Islam and Feminism

As with the term Islamism, the label feminism, too is problematic. I reject the term feminism because I find all ‘isms’ inadequate, and because the term is closely linked with the Western women’s movement. Rather than being caught up in disentangling Western assumptions and nuances that go with the term, I prefer to dispense with it entirely.

What I would like to emphasize is that while labels are useful, they are not without limitations, especially with a complex tradition such as Islam. The point is that Western conceptual categories are not fully applicable to the Islamic texts. What I am indicating is that instead of working out a precise definition, it would be more helpful to spell out concerns as appropriate to the situation.

In the Islamic texts, women are neither inferior nor secondary to men. Women’s freedoms (and responsibilities) are not directed or constrained by male-centered values. In the Islamic context, women are neither emancipated nor enslaved by men. 

Islamic history is replete with variety of women ranging from gentler to fiercer personalities, from the conventional to unconventional. The image of femininity in Islam is associated with an array of strengths and talents - from wisdom, courage, and industriousness to wealth, prosperity and power. 

Self-denial, self-sacrifice, endurance and benevolence are not gendered demands made from women in order to oppress them. Rather every male and female worshipper  in Islam is asked to emulate these values in his/her struggle to reach and please Allah. Similarly, traits such as stubbornness, aggressiveness, competition and greed are equally disapproved for men and women. 

There is a need to develop flexible conceptual frameworks that will readdress the imbalance that has been caused by exclusive reliance on the ever-changing cultural perception of men and women. It is a historical fallacy to assume that Masajid are traditional hegemonic male spaces. It is also not a patriarchic agenda to give men and women space from each other at the Masjid to help them become in tuned  with their higher selves. The separation simply ensures that the main focus is on the prayers and not the opposite gender. 

For a creative and critical engagement with women's concerns, we need to go beyond the trends and look at the texts. We need to look at gender and gender roles as a divine construct. Though these concepts are fluid and flexible, they are not loose and interchangeable. 

It is also important to avoid problems that surface from Muslim-Western debates, in which Muslims are often pressured to reconcile Islamic texts with Western definitions.

It is often assumed that Muslim women are faced with the same problems as their secular0 atheist counterparts: for example, the ordination and employment of women. Most Muslim women do not desire to become Imaams or the breadwinner of the family. Even most Muslim men from a qawwam-stand point, undertake these tasks as a matter of family duty rather than out of any aspiration to dominate and conquer women. It is necessary to guard against replicating orientalist representations of Islam and the Muslim family structure. 

We need to welcome the opportunity to engage in a historical reading of Muslim women to look for their distinctive contributions. We need to promote intergenerational reflection and thus bring fresh and challenging perspectives to women’s concerns