Journeys Toward Gender Equality in Islam

Description

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 Shari'a 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-Na'im, Amina Wadud, Asma Lamrabet, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Mohsen Kadivar and Sedigheh Vasmaghi. Beginning from the premise that the Qur'an 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.

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.

'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 today's 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 volume...reflect her twin commitments to conceptual precision and real-world transformation.' * Kecia Ali, Professor of Religion, Boston University * 'Long one of our age's 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 journey's narratives offer state-of-the-field commentaries on not just gender equality but Shari'a 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 *