Journeys Toward Gender Equality in Islam

(Paperback)

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Following the birth of Islamic feminism at the end of the twentieth century, the idea of gender equality inherent to our contemporary conceptions of justice has presented a challenge to established, patriarchal interpretations of Sharia law. Through a series of thoughtful, enlightening conversations, Ziba Mir- Hosseini explores journeys towards gender equality in Islam with six influential Muslim intellectuals Abdullahi An-Naim, Amina Wadud, Asma Lamrabet, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Mohsen Kadivar and Sedigheh Vasmaghi. Beginning from the premise that the Quran indicates the path toward justice, rather than a precise definition of justice, they discuss how new forms of scholarship and activism are speaking to gender equality from within the Islamic legal framework.

Reviews

Makes leading Muslim reformists works and arguments about gender and womens rights accessible to a wider readership Besides being an obvious choice for a textbook in Islam and Gender courses, Mir-Hosseinis latest work will resonate with any readers seeking to reconcile notions like gender equality and womens rights with outdated, patriarchal interpretations of Islam.

* The New Arab *

Ziba Mir-Hosseini offers us an insightful and illuminating meditation on the struggle for justice for women in Islam in recent decades. Essential reading on the subject, her book will surely become a classic.

-- Leila Ahmed, Victor S. Thomas Research Professor of Divinity, Harvard University

Among todays most innovative and influential Islamic thinkers, Ziba Mir-Hosseini has worked for decades to promote gender equality in Muslim family law. The fascinating and engaging dialogues in this volumereflect her twin commitments to conceptual precision and real-world transformation.

* Kecia Ali, Professor of Religion, Boston University *

Long one of our ages most gifted scholars on Islam, gender, and equality, Ziba Mir-Hosseini has written a new book that takes readers through a conversational journey about gender equality with six leading Muslim intellectuals. Both deeply personal and scholarly, the journeys narratives offer state-of-the-field commentaries on not just gender equality but Sharia law and Muslim ethics in our late-modern age. The result is one of the most important and enjoyable books on Islam and gender that I have ever read.

* Robert W. Hefner, Professor of Anthropology and Global Affairs, Boston University *

At once personal and scholarly, diverse yet focused on particular issues, presenting both spiritual and intellectual journeys, this work represents an original way of broaching the ever-elusive subject of gender in Islam.

* Omaima Abou-Bakr, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Cairo University *

Author Bio

Ziba Mir-Hosseini is Professorial Research Associate at the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Law, SOAS, University of London. A legal anthropologist, specialising in Islamic law, gender and development, she is a founding member of Musawah Global Movement for Equality and Justice in the Muslim Family. Her previous publications include Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate in Contemporary Islam and Men in Charge Rethinking Authority in Muslim Legal Tradition.