Bassam Zawadi goes through different types of feminist theories and poses the question

whether they can be reconciled with normative Islamic concepts, beliefs and values.
Central to every feminist claim is an underlying presupposition that men and women are
entitled equal rights in every conceivable respect. This basic presupposition stands at
odds with Islam, which takes more of a complementarian approach to gender roles and
rights. This complementarity is upheld through a mutual exchange of rights that are, in a
number of important respects, decidedly inegalitarian (e.g. household authority, having
spouses outside the Islamic faith, custodial rights after a divorce, right to a dowry, right to
financial provision, etc.)
Despite this manifest conceptual conflict, there are some people who insist that feminism
and Islam are reconcilable. This alleged reconcilability is advanced – and, indeed, can
only be maintained – by diminishing the relationship between gender and worldview (i.e.
it is either Islam that is remarkably portrayed as egalitarian, or feminism that is curiously
presented as inegalitarian).
These efforts beg the question of plausibility. Is conciliation achievable? Is there a
“feminism” that can be described as both academically recognised and conceptually
coherent? How has feminism been understood historically, and how can it contribute to
the current impasse?
In the following article, we will briefly take a cursory look at each of the feminist waves
and some of the most popular theories of feminism, and see whether there does exist any
academically recognised notion of feminism harmonious with Islamic teachings.
Feminist waves
1) First wave feminism. Description: Primarily focused on women’s suffrage.
Islam’s ruling: Women are allowed to vote in Islam (see Dr. Fahd al-‘Ajlān, al-Intikhābāt
wa-‘Aḥkāmuhā fil-Fiqh al-Islāmī, p. 109).
First wave feminism focused on women’s emancipation.
Given this permission, seeking the right to vote in a society is permissible provided there
are no mitigating factors that support a context-specific prohibition.
At the same time, it must be noted that Muslim women are not entitled by Islam to have
such rights, just as they are entitled to financial provision, dowries, etc.
Thus, Islam cannot be said to be in full conformity with first wave feminism, which
stipulates that voting is an unconditional right which women are entitled to.
2) Second wave feminism
Description: Focused on a range of issues including reproductive rights, domestic
violence, and women’s literacy.
Islam’s ruling: In principle, the advocacy aims of this wave are haram due to the
presumptions underpinning them (i.e. strict equal rights for both men and women).
Second wave feminism focused on abortion-on-demand.
However, certain elements may be acceptable and even recommended if they abide by
Islamic standards (for e.g. combating domestic abuse against women, abortion rights
strictly regulated according to Islamic standards, etc.). Other elements such as the
proliferation of contraception as an instrument to provide for pre and extra marital sex
without consequences while deliberately discouraging marriage is unconditionally haram.
3) Third wave feminism
Description: Advances gender identity and corresponding roles as purely constructed
without any inherent basis or correlation to the biological makeup of the individual.
Islam’s ruling: Stands in stark contrast to Islam and is therefore haram.
Fourth wave feminism
Description: Focuses on opposition to workplace harassment against women and rape
culture.
Islam’s ruling: As a matter of principle, Islam obviously agrees. However, there is no
doubt that the mechanisms which Islam promotes to counter such problems (e.g. gender
segregation, Islamically legislated modest clothing, etc.) would be staunchly rejected by
fourth wave feminists.
Different varieties of “feminisms”
Dr. Judith Lorber in her article, The Variety of Feminisms and their Contribution to
Gender Equality, lays out and discusses some of the most popular theories of feminism.
Let us see whether any of them are harmonious with Islamic teachings.
1) Gender Reform Feminisms
1a) Liberal Feminism
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said:
“Theoretically, liberal feminism claims that gender differences are not based in biology,
and therefore that women and men are not all that different — their common humanity
supersedes their procreative differentiation. If women and men are not different, then
they should not be treated differently under the law.”
and: “The main contribution of liberal feminism is showing how much modern society
discriminates against women. In the United States, it was successful in breaking down
many barriers to women’s entry into formerly male-dominated jobs and professions,
helped to equalize wage scales, and got abortion and other reproductive rights legalized.”
and: “Liberal feminism argues that women and men are essentially similar, and therefore
women should be equally represented in public arenas dominated by men — work,
government, the professions, and the sciences.”
Islam’s ruling: Liberal feminism is not compatible with Islam since it would reject
Islam’s outlook on differing gender roles. It would reject Islam’s stance that in at least
some situations and circumstances, men and women’s rights and roles are not equal.
1b) Marxist and Socialist Feminisms
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said: “Marxist and socialist feminisms severely criticize
the family as a source of women’s oppression and exploitation.”
and: “Marxist and socialist feminisms argue that the source of women’s oppression is
their economic dependence on a husband. Their solution is full-time jobs for women,
with the state providing paid maternity leave and child-care.”
Islam’s ruling: Marxist and socialist feminisms are not compatible with Islam, since they
reject Islam’s outlook on gender roles, Islam’s stance on the importance of the family
unit, and the male and female complementarity as delineated in the Sharī’a.
1c) Development Feminism
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said: “In addition to gendered economic analyses,
development feminism addresses the political issue of women’s rights versus national
and cultural traditions…The Platform for Action document that came out of the UN
Conference condemned particular cultural practices that are oppressive to women –
infanticide, dowry, child marriage, female genital mutilation….. The development
feminist perspective, so critical of colonialism and yet so supportive of women’s rights,
has found this issue difficult to resolve.” and: “For development feminism, the theoretical
emphasis on universal human rights is reflected in pressure for the education of girls,
maternity and child health care, and economic resources for women who contribute
heavily to the support of their families. However, when gender politics calls for marital
rights and sexual autonomy, development feminism frequently has to confront traditional
cultural values and practices that give men power over their daughters and wives.”
Islam’s ruling: Development feminism would appear to reject Islam’s stance on certain
issues such as age of eligibility of marriage and Islam’s views on gender roles, such as
the husband having authority over the members of his household. However, it must be
stressed that at the same time, development feminism in principle primarily stands up for
things that Islam would as well (e.g. securing the economic rights of women who work).
Thus, some nuance would be required when discussing development feminism from an
Islamic perspective.
2) Gender Resistant Feminisms
2a) Radical Feminism
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said:
“Radical feminism argues that patriarchy is very hard to eradicate because its root — the
belief that women are different and inferior — is deeply embedded in most men’s
consciousness. It can best be resisted, radical feminists argued, by forming
nonhierarchical, supportive, woman-only spaces where women can think and act and
create free of constant sexist put-downs, sexual harassment, and the threat of rape and
violence.”
Islam’s ruling: Pushed to its logical conclusion, radical feminists would accuse and
condemn the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the generation of his Sahabah
for having approvingly lived in, and contributed to, a patriarchal society which
subjugated women. This is an unacceptable stance to hold according to Islam.
2b) Lesbian Feminism
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said: “Why not go all the way?” asked lesbian feminism.
Stop sleeping with the “enemy,” and turn to other women for sexual love as well as for
intellectual companionship and emotional support.”
Islam’s ruling: This is clearly and indisputably haram according to Islam.
2c) Psychoanalytic Feminism
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said: “Psychoanalytic feminism claims that the source of
men’s domination of women is men’s unconscious two-sided need for women’s
emotionality and rejection of them as potential castrators. Women submit to men because
of their unconscious desires for emotional connectedness.”
Islam’s ruling: Psychoanalytic feminism would disagree with the wisdom of Allah who
knows what the best allocation of roles to each gender should be. Psychoanalytic
feminists would instead insist that Islam’s laws were instituted by men for the purpose of
dominating women.
2d) Standpoint Feminism
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said:“Standpoint feminism is a critique of mainstream
science and social science, a methodology for feminist research, and an analysis of the
power that lies in producing knowledge. Simply put, standpoint feminism says that
women’s “voices” are different from men’s, and they must be heard if women are to
challenge hegemonic values.”
and: “The grounding for standpoint theory comes from Marxist and socialist feminist
theory, which applies Marx’s concept of class consciousness to women, and
psychoanalytic feminist theory, which describes the gendering of the unconscious.”
and: “Although men could certainly do research on and about women, and women on
men, standpoint feminism argues that women researchers are more sensitive to
how women see problems and set priorities, and therefore would be better able to design
and conduct research from a woman’s point of view.”
Islam’s ruling: Islam certainly appreciates the importance of seeking the consultation of
women, particularly on issues which are specific to women. Nevertheless, we must bear
in mind that this sets a dangerous precedent, which may lead to the infamous
“mansplaining” accusation one often hears these days.
It is not a prerequisite that Islam’s stances pertaining to women be commented on by
Muslim women. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Sahabah never stipulated this
condition, nor did any of the respected jurists in the past. Though Muslim women have
contributed to the development of Islamic juristic rulings over the centuries, their opinion
and approval was never a strict condition which was required to make a stance pertaining
to the affairs of women credible.
3) Gender Revolution Feminisms
3a) Social Construction Feminism
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said:“In social construction feminist theory, inequality is
the core of gender itself: Women and men are socially differentiated in order to justify
treating them unequally.“ and:Activist from the Femen movement at a protest in Paris.
“In the social construction feminist perspective, the processes of gender differentiation,
approval of accepted gendered behavior and appearance, and disapproval of deviations
from established norms are all manifestations of power and social control.
“Religion, the law, and medicine reinforce the boundary lines between women and men
and suppress gender variation through moral censure and stigmatizing, such as labeling
gendering appropriate behavior sinful, illegal, and insane.”
Islam’s ruling: This theory stands at odds with Islam, which would contend that some of
the fixed and permanent differing gender roles are divinely legislated by Allah and are
not merely socially constructed. This does not mean however, that certain cultural
practices alien to Islam and abusive to women could not arise due to social construction.
3b) Postmodern Feminism and Queer Theory
Description: Dr. Judith Lorber said:“Post-modern feminism and queer theory go the
furthest in challenging gender categories as dual, oppositional, and fixed, arguing instead
that sexuality and gender are shifting, fluid, multiple categories.”
Islam’s ruling: The notion of gender fluidity is clearly at odds with Islam. It is
recommended to read Mobeen Vaid’s article, And the Male Is Not like the Female: Sunni
Islam and Gender Nonconformity, which touches upon this issue.
Conclusion: It is clear that there is no academically recognised theory of “feminism”,
which could be regarded as compatible with Islam. Though each of the different
“feminist” theories and waves tend to shift their primary focus on different areas, what
remains consistent is the underlying presumption of strict gender egalitarianism. This is
not something that could be reconciled with Islam. Thus, it is best to drop the
terminological use of “Islamic Feminism,” as it is unhelpful at best and misleading at
worst. Alternatives such as the motto “Women’s Islamic Rights Advocacy” would appear
to be less controversial, and more conceptually coherent and helpful.