From the Oppressed to the Terrorist: Muslim-American Women in the Crosshairs of Intersectionality

In the post-9/11 era, Muslim women donning a headscarf in America find themselves trapped at the intersection of bias against Islam, the racialized Muslim, and women. In contrast to their male counterparts, Muslim women face unique forms of discrimination not adequately addressed by Muslim civil rights advocacy organizations, women's rights organizations, or civil liberties advocates. This article examines how the September 11th attacks adversely impacted the lives of headscarved Muslim women in ways different than Muslim men. Ten years after 9/11, there is a plethora of literature about what has become known as "post-9/11 discrimination." Most of the discussion focuses on the experiences of Muslim men or analyzes law and policy through a male gendered paradigm.

Amidst pervasive suspicion of Islam, continuing sexism, and bias against her particular race group, however, the Muslim woman is both a visible target and a silent victim.