Framing the online women's movements in the Arab world

Abstract

The events of the Arab Spring led to several reforms in the Arab world and facilitated the creation of feminist movements. Social networking sites such as Facebook were used as tools to promote this kind of online activism and create a collective secular identity for the members of these movements. This study investigated over 220,000 Facebook posts and comments taken from three online feminist movements which supported gender equality in the Arab world. The results show that these movements sometimes face fierce resistance from Islamists who believe that their religion is under attack. Instead of having one type of poster and commentator, three main online groups are identified; each one competes to garner attention and support from the public.

Keywords:

• social activism
• social media
• Arab culture
• secularism
• Islam
• Facebook
• the Uprising of Women in the Arab World
• revolution against the patriarchal society
• girls' revolution

Notes on contributor

Ahmed K. Al-Rawi is Assistant Professor at the Department of Media & Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Al-Rawi's research interests include international communication, Arab media, and popular culture. He authored Media practice in Iraq (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) and published over 30 research papers and book chapters in a variety of journals such as the International Communication Gazette, International Journal of Communication, Social Science Computer Review, and Journal of International Communication. His forthcoming book Negotiating Islam on YouTube (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) will explore the role of YouTube in the Middle East. See his web page: www.eshcc.eur.nl/alrawi. [email: [email protected]]

Notes

1. All the words and phrases discussed here are in Arabic unless indicated otherwise.

2. This Arabic word is transliterated because it is difficult to find an exact equivalent in English. Its literal meaning is pudendum, but the intended meaning is that looking at and mixing with women are regarded as taboos.

3. The verse reads as follows:

Men are the managers of the affairs of women/ For that God has preferred in bounty/ One of them over another, and for that/They have expended of their property./ Righteous women are therefore obedient,/ Guarding the secret for God's guarding. / And those you fear may be rebellious/ Admonish; banish them to their couches, /And beat them. If they then obey you,/ Look not for any way against them; God is All-high, All-great. (Al-Nisa’ verse (34)) (Arberry, 1955)

4. This is the second Arabic word that is transliterated here because it refers to the idea that mixing with women is a taboo (the word's origin is harem).