An islamic feminism is arguably an inherently culturally competent one, since islam in general is a deeply diverse tradition and allows for flexibility depending on contextual realities, so long. To understand islamic feminism, both words have to be examined separately and then together. On the whole this study has two aimsto examine differences and similarities. What constitutes an islamic feminism, and where is it headed. The most obvious marker of the struggle against feminism by muslim women is hijab the canons of modesty in islamic dress. Recent attempts to integrate marxism and feminism are unsatisfactory to us as feminists because they subsume the feminist struggle into the larger struggle against. Islamic socialism is a political philosophy that incorporates islamic principles to socialism. This article argues that islamic feminism may appear to be the inevitable result of the convergence of islam and feminism yet it is also inadequate to concerns for sex equality in islam. At the same time, it critiques jurisprudence in muslim societies that was elaborated through a masculine and sexist point of view, the marginalization of women in the writing of history and the. Feminism is an ideology premised on the idea that the fundamental division in human society is between the sexes, rather than between social classes. Sources of the tradition before engaging in any meaningful discussion of feminism in islam, it is useful to refer to the sources of the islamic tradition, since much confusion surrounds the use of the term islam. While feminists have taken the scarf to be a symbol of their subjugation to men in muslim societies, the faithful take it to be a symbol of respect and modesty. Its pointed out that they use garbage arguments, half truths to justify themselves, and end up fragmenting society.
The term islamic feminism became popular in the 1990s, defining an emerging feminist paradigm by scholars including ziba mirhosseini, mai yamani, nilufer gole and shamima shaikh. Irish patriotism and fighting cultural marxism within the. As a religion, islam has been demonized for its gender practices like no other. Asia, and the imposition of the veil in the islamic world. Iranian scholar ziba mirhosseini exposed the rise and use of the term islamic feminism by some women, as well as men, writing in the teheran womens journal. Feminism ziba mirhosseini abstract islamic feminism has gained currency since the 1990s and has become the label for a new brand of feminist scholarship and activism that is associated with islam. The marriage of marxism and feminism has been like the marriage of husband and wife depicted in english common law. Nor is it evident that those who first used it were aware of the explosive impact that the juxtaposition of these two words was to have. Iranian scholars afsaneh najmabadeh and ziba mirhosseini pioneered islamic feminism in the early 1990s. Rather, it was a renewal of an old traditton of thought and action already possessing its classic books whlch had diagnosed problem of womens inequality in society, and in some cases proposed solutions.
Read within an islamic feminist framework of feminist political action as found in the qur. Note that by community of women he means the collective ownership of women by the state. The reality and future of islamic feminism afghanistan. Indeed, islamic feminism denounces common feminist claims that feminism is antinomic to religion, as well as western colonialism and neocolonialism. Islam vs feminism contemporary topics of islamic thought. Jul 30, 2016 tania groth fran danska for frihed talar pa frihetsturnen i skane 2024 juli, 2016. Islamic feminism in the middle east international policy digest. Islamic feminism can be better understood through the strategies employed.
Marxism and feminism published on 04 oct 2018 by brill. Both insist that women may own their own property and dispose of it as they wish. Such women have a high degree of tolerance for domestic violence and oppression of. It aims for the full equality of all muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. The term islamic feminism began to surface in the 1990s in various global locations. Cultural marxism, and ideologies such as feminism are often criticized as complete nonsense. Islamic feminism the term islamic feminism was first used in the 1990s. In some arenas this discursive shift came to be theorised as islamic feminism prompting a rich and varied response that reveals. A highly controversial intervention into the debate on postmodernism and feminism, this book looks at what happens when these modes of analysis are jointly employed to illuminate the sexual politics of islam. Secular here is not tantamount to unreligious or antireligious. Islamic system, others import them and use them as such, sometimes even from a secular perspective.
This book analyzes that orientalism, with particular reference to representations of muslim women and. Though the islamic feminists turn to western feminism aims to improve some discriminatory aspects of the law and social policies, i believe that several pivotal aspects of feminism, such as womens control over their bodies and separation of religion and politics, remain intact. The struggle by islamic feminism for citizenship and justice, as miriam cooke puts it, gestures to the ostensibly political nature of islamic feminism that is framed by muslim women within the demands for gender rights and justice in muslim societies as articulated by hiba raufs influential work on the political contours of feminism in islam. Islamic feminists advocate womens rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an islamic framework. The variety of feminisms and their contribution to gender equality introduction my focus is the continuities and discontinuities in recent feminist ideas and perspectives.
Mar 08, 2018 islamic feminism is a relatively recent current of thought being developed by a transnational network of activists in widely contrasting sociopolitical contexts. To recognize the influence of national, political, and social contexts, particularly nationalism and imperialism, on islamic feminism. In other words, islamic feminism is a feminist discourse and practice articulated within an islamic paradigm badran 2009, 242. The thought of womens selfownership does not seem to occur to him. By the mid1990s, there was growing evidence of islamic feminism as a term created and circulated by muslims in farflung corners of the world. The arabic press conflates islamic feminism with the secular womens movement.
Theorizing the politics of islamic feminism shahrzad mojab abstract this article examines developments in islamic feminism, and offers a critique of feminist theories, which construct it as an authentic and indigenous emancipatory alternative to secular feminisms. However, islamic intellectual encounters with feminism date back to the early twentieth century. In his work on the recent impact of islam in politics, literature and postcolonial islam, majid consistently draws attention to the role of religion in shaping peoples lives as a repository of their memories and ideas. Your website is truly beneficial and valuable to both islamic men and women. In the following article i will very briefly outline some of the main determinations of this complex contemporary phenomenon islamic feminisms. Jul, 2017 an islamic sarsour style of feminism has to be shariacompliant in the if you cant beat em, join em mode. Islamic marxism attempts to apply marxist economic, political, and social teachings within an islamic framework. It fragmented, became exclusive rather than inclusive. Islamic feminism is an inter islamic phenomenon produced by muslims at various locations around the globe. The variety of feminisms and their contribution to gender. Although rooted in islam, the movements pioneers have also utilised secular and european or. Femmijt studres and tori sexual textual pohtrs do not discuss it as a distinct. More palatable to muslim women is an islamic feminist movement that seeks to marginalize cultural and tribal influence and grant women rights guaranteed in the quran.
Sources of the tradition islamic scholar and activist. Islamic feminism means justice to women, the milli. As a term, it was coined by various muslim leaders to describe a more spiritual form of socialism. I am going to discuss the development of feminist theories as to the sources of gender inequality and its pervasiveness, and the different feminist political solutions and. The success of transnational religious and feminist movements throughout the globe is simultaneously endorsing the tension between essentialised notions of islam and the west and directing the move towards reinterpreting modernity and redefining. The epithet islamic situates a person somewhere on the continuum between a cultural identity that is muslim and coexists easily with secularism and occasional expressions of religious observance on the one hand, and islamist, which describes a way of. If he thinks feminism is marxism, then he should think again. Islamic feminism and feminist theory by catherine williams. Islam was not relegated to the tiny, sometimes frustrating and seemingly arbitrary details of practice, but rather entered the larger picture of spirituality and worship that contextualized my womanhood. Islamic feminism is generally grounded in the quran and islamic prac tice, and is articulated predominantly though not exclusively within an islamic paradigm badran 2009, 241. Advocates of the movement seek to highlight the deeply rooted teachings of equality in the religion, and encourage a questioning of the patriarchal interpretation of islamic. However, the affinity between marxist and islamic ideals of social control has led some muslims.
Published in the 1631 jan 2004 print edition of mg. Islamic feminism and feminist theory abstract western feminist theory has developed significantly from its early roots in the suffrage movement. Margot badran of georgetown universitys center for muslimchristian. Fatema mernissis 1940 2015 work explores the relationship between sexual ideology, gender identity, sociopolitical organization, and the status of women in islam. This creates a system in which womens labor is separated from mens labor, and is considered to be less valuable because it does not earn monetary compensation. Fatema mernissi and islamic feminism literary theory and. Whether living in the middle east or africa, in central asia, in pakistan, in southeast asia, or in europe and the americas, muslim women tend to view the feminist movement with some apprehension. Islamic feminism is defined by islamic scholars as being more radical than secular feminism and as being anchored within the discourse of islam with the quran as its central text. Islamic feminism and feminist theory by catherine williams integrated studies final project essay mais 700 submitted to dr. Feminist orientalism and orientalist marxism mai ghoussoubs feminismor the eternal masculinein the arab world nlr 161 is indicative of two fundamental problems plaguing radical analysis of the middle east. The means by which male supremacy is enforced vary considerably from one. Feminism ids bulletin volume 42 number 1 january 2011 beyond islam vs.
As it grew to encompass those women who were not white and middle class it was caught in the trap that ensnares most social movements. Yet while feminist analysis is often useful in raising. Islamic feminism, which derives its understanding and mandate from the quran, seeks rights and justice for women, and for men, in the totality of their existence. The future of islamic feminism may see stronger social institutions and resources that support women and an end to the sugarcoating and apologetics, but most importantly, it. As a spokesperson for social justice, hers is a conscious decision. Click here, for islamic culture of violence and sexual exploitation. The reality and future of islamic feminism afghanistan al. Islamic feminism is a transnational movement that seeks to reinscribe questions of gender and womens rights into islamic thought and practice. Islamic feminism is defined by islamic scholars as being more radical than secular feminism, and as being anchored within the discourse of islam with the quran as its central text. Muslim socialists believe that the teachings of the quran and muhammad especially the zakat are compatible with principles of economic and social. It has gained little traction in the western media that often confuses islam with cultural and tribal oppression of women.
In 1970, when the latest outbreak of this social ebola broke amongst us in the womens liberation movement of the 1970s germaine greer said womens liberation, if it abolishes the patriarchal family, will abolish a necessary substructure of the authoritarian state, and once that withers. The reason islamic feminism has been perverted is because over centuries it had to conform to islamic law, sharia, which regulates to a fare. Islamic feminism has much to contribute to furthering the promotion of shared values and especially to assure that these shared values are. At the heart of the theories in this chapter is social stratification by class and power, and they are the most politicized of all criminological theories. This sense of stability and purpose was slowly eroded for a number of us in pakistan for reasons that are too complex to fully recount here, but two devel. Islam, feminism and cultural marxism jan sjunnesson. Islamic political thoughtislamic feminism historical.
New delhi, may, 2015 fes india paper islamic feminism can be better understood through the strategies employed. It was a very informative, important and fascinating article. Legal and literary perspectives is the title of saudi scholar mai yamanis 1996 book comprising the essays of a substantial number of women scholars who are articulating an emerging islamic feminism. Islamic feminism and marxism in mohammed umars amina. The islamic traditionlike other major religious traditionsdoes not consist of, or derive from, a single source. As a school of thought, it is said to refer to moroccan sociologist fatema mernissi and scholars such as amina wadud and leila ahmed. Paul kellogg in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of. Islamic feminism is a relatively recent current of thought being developed by a transnational network of activists in widely contrasting sociopolitical contexts. Nov 09, 2008 islamic feminism insists upon the separation of religion and state, resolutely upholding the notion of a secular state. I would like to thank you very much for printing the article today on the websites homepage titled islam and feminism. Not many studies have theorised gender issues in higher education, therefore, an attempt is made in this study to explore the underpinning theories of higher education and feminism.
What marxist feminism points out is that in capitalist economies, reproductive labor is usually considered to be exclusively womens labor. Although islam and feminism are not completely without common ground, the values and principles of islam and feminism are generally contrary. Marxism is the conflict of interests between classes in society which are the ruling class aka bourgeoisce and working class aka proletariat. Inside the weird world of adnan oktars islamic feminist cult. In saudi arabia, for example, feminism is deemed a threat to society. Islamic feminism also aims for the full equality of all muslims, male and female, in both public and private life. Thank you for being an advocate of free expression and gender equality. Traditional forms of marxism are antireligious and promote state atheism, which has led many muslims to reject marxism. Beginning with a historical sketch of islamic responses to feminism, this article provides an outline of islamic feminist claims, and a critique of the theory and politics of feminisms based on islamic approaches to gender relations. So that it is obviously unsatisfactory to try to into a nontheoretical category. In recent times, islamic feminism has emerged as a challenge to patriarchy in muslim societies. Ranging from reinterpretation of holy sources to recovering indisputable islamic rights of women, islamic feminists challenge patriarchy in multiple ways. Aug, 2014 be in no doubt about it, feminism is marxism.
Sheikh frequently employed the term islamic feminism in her speeches and articles. What is the difference between marxism and feminism answers. Islamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in islam. Read within an islamic feminist framework of feminist political action as found in the quran and islamic literature, proposed by notable feminist thinkers margot badran, miriam cooke and hiba rauf, among others, this paper will posit umars reexamination of concepts that are typically associated with marxs ideology, and that are eagerly.
1226 984 870 142 329 17 1066 1373 860 1156 443 100 1563 447 1356 1524 1413 33 407 1050 524 806 187 1348 1084 151 627 445 559 146 604 721 850 945 1291 437