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Response to Peace Masuma Assad on Islamic feminism
March 12, 2010As salamu aleykum, sister in Islam
I read with interest you interview published on the website of UMMA(Union of Muslim Women Argentinas), in which criticism of Islamic feminism.
My purpose with this letter is clarificarte some of the positions of Islamic feminism, with a view to possible later, do not tainted by prejudice and unfounded accusations. For it is inappropriate to criticize a movement that will not hold positions. For example, suppose you would not like to see an interview in which a Muslim must be careful to call out the Union of Muslim Women Argentinas because it is an organization that advocates the abolition of polygamy, and abortion. We feel, rightly, offended: if you criticize, at least it is for those who actually hold positions. That is why I hope you do the same with regard to Islamic feminism. As I consider unfounded accusations, I will focus on two:
1. The claim that Islamic feminism is based on Western ideas.
2. The claim that Islamic feminism is opposed to the sharia.
Before going on I would like to draw attention to a series of matches between your approach and that of Islamic feminism. You start by quoting the Koran and saying that "among human beings does not differentiate by gender, but on the contrary, both male and female, will be judged with respect to their own actions and their relationship with God ... In this context, we say the woman is considered a human being like man . And this is exactly what they say authors such as Riffat Hassan and Amina Wadud, who insist the caliphate or moral agency as a characteristic of all humans, men and women. This account is derived from the moral autonomy of women, their individual responsibility with al-Allah and the rest of creation, a non-delegable responsibility that clashes with the subordinate role that a (false) gives traditionalism of Muslim women.
It also coincides with Islamic feminism by saying that the discrimination suffered by Muslims in many contexts are not due to the laws of Islam, but a misunderstanding, and worse they are implemented. And of course all of Islam feminists would agree with you that is discrimination not to allow a woman to wear hijab , as in many contexts in Turkey and other countries. In fact, many Muslim feminists have hijab , and some are discriminated against for it.
Islamic feminism as a champion of "Western culture"
You claim that Islamic feminism is "a new phenomenon that appears in the Islamic countries to inculcate Western culture among Muslim women and challenge the Islamic sources regarding their rights." It is at least surprising that definition, and more if we note that the definition is preceded by Margot Badran, that Islamic feminism "derives its understanding and mandate of the Qur'an" . For the centrality of the Holy Quran in Islamic feminism is unquestionable, if you stick to their own texts.
Remain focused on the Koran, and in consideration of the Koran as the Word of Allah, do not see how Islamic feminism could hope to "instill Western culture" . Islamic feminism derives its mandate solely from the Koran. And this is something we are all feminists agree Islam. On its website, the Malaysian group Sisters in Islam is presented as "a group of Muslim professional women committed to promoting women's rights within the framework of Islam. These efforts are based on the principles of equality, justice and freedom proclaimed by the Koran, as is evident in our study the sacred text. "
This does not mean they can not find points of convergence with other approaches or proposals, and who can not use categories characteristic of the social sciences. Khomeini himself did that many times, without necessarily regard it as a Muslim "Westernized" . Knowledge has no borders.
If you knew the works of the leading feminist theologians of Islam would know that many of them are quite critical of neo-colonial policies of the West toward the Islamic world. In the case of Asma Barlas, professor of political science at an American university, its commitment to Islamic feminism is linked to a radical critique of the pretensions of universality of "the West" , a criticism that it extends to human rights.
But there is something more worrying in this indictment. Dear Maimuna: you are in Argentina. When you talk about "western culture", can you tell me what you mean? I am a Western Muslim, born and raised in Barcelona for more than forty years, and I do not think there is any such thing. I am a Muslim, but my culture is that of a European citizen-century Catalan, with a specific cultural influences, and very different from my neighbors. You yourself must be culturally Argentina or Buenos Aires or La Plata, or whatever, without preventing you from being a Muslim and live in Iran. A country, indeed, culturally very diverse. Cultures in East and West there are many, as there are many philosophies or ideologies, or religions or conceptions of life. Speaking of "Western culture" as a homogenous entity is very unrealistic. And in fact, feminism is far from dominant in the West, as well as secularism. You talk about separation of religion and state as part of "Western culture" . But I do not know a single country in Europe in which there is such separation: most European countries are religious. And many of the laws of Western countries have their origin in ecclesiastical law. There is even an important influence of Islamic law in British Common Law and the Code Napoleon ... but this is another issue.
A criticism associated with the former refers to the use of sociological categories and terminology. You say that there is a patriarchal interpretation of the Koran, that's not part of Islamic methodology, and should not be anything like that. How right you are, sister Masuma! But the problem is that if we look at some classical commentaries of the Quran, we realize that many times the commentators on the text have projected their prejudices against women, and considering that man should be above women, because that these were deficient in their religion. With this, they have ignored and distorted the message of the Quran, according to which men and women have equal dignity in the eyes of Allah, according to which men and women are protectors of one another, and the only difference between one and the other is in his Taqua, level of consciousness. Ontological equality, which unfortunately is not and has been respected in practice. This leads us to the next topic.
Sharia Islamic Feminism
States: "Fundamentally among their slogans [of Islamic feminism] are: the separation of religion from the public sphere, ie religion is reserved for private life and should not intervene in social affairs or the government. The laws, religion is left out, ie no separation of politics and religion and therefore Islam does not participate in the government nor the law. "
Faced with a piece like this, I want to show yourself my surprise. I would ask that text or statement of the most prominent Muslim feminists have read that they are against Sharia, or who want a separation between religion and public sphere. What is certain is that Islamic feminism denounces the discriminatory laws against women, as contrary to Islamic values.
I can Mentioning the example of the Nigerian Ayesha Imam, Baobab for Women's Human Rights . After the battle of his organization because of the new Islamic code introduced in northern Nigeria, and in particular against the punishment of stoning for adultery, was expressed publicly in favor of the application of Sharia. Ayesha Imam, like many other Muslim feminists consider that the legal codes that apply in countries predominantly Muslim population are not really Islamic, but the product of a patriarchal reading of the Koran.
Another example is the Indonesian Lily Zakiyah Munir, who after the implementation of the family code "Muslim" in bandits lurk, asked:"Sharia has brought social justice?" Given the negative response, his conclusion was unequivocal: then, the Sharia is not being implemented properly. And that is precisely the problem of this, the need to recognize that the classical Islamic jurisprudence was codified in the context of patriarchal and authoritarian societies, and is burdened by this legacy. Fight to free the Sharia of this heritage is patriarchal and authoritarian Shariah combat, but by the Sharia.
For my part, I have no doubt that Muslims have not only the right but the obligation to abide by the Sharia, for a higher standard emanating from God. But this requires a clarification of what we mean by Sharia and we mean by "governed by the laws that God has sent down" . On the one hand, I do not clerical rule or the establishment of a theocracy have nothing to do with it. On the other hand, I think the claim that medieval law codes are applied objectively and are reflected at all times and contexts of the Koran is totally unfounded mandates. The great jurists of Islam did the best they knew how to implement Qur'anic principles in a given situation. And they did (as it can not be otherwise) from the premises dominant in his time. Why can not we do the same? Hence the insistence of feminists in Islam ijtihad.
As in any field is most clearly seen drifting in the patriarchal Islamic jurisprudence of the second and third centuries after the Hegira. This is not the place to go into details, but it is clear that the rights of the Holy Quran and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave Muslim women were drastically reduced through the establishment of the figure of a man as chief family and women's obligation to obey. We say over and over again that Islam granted all rights to Muslim women in the seventh century, and cite as evidence the right to work, to family planning, education, to choose their husband, to have their own capital , to divorce, to receive part of the inheritance ... But we forget that Islamic jurisprudence these rights later submitted to a cutout. Right to work ... but only if the husband's consent, and prohibition of certain professions (judges, government offices), the right to choose spouses ... but obedience to the father in case of arranged marriages, the right to education ... but male guardianship; separation of property ... but the husband's right to beat women rebel, the right to divorce ... but with the price of losing the dowry, the family home and custody of the children ... We could go on. Suffice it to say that in many treatises on fiqh the chapter devoted marriage comes after the purchase and sale of slaves ... And this is a reality that we must not overlook, without this meaning that we throw into the trash the work of large Alfaquis of Islam. No: the question is to contextualize them in order to take advantage of them without falling into the blind imitation.
So no surprise that some of Islam's most prominent feminist lawyers. One is Sitti Musdah Mulia, a professor of Shariah at the Islamic University in Jakarta and spokesperson for the women's branch of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic party in the world. When Musdah Mulia encountered in reforming the family code key Muslim with equality, made entirely from the Koran and the Sunna. Also worth seeing in the work of Aziza al-Hibri or Abdullahi an-Naim.
Disagreements
Where no doubt we disagree is the claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran, women enjoy all the rights that Islam gave them. I think the case of Iran is a clear example of patriarchal and authoritarian manipulation of Islam for political and economic interests spurious. I do not think that the segregation of the sexes has nothing to do with Islam, and limitations faced by Iranian women in many fields (taxes dress codes, bans on certain professions, a ban on access to certain areas, difficulties to obtain a divorce ...) I seem unfounded. Nor am I Muslim women should have a permission from their male guardians to travel through Iran to pull out the passport. And do not fall for it in a demonization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which got many positive things for women: what literacy events is an achievement that deserves my respect.
I also disagree that the Quranic exegesis should be left to the experts. There is no Qur'anic basis for such claim, which leads inevitably to totalitarianism. The Holy Quran tells us that this is a revelation to those who use reason, and I believe that ijtihad is an obligation for every Muslim and Muslim, we are all (potential) caliphs of Allah on earth.
All this leads us back to the question of differences of opinion theme. You can disagree, but Islamic feminism is a movement based entirely on the sources of Islam, Islamic methodology applied to the interpretation of these sources. If you want to refute his arguments, I recommend you do the same and leave aside the personal accusations or downgrade a whole. Therefore it seems so out of place your assertion that Muslim feminists "aimed at the destruction of Islam." You can disagree with some or all of their arguments, but to attribute evil intentions and demonize some Islamic feminism as movement is a little Islamic attitude. Especially when many of these Muslim feminists are fighting tooth and nail and making every effort to defend Islam and Muslims of the injustices committed against them, whether in the name of Islam or Western imperialism. I think it would be more beneficial for everyone staying at the exchange of ideas and not to move to make value judgments about the intentions of others. But understand that it is always easier to disqualify people who refute their arguments.
When I or other Muslims criticize certain acts or things that happen in Iran or Saudi Arabia or other Muslim-majority country, we do it on the grounds that these countries are very far from representing the Islamic ideal. We do not intent to destroy these countries or to attack Islam but with the aim of improving them. And that certainly applies to Shirin Ebadi, which you accuse of being "the most complacent U.S. Agent in Iran" . However, I read texts of Shirin Ebadi in which his defense of sovereignty from Iran and his opposition to the hegemonic pretensions of the U.S. is obvious.
Rather, I think they are reactive attitudes and the denial of critical thinking attitudes that lead not only to discredit but to the destruction of Islam as a credible alternative for the twenty-first century. There is much to correct and improve, and Islamic feminism is one of the most powerful movements leading to a real improvement in Muslim societies towards more just societies and free of tyranny, in which men and women to develop their innate potential and to act as caliphs of God on earth, insha Allah.
And Allah knows best.
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