Arab ladies are generally subjected to a variety of stereotypes. From the’silly shrouded female’ that is portrayed as an oppressed target in need of a savior, to the notion that women who wear veils are unable to suppose for themselves or do not have any motivation. These preconceptions are dangerous in their description of a tradition, but also in the method that they deny the trailblazing work of women function types across the location. Whether it is the first female governor of a capital in Iraq or the many Muslim female lawmakers, these women are a clear obstacle to the storyline that has been created that says Muslim women are powerless and never take charge of their israeli women looking for american men own lives.
Research conducted by George Gerbner, father of Cultivation Theory, shows that unfavorable preconceptions are cultivated through repeated press representations. 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 https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/women/ included women 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.