H7 Women in Islam
This course examines the sources (Quran and Hadith) and the practice of Islam with a special emphasis (a) upon how women have shaped and continue to shape Islam and (b) upon current issues wherein Muslim women are re-examining their traditions. This course takes non-Muslims into the heart of Islam and allows them to build bridges of solidarity with Muslim women. Muslims, meanwhile, will find a fresh ways of appreciating and evaluating their local Islamic traditions. This course includes eight online chatroom sessions of 90 minutes each (details below).
This course is built upon the insights of various Muslim scholars, notably, Prof. Asma Barlas from Pakistan, Prof. Leila Ahmed from Egypt, and Karen Armstrong from the UK.
Course Outline
Session One -- Muslim women: their dress code and other misunderstandings
The clothing that we wear not only adorns the body but it signals to onlookers something of who we are. When it comes to Muslim women, this issue is very complex. While in Istanbul, I met Muslim students who were arrested and barred from taking classes at the university because they wore a hijab (as shown in the picture). They explained their defiance to me as follows: "The hijab has always been customary for Muslim women, and we see no valid reason why the government should now want to suppress our Muslim identity in a country where 98% of the citizens are Muslim." In other places, such as Saudi Arabia, a woman not wearing a hijab/burqa would be barred from university classes (and from most other public spaces as well). Confusing, isn't it. Why should one overwhelmingly Muslim country prohibit the hijab while another requires it? Why don't both countries just allow women the freedom to decide these things for themselves (as in Egypt, for example)?
· Activity #1: Getting to hear Prof. Leila Ahmed (60 minutes)
· Activity #2: Reading and reflecting on a student paper (25 min.)
· Activity #3: Now let's hear from some Muslim men (10 min.)
Session Two –- What does one find in the Quran?
In this Second Lesson, our intention is to introduce the Quran. We will do this in two steps. First, Aaron Rose-Milavec will summarize something of the mystique surrounding the hearing of the Quran that he picked up while living in Tunisia. Second, Prof. Asma Barlas will offer something of her synopsis of the Quran as presented to a Christian audience.
Session Three -- Does the Quran uphold or diminish Muslim women?
One doesn’t need to be an expert in the study of the Quran to figure out that what anyone discovers in the Quran depends partly on the tradition of interpretation that s/he has been immersed in their upbringing. Given that historically only male scholars have interpreted the Quran and that patriarchal modes of thinking dominate their milieu, is it any surprise that they have interpreted the Quran as a patriarchal text? This is starting to change, however, as more and more Muslim women have begun to offer new and liberatory interpretations and translations of the Quran. This lesson will sample some key elements in the struggle of women to take back the Quran and to talk back to the stubborn traditionalists. All in all, our overall plan is as follows:
· To explore how and why women in Morocco are being trained as imams.
· To listen carefully to Prof. Asma Barlas in her attempts to unravel two vital contemporary questions: "Who interprets the Quran" and "Can we speak of women’s rights in Islam?"
· To watch how Dr Malika Zarrar condemns "female circumcision" in a fierce TV debate (below).
Session Four -- Tasting and reflecting upon the prayer life of Muslim women
In the first three sessions, we have had the opportunity to explore some of the issues surrounding women in Islam. Now it is the time to meet with Muslims in your local area and to pray with them and to discuss issues of mutual concern. At the same time, you might want to embrace praying in the Muslim mode in the privacy of your own home for five days.
· Activity #1 Praying one to five times each day in solidarity with Muslims worldwide (8 min.)
· Activity #2 Easy steps for arranging to visit a mosque on Friday/Saturday and praying within a circle of women you'll find there (30 min.)
· Optional Activity #3 Discussion with Muslims online
Session Five -- The life of the Prophet (pbuh)
Up to this point, we have focused on the Prophet as someone who revealed the Quran. In effect, Muslims revere the Quran and acknowledge Muhammad primarily as the one chosen to reveal it.
Muhammad also has a second important function. During his entire life, he lived according to the principles of the Quran; hence, at those points where the Quran fails to give precise details on how a Muslim ought to live, how the community is to be organized, how one performs the five pillars, then the life of Muhammad helps to fill in the details ( www ). Thus, it was frequently the case that issues were resolved by appealing to the remembered events in the life of the Prophet.
· Preliminary Activity: A quick glance at the Hadith
· Activity #1: Overhearing Muslims speak of Muhammad (5 min.)
· Activity #2: Reading a short biography of Muhammad (60 min.)
· Activity #3: Muhammad as a pioneer of women's rights (9 min.)
Session Six -- The praise and blame heaped upon Prophet Muhammad
A storm has emerged regarding the biography of Muhammad written by Rev. J.L. Menezes, a Catholic missionary priest in India. The book was originally published in 1912 under the title, The Life and the Religion of Mohammed, by way of alerting Indian Muslims to the gross deficiencies exhibited by their prophet Muhammad. Sales of this book have been promoted widely by conservative websites. Human Events Online named Menezes’ book #1 among the “top ten conservative books for 2006.” [2]
What, according to Fr. Menezes, were the failings of Muhammad that discredit him? Three in particular: (a) Conversion by the sword; (b) Brutal massacres of Jews, and (c) Sexual improprieties. Each of these will be examined in their turn. In so doing, we will be examining not only the detractions of Fr. Menezes but the main lines of thought used by all naysayers today. You will thus be in a much stronger position to evaluate the blame and shame heaped upon Muhammad by his detractors. Karen Armstrong and others will be used to critique and overturn the misleading statements of Fr. Menezes that were made a century earlier.
Session Seven -- When Muslim women speak out against Islam. . . .
In this session, we will encounter presentations of Islam that are shocking. They are shocking because they portray first-hand experiences of Muslim woman who have been brutalized in a society that portrays itself as practicing the religion of the Prophet. Two instances will be examined:
1. Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia in 1969 and raised a devout Muslim. In 1992, Ayaan was married off by her father in a ceremony which she refused to attend. In order to escape this marriage, she fled to the Netherlands where she won asylum and eventually citizenship. After earning a degree in political science, she served as an elected member of the Dutch parliament for three years. She has since become an active critic of Islam, an advocate for women’s rights and a leader in the campaign to reform Islam. Her recent best-seller, Infidel, tells of her plight. In this study, you will have the opportunity to hear Ayaan Hirsi Ali tell her own story in her own words. In response, you will hear Asma Barlas responding to her testimony.
2. Irshad Manji was born in Uganda in 1968 and raised as a devout Muslim. In 1972 Irshad immigrated to Canada with her parents in order to escape the terrorist regime of Idi Amin. Unlike Ayaan, she did not leave Islam, but went more deeply into its heart. Currently, Irshad is Director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University. The Moral Courage Project aims to teach young Muslim leaders to speak truth to power in their own communities. Manji is a well-known critic of traditional mainstream Islam and orthodox interpretations of the Quran. Manji's book, The Trouble with Islam Today, has gained her a world-wide audience in thirty languages.
Session Eight -- Here is where I stand. . . .
Computer Assisted Learning
Many of the materials examined in each session can either be read silently, read out loud, or listened to as audio recordings. In addition, there are some short videos that will be viewed. Accordingly, those taking this course will want to test their internet access speed and their computer settings to assure themselves that they can enjoy a clear reception of audio and video files. If you are working on a computer in a public space, you will want to have your earphones handy. To test your computer system, double-click on the image below. [Note: It takes about ten seconds before the sound track begins. At the end, use your browser's reverse button to return to this page.]
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| Dr Malika Zarrar condemns female genital mutilation in a fierce TV debate. Click to see a video from MEMRI TV |
Learning Style
Preparation: The course presumes a keen interest in discovering how various Muslim women experience Islam quite differently. Minimally, one should have a familiarity with the five pillars of Islam.
- The five pillars explained--the short version
- The essentials of Islam--the long version (browse around as you like)
- An excellent ten-minute video illustrating the five pillars
- Reading, hearing, and interpreting the Quran
Going beyond this, the following may be helpful:
- Muslims, Islam, and Iraq: A unique website focusing on Islam in modern Iraq and on the major Muslim groups in Iraq: Arab Shi'ites, Arab Sunnis, and Kurds.
- PBS Presents: Muhammad, Legacy of a Prophet: The Life Story of the Man Who Lives in the Hearts and Minds of American Muslims. To date, this is the best film for gaining an understanding of mainstream Islam in the US. The DVD version is available at many local libraries.
- You can have a high-quality art and culture magazine, Saudi Aramco World, delivered to your door free of charge by writing to Saudi Aramco World; Circulation Dept.; P.O. Box 469008; Escondida, CA 92046-9008 USA. Your mailing address and signature are required.
Types of feedback called for: personal reflections on various texts/audio/video presentations, detailed examination of Quran and Hadith, spontaneous writing (the fastwrite), making surmises relative to the hidden agenda of narratives based upon your own studies/experiences.
Cross-cultural component = +9 Based on a scale +1 to +10. This rating indicates the degree to which the presentation of this course includes an examination of (a) the rich diversity of cultures existing today and (b) the transformations that a given culture experiences over a span of time.
Interactivity: Besides offering one's own thoughts for comment, each participant normally spends twenty to thirty minutes each week reflecting upon and offering feedback regarding the reflections of others in the class. Guidelines for offering feedback are presented and implemented in such a way as to assure respect for the individuality of each participant and to provide a safe atmonsphere for free and open exchanges.
Chatroom activity: On the eight Saturdays, all the members of this course will participate in a 90-minute chatroom exchange on the topic of that week. These chatroom exchanges help to put a human face on the other members of your learning circle, and they result in depths of understanding that go beyond the Exploratory Questions in each Lesson. These chatroom sessions are highly structured, highly engaging, and offer strong elements for feedback as well.
Since participants in your learning circle live in various times zones, I ask that you click here in order to determine the local time for you when it is 9:30 a.m. in New York city. Please arrive in the chatroom 10 minutes early so that everyone can begin together on the designated Saturdays.
If you notice that the local time when the chatroom runs presents a grave difficulty or an impossibility for you, then please send a notice immediately to Moderator@fuse.net describing your difficulty. If you foresee that prior engagements prevent you from participating in two or more chatrooms, then please describe this in an email as well.
To activate the chatroom, paste this address below into your browser or click here: Please try out this link now so that you can assure yourself that it will work for you when you need it.
http://www.basechat.com/c-files/catherinecollege.net/islam.htm
Participants are welcome to meet with other participants in the chatroom at times and for purposes they set for themselves at any time during the course. If you notice that a class is in session, then please do not login.
Tutor availability: A tutor will be overseeing each session. You may contact your tutor via email anytime (and, in some instances, via phone during limited hours). You will receive regular feedback, encouragement, and challenges from your tutor and other participants of your learning circle each week.
Textbook: none. All readings are supplied online.
Time required each week: 3 to 4 hours at times convenient to yourself plus the 90-minute live chatroom session.
Graduation Certificate: Participants who wish to merit a Graduation Certificate are asked to complete a research project that requires ten to fourteen hours of research and writing beyond the ten weeks of the course. Practice shows that the choice of topic is best left open until the final weeks of the course when further details will be available.
Introduction
The issue of women in Islam is highly controversial. Any materials on this subject, whether in print or online, should be used with caution because of the lack of objectivity. While it is generally agreed that the rights granted to women in the Quran and by the prophet Muhammad were a vast improvement in comparison to the situation of women in Arabia prior to the advent of Islam, after the Prophet's death the condition of women in Islam began to decline and revert back to pre-Islamic norms. Yet just as the women's movement in the West began to pick up steam in the twentieth century, the same thing occured, although to a lesser extent, in the Muslim world at this time. Feminists in the Muslim world in the twentieth century (until the 1980's) were generally upper class women whose feminism was modeled after feminists in the West. But just as modern socio-political models in the Muslim world after the colonial period began, in the 20th century, to shift from Western models of society and government to "Islamic" models, feminism in the Muslim world began to take on Islamic forms rather than aping the Western feminist form. . . .
One example of the differences between Western feminism and Islamic feminism concerns the issue of "veiling." The hijab (often translated as "veil") is the form of scarf or hair covering commonly worn by Muslim women. It has always been seen by the Western feminist as oppressive and as a symbol of a Muslim woman's subservience to men. As a result, it often comes as a surprise to Western feminists that the veil has become increasingly common in the Muslim world and is often worn proudly by college girls as a symbol of an Islamic identity, freeing them symbolically from neo-colonial Western cultural imperialism and domination. (source = http://www.uga.edu/islam/Islamwomen.html)
What former participants were saying
I think I have discovered a very safe place--I have not been hesitant in the least to express myself. My concern in sharing is that I'm being insensitive or arrogant and don't even know it...I like the opening ritual of listening to the bell, but guess I somehow missed the closing ritual...Suggestions for myself are to take more time to reply to members of the learning circle. I hope to have more time for that as the lessons progress--it's taken me a good amount of time to learn how to get around in here and just read and reflect.
I have appreciation for all the women who are taking this class and finding the time in their busy lives to read and share and respond. I feel like there is so much more to explore, discuss, and I remind myself to BREATHE and sit back and allow the rest of the lessons to unfold.
This is such interesting material - it takes a while to read and respond because I need the appropriate time to digest and mull and absorb. Thank you sisters and brother for this wonderful experience of exploring and learning. Feedback is so important in order to glean how others are taking this in and digesting it.
I am finding the course very interesting intellectually and am learning quite a bit. I have not study anything about Islam before so this is very good for me. On the other hand I am quite challenged by the technology. I have downloaded more than I need from NPR! I have listened to you tube, but have no idea how I did it. . . Even with all of that I am happy to be part of this course. I still have a lot to learn about talking to each of you via the blog or forum or other tools.
I found lesson Three the most stimulating so far. I could feel myself coming down hard on one or two points but feel safe enough in this sphere to do so...and I appreciate the feed back I do get. I loved the beauty of the people at prayer and the mosques pictured in the videos...
I am quite energized by this class and find myself sharing nearly every day with my sisters what I am learning...we were all delighted to learn there is a very progressive feminist movement in Morocco.
Thank you Catherine College!
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