrifices Muslim women are forced to make, set against a cruel and indifferent world.

Muslim Women in Western Literature and Art

When it comes to representations of Muslim women in the West, there is a stronger sense of overall distortion—with the West using the East as an inverted mirror, something noted famously by Edward Said (12). Perhaps even before Western literature chained Muslim women to overt stereotypes, this attachment to the stereotypes of exoticism first occurred in the art world. "In a book titled Orientalism, he showed us how this perceived binary separating the Semitic East and the Christian West has traditionally manifested itself in art through romanticized scenes of Eastern cultures presented as alien, exotic, and often dangerous" (Engh). European art of the 1800s showed images of Muslim women in contexts of overt hedonism and provocative imagery. "Ingres's 1814 Grande Odalisque, for example, depicts a concubine languidly lounging about, lightly dusting herself with feathers as she peers over her shoulder at the viewer with absent eyes" (Engh).

Nineteenth-century art helped to further ideas of fluid sexuality and opium-enhanced pleasure; these images fostered an identification of the Middle East as an arena of indulgent sex, pleasure-enhancing substances, and tantalizing, exotic women more than willing to cater to the whims of men (Engh). These women were portrayed as exotic and uncivilized in Western literature as well.

Conclusion: Nuance versus Stereotype

There is an enormous divide in the manner in which Muslim women are represented in Middle Eastern literature and culture versus Western. There is more nuance in the portrayals of Muslim women in Eastern literature: yes, there is a sense of oppression shown, and recognition of the inequality that narrows women's existence. However, there is also much greater depth—a sense of struggle against this unfairness and of active resistance. At the same time, Middle Eastern media does continue to perpetuate an archaic standard of restricted femininity, confining women to the roles of mother and wife. Western literature has historically portrayed Islamic women in extremes: as creatures of sexuality and exoticism, or as prisoners of their own society. In these extreme portrayals, no real accuracy can exist.

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