On being a Muslim feminist.

As talked about in an earlier post regarding peace in Islam, the media loves to portray the wrong side of Islam, and this portrayal includes how women are treated within Islam.
In the West, both feminism and Islam have very negative connotations to it that drive people away. Many people who are secluded within their own bubble like to call feminists "bra burning man haters" who only want to become superior in society. These same people also like to call Islam a terrorist and extremist religion that oppresses women.
It's especially infuriating when feminists degrade Islam by saying that women in Islam "need to be saved" or when Muslims claim that feminists are radical women who only want to degrade men and let go of their traditions. So is there really an in between? Is it possible that one can coincide with Islam and feminism and appreciate both?
The answer is absolutely, and here's why.
Islam is a religion of over 1.5 billion people, within it, there is a history of over 1,000 years, spanning across many cultures, people, and languages. So of course it is natural that the people who identify with Islam will vary, and so will their beliefs. The same can be said with feminism, which has been around since the beginning of time. To box an entire group of people into one stereotype- claiming that they are terrorists or hairy lesbians-  is rather ridiculous.
Let's look at Femen for example. Femen are a group of women, founded by Anna Hutsol, who claim themselves to be feminists and are globally known for organizing topless protests for a variety of causes. One of these causes, is their view on Islam as an oppressive and misogynist religion. Femen has declared "Topless Jihad Day" on April 1st, 2013, where they rally in front of Tunisian embassies and mosques.

Many protests are known to show women drawing unibrows, beards, and wrapping their heads in towels while drawing the Crescent star (the symbol for Islam) on their chest.

This is not liberation and does not help Muslim women at all. In fact, it's quite racist. Femen boxes Muslim women into one stereotype reinforcing that they are voiceless, enslaved women who need saving. 

Many Muslim women have spoken out against Femen, and Femen's reaction is quite hypocritical, calling them "brainwashed, stupid, and enslaved," as if according to Femen, Muslim women can't have a voice of their own.

Now you may ask, "are you forgetting Saudi Arabia? Afghanistan? Pakistan? What about what's going on with women there?" Of course the hardships women face there are something that needs to be pointed out. However culture and religion are two different things, and the hardships the women face there are cultural issues, not religious issues, that happen all over the world regardless of religion. Many people like to point out the status of women in these countries, however no one talks about the many women who had prominent political positions in Muslim countries, such as Benazir Bhutto, Lala Shevket, Khaleda Zia, Sheikh Hasina, Rawya Ateya, Tansu Ciller, and many other women. Not to mention the many Muslim feminists and Muslim female organizations that shaped the notion of modern day intersectional feminism today. 

Both Islam and feminism are very broad topics that are meant to be explored, questioned, and researched. I personally believe that Islam is a feminist religion and was the first religion to advocate for rights women didn't ever have in history before, such as the right to own private property, to work, to consent to marriage, and more. Of course there may be some things in the Qu'ran that I may not uphold to my values, however being a Muslim feminist is a beautiful thing and I very much cherish that. To be a true feminist, you must advocate for the rights of all women, and to be a true Muslim, you must advocate for the rights of all people, regardless of gender.