Strengths and Weaknesses of Veiled Threats

Veiled Threats? 

By Martha Nussbaum 

Strengths and Weaknesses

In the reading Veiled Threats by Martha Nussbaum, Nussbaum was vey successful with making her arguments very clear and structured. When she pointed out the five arguments that are commonly made in favor of proposed bans, one of the arguments caught my attention. In the third argument when Nussbaum talks about how Muslim women are seen by society as mere objects, she claims that they are quite opposite of that. Nussbaum states, “Sex magazines, nude photos, tight jeans- all of these products, treat women as objects”. She is pointing out to society that women who are covered receive respect from men not women who present themselves seductively. Although she does make a strong claim, the down side to that is not all people may agree with her statement. Just because some women may wear less clothing doesn’t mean men don’t take them as serious. Nussbaum is making more of a personal opinion rather than a fact. Even though the third argument may be offensive to Nussbaum culture, she doesn’t realize that her argument can be offensive towards other women as well.

            Another one of the five arguments that are commonly made in favor of proposed bans caught my attention as well. The fourth holds that women wear the burqa only because they are coerced. Nussbaum questions if the arguers really believe domestic violence is particularly a Muslim problem. She uses logos to back up her statement by referring to The National Violence Against Women Survey, which is strong so the reader can get a clear understanding of her claim. The result of the survey reports that, “52 percent of surveyed women said they were physically assaulted as a child by an adult caretaker and/or as an adult by any type of perpetrator.” Nussbaum argues that there is no evidence that those come from Muslim families. Yes, that is true, but she also doesn’t have any evidence that they don’t come from Muslim families. I do like where she was going with her argument, but when she didn’t use logos to back up her other claim, that’s when I questioned her statements all together.