Islamic Feminism: by Maryam Malik
Islamic Feminism: by Maryam Malik
Islamic Feminism: by Maryam Malik
By Maryam Malik
Introduction
In the non-West, feminism has largely been considered an alien concept, contrary to
indigenous norms and traditions
Associated with Western colonial intrusion, feminism per se and Western feminism in
particular, are easily discredited as an attack on the cultural authenticity of non-West
societies and a corrupting influence
When questions of gender justice emerged, there were efforts to frame women’s
concerns in the context of the specificities of their situation rather than with reference
to the standards set by Western feminism
Religion, inevitably, was to play a major role in this enterprise. It is in this context that
questions about the possibility and desirability of Islamic feminism arise
What is Islamic Feminism?
When speaking of Islamic feminism, one must take into account the meaning of the two
words that make up this term: Islam and feminism
Islam is not a monolithic entity. The sectarian differences in the belief and practice of
Islam, particularly among the Shiites and the Sunnis, introduce a level of complexity that
has to be taken into account
Moreover, geographically and historically, Islam was and is practised around the
globe in diverse cultural settings
If we talk of feminism, it is a widely accepted notion that instead of a single feminism,
there are multiple feminisms that exist today
All feminist positions agree on some salient points. They concur that we live in a world
where organised patriarchy leads to men and women living different realities
They consider patriarchy to be a human social construct rather than an inevitable or
inescapable fact of nature
Perceiving patriarchy as unjust and indefensible, feminists of all shades are, therefore,
committed to its dismantling and to the establishment of a gender just society as they
view it
Beyond these common beliefs, there is extensive diversity in feminist positions,
especially on grounds of how patriarchy has arisen and how it should be challenged and
defeated
Interestingly, many women working towards the goal of gender justice from within the
framework of Islam are wary of identifying themselves as feminists because of the
historical baggage associated with this term
Yet, significant work has been done on the subject of Islamic feminism in various parts
of the Muslim world
Strategies Employed
All these various attempts made by the Islamic feminists to resurrect a woman friendly
Islam have been both welcomed and viewed with considerable suspicion
Those who support the endeavours come from two camps
The first consists of what can be called the ‘Islam Only’ position that claims Islam is the
only possible framework within which a feminist impulse, true to the traditions and
societal norms of nonWestern Muslim societies, can develop and thrive
Exhorting a return to authentic Islam, proponents of this position claim that no other
resources are required or even desirable to achieve gender justice. The secular Western
feminist construct is seen as alien, inapplicable and wholly rejected
The other staunch supporters of Islamic feminism include secular-oriented feminists
who consider Islamic feminism to be a valuable addition to the repertoire needed to
grapple with entrenched patriarchy
They believe that an Islamic base is crucial for crafting a feminist practice that will have
an appeal for the masses. They stress that engaging with Islam is not a matter of choice
but one of necessity and that the re-interpretative exercise is important
Simply invoking ideas of universal human rights and upholding the advances made by
women in the West would have no resonance for the Muslim woman and, thus, these
would be discredited as alien and elitist
There are concrete reasons behind the need to engage with Islam rather than bypass it, as
well as certain benefits of using religious vocabulary
This, of course, is in addition to the fact that for many women, Islam may actually be
the primary identity that they identify themselves with but do not see this identity as a
bar to working towards a more egalitarian and gender-just society
Islamic feminists refuse to pose the gender question as an either-or choice, where one
could be either a feminist or believe in Islam
The engagement with theological issues and the reinterpretation of texts has put Islamic
feminists in a position of knowledge about the sources from where legitimacy for
patriarchal politics is often derived
This enables them to mount a challenge to religious patriarchy from a position of
strength
Many secular feminists who support their Islamic sisters’ work believe that the forces of
resistance and reform, from wherever they are emanating, are formed around incremental,
pragmatic day-today issues that cannot be neatly separated by the secular/theocratic
divide
Apart from these two camps of support, Islamic feminists are viewed with considerable suspicion
and misgivings not just by sections of the traditional religious establishment but also by many
secular oriented feminists
While the former finds the interference in the authorised discourse of Islam an illegitimate and
misguided enterprise, for secular feminists, women’s rights can only stem from secular, cross-cultural
and universal premises that should not be undermined by the specific socio-religious context of a
society
Proponents of this position deem the Islamic feminist project, at best, inadequate and suspect; and
flawed and dangerous at its worst
They maintain that the activities and goals of Islamic feminism are circumscribed and compromised
This section of secular feminists allege that Islamic feminism is divisive and ends up damaging
the cause of secular feminists, who argue for women’s rights in the universal language of
human rights
They believe that insistence by Islamic feminists on deriving solutions for women’s problems within the
framework of Islamic norms discredits the secular feminists as alien, westernised and anti-Islam
Moghissi draws attention to exactly what is meant by Islam and feminism when the term Islamic feminism is
employed
In the broadest sense, feminism is the refusal to subordinate one’s life to the male-centred dictates of religious
and non-religious institutions
She claims that feminism’s core idea is that the biological difference between men and women should not
be translated into an unequal variation in women’s and men’s experience
Biology should not lead to differences in legal status and the privileging of one over the other.
If Islamic means a reliance on the Quran and the sharia, she argues, then one has to grapple with the problem of
reconciling Quranic injunctions regarding women, which stress on gender-differentiated roles and obligations
According to her, in the case of the assertion of feminist consciousness along with a reliance on the sharia as
the legitimate framework for achieving feminist goals, both feminism and sharia need to be redefined
Conclusion
Keeping aside all arguments in favour of or against the concept, what cannot be denied is that Islamic
feminism has impacted the discourse on gender justice in Muslim societies in several ways
While it was easier for authorities in Muslim societies to brush aside feminist questions earlier on by
labelling feminism as alien, Western, anti-Islam and corrupt, knowledgeable interrogations by Islamic
feminists have made it impossible to dismiss these questions anymore
By virtue of the language used and stratagem employed, the questions have gained legitimacy and
widespread visibility
This is an important step towards challenging patriarchy
At the same time, it has led to an engagement with women’s concerns, which is very different from the
earlier attitude that Islam resolved all these questions in the seventh century and nothing more is
required
Sections of the traditional religious establishment is responding to this important shift in consciousness by
accepting that present concerns need to be looked at in innovative and contemporary ways
Across the globe, Islamic feminists have been able to bargain with religious and state
authorities and wrest legal reforms to improve the situation of women
From raising the minimum age of marriage for women and instituting woman-
friendly marriage and divorce laws, to securing women’s right to study and pursue
professions, Islamic feminists along with secular feminists have played a major role
The discourse on Islamic feminism has generated a language that many young women are
able to draw upon while challenging patriarchal norms - culturally entrenched within the
family and society - by arguing that they have nothing to do with Islam and everything
to do with tradition
Their insistence on following what is ‘Islamic’ rather than familial or cultural can
potentially enable them to recover long obfuscated rights
So, can Islamic feminism advance gender
justice?
Feminisms of all varieties are an ongoing exercise in challenging and destroying, in a
painstaking and incremental way, the gender injustice entrenched in all societies in
different ways
Just as we do not question whether secular feminism can advance gender justice, assuming
that the journey with all its vicissitudes is one well worth undertaking even though the
ultimate goal may nowhere be in sight, similarly when it comes to Islamic feminism the
question is not whether it can ultimately achieve gender justice, but whether its
present strategies of challenging patriarchy are fruitful
The answer to this question, I believe, is a positive one