Freelancer Mary Rogan reflects on her Aqsa Parvez story and the outcomes
Last week, with the conviction of Aqsa Parvez's father and brother for her murder, we asked whether views had changed on the December 2008 cover story in Toronto Life by Mary Rogan. Not much was heard from her at the time. But Rogan clearly has her own views looking back. In a Q & A with the magazines's Informer blog, she says she was particularly disturbed by the number of people, particularly young Muslim women, who came forward to condemn the victim. And she talked about her own reaction to the story:
I was maybe a little naive going in. I got caught up in getting to know Aqsa and understanding her struggle. My goal was to humanize her—I wanted the reader to know her. When the criticism came out, especially the accusations of Islamophobia and cultural insensitivity, I was quite staggered. I expected I might get direct criticism from the Muslim community but didn’t. Instead, it came from Toronto feminist groups. There were protests, there were on-line debates and ugly postings saying that the conclusions I had drawn, even if they weren’t wrong, were racist, and this story was another example of the growing persecution of Muslims in North America. I was very shocked by the idea that feminists would be aligning themselves with conservative Muslims. I certainly see it now all the time.
She also says she doesn't regret using the term "honour killing" in her story.
It surprised me that people were so afraid to describe Aqsa’s death as an honour killing. It’s irrational to think that we can’t call something what it is because that community can’t sustain that kind of criticism. Ultimately, I think that’s very infantilizing. If the Muslim community can’t sustain the kind of criticism that other communities go through, then there’s no hope for moving forward.
And she says she thinks it was wrong to plea bargain the father and brother down to second degree murder.
It’s clear the murder was planned, and I was disappointed that it ended up as second degree. When Aqsa’s brother gets out of jail, he’ll be a relatively young man, young enough to start a family. They could have pushed for first degree, and I think they would have won.
Related posts:
- Aqsa Parvez case concludes with life sentences; was Toronto Life right?
- Shame on you, say the critics; I'm proud I did it, says Toronto Life editor
- Fulford says when people talk about the death of print, they don't mean magazines
Labels: editorial, freelancers, Toronto Life
posted by D. B. Scott at
11:34 am
1 Comments:
No time to reflect on all of Rogan's comments, but this one:
"I was very shocked by the idea that feminists would be aligning themselves with conservative Muslims. I certainly see it now all the time."
...is so incredibly shallow and ill-considered that it's almost laughable. They're making common cause because of... what? Self-loathing? Nostalgia for the good ol' "barefoot and pregnant" days? Please.
Feminists are not aligning themselves with conservative Muslims; they are, rather fittingly, aligning themselves against the kind of ignorant stereotyping that other minority groups (some of which are currently more vulnerable than others) still must endure.
And regarding Rogan's claim that the criticism did not emanate from the Muslim community: if you look through the links provided by D.B. here, you'll see that one of the groups that was highly critical of the way she handled the story was the Canadian Council of Muslim Women -- a progressive organization.
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