Re/placing Islamic Feminism

New Series. Issue No. 4 (18) /2015 Unveiling the Feminisms of Islam

Contemporary Islamic feminisms, already quite diverse, deconstruct preceding Islamic interpretations, proposing more egalitarian re-readings and reconceptualizations of Islamic tradition while preserving the centrality of classical textual sources (Qur’an and Sunnah) as fundamental references, the valoric hierarchies being reorganized according to the principles of Islamic ethics. The integration of social, economic, and political analysis that explain power dynamics, alienation, marginalization, and the liberation of women is another defining dimension of Islamic feminisms. Some Muslim feminists plead for the preservation and the innovative exploitations of traditional jurisprudence’s categories and purposes, while others propose a radical reform of the fundaments of Islamic disciplines. Another category of Muslim feminists prefers to adopt and integrate the discourses, approaches, and terminologies of Western feminists; some translate these in the referential Islamic system, others import them and use them as such, sometimes even from a secular perspective. In the following article I will very briefly outline some of the main determinations of this complex contemporary phenomenon – Islamic feminism(s).

Safara, 2020

Islamic Feminism has emerged around the 1920s as a concept and developed rapidly as a global phenomenon in the mid‐1990s. While conservatives claim that gender asymmetries are divinely ordained, Islamic feminists hold the contrary and are working for complete equality between men and women. The purpose of this research is to investigate the status of women in Islam according to the Quran and the Sunnah to see whether Islamic feminism’s claims are founded. This study reveals that although there are commonalities between Islamic feminism and Islam itself, oftentimes Islamic feminism is fighting against practices that emanate directly from the Quran and the Sunnah, such as polygamy, hijab, the Islamic inheritance laws, the concept of male guardianship, etc. At the core of the differences that exist between Muslim scholars and Islamic feminists are the methodologies they use to investigate the sacred texts. Keywords: Islamic feminism, gender equality, gender equity, ijtihad, social justice, gender asymmetries, science of hadeeth Le féminisme islamique a vu le jour aux alentours des années 1920. Il a connu une avancée fulgurante au milieu des années 1990, et est devenu depuis lors un phénomène mondial. Alors que les conservateurs affirment que les inégalités qui existent entre les genres sont un commandement divin, les féministes islamiques soutiennent le contraire et revendiquent donc une égalité complète entre homme et femme. Le but de cette recherche est d’enquêter sur le statut de la femme en Islam en prenant appui sur le Coran et la Sunnah pour voir si les revendications du féminisme islamique sont fondées ou pas. Cette étude révèle que bien qu’il existe des points communs entre le féminisme islamique et l’Islam en tant que tel, force est de constater que trop souvent le féminisme islamique se dresse contre des pratiques qui émanent directement du Coran et de la Sunnah telles que la polygamie, le hijab, les lois qui régissent l’héritage en islam, la tutelle, etc. Au cœur des divergences qui existent entre les savants musulmans et les féministes islamiques se trouvent les méthodologies qu’ils utilisent pour analyser les textes sacrés. Mots-clés: Féminisme islamique, égalité des genres, équité des genres, ijtihad, justice sociale, asymétrie du genre, science du hadith

MALIM: JURNAL PENGAJIAN UMUM ASIA TENGGARA (SEA JOURNAL OF GENERAL STUDIES), 2016

This article surveys the feminist movement in Islam by delving into its origin, development and diversities within the Islamic tradition. The article starts its survey from the very beginning of the Islamic religion to the time after the demise of the Prophet and the modern and contemporary periods. Using the historical and analytical methods, the paper looks at the spectrums of the Muslim women struggle for their rights and the different dimensions that this struggle has taken at different times in the historical progression of the Islamic religion and the result of this on the religion itself. The submission of the paper is that, just as in other feminist movements from other traditions, the Islamic feminist movement is diverse and varied in its approach to the issue of claiming the rights of Muslim women. There are those who advocate for the reinterpretation and restructuring of the religion to meet modern day demands and views of women and because of their feeling of a strong sense of rejection and they hold that the Islamic religion should abdicate talking it views about women and embrace modern reforms concerning the rights of women in the society. On the other hand, there are others who want the religion to remain as it is while the rights of women are respected and given due regards as was the case during the time of the Prophet. Thus, all these points to the diversity of the discourse in the Islamic Tradition and speak of the fact that women's right is a very important issue in the contemporary Muslim societies which needs serious attention from Muslim scholars and leaders alike.

Journal for Islamic Studies, 2009

2014

There has been much misunderstanding, misinterpreta tion nd mischief concerning feminism and Islam. Islamic feminism explicates the idea of gender equality as part and parcel of the Quranic notion of equality of all insan (human beings) and calls for the implementation of gender equity. This paper is an attempt to present the debates concerning its place in the Islamic discourse, and its various paradigms. I hav e tried to present the vexed questions that have emerged in various writings about Islamic Femi nism, and the divergent responses given by eminent theoreticians. The aim of this paper is not to justify the paradigms of Islamic Feminism. I have just made a humble attempt to give a succinct overview of this new discourse that the contemporary Muslim Ummah is con fronting.

Al-Tahrir: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 2019

Feminism always be a favorable discussion among academics. It is supported by the increasing blending of nondichotomous intellectual and study area, between the pure-Islamic studies and anti-Islamic studies. The studies were started to be integral since the 19 th century marked by the emergence of the various Islamic studies. Muslim scholars have conducted research on women from various perspectives, family-law, and humiliation in the society. The study of women has attracted attention of international Muslim scholar that respond to the methodological reconstruction. It occurred due to the concern of women existence especially for women who require a distinct protection. This paper employed a historical-methodological approach which analysed the views of two Muslim scholars which are well-known with western education and concern about women's issues, namely Khaled Abou el Fadl who reviewed the notes on the fatwa of the middle eastern scholars at the CRLO institutions (council for scientific research and legal opinion) and Ziba Mir Hosseini who studies about the sacredness and profanity of Islamic law, especially the position of women in family law.

Acta Scientific Women's Health, 2022

The term "Islamic feminism", which has emerged more recently in comparison with "Western feminism", has become the subject of heated debate both among scholars and among the general public. While Islamic feminism, like Western feminism, focuses on women's rights, it is different in nature. Islamic feminists see the Quran as the source of the struggle for their rights. They argue that the oppression of Islamic women continues due to misinterpretations of the Quran by elite men. Nevertheless, some scholars, especially Western ones, argue that the reason for gender inequality lies not in interpretation, but in the Quran itself and specific verses. This article focuses on Islamic feminism by analyzing the arguments of both sides. In the end, I came to the conclusion that although the position of women has improved with the advent of Islam, there are points in the verses that make gender equality almost impossible in Muslim countries. Thus, this article argues that for meaningful change, Islamic feminists must change their approach on this issue.

Islamic feminism is a feminist discourse that propagates gender equality and social justice within a pre-structured Islamic framework, in an attempt to achieve normative reconciliation between Islam and women’s rights. Islamic feminism needs to contribute to radical change in prevalent understanding of Islam through scholarship that restores to Islam its historicity. Feminism is the newest human effort to deal with the problems between men and women which constitute the rock on which civilization will either split asunder or survive. This paper tries to make understand philosophies like Religion and Culture and of-course their importance.