“Woman to woman”—the significance of religiosity for young women in jordan

Abstract

The notion that religiosity among the people in the Middle East in general and among women in particular is on the rise and is widespread in academic as well as popular literature. In this article, which is based on fieldwork among young, middle class, Christian and Muslim women in Jordan, I argue not only that this notion is a gross generalization, which pays little attention to regional, ethnic, age, or class differences among women in Middle Eastern societies, but I also have a look at the various ways in which religious dogmas such as Islam and Orthodox Christianity, which prevail in Jordan, discriminate against female believers, and how many women manipulate these religious systems in order to empower themselves. Furthermore, I try to shed more light on the often-held assumption that Muslim and Christian Orthodox women in Jordan differ enormously in their beliefs and practices. Through these elaborations I would like to illustrate how young, highly educated, middle class Muslim and Christian women in Jordan perceive and live their religiosity (or non-religiosity) against a backdrop of an increased significance of Islamic and Islamist discourses in their society.