The Potentials and Pitfalls of Social Media Presence for Muslim Women

Within religion and theology, men have dominated the power of voice, to the detriment of women and others. Social media has created a space where women can contribute to the discussion by removing obstacles such as situational and geographical boundaries.

For Muslim women, in particular, these spaces allow for response to their double silencing by Muslim patriarchal traditions and ‘white savior’ feminism. Muslim women have used these public avenues to engage critically with issues of identity, representation, and political discourses. They also use these spaces to build community and support forums to talk about issues relevant to their lives.

However, their presence on social media is often hyper-focused on the hijab and religion which leads to stereotypical and monolithic representations and occludes the lived complexity of their lives. At the same time, although these spaces are avenues of empowerment, they are also points of vulnerability for women, who disproportionately face criticism and online abuse.

This roundtable, led by Public Scholar Arwa Hussain, addresses these issues by bringing into conversation a diverse group of Muslim women, in order to foreground the knowledge of those with first-hand experiences.