Transcript slides
The “Pillars” of Islam Shahada (testimony) Salat (ritual prayer) Sawm (Ramadan fast) Zakat (alms tax) Hajj (greater pilgrimage) The “Pillars” of Islam Salat (ritual prayer) At dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening, facing Mecca But what if you’re on the opposite side of the world? Or in space? Or in Alaska? The “Pillars” of Islam Salat (ritual prayer) Attempts to shift Friday noon prayer to Sunday have failed, though Sunday is day for “Sunday school” and the like Imam (prayer leader) as profession, prayer as assertion of Islamic ID Islam on the Internet Enabling contact between Muslims (and others), but also leading to (sometimes acrimonious) debates Qur’an and other texts on the internet, but can lead to problems with fake or amateur legal scholarship? Islam and the State How to live a Muslim life under non-Muslim/ secular/only nominally Muslim rule? Live Muslim life within state’s legal system as far as possible Not all happy with this approach… Western image of women in Islam is frequently distorted image of a complex situation relating more to issue of theory vs. practice Qur’an and Islamic law assume patriarchal society with clearly defined gender roles: male as breadwinner, female as nurturer of children Modern pressures and women’s aspirations require women to be active in public sphere Muslim feminists seek solution to dilemma in Islam, rather than rejecting it N.B. Making general comments here! Traditionally... Women discouraged from attending prayers at mosque, expected to pray at home... So women active in non-traditional/non-genderreserved forms of worship, e.g. Sufism Women also “net-working” in other ways Veiling and Seclusion (Hijab/Purdah) Seclusion rarely practiced Qur’an says to dress modestly Veil as: control on behaviour, statement of ID or way to avoid unwelcome attention? Other issues in Qur’an Woman’s testimony worth half that of man Women get smaller shares of inheritance Men can divorce more easily Religion of family dictated by husband - women often cannot marry non-Muslims Concern for paternity, purity and maintenance of Muslim family line Frequent rationalisation is complementary relationship - men and women with different roles - but difficult to maintain in face of modern life Seeming assumption in Qur’an and other sources that women need to be controlled seen by feminists as expression of male insecurity Feminists maintaining that Islam is not the problem; the problem is the interpretation of it by (usually male) authorities. Therefore scriptures need to be re-assessed Equality = equal access to opportunities, not simply equal treatment that does not pay attention to physical differences Debates about women’s rights are primarily urban phenomenon. Women often enjoy greater rights in rural communities, though problems (honour killings, FGM, domestic violence) do arise. However, restriction of women’s rights more frequent in urban settings Amina Wadud (b. 1952) Born Mary Teasley, daughter of a Methodist minister, in Washington, DC. Converted to Islam in 1970s Distressed at treatment of women in Islam, turned to Qur’an for solution Amina Wadud (b. 1952) Developed view that problem was use of the Qur’an, not the Qur’an itself. Led to Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective (1992) August 1994 Asked to give khutba (sermon) at Claremont Main Road Mosque, Cape Town, South Africa Amina Wadud (b. 1952) March 18th 2005 Led mixed public prayer service in Manhattan, New York. Reactions ranged from praise to condemnation and even death threats. Muslims supporting both sides of debate Currently visiting professor at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia