Ties That Bind Women in Islam and Christianity Kristin Lassen

Ties that Bind Women in Islam and Christianity Kristin Lassen Many Western, Protestant Christians oscillate between pity, imagination needed to end political violence.8 This imaginative fear, compassion, and scorn for burqa-clad women. Like openness is needed to see Middle Eastern women in their many Christian symbols and articles of clothing that honor multifaceted reality, and then to grasp that the contributing Christian faith, the hijab is often perilously misunderstood.1 factors to their religious and cultural situation are not so different In recent decades, two primary views have emerged within from those facing Christian women in patriarchal settings. Protestant Christianity regarding the ontology and roles of The capacity to expand one’s moral imagination also requires women, commonly known as complementarian and feminist the humility to see humanity as a web of relationships that includes or egalitarian, with the latter challenging years of dominant women, men, friends, and even enemies. Such humility makes patriarchal church culture.2 Likewise, Muslim women expound possible both the continued pursuit of creativity in a new paradigm liberating interpretations of their faith, but the cacophony of and the risk involved when stepping into unknown territory. These centuries-long religious conflict often drowns the voices of factors that Lederach summons to rise above political violence are women in general. also necessary in the quest to eliminate gender hierarchy—given Elizabeth Warnock Fernea, a pioneer in the field of Middle the physical, emotional, and spiritual violence that accompanies Eastern women’s studies, joins Middle East and Arabic specialist, gender hierarchy regardless of one’s religion.9 Basima Qattan Bezirgan, in describing the misperception of Different perspectives emerge when we listen to voices that Middle Eastern women by those in their own society. These have been overshadowed by the dominant narratives. Consider, scholars expand the discussion by asking, “How much greater, for example, Muslim conservative apologists who argue that then, the refraction or even distortion when persons from the status of Muslim women is “no worse than that of Western different cultures view each other through the prism of their own women” because Middle Eastern women are “respected, cared for cultural values?”3 and guarded compared to the licentiousness which characterizes Scholars and practitioners of Christianity and Islam make Western relations between the sexes.”10 When women’s voices their cases for women’s equality, though equality may be defined are heard, however, we find that there are “fundamentally differently for each. The tendency in the East is toward greater different Islams” that result from different views of the Qur’an; recognition for women; in the West, a major goal is inclusion of it is “imperative to challenge the authoritarian and patriarchal women in senior leadership positions.4 This article will examine readings of Islam that are profoundly affecting the lives and the similar ways egalitarian convictions aim to challenge and future of Muslim women.”11 change cultural mores vis-à-vis the equality of women, within As a tandem example from Christianity, prominent patriarchal strands of Islam and in patriarchal Christian patriarchal pastor John Piper argues that, when men take the culture.5 Though these Abrahamic religions are distinct, this “primary responsibility” for leadership in the home and church, article will argue that Christianity and Islam have more in “there are fields of opportunity that are simply endless.”12 Not common than meets the eye vis-à-vis the treatment of women. It for women! The words “Not for women,” are scrawled in the is my hope that this common ground provides a rich context for margin of the library copy of Piper and Wayne Grudem’s book both interfaith dialogue and a deeper understanding of a shared that I have before me. This simple phrase underscores the Spirit- holy book—the Bible. subjugating experiences that this well-intentioned yet myopic Exploring Commonalities between Christian and Muslim ideology delivers.13 Women Christian and Muslim Women have had Liberating Teachings of The Qur’an is not the Bible. Muslims are different from Christians. Their Founders Denied or Ignored. And the communal structure of Middle Eastern society is different Islamic feminism and Christian egalitarianism desire to ground from the hierarchical, individualistic West.6 Analyzing the feminist equality in the Qur’an or Bible, respectively. Egalitarians in both movements in these diverse settings is like comparing apples and religions present solid, equality-affirming interpretations of their persimmons. Nevertheless, many Christian and Muslim women respective Scriptures as the corrective to patriarchal cultural have indeed experienced certain commonalities. norms that were neither intended nor practiced by their founders. Christian and Muslim Women’s Experiences are more Complex The Qur’an was quite liberating for women at the time of than the Dominant Narratives about Them. its writing, and history proves that subsequent Middle Eastern women have often experienced subjugation. Fernea and Bezirgan When examining the history of women in Islam, one must move go on to say that the paradox of Middle Eastern society can be away from the dichotomy that, on the one hand, the Qur’an was better understood linearly—on one end of the line is the “Koran radical for its time in its position-advancing statements about (the word of God)” and on the opposite end of the same line women or, on the other hand, Middle Eastern women have lived in is “tribal and family custom (the word of men).”14 Economic, inescapable bondage. Both are true, argue Fernea and Bezirgan.7 social, and familial variance determine how close or far one falls Openness to complexity without relying on strict dichotomy from the “Koranic ideal.” Faithful Islamic women find dignity is one of Paul Lederach’s principles toward developing the moral cbeinternational.org PRISCILLA PAPERS | 35/1 | Winter 2021 • 9 and liberation in the Qur’an. “The problem is the way the Qur’an to seize upon misreadings of what the Bible says about and Islam have been (mis) interpreted.”15 women as an excuse for claiming that Christianity in Many Muslim feminists are careful to distinguish themselves general is a wicked thing and we ought to abandon it. from the Western feminism that disparages sexual modesty.16 Unfortunately, plenty of Christians have given outsiders “Islamic movements emphasize the need for female modesty, a plenty of chances to draw those sorts of conclusions. But degree of separation and limiting women’s public roles.” They perhaps in our generation we have an opportunity to take view their approach to women’s liberation to be preferable a large step back in the right direction.28 to the Western feminism that has resulted in “promiscuity, Unfortunately, patriarchy has long been the dominant motif in pornography and the debasing of women.”17 Even as the Qur’an the church, as Greek philosophical views of women assumed acknowledges the sexual aspects of the female body and “its increasing influence after the laying of egalitarian foundations greater vulnerability to abuse in patriarchies, it does not do so in first-century Christianity.29 Over the centuries, cultural in order to discriminate against women,” to comment on moral views of women have been mistaken for the biblical view, and character, or to assign gender roles.18 egalitarianism in both religions has been falsely accused of Muslim women find the struggle for equality difficult “because capitulating to culture. of the assumption that equality is a Western, not an Islamic, value,” Rebecca Koerselman does not believe that “Christianity or yet Asma Barlas explains how “the Qur’an establishes the . equality the God whom we worship is patriarchal. If anything, the Bible of the sexes” in a way distinct from what Western “patriarchal is very clear about recognizing the poor and the oppressed and thought” draws upon.19 Additionally, Western history proves that raising their status—and women have always been among the “there is nothing innately Islamic about misogyny, inequality, or oppressed, historically.”30 patriarchy.”20 A Protestant missionary to Syria in the mid-1800s Disparity exists between both Christian and Muslim origins noted that Christians in Syria “beat their wives as often as Muslims.”21 and later practice. “Even after the Prophet’s time all Muslims The Qur’an also calls men to dress decently and to avoid sexual without regard to sex were treated alike by authority . later, provocation. Barlas writes that inappropriate interpretations of the in spite of the clearly expressed intentions of the Koran, its Qur’an and the “obsession with the female body” have enforced interpreters . who had been brought up in an environment veiling and have diminished the truth that “the real veil is in the eyes/ in which men avowedly ruled, imposed their own views and gaze” (Surah 24:30).22 This is strikingly similar to Jesus’s words in traditions upon the Muhammadan world.”31 Khadija was Matt 5:28–29, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman Muhammad’s first wife, was older and economically successful, with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your and had been his boss. She and Aisha, his favorite wife after right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better Khadija died, along with daughter Fatima, had considerable for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be influence on Muhammad and subsequent trajectories of Islam.32 thrown into hell” (NRSV). Likewise, Jesus had numerous female disciples (Luke 8:1-3, etc.) Piper and Grudem’s 1991 book, Recovering Biblical Manhood and commissioned women to preach the gospel (Matt 28, Mark and Womanhood, rightly highlights the “high value [Jesus] placed 16:1–8, Luke 24, John 20).

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