Women And Gender In Islam

April Hughes Women and Gender in Islam Methods

I.

Pre-Islam: Mesopotamia and Mediterranean(Egypt, Greece, Rome, Byzantine Empires) 1. Mesopotamia- Growth of urban societies increased male dominance, as well as military competitiveness. Law codes institutionalized males as the head of the family. 2. The Mediterranean Middle East- Mostly Christians and Jews in this area throughout history. There were parallels with Islamic and Byzantine legal thought in regards to gender. Aristotle’s Theories of gender= women as inferior beings.

II.

Islam: 600AD-800-AD (Arabia, Iraq) 1. Women and the Rise of Islam- Tells about the lives of Muhammad’s wives. His first wife’s indepence represents Jahilia rather than Islamic society. Passing on of property through the sons gave more importance to the male and facilitated more male dominance in society. Muhammad only said his wives should be secluded, not all Islamic women. 2. The Transitional Age- Koran expressly notes the equality of men and women. In the scripture there is also common and identical spiritual and moral obligations placed on all individuals regardless of sex. Ethical egalitarianism leads Muslim women to express insist that Islam is not sexist. 3. Elaboration of the Founding Discourses- Islam’s expansion of influence affected gender roles. Islam integrated Arab culture and traditions that were already in place at the time. Major assimilation btwn Persians and Arabs. 4. Medieval Islam- Egypt, Turkey, Syria. Four Factors that shaped the possibility of women’s lives: the customs and law regulating marriage, the social ideal of women’s seclusion, women’s legal rights to own property, and women’s position in the class system.

III.

New Modern: 19th and 20th Century (Egypt) 1. Social and Intellectual Change- 1800’s Fundamental social transformation. European influence. For the first time, women’s treatment in Islam was a national debate. European economic advances in the area had negative effects for rural and lower class women. Issue of education of women.

2. The Discourses of the Veil- Amin’s work represents the beginning Arab of feminism. 3. The First Feminists- Beginning of 20th century. Rapid change. Nassef was first woman to contribute articles regularly to the mainstream press. Associations created for women’s liberation. Two divergent voices of feminism in Egypt and Arab Middle East. 4. Divergent Voices- More girls attending school. Women wanting jobs struggled with their family’s approval. Zeinab al-Ghazali campaigned for women and the nation in Islamist terms. Doria Shafik campaigned for women’s rights in the language of secularism and democracy. 5. The Struggle for the Future- 2nd half of 20th century. Transformation of women is as important for women as it is for men. National Congress in 1962 proclaimed that women and men should be considered equal working partners.

Chapter 7: Social and Intellectual Change:

1800’s- women in middle east go through huge transformation b/c of interaction with Europe and global economy. European economic influence was both negative and positive for women For the first time since its est. Islamic laws treatment of women was openly discussed in middle eastern society This discussion started among intellectual men in Egypt and turkey as to how muslim countries could catch up with Europeans economically Ppl who thought that the role of muslim women needed to change, thought that they should almost trade their who culture for a more European one, which the author says is impossible, and crazy b/c Europeans have also mistreated its women. Ex) witch trials and burnings The issue of the veil was brought up Political relation to Europe also shaped social aspects in their socities She focuses on the developments in Egypt, who were at the forefront of the changes Issue of the veil marked a huge discourse: Western vs. “indigenous” or “authentic” values It is a discourse of women and the veil in which another history is also inscribed, that of colonial domination and the struggle against it. Muhammad ‘Ali came into and stayed in power in Egypt for 33 years. His initiatives gave women development in economic, educational, industrial and cultural arenas This and other ‘Alis initiatives adversely affected some lower class women. European involvement in textiles lowered the production in the middle east and this was one of the few jobs that women participated heavily in. Egypt b/c supplier of raw material and an importer of the more expensive European finished good. Schools and universities for men to learn European technologies were created. General enterprise and pursuit of European knowledge

Shortly after this the state adopted the view that the education of women was also desirable, in theory Still took very little steps to educate women till 1870s Upper class hired teachers for their daughters Small percent of lower and middle class attended schools Some went to missionary-led schools With british occupation in 1882 education of women slowed down Turkey also created state action plans that noted that they were in favor of women’s education Many intellectual thinkers of the time called for muslims to disgard the misinterpretations of the Islamic doctrine and to elevate the status of women ‘Abdy was probably the first to make the argument, still made by muslim feminists today, that it was islam an dnot the west that first recognized the full and equal humanity of women he was a secular intellectual, but he had a basis in religious teachings by 1890s the call of women’s reform could be clearly heard women began to present their own cases in the media women were becoming more visible in public affairs