Islamic Feminism Research Articles

Rearticulating Islamic Feminism

This article explores the role and impact of the Indonesian Women Ulema Congress—Kongres Ulama Perempuan Indonesia (KUPI) in shaping the narrative of Islamic feminism and public policy regarding gender issues in Indonesia. This movement faces challenges from both cultural (patriarchal culture) and conservative religious views that reject the narrative of Islamic feminism. Nevertheless, the two occurrences of KUPI in 2017 and 2022 demonstrate that the impact of this movement is significant. This research uses content analysis methods to assess various types of publication material, including justice gender fatwas and official publications related to KUPI. The main research question is to what extent the theological and juridical approaches KUPI used in formulating gender fatwas influence public perceptions and policies in Indonesia. This article finds that the gender justice fatwa by KUPI not only impacts the social and cultural aspects but also shapes policy decisions, particularly in areas of anti-sexual violence, forced marriage, environmental, health, and religious violence. This article enriches the academic understanding of how Islamic feminism is articulated and implemented in a context with broad cultural and religious diversity and provides new insights into the dynamics of Islamic feminism at the global level through a contemporary case study in Indonesia.

On Perception of Historical Time in Modern Islam

In this article, the author examines the main features of the perception of historical time in the Arab, Iranian and Indonesian Muslim intellectual traditions in a comparative perspective. The purpose of the article is to analyze the images of “historical time” and its derivatives in the modern liberal segment of the Ummah. Therefore, the author analyzes 1) the peculiarities of the perception of historical time by liberal Muslim intellectuals, 2) the directions of assimilation of Western humanities methods, 3) the prospects for transforming the perception of historical time in the modern humanitarian situation through the prism of rising interdisciplinarity. Methodologically, the article is based on the principles proposed in interdisciplinary historiography, proposed in intellectual history and new cultural history through the prism of imaginative and interventionist turns. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of common and unique features of the perception of historical time and its derivatives by modern Muslim liberal intellectuals. The results of the study suggest that 1) Islam has become an important factor in the perception of “historical time”, 2) the categories of “event history” and “historical progress” are reduced to the history of the progressive development and spread of Islam, 3) the transplantation of Western interdisciplinary epistemology has become an important factor in the invention of historical time.

A Farewell to Arms in the 21st Century: The Case of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

A Farewell to Arms in the 21st Century: The Case of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

The Civil Society-Military Interface in the Protection of Civilians: the Bangsamoro Case

Abstract The peace process between the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front provided breathing space for many communities and opportunities for calibrated civilian protection practices by the military and non-governmental organisations (ngo s). While the principle of non-intervention largely kept the imprint of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (asean) to a minimum, Indonesian and Malaysian brokering enabled the establishment of bridging mechanisms such as ceasefire monitoring committees to moderate the armed violence. A more permissive environment allowed ngo s to deliver humanitarian aid and acquire improved capacities for risk mitigation in the Bangsamoro region, aided in part by a shift in the Philippine military’s approach toward putting a premium on civilian consultation and dialogue. Despite these normative gains, the uptick in horizontal violence among rival clans and the military’s preference for the use of artillery fire as a conflict de-escalation strategy create enduring challenges for civilian protection on the ground.

DEFENDERS OF DIVERSITY?

Banser is the paramilitary wing of Ansor, the young men’s organization for Nahdlatul Ulama (Renaissance of the Scholars; NU). NU is the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, and because Indonesia is so large, the largest in the world. It has been long committed to Indonesia as a non-shariah state as well as multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation. Nahdlatul Ulama’s young men’s organization Ansor, seeks to train non-radical Muslim leaders with a range of expertise and foci. Ansor has a sub-organization called Banser which regularly guards Christian churches, liberal Muslims, and businesses from being targeted by extremists like the Islamic Defenders Front. If the present, or even recent, history of Banser and Ansor is that of protecting religious minorities and pluralism, this has not always been the case. Ansor/Banser was an important auxiliary force in the Revolution (1945-1949) and in the 1965-1966 national bloodletting that left 500,000 alleged communists dead. It is even more telling and interesting if we explore the ways in which the newer socially progressive actions are based on conservative, traditional understandings of Islam and not liberal or progressive religious understandings.

THE HERMENEUTICS INFLUENCE ON FEMINIST EXEGESIS: A CASE STUDY ON AMINA WADUD

This article will discuss how hermeneutic influences the exegesis of the Qur’an initiated by Muslim feminists. Through hermeneutical principles, Muslim feminists develop their own theories and methods in presenting new interpretations of the Qur'an. This research will focus its discussion on one of the well-known Muslim feminists, Amina Wadud. Through a critical study of text analysis, this research will try to answer questions about (1) the necessity of using the hermeneutical method in feminist interpretation, (2) the influence of hermeneutics on Amina Wadud's method of interpretation. This paper will highlight this event using a socio-historical approach and content analysis. In addition, references related to the patterns of Islam integrity and culture will be used with a comparative pattern. The conclusion of this research is that through historical critical analysis tools and text criticism inspired by hermeneutical principles, Amina Wadud succeeded in creating her own interpretation method and developing an interpretation approach that is not gender biased and emphasizes the principal and universal messages contained in the Qur'an.

Developing Progressive Islamic Aqidah Teaching Materials for Middle School Students

This research will develop teaching materials for aqidah from the perspective of the "Progressive Islam" concept initiated by Muhammadiyah. This study used the Research and Development (R&D) method using ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluation) model to develop teaching materials aqidah from a progressive Islamic perspective for junior high school students. The population in this study were class VII students of SMP Muhammadiyah 9 Sidoarjo. The sampling technique used was non-probability sampling with purposive sampling. Qualitative data is obtained through observation, written responses, and suggestions, while quantitative data is obtained from tests. The research results showed that the validity of the aqidah was 86.36%, material expert 84.25%, and Islamic religious education 84.42% in the valid category. For effectiveness, data sources were obtained from student learning outcomes before and after using progressive Islamic teaching materials. The pre-test results obtained an average of 77.65, and during the post-test, it increased to 80.7. The results of this research and development suggest that the use of progressive Islamic teaching materials in teaching aqidah class VII students at SMP Muhammadiyah 9 Sidoarjo is appropriate.

Ethics of ‘Translational’ Acts in Islamic Feminist Writings: An Analysis of Selected Academic Contributions

This article explores translation as a process and an act in the field of Islamic Feminism. It focuses on the interplay between translator's visibility and ethics in translational activities by Islamic Feminist writers, who mainly produce their work in English, when they cite the Qur’an and prophetic traditions and build their arguments upon this activity. Drawing on a select corpus of influential texts in the field, the article argues that translation in this faith-based approach to feminism is inevitable, and examines the ways in which this non-Arabic transnational feminist narrative contributes to changing, or at least opening spaces for, the discussion on Muslim women's issues and conditions.

An Islamic Feminist Analysis of Elif Shafak's Honor: Empowering Muslim Women's Perspectives

An Islamic Feminist Analysis of Elif Shafak's Honor: Empowering Muslim Women's Perspectives

Особенности индустрии экстремальной музыки на Ближнем Востоке

В статье проанализированы особенности индустрии экстремальной музыки в странах Ближнего Востока. Экстремальная индустрия этого региона не имеет широкого жанрового спектра как на Западе, но тем не менее хэви-метал сцена развита не хуже. Ближневосточный метал — особый региональный вид экстремальной музыки, сформированный на стыке западного секуляризма и противостоянии исламского догматизма с либеральными тенденциями. Для осмысления исламского либерализма в современном понимании был сделан краткий обзор мотивов и влияния «арабской весны» на регион. В качестве объекта исследования авторы решили воспользоваться наиболее распространенным списком стран Ближнего Востока. В статье охвачены самые яркие примеры творчества музыкальных коллективов из Туниса, Египта, Сирии и Ирака. Авторами был сделан глубинный анализ 4-х музыкальных треков, вместе с обложками альбомов и интервью участников. Культурная глобализация показывает быстро изменяющееся культурное пространство ближневосточного общества. Авторы пришли к выводу, что культурная глобализация имеет разные итоги в указанных выше странах. На это повлияло сохранение цензуры, войны и распространение идей либерализма через средства массовой информации. Данная тема не была исследована с религиоведческой точки зрения на постсоветском пространстве.

Beyond the canon: un-learning the “Muslim woman” in UK higher education classroom with a “pedagogy of opacity”

My contribution to this special issue is non-orthodox. Far from Islamic Feminism's hermeneutics, and bearing in mind the limitations of anthropological works and representative paradigms in Orientalist critique, I take cues from postcolonial scholar Edouard Glissant’s (1990) seminal work, Poetics of Relations, notably his notions of détour, retour, and érrance, and draw on my experience in teaching gender studies in relation to the Middle East in UK higher education institutions to posit a “pedagogy of opacity” when producing knowledge on Othered bodies —in this instance, the fictive category of the “Muslim woman”. We see how a pedagogy of opacity forces home, self, and early mis/information about the other to realign and confront each other. This triadic realignment showcases the workings of home (the UK)—not of a geographically distant Islamic culture—in the manufacturing of the Muslim woman Other.

The Impact of Contemporary Issues Jurisprudence (Fiqh al-Nawazil) on Islamic Feminism

مع تطور الزمان والمكان ظهرت مستجدات ، حوادث ونوازل لم تكن موجودة ، كان لا بد من معرفة رأي الشرع في هذه القضايا ، وتركزت مشكلة الدّراسة في بيان أثر فقه النّوازل على حركةِ الإسلام النّسويّ في الغربِ، وذلك بما يتعلّق ببعض قضايا الأسرة الموجودة في ثنايا البحث وقد اتَبعت الدراسة المنهج الاستقرائي والمنهج التحليلي الاستدلالي والمنهج الوصفي . وتوصلت الدراسة إلى النتائج التالية : 1. مفهوم الإسلام النسويّ: سلخ المرأة المسلمة عن عقيدتها وشريعتها، وترسيخ قيم الفكر النسويّ الغربيّ وأفكاره ومبادئه. 2. نشأته: بدأ في الظهور والانتشار في فترة التسعينيات من القرن العشرين. 3. أسباب ظهوره: ومن أهمها الهجرة إلى الغرب والانفتاح وعدم التقيد بالعادات والتقاليد والتغيرات الاجتماعية والسياسية. 4.القراءة الجندرية: بعرض نصوصها ومناقشتها ومن أبرزها مصطلح الجندر يشير إلى الاختلافات بين الجنسين، والتمييز الجندري يرجع للتركيبة الاجتماعية الثقافية لا إلى الطبيعة البيولوجيّة القائمة على الجنس الذّكر والأنثى، والذّكورة والأنوثة صناعة اجتماعيّة ثقافيّة. 5.أثر فقه النوازل على قضايا الإسلام النّسويّ وشخصية المسلمة، حيث عالجها فقه النوازل بما يتلاءم ومتغيرات العصر والثوابت في الدين الإسلاميّ، وبما لا يتعارض مع روح الشريعة (المقاصد) لتحقيق المصالح العامة.

СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ЖЕНЩИНА В ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ МЕЧЕТИ: ВЛИЯНИЕ ИСЛАМСКОГО ФЕМИНИЗМА

В статье рассматривается одна из малоизученных, и в то же время, достаточно спорных проблем современного общества – роль и место женщины в пространстве мечети. Вопрос гендерной сегрегации в религиозных местах сегодня становится трендовой темой среди ученых в различных социальных контекстах. Поскольку гендерные проблемы отражаются в пространствах, само пространство также формирует гендерные отношения. Женщины мусульманки во всем мире сталкиваются с различными проблемами в мечетях и по-разному отвечают на них. Вместе с тем усиливается тенденция влияния исламского феминизма на формирование исламской идентичности женщин мусульманок. Целью исследования было показать, как изменилась роль женщин в исламе и их отношение к пространству мечети.

At the Intersections of Gender Inequality and State Fragility in Africa

ABSTRACT Intersectionality has become a widely used theoretical lens through which scholars examine women’s political and economic participation. Intersectional frameworks analyze the ways in which formal state structures produce gender inequalities. It is precisely this conceptual and empirical strength that make a theory originally rooted in the experiences of Black women in the United States, applicable to other groups of women in a range of national contexts. Extensive debates surround the generalizability of intersectional theory. Using my work on gender inequality as a predictor of state fragility in the African region, this piece addresses these questions both conceptually and methodologically. My larger project is a cross-national study; however, I will use original country case study datasets from women’s local civil society organizations in Nigeria and Ghana to illustrate the relationships between institutionalized inequalities and the mobilization efforts of different groups of women. First, I begin by defining intersectionality. Next, I combine African feminists and African Muslim feminists’ theoretical contributions which extend and expand intersectionality. This piece contributes to conversations about the ways in which intersectionality can be applied to other groups of Black women outside of the United States. Third, I demonstrate how intersectionality is used to capture the range of priorities and strategies activists used to define and promote gender equality within formal state structures.

Virtuous Debate Against Liberalist Muslims in Indonesia

Due to different worldviews on knowledge, various parties often debate each other. In Indonesia, anti-mainstream groups often appear to challenge a common thought in Islam, whether religious, scientific, political, or philosophical. Liberal Islam is one of the prototypes that engage in debate in all sectors of already established thought in society, especially in Islamic issues, even fundamental issues such as faith. Due to its anti-mainstream nature, the emergence of Liberal Islam has drawn controversy and debate, especially among Liberalists from the West who brought ideas of freedom of thought. Some confronted their ideas with lengthy debates but often ended in protracted animosity. It is because the method of debate used tends not to consider the adab of arguing as taught by Islamic intellectuals. Yet, attempts at confrontation with them by taking a wiser path have been carried out by some activists of Islamic thought. Among them is INSISTS Jakarta, a research and publishing institution that has confronted the Liberal Islam discourse since the 2000s, not by way of confrontation but by counterarguments through scientific publications and seminars. This article will reveal the virtuous debate that has been carried out by these scientific institutions.

Gender segregation & women’s rights in Muslim societies: de-constructing feminist opposition to spatial boundaries through the lens of feminist documentary film

ABSTRACT In many Muslim societies including Pakistan, the notions of spatial boundaries and gender segregation are becoming critical site for women’s rights and feminist activism. Sanctified through patriarchal culture and interpretations of religious scriptures, such notions undermine women’s agency and autonomy, hence invite greater attention from feminists, whereby they seek to unravel how these restrictive codes, deprive women of their fundamental rights such as access to the public sphere, education, and financial independence. Lately, feminists in Pakistan, have been demonstrating their opposition to these restrictions through various cultural and political activities that include the arrangement of the annual ‘Aurat March’, social media campaigns and other forms of cultural resistance. Feminist documentary has emerged as one of these effective tools, through which feminists confront religio-cultural constructs such as spatial boundaries and gender segregation, concepts that contribute to women’s oppression. These documentaries are providing new tools for cultural resistance and should be seen as a distinctive Muslim feminist documentary. Owing to the distinctive nature of feminist documentary in Pakistan, this paper explores feminist contestation of spatial boundaries through the lens of feminist documentary.

Muslim Feminist Exegetes, Not "Handmaidens of Empire"

Muslim Feminist Exegetes, Not "Handmaidens of Empire"

Muslim Feminist Exegetes, Not "Handmaidens of Empire"

Muslim Feminist Exegetes, Not "Handmaidens of Empire"

Islamic Feminist Hermeneutics: Between Scholarship and Lived Realities

Islamic Feminist Hermeneutics: Between Scholarship and Lived Realities

Islamic Feminist Hermeneutics: Between Scholarship and Lived Realities

Islamic Feminist Hermeneutics: Between Scholarship and Lived Realities