Feminist...Islam! How?
- 24020352
- Jul 25, 2022
- 1 min read
Out of all the unexpected concepts I've come across, the one that tops the list is feminist Islam.
" Feminists are just angry women. If they have an issue with someone, it needs to be dealt with personally. Why are they making it a bigger deal than it is? "
This isn't just my crowd. This kind of noise dominates the issue from what I've experienced.
My journey so far in LUMS has challenged these set of opinions. I've met feminists who aren't radical and represent the ideals of their struggle in an accommodating manner. And for a kid who comes from a household that promoted avoiding any debates on religion and politics, my new environment led me to SS101: Islamic Studies.
The course offered by Professor Baqar Zaidi exposed me to the scholarly side of religion. The way the traditional narratives have been shaped by some of the most popular interpretations of Quran, why some interpretations are more popular than others etc. were part of the curriculum.
It established Islam as we see it today as a direct product of the representation in its interpretations. What intrigues me are the possibilities of how different would the muslim world be today if feminist interpretations were taught alongside some of the popular interpretations, that are catered towards men, that form the basis of some of the sects?
The wife beating verses?
The men are guardians of women?
The weight of a woman's testimony?
Observing the veil?
What happens to all of these hallmarks discussions that are dominated by the mainstream interpretations which are arguably designed to control women?
This blog makes me think how men in our society always dismiss the idea of women demanding equality using their sense of religion. I personally am very close to Islam and am very much aware that questioning Islam and going into detail is not allowed, however, Islam and Culture have been very messed up together. Islam in no way allows what is happening with women since the beginning of time. In fact, people used to burry daughters alive in old ages and no Mufti has ever shed light upon it. I just read a recent post where parents left their newborn daughter in the hospital garden abandoned in Lahore. This disturbs me that men criticising feminists as rebellious and provocative…
This was a really interesting post! I have seen a lot of men and conservatives use the example of Islam to dismiss feminism and equality in our society and sometimes it just infuriates me. By no means do I consider myself an expert on Islam, however, one thing that I do know is that Islam is a religion of equality and tolerance so I don't believe it will encourage anything which makes one gender superior to the other and make women feel suppressed in our society. A lot of times people pick and choose Islamic verses and parts of them to manipulate their meaning and use it to their advantage but I believe that there is always a deeper meaning…
Really interesting conversation you've brought to us Ans! I actually come from a largely conservative religious background and I have dedicated a lot of time to researching this topic. Interpretation of Islamic Holy texts takes several different forms. I would urge you and all the others in the comments to read Kecia Ali's Sexual Ethics and Islam. It is a book that highlights and talks about precisely these issues that you have raised, along with several more. In light of this course, however, I think what's fascinating is to see how different Islamic identities are represented and under-represented in popular media. One aspect of this I would like to bring up is Youtube Scholars. In the last few years, we've…
Very interesting topic and thank you for sharing your thoughts. So, yes, Islam is a very sensitive topic, and we cannot argue that it is so, and why not. And we don't know much about Islam because our society, our parents and our environment play an important role in it. Our parents teach us the basics of Islam and read the Qur'an to us, and they think that's how it is. We are living in a very modern and fast-paced era, where everyone is interested or struggling to learn English and job. And our environment, we style things, and everyone is interested in adopting the style. So, this is the main reason why we are afraid to talk about Islam,…
Hey Bestie!
The topic of this blog is very interesting. This topic has always raised so many questions, most of which unfortunately are left unaddressed. Relating to the personal experience you mentioned, I also come from a household where discussion about religion in particular (politics less so) is avoided. Recently, I realized that I have so many questions related to Islam and the quranic interpretations that are making rounds in our society, that it will be concerning for my family if they get to know of this. Our faith as Muslims calls us to accept and believe the religion as is. Questioning or being curious about the teachings and the message that the quranic verses have in store is seen…