Believe it or not, feminists can oppress others.

The term “white feminism” was coined to describe white women whose feminism excludes the concerns of women of color. Now, the phrase is applied to any feminist who fails to champion and respect the choices of non-Western women.

Two members of the “feminist” group FEMEN International stormed the stage of a Muslim women’s conference last week in Paris, France. They interrupted a debate between two imams, Muslim clerics, on spousal rape.

One of the shirtless activists had “no one subjugates me” written across her torso, and on the other was written, “I am my own prophet.” In further protest, the women screamed their taglines into the microphones before being wrestled away from the stage.

While voicing concern for domestic abuse victims is certainly a feminist cause, the distasteful manner in which FEMEN interrupted the fair is an embodiment of white feminism. The group has openly declared war on religion in its mission statement and entered the Muslim fair with the goal of imposing Western, secular ideals.

FEMEN felt entitled to intrude upon this safe space as if what they had to say was more important than the concerns of Muslim women.

This isn’t the first time that FEMEN has acted violently against a religious community. In 2012, FEMEN members cut down a cross at the International Center for Culture and Arts in Kiev, Ukraine. In 2013, FEMEN protested outside of Belgian, Ukrainian and French mosques.

Whereas a respectful, critical dialogue about the tenets of Islam could have brought two different groups of women to an understanding, FEMEN’s approach was offensive, alienating and oppressive.

While the ethics of political public indecency are debatable, FEMEN’s outrage as a radical feminist group has often been well-placed. Apart from street protests, the organization has gained media buzz for their stands against rape cases that charge victims or neglect to charge perpetrators. In the same vein, FEMEN has spoken out about the exploitive nature of sex tourism and domestic sex work.

Sex-positivity and reclaiming female sexuality are pretty run-of-the-mill when it comes to feminist causes; however, while organized religion is fit for criticism, FEMEN’s anti-religious tirades come from a place of disrespect for other women.

Caroline Colvin is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ccolvin@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @fkacaro.

Published on September 24, 2015 at 12:05 am