Islamic feminists are reinterpreting Islamic sources in order to achieve equal rights for women within an Islamic framework. They have challenged traditional interpretations of scripture and... Show moreIslamic feminists are reinterpreting Islamic sources in order to achieve equal rights for women within an Islamic framework. They have challenged traditional interpretations of scripture and received notions of interpretive authority, both in Muslim majority societies as well as in the diasporic Islamic world. With their new interpretations they have contributed to the transformation of the legal, political and social rights of Muslim women. There are, however, also limitations to the feminist interpretations of scripture and their potential to deliver gender equality. Show less
ISIM organized a workshop on “Transnational Circuits: ‘Muslim Women’ in Asia” as part of the conference on Inter-Asian Connections convened by the Social Science Research Council together with the... Show moreISIM organized a workshop on “Transnational Circuits: ‘Muslim Women’ in Asia” as part of the conference on Inter-Asian Connections convened by the Social Science Research Council together with the Dubai School of Government in Dubai from 21-23 February. The conference aimed to launch new, transregional, and comparative research initiatives that go beyond more narrowly defined area-studies approaches and focus on the connections between different parts of Asia. The workshop addressed how women’s subjectivities were transformed in new transnational circuits of labour and consumption. It focused on the involvement of Muslim women in Asia in these circuits, be it as mobile people or as producers, propagators, and consumers of things, ideas, and images on the move. We used the notion “Muslim women” as a heuristic device to move beyond an area studies approach. This focus on Islam and gender turned out to be fruitful in analyzing three major Inter-Asian circuits: migrant domestic labour, transnational marriages, and fashionable styles of Muslim dress. Show less
The permissability of hymen repair surgery is a controversial topic in Islamic contexts, as the opposing views of doctors convening at the 1987 meeting of the Islamic Organization of Medical... Show moreThe permissability of hymen repair surgery is a controversial topic in Islamic contexts, as the opposing views of doctors convening at the 1987 meeting of the Islamic Organization of Medical Sciences testified. One would expect to find an even more diverse plethora of voices on the Internet, but the authors show that notwithstanding the image of the net as a decentralized medium that spurs pluralism, in practice it functions as a filter in which only a few dominant voices are heard in tremendous duplication. Show less
Gender issues are becoming politicized to the detriment of women in contexts where armed interventions usher in new blueprints for governance and “democratization.” Using illustrations from... Show moreGender issues are becoming politicized to the detriment of women in contexts where armed interventions usher in new blueprints for governance and “democratization.” Using illustrations from Afghanistan, this article shows that the nature of emerging political settlements may jeopardize stated international commitments to a women’s rights agenda, especially in contexts where security and the rule of law are severely compromised, where Islam becomes a stake in power struggles, and where ethnic/sectarian constituencies are locked in power struggles for representation in defence of their collective rights. Show less
In this article, Barlas joins the debates on the right and authority of Muslim women to interpret the Quran.1 As a way to move the conversation beyond simply asserting or refuting the right of this... Show moreIn this article, Barlas joins the debates on the right and authority of Muslim women to interpret the Quran.1 As a way to move the conversation beyond simply asserting or refuting the right of this or that person to read the Quran on this or that condition, she distinguishes between different types of interpretations and authority. Simultaneously, she attempts to come to grips with the tensions between an individual believer’s reading of the Quran and that of the community. Show less
Museums are a public space within the public sphere. Yet they also embody many aspects of the private sphere. This duality, (or perhaps neutrality), makes them appropriate as changeagents in the... Show moreMuseums are a public space within the public sphere. Yet they also embody many aspects of the private sphere. This duality, (or perhaps neutrality), makes them appropriate as changeagents in the segregated arena of Muslim society. Museums belong to a universal and growing movement that societies can use to develop a common voice about social concepts such as those relating to women’s equality. Show less
The ISIM invited 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi for her first formal visit to the Netherlands where she met with members of NGOs, government officials, scholars, students, and activists... Show moreThe ISIM invited 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi for her first formal visit to the Netherlands where she met with members of NGOs, government officials, scholars, students, and activists from 15-17 April 2004. On 16 April she gave a lecture at the Nieuwe of Littéraire Sociëteit de Witte in The Hague entitled, Human Rights, Women and Islam which is presented below in abridged form with some audience questions. Show less
There is a growing interest in the role of converts to Islam in Europe and the United States. However, whereas most converts to Islam appear to be women, this fact has been relatively neglected.... Show moreThere is a growing interest in the role of converts to Islam in Europe and the United States. However, whereas most converts to Islam appear to be women, this fact has been relatively neglected. The ISIM workshop on 'Gender and Conversion to Islam', held from 16 to 17 May 2003 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, was aimed to readdress this imbalance by focusing on gender and conversion to Islam in the West. Nine scholars from various countries and different disciplines were invited to compare their research material. Show less
Academic studies increasingly examine the relationship between the social organization of space, gender and sexuality in contemporary Muslim societies. Such studies tend to consider historical,... Show moreAcademic studies increasingly examine the relationship between the social organization of space, gender and sexuality in contemporary Muslim societies. Such studies tend to consider historical, socio-political and religious notions associated with the veil, or chador, as it is traditionally known in Iran. Whether bound up with the concept of male/female spatial binaries or closely involved with aspects of space that create visual and physical control, studies rarely deal with the veil as an entity that can be understood as a secondary space, or a 'habitat' which clinches women's bodies in public. Show less
The arrival of female genital cutting to northeastern Africa predates that of Christianity and Islam, and Muslims, Christians, and Jews continue the practice today. Popular association of the... Show moreThe arrival of female genital cutting to northeastern Africa predates that of Christianity and Islam, and Muslims, Christians, and Jews continue the practice today. Popular association of the practice with religious ideals has justified its continuation, and beliefs that the practice contradicts religious principles have justified its abandonment. Anthias and Yuval-Davis (1989) argue that strategic use of 'gender symbols' concerning the sexuality of women can reproduce religious boundaries, and this process of differentiation may involve national or transnational political bodies that endorse or oppose selected symbols. This framework helps to understand the diverging prevalence of female genital cutting among Christians and Muslims in Egypt. Show less
Established in 1999 at the American University in Cairo, the Institute for Gender and Women's Studies (IGWS) is a multipurpose and interdisciplinary research centre that serves scholars, activists... Show moreEstablished in 1999 at the American University in Cairo, the Institute for Gender and Women's Studies (IGWS) is a multipurpose and interdisciplinary research centre that serves scholars, activists and policy-makers interested in gender and women's studies in the Arabic-speaking world, Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Central Asia, Western Asia and Africa. The primary function of the institute is to serve as a resource nexus within and through which research projects, conferences, workshops, seminars, policy debates and educational programmes on gender and women's issues are engaged. Show less
Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the reintroduction of sharica law relating to gender and the family, women's rights suffered a major setback. However, as the implementers of the law... Show moreFollowing the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the reintroduction of sharica law relating to gender and the family, women's rights suffered a major setback. However, as the implementers of the law have faced the social realities of women's lives and aspirations, positive changes have gradually come about. Since the late 1980s there has been a growing debate in Iranian books and journals between proponents of different approaches to gender in Islam. During 1995, a series of discussions were held with clerical contributors to the debate in which clarification was sought for the jurisprudential bases for their approaches to gender issues. Show less
