College of Social and Behavorial Sciences

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVORIAL SCIENCES WOMEN’S STUDIES PROGRAM WST 360 TRANSNATIONAL FEMINISMS: ISLAMIC FEMINISM

Tues-Thurs 12:34pm to 2 pm. Building 64. Room 28 Instructor: Philippa Winkler, PhD Email: [email protected] Phone: 774 1765 Office : Room A102, Women’s Studies Faculty Office, Riles Building. Hours: Friday 2-4 pm or by appointment.

Course Description

This course focuses on the theories, political goals, strategies and activities of Islamic feminism in the context of the emerging global feminist movement. Since the 19th century, women’s political organizations in Islamic countries have contributed to the development of civil society, socialism and a feminist re-interpretation of the Koran. In general, their visions promote gender equality, a culture of peace, and social justice. But Islamic feminism has come under intense scrutiny. Scholars have asked, is feminism possible within a religion founded on a patriarchal view of gender? Have advocates of cultural relativism gone too far in endorsing theocratic gender relations in an effort to respect intersectional differences among women? As a result, several over-arching questions have emerged: Should feminism be defined by ideology or by praxis situated in diverse regional and organizational contexts? Should feminism prioritize adherence to all human rights over religion and religious considerations? How credible or effective are models of progress offered by Western women? What is the potential for dialogue between Islamist and Western feminists in the critique of patriarchy and the concomitant creation of a movement towards global sisterhood? The course will explore these questions and others through the lens of postcolonial feminism with a focus on transnational anti-capitalism, as scholars such as Mohanty (2003) have suggested.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

 Understand Islamic feminism as a diverse movement reflecting varied and culturally-based interpretations of Islam throughout the world.

 Appreciate the complex interplay of religious, nationalist and ethnic issues in shaping and manipulating gender identity in Islamic communities and states

 Identify major feminist approaches to Islam: Re-interpretation of the Koran, activism against legal discrimination and male violence in Islamic communities, and transnational ideological mobilization (Marxism, nationalism, religious fundamentalism)

1  Compare central gendered tenets of Christianity with those found in Islam.

 Understand Islamic feminist practices within the context of the transnational feminist movement against capitalism/globalization.

 Identify key issues in the Western liberal feminism versus Islamic feminism debate.

 Improve the basic skills of critical thinking, analysis, and effective writing.

Required Readings

Badran, Margot and Cooke, Miriam, Eds, Opening the Gates, A Century of Arab Feminist Writing, Bloomington, Indiannapolis, Indiana University Press, 1990.

Webb, Gisela, Ed, Windows of Faith, Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North America, New York: Syracuse University Press, 2000.

The Koran, transl. Davood, NJ, London: Penguin Books, 1995.

Required books available at Aradia Bookstore, 116 W Cottage Avenue, Flagstaff. All other readings available on e-course reserves and print reserves at Cline Library.

YOU MUST BRING A MAP OF THE WORLD TO CLASSES WHEN COURSE MATERIAL COVERS ISSUES OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (Instructor reserves the right to make changes)

PARTICIPATION IN CLASS (50 points). This course focuses on readings and discussions in class. Therefore students must read the readings and be prepared to pose and answer questions about course content. Students will be required to sign an attendance record at each session. If you miss your class, please e-mail me ahead of time, or as soon after as possible. All excuses should be provided to me in writing by email. 10 points will be deducted for every unexplained absence. Five or more absences will require some form of institutional documentation and a personal meeting with the instructor. FIVE SHORT ASSIGNMENTS (RESPONSE PAPERS, SHOW AND TELL, ETC) Worth 10 points each (50 points) ESSAY (40 points) RESEARCH/ANALYSIS PAPER AND PRESENTATION (60 points) TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS: 200

2 GRADES A= 190-200; B=180-189; C=170-179, D=160-169. F=Below 160. The instructor will grade each assignment with a letter grade and points.

PART ONE INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM AND THE KORAN

WEEK ONE

Tuesday August 31 Introduction

Thursday September 2 Video extracts in class, including Living Islam, Part Four

Reading: Fernea, Elizabeth Warnock, “Conclusion” from In Search of Islamic Feminism, One Woman’s Global Journey, New York: Doubleday, 1998, p 414-423.

Sabbagh, Suha, Ed, “Introduction, the Debate on Arab Women” from Arab Women, Between Defiance and Restraint, New York: Olive Branch Press, 1996, p xi-xxvii

WEEK TWO

Tuesday September 7 History of Islam. Handout provided.

DUE: Please bring in a map of the world with sufficient space to write numbers of Muslim populations on each country, which we will do in class. This assignment is worth 10 points.

Thursday September 7 Discussion in class based on assignment and readings.

Sharzad, Mojab, “Theorizing the Politics of ‘Islamic Feminism’, Feminist Review, Winter 2001, Issue 69, p 124. (Please note this reading is optional, but relevant to students who are versed in feminist theory).

Khalidi, Ramla and Tucker, Judith, “Women’s Rights in the Arab World”, from Sabbagh, Suha, Ed, Arab Women, Between Defiance and Restraint, New York: Olive Branch Press, 1996, p 9-21.

3 Manji, Irshad, Chapter One, The Trouble With Islam - a Wake-Up Call For Honesty and Change', St Martin’s Press, London, 2004.

DUE: Response Paper. Three-page minimum, one-and-a-half –spaced. Worth 10 points. Irshad Manji's is a lesbian Muslim based in Canada. Her best-selling book, 'The Trouble With Islam - a Wake-Up Call For Honesty and Change' has made her a target for assassination. Please read Chapter One (available on e-course reserves). Do you agree with Manji’s idealization of the Western model of rationality and freedom? Thinking of the religion you grew up with, do you agree with her contention that a gender-friendly “reinvention of faith” (p. 7) is possible? How does Manji’s view compare to the Islamic feminists interviewed in Living Islam, Part Four? (Her website: http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/)

WEEK THREE

Tuesday September 14 The Advent of Patriarchy and Class-Based Social Structures

Readings: Harding, Esther M, “The Moon Mother” from Woman’s Mysteries, Ancient and Modern, Boston: Shambhalla, 1990

Ahmed, Leila, “Women and the Rise of Islam” from Women and Gender in Islam, Historical Roots of a Modern Debate, .New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1992, p 41-64.

Mernissi, Fatema, “My Harem: Harun Ar-Rachid, The Sexy Caliph” from Scheheradze Goes West, Washington Square Press, 2002, p 117-129.

Thursday September 16 Discussion in class based on assignment

DUE: Response paper. Three-page minimum, one-and-a-half –spaced. Worth 10 points. Reading excerpts from the Koran and the Judao-Christian Bible is key to developing your own understanding of the common patriarchal roots of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. What are differences and similarities in stories, edicts, or teachings about women that appear in the Bible (Old and New Testaments) and the Koran? Choose a minimum of one example. Search for terms on the following: Online Koran: http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran/ Find Surahs (Chapters) in your assigned text of the Koran. Note any differences in translations. Online Bible: http://bible.crosswalk.com/

4 WEEK FOUR

Tuesday September 21

Read Surahs (Chapters) 1, 4, 18, 24, 31, 32, 33, in the Koran (bring required text to class).

PART TWO MODERN ARAB AND NORTHERN AFRICAN ISLAMIC FEMINISM

Thursday September 23 Early 20th Century Feminism

Readings from Badran, Margot and Cooke, Miriam, Opening the Gates, A Century of Arab Feminist Writing, Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana University Press.:

Introduction, xv-xxxvi Al-Taimuriya, Aisha, “The Results of Circumstances in Words and Deeds” (Egyptian, 1887/8), p 125-134. Fawwaz, Zainab, “Fair and Equal Treatment” (Lebanese, 1891) p 220-227 Nawfal, Hind, “The Dawn of the Arabic Women’s Press” (Lebanese, 1892) p 215-220 Al-Badiya, Bahithat, “Bad Deeds of Men: Injustice” (Egyptian, 1909), p 134-137

WEEK FIVE Early to mid 20th Century

Tuesday September 27

Readings from Badran, Margot and Cooke, Miriam, Opening the Gates, A Century of Arab Feminist Writing:

Ziyada, May, “Warda al-Yaziji” (Palestinian, 1924), p 239-244 Al-Din, Nazira Zain, “Unveiling and Veiling” and “The Young Woman and the Shaikhs” (1928, Egyptian), p 270-279. Shaawari, Huda, “Pan-Arab Feminism” (Egyptian, 1944), p 337-341 Shafiq, Duriya, “Islam and the Constitutional Rights of Women” (Egyptian, 1952), p 352-357 Accad, Evelyne, “The Excised” (Lebanese, 1982), p 168-174.

Thursday September 29 Late 20th and 21st Islamic Feminism

Lecture: The role of US Foreign Policy in the Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East

5 Mernissi, Fatema, “Palace Fundamentalism and Liberal Democracy: Oil, Arms and Irrationality” from Hewitt de Alcantara, Social Futures, Global Visions, Oxford UK: Blackwell Publishers, 1996, p 39-55.

WEEK SIX Gender Issues and Iran

Tuesday October 5 Poya, Maryam, “Introduction” p 1-28 from Women, Work and Islamism, Ideology and Resistance in Iran, London: Zed Books, 1999, 1-28.

Thusday October 7

Nafisi, Azar, p 258-288, in Reading Lolita in Tehran, A Memoir in Books, New York: Random House, 2003. Azar Nafisi is a bold and inspired teacher who every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics.

DUE. ESSAY. Worth 40 points. Five pages minimum space-and-a-half. Based on the readings, your choice of extracts from Opening the Gates, and course material in Parts 1 and 2, illustrate the following statement: Women’s identities in Arabian and Northern African countries are faced with a number of challenges: religious re- interpretations, resistance to Western hegemony, local customs and economic survival. Can you identify other challenges? A detailed prompt for this assignment will be handed out in class.

WEEK SEVEN

GENDER ISSUES IN BALKAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES AND STATES (includes Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan)

Tuesday October 12

Discussion based on the readings: Tohidi, Nayereh, from Bodman, Herberi L and Tohidi, Nayereh , Women in Muslim Societies, Diversity Within Unity, Boulder, Co: Lynne Rienner, 1998, p 137-187. Describes manipulation of gender issues in Aizerbaijan, a post-Soviet Union state.

Moghadam, Valentine, “ Women and Social Change in Afghanistan, in Modernizing Women”, Gender and Social Change in the Middle East, Boulder, Co: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 1993, 207-249. Describes the challenges to women’s rights championed by the socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978-1992).

6 Thursday October 14

DUE: “Show and Tell” Bring to the class a photo or illustration of headgear and dress typically worn by Muslim women in a country in Central Asia (sometimes called Central Eurasia). Identify as much as possible, locality, profession, economic and social status, rural or urban. Worth 10 points.

WEEK EIGHT

Tuesday October 19

Lecture and Discussion based on readings: “Muslim and Bosnian Women Reconcile” Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom http://www.peacewomen.org/news/SerbiaMontenegro/June04/reconcile.html

Mladjenovic, Lepa and Hughes, Donna M, “Feminist Resistance to War and Violence in Serbia”, from Rycenga, Jennifer and Walter, Marguerite R, Eds, Frontline Feminisms, Women, War and Resistance, New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc, 2000, p 247-274,.

PART FOUR:ISLAMIC FEMINISM IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA (India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia)

Thursday October 21

Class discussion based on the following assignment: DUE: From the internet, bring a description of one or more feminist activist organizations in one of the following countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. Worth 10 points.

WEEK NINE

Tuesday October 26

Van Doorn-Harder, Nelly, “The Indonesian Islamic Debate on a Woman President”, SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Oct2002, Vol. 17 Issue 2, p164, 27p.

Bahramitash, Roksana, "Myths and realities of the impact of political Islam on women: female employment in Indonesia and Iran, " Development in Practice, June 2004, Vol. 14 Issue 4, p508, 13p

Thursday October 28

7 Kausiki, Mukhopadhyay and Pallab, Paul, “Organisational Differences in Hinduism and Islam and their Impact on the Women’s Movement on the Indian Subcontinent,”.Asian Studies Review, Dec2003, Vol. 27 Issue 4, p419, 24p.

WEEK TEN

Tuesday November 2

Bhutto, Benazir, “Speech criticizing male domination of women of Islamic religion” Essential Speeches, 2003, p0, 0p; (AN 8866759) EPSCO HOST. Benazir Bhutto became the first woman head of government in the Muslim world when she was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988. Deposed in a coup 20 months later, she was re- elected in 1993 and dismissed in 1996 under charges of corruption.

Douglas, Carol Anne , “Malaysian Sisters in Islam oppose fundamentalism”, Off Our Backs, Mar 1998, Vol. 28 Issue 3, p10.

PART FOUR MUSLIM WOMEN’S STUDIES IN NORTH AMERICA

Thursday November 4

Reading from Webb, Gisela, Ed, Windows of Faith, Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North America, New York: Syracuse University Press, 2000:

Webb, Gisela “May Muslim Women Speak for Themselves, Please?” xi to xxi,

Al-Hibri, Azizah Y, “An Introduction to Muslim Women’s Rights”. 51 to 72

Zoharah Simmons, Gwendolyn, “Striving for Muslim Women’s Human Rights-Before and Beyond Beijing, An African American Perspective” 197-226

WEEK ELEVEN

Tuesday November 9

From Windows of Faith:

Hassan, Riffat, “Is Family Planning Permitted by Islam?” 226-241

8 Al-Faruqi, Maysam J, “Women’s Self-Identity in the Qur’an and Islamic Law” 72-102

(NO CLASS Thursday November 11)

PART SIX

THEORIZING THE ISSUES: THE WAY FORWARD

We will review the academic origins, competing claims and key debates which have made Islamic feminism so controversial. Issues will be evaluated primarily in the context of the immense contribution made by Islamic woman-driven organizations to the global movement for peace, human rights and social justice. What are pathways (and barriers) to the integration of Islamic and Western feminist praxis?

Prompt for Research/Analysis Paper. Presentations begin Week 15, Final Paper due Week 16: Students will research and write a minimum 10 page, double- spaced report, plus bibliography, and end notes based on a topic of their choice and theory related to the course Students will orally present their research to the class. 10 points deducted if no presentation offered. The instructor will review draft papers, if desired.

WEEK TWELVE Tuesday November 16

Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, from Feminism Without Borders, Decolonizing Theory, Practising Solidarity, Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2003, p 228-245. Begins “Under and (Inside”) Western Borders.”

Narayan, Uma, “Contesting Cultures: ‘Westernization’, Respect for Cultures and Third- World Feminists”, 1997, from Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions and Third World Feminisms, in Kolmar, Wendy K and Bartkowski, Frances, Feminist Theory: A Reader, McGraw-Hill, 2005, p 542-550.

Thursday November 18

Cooke, Miriam, Women Claim Islam, Creating Islamic Feminism Through Literature, Chapter 5, “Multiple Critique”, New York, London: Routledge, 2001, p 107-136..

WEEK THIRTEEN

Tuesday November 22

9 Moghissi, Haideh, Chapter Seven, “Islamic Feminism and Its Discontents”, from Feminism and Islamic Fundamentalism, New York: Zed Books, 1999, p 125-149.

Ahmed, Leila, extract from “Conclusion”, from Women and Gender in Islam, Historical Roots of a Modern Debate, Yale University, 1992, p 240-248.

Thursday November 25 – NO CLASS

WEEK FOURTEEN

Tuesday November 30 Readings:

“Women’s Rights in the Muslim World: Where do they stand?” By Dominique Pettit, Middle East Online, February 18 2004, http://www.middle-east- online.com/english/morocco/?id=8938

Hassan, Riffat, “Human Rights in the Qur’ranic Perspective” in Windows of Faith, p 241- 249

King, Jennifer, S, “Islamic Feminism vs. Western Feminism, Analyzing and Conceptualizing Conflict,” Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science, International Studies, Central Connecticut State University, May 2003, Chapter Nine (Conclusion), p 70-82. Internet, accessed on: http://fred.ccsu.edu:8000/archive/00000056/01/etd-2003-11.pdf

Thursday December 2

PRESENTATIONS

WEEK FIFTEEN

Tuesday December 7

PRESENTATIONS

Thursday December 9 – LAST DAY OF CLASS DUE: Research/Analysis Paper. Worth 80 points. PRESENTATIONS

10 12:30 –2:30 PM

OPTIONAL READINGS AND VIDEOS

“The Last Crusade” (videorecording) a BBC-TV Production in Assocation with Ambrose Video Publishing, Producer, John Percival, New York, NY: Ambrose Video Publishing. This program looks at the Islamic revival and revolutionary and reforming spirit of Muslims, 1993, VT 3821.

“Women and Islam” videorecording, Epicflow, Channel Four, Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanitaries and Sciences, 1994, VT 6328.

“Beyond Borders” Arab Feminists talks about their lives—East and West. The National Film Board of Canada, directed by Jennifer Kawaja, Princeton NJ: Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2000, VT 8515.

Othman, Norani, 1999, “Grounding Human Rights Arguments in Non-Western Culture: Shari'a and the Citizenship Rights of Women in a Modern Islamic State”, in The East Asian Challenge for Human Rights, Bauer, Joanne R, and Bell, Daniel, Eds, Cambridge UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. .

Mayer, Elizabeth Ann, 1999, “Islamic law and human rights : conundrums and equivocations” in Gustafson, Carrie and Juviler, Peter, Eds, Religion and Human Rights: Competing Claims?, Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

Moghadam, Valerie, April 2000, “Islamic Feminism and its Discontents: Notes on a Debate” http://www.iran-bulletin.org/women/Islamic_feminism_IB.html

COURSE POLICY

Academic Contact Hour Policy: For every contact hour (time spent in class,) a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of two additional hours of work per week, e.g., preparation, assignments, studying etc.

Late papers, assignments: Papers and all other assignments MUST be completed on the date assigned unless there is a legitimate emergency or university-related conflict. If you miss a deadline without valid authorization, your final grade will be dropped by two letter grades.

11 Plagiarism The intentional or unintentional representation of someone else’s work as your own, without citing sources, is not tolerated.

Catching Up On Missed Classes If you miss a session, it is your responsibility to obtain the handouts and class exercises from that session from the instructor.

CLASS RULES

RESPECT EVERYONE’S OPINIONS. This is a class that encourages critical thinking, so we must expect differences of opinion! The classroom is a safe space for each student to express themselves, and every relevant opinion is considered useful to the discussion. PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME. If you are having trouble making it on time, let me know. DON’T CHANGE SEATS: If possible, please stay in the same seats during the semester, as this will help the instructor to remember your names! Students may be required to put name cards on desks. TURN OFF CELL PHONES, BEEPERS, etc. Unless you are a parent. NO FOOD OR DRINKS IN THE CLASSROOM. Bottled water/drink with spill-proof lid is acceptable. Snacks, however, can be brought into the last class of the semester.