ABSTRACT
In the decade since 11 September 2001, many prominent voices have deployed the need to “save Muslim women2 and queers” as a moralistic justifi cation for a web of military, intelligence, and humanitarian political projects (Ali 2010; Nesiah 2004; (Mikdashi and R.M. 2011; Puar 2007; Massad 2007) under the guise of the “War on Terror” (Engle 2007; Alvarez 2009). Yet the dominant public discourse is largely mute regarding the incalculable human toll stemming from these projects, including as felt by women and queers worldwide. Instead it focuses on the “terrorists,” “militants,” “insurgency,” and “fundamentalism” against which these measures are targeted. These raced and gendered discourses can be broadly divided into two domains. The fi rst is neo-conservative in nature and typifi ed by Laura Bush’s radio address in support of US military operations in Afghanistan: “The brutal oppression of women is a central goal of the terrorists . . . The fi ght against terrorism is also a fi ght for the rights and dignity of women” (2001). The neo-conservative position has been thoroughly critiqued. In this chapter, we are concerned with the second, related position, which we characterize as “liberal.”
