Posted on 11/30/2015 10:12:18 AM PST by Academiadotorg
At George Washington University, feminists, documentarians and activists alike gathered and voiced their criticisms about the feminist movement at large and their resistance to acknowledge abuse of women in Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities. In a panel discussion entitled, âCensorship and Free Speech,â a human rights lawyer-turned-documentarian and two activist directors and producers discussed their personal experiences with censorship from the Left and from Hollywood.
Paula Kewskin, an attorney in international humanitarian and human rights law, also wrote and produced the documentary âHonor Diaries.â According to its website, the documentary âgives a platform to exclusively female voices and seeks to expose the paralyzing political correctness that prevents many from identifying, understanding and addressing this international human rights disaster.â
In her experience, when discussing honor killings, female genital mutilation and other practices common among Muslims and Hindus, âthe top womenâs rights organizationsâ¦basically said to me, âThanks, but no thanksââ due to concerns that ââyou will offend people.ââ These organizations were not âcomfortableâ âcalling out certain religions and certain groups.â In her own words, âI expected a loving embrace from the feminist community,â but after being rejected by them, she was discouraged. This rejection, she noted, âcame from people that I thought were my sisters in the feminist movement.â
Kewskin was upset that her film, âHonor Diaries,â was not screened at the University of Michigan. âI was heartbroken; I didnât expect that and I didnât expect it to be coming from a college campus.â She said that they got phone calls the following day after the Michigan incident and said, âThree or four [more screenings] disappeared overnight.â âI was upset, I didnât want the film to be muzzled,â she said. Although âwe were on Megyn Kelly [of Fox News] like five times in ten days,â Kewskin said, âI want to say in this safe space, it really wasnât that funâ even when âany publicist would tell you any press is good press.â She felt she was âdragged through the mudâ for bringing the truth to light.
Pointing to critics, Kewskin said, âI donât like being called Islamophobicâ for her work in exposing the abuse of women within the honor system. She realized after the Michigan incident, âmy film wasnât the only film being banned, marginalized [or] politicizedâ¦I realized there is a sisterhood of art.â The opposition and criticism of her documentary displayed how it is âvery difficult for the status quo to change.â Kewskin lamented the âlack of progressive Muslim womenâs groupsâ and funding for them. Most Americans would not âhear about them on NPR [National Public Radio],â she said. She criticized the education focus of womenâs rights groups, âWe can educate everyone until the cows come homeâ¦but what about equality? [What about] violation of womenâs sexuality?!â
Riddhi Jha, the associate producer of âIndiaâs Daughter,â also chimed in. Her documentary follows the development of the case of gang rape (and resulting death) of a young Indian woman, Jyoti, on a bus in December 2012. Too often, Jha said, events like these are âpushed into a corner and is hushed away.â The Indian government âwent absolutely berserk that we interviewed the rapistsâ for the documentary and she heard âa lot of backlashâ such as, âYouâre a traitor.â Jha said, âOur response is always the sameâ¦the film is about the courageous men and womenâ who are making these issues known, which are often hidden away from the public eye. She continued, âIt becomes okay to silence the women and theyâve been programmed not to say anything.â
After news broke of the gang rape and murder of Jyoti, Indians took to the streets in protests, which was unprecedented for India. The filmmakers needed at least 100,000 signatures on a petition (which highlighted the issues of violence against women) to get it before the countryâs parliamentary body. Jha said, âWhen I went to bed, we had a thousand signatures and when I woke up, we had 70,000 signatures.â They eventually reached the 100,000 signature threshold to put it before parliament.
Jha claimed â1 in 5 womenâ globally become victims of rape and violence, which is why her documentary was important because âit is to show there is a problem of rape everywhere.â She continued, âThe only way to bring about change is if all of us join hands and fight togetherâ because âit could happen to any one of us.â Too many filmmakers and activists are âscared of offending religion and culture,â Jha said, âTheyâre too afraid to embrace something that is controversial.â Although most of their support has come from the likes of American entities such as PBS, Jha said that activists like her are trying to lift the ban on her documentary and others like hers in India. âWe have to stay active and canât let the momentum die downâ because âthere are human lives [at stake].â She pointed out how âwomen and the children seem to be the targetâ of these types of violence. When asked how the Indian government would respond, she said, âWho cares what the Indian government thinks? These problems are not being treated at the grassroots and are being hidden away.â
In other words, the “feminsits” told Ms. Kewskin to get back in the kitchen because they were afraid the Muslims would smack them around a bit.
This is why radical feminists will attack Christian views on women, but not Muslim views.
bttt
“Feminists” just want to destroy western civilization. They are not at all interested in women’s human rights. The feminist movement was hijacked by the left long ago, just the same way as was “environmentalism”.
The leftists’ utopia cannot coexist with western liberty. Funny thing is their utopia cannot coexist with Islam either. Where’s this going?
They want her to go make Mohammed a sammich.
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