Gender islam
Download as DOCX, PDF
1 like140 views
Reformist and feminist scholars have developed frameworks for progressive Islam by challenging traditional interpretations of women's roles and sexuality embodied in sharia. They argue that sharia does not directly reflect God's will but is a product of human interpretations influenced by historical social values. Feminist scholars also point out that sharia and Quran interpretations were carried out mostly by men and reflect a male understanding, resulting in gender bias against women. Reformists believe putting sharia in its socio-political context allows for more progressive Quran interpretations on gender and sexuality, as Muslims are not bound to exclusive historical interpretations. Feminists have used techniques like women reinterpreting Quranic verses in light of their socio-historical context to develop frameworks for
Gender islam
- 1. sexuality, gender and islam Frameworks for Progressive Islam It is important to look at the work of (reformist and feminist) scholars who have explored the topics of andsexuality and gender in Islam. They have developed viewpoints that challenge traditional ideas about womens roles and sexuality that are embodied in the shariah. For example, the idea that men are superior and therefore should be privileged over women (gender bias) has been challenged and new interpretations of the verses that gave rise to these opinions have been made. This movement by scholars, activists and others to challenge the injustice and inequality that exists in Muslim laws and societies has been called progressive Islam, reformist Islam as well as by other names. The Safra Project will use the term progressive Islam and we will use the term frameworks to talk about the various structures, techniques and methods used in the progressive Islam movement. These frameworks also give us with a context in which to look at the topic of same-sex sexuality(and gender identity) and Islam. Reformists and feminists have proposed to move away from the shariah. They have devised several reasons for this and developed various methodologies to devise frameworks for progressive Islam. Some scholars believe that shariah, unlike the Qur'an, does not directly reflect Gods will but is a collection of interpretations of the Qur'an developed over time. According to this reformist viewpoint shariah is merely an understanding of Islamthat has been influenced by traditional customs and social values of the historical time in which it was formed. These reformists believe that challenging shariah is therefore only challenging a particular understanding of Islam, rather than challenging Islam itself (An-Naim and Rahman). Feminist scholars have also pointed out that interpretations of the Qur'an and formulation of shariah have been carried out mostly by men, and therefore reflect a male understanding of Islam based on a male experience of life. This has led to the existence of gender bias in Muslim laws and to patriarchal practices in Muslim societies (Wadud, Mernissi, An-Naim,). This gender bias towards men to the detriment of women is reflected in commentaries of the Qur'an, which, feminists argue, have become more and more restrictive of womens rights over time (Stowasser). The formulation of Muslim laws that enforce male superiority over women has been particularly influenced by the spread and use of hadith that talk about women negatively. However, the reliability of hadith, particularly,hadith talking about gender (roles) and sexuality, has been questioned by a number of scholars. Muslims individually and collectively have different opinions on which hadith can be relied on and which cannot. Even so-called true hadith have been found to contain authors whose characters do not hold up to careful scrutiny. The Qur'an is the only text that is
- 2. agreed upon by Muslims as a trustworthy source. This has been talked about in detail by a number of scholars (see Mernissi, Hassan, Wadud for more information). As a result of this debate over the (un)reliability of hadith, we will not talk about hadith here in detail. Reformists and feminist scholars argue that more progressive interpretations of the Qur'an on topics aboutgender and sexuality become possible, once shariah is put in its socio-political and historical context. This means acknowledging shariah as a product of human (largely male) interpretations, particularly when questioning the reliability of hadith on gender (roles) and sexuality. They therefore believe that, Muslims are not bound to one set of historical and exclusive interpretations of the Qur'an. In this way Muslims can themselves take part in the development of frameworks for progressive Islam. In order to develop these frameworks feminists have used various techniques. These include the re-interpretation of Qur'anic verses by women themselves, conducted in the light of the socio-historical context in which they were revealed. This method aims to make sure that the interpretation reflects womens perspectives and understanding of the Qur'an. (Wadud, Hassan, Ali, Mernissi, An-Naim). Many Muslim feminist scholars believe that Islam began a new era envisaging equality for all, including gender equality. These feminists believe that the Qur'an formed the basis on which women could achieve full empowerment. However, this development, they argue, was and continues to be impeded by the privileged position of men over women (patriarchy) leading to gender bias in Muslim societies and Muslim laws (Mernissi). www.safraproject.org/sgi-genderroles.htm