AFRICAN JOURNAL OF GENDER AND RELIGION Publication Information Volume 24 No. 2 December 2018 ISSN: 1025-5648 Published semi-annually, in July and December, by: Department of Religion and Theology Physical Address: Faculty of Arts, Office D9 Desmond Tutu Centre Department of Religion and Theology University of the Western Cape Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville, 7535 Cape Town, Western Cape, South Tel: +27 (0) 21 959 2383 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] The African Journal of Gender and Religion in is a DOHET Accredited Journal Editor Sarojini Nadar, University of the Western Cape [email protected] Co-editor Fatima Seedat, University of Cape Town [email protected] Editor Emeritus Isabel Apawo Phiri, World Council of Churches [email protected] Submissions and Managing Editor Lee-Shae Salma Scharnick-Udemans [email protected] Associate Editors Megan Robertson [email protected] Thobeka Khubisa [email protected] Journal Administrator Lloyd Chetty [email protected] Ferial Marlee [email protected] Language Editing, Layout, and Typesetting Pralini Naidoo [email protected] Willem Oliver [email protected] Editorial Peer Review Team for this issue: Dr. Muneer Abduroaf (University of the Western Cape) Mr. Asif Iftikhar (Lahore University of Management Sciences) Dr. Damaris Parsitau (Harvard Divinity School) Prof. Sylvia Tamale (Makere University) Prof. Muhammed Haron (University of Johannesburg) Dr. Juli Gittinger (Georgia College) Prof. Johannes Vorster (University of South Africa) Dr. Johnathan Jodamus (University of the Western Cape) Prof. Andrew Johnson (Metropolitan State University) Dr. Martin Glynn (Birmingham City University) Dr. Bronwyn Anderson (University of KwaZulu-Natal) Dr. Demaine Solomons (University of the Western Cape) Prof. Christina Landman (University of South Africa) Prof. Leepo Modise (University of South Africa) Rev Canon Dr. Vicentia Kgabe (College of Transfiguration) Dr. Rene Ferguson (University of Witwatersrand) Dr. Janet Jarvis (University of KwaZulu-Natal) International Representatives Prof Cheryl Anderson (Garrett Theological Seminary, USA) Prof Elias K. Bongmba (Rich University, USA) Prof Martha Frederiks (University of Utrecht, The Netherlands) Prof Roderick Hewitt (Council for World Mission/ University of KwaZulu-Natal) Dr Fulata Lusungu Moyo (World Council of Churches, Switzerland) Prof Philomena Mwaura (Kenyatta University, Kenya) Dr Dana Robert (Boston University, USA) AFRICAN JOURNAL OF GENDER AND RELIGION EDITORIAL POLICY STATEMENT The African Journal of Gender and Religion (AJGR) is a semi-annual publication moved in 2017 from the Gender and Religion programme at UKZN (or the Centre for Deconstructive Theology at UKZN) to the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape. Since 2004 the journal has published research papers, which are relevant to gender, religion and theology in Africa. The editorial committee considers for publication submissions of a scholarly standard from any of the social science and theological disciplines or related fields of inquiry, which provide useful perspectives at the intersections of gender, religion and theology in Africa. Particular areas of interest include the gendered analysis of: religion, theology and the study of religion, innovations in contextual theological education; theological and ethical reflection on social transformation; the significance of new religious movements and African-initiated forms of religion; the role of women in religion and society; interfaith dialogue; peacemaking and reconciliation; normative and non-normative sexualities, and queer politics. The African Journal of Gender and Religion seeks to promote dialogue and response not only within the academic community in Africa and beyond, but also with faith practitioners working “on the ground” to build a more just society in the region. These may include religious leaders, clergy, other religious officials, professionals and laity across broad social spectrums who seek to read their faith against the critical issues confronting society today. Written submissions to the African Journal of Gender and Religion may take the form of researched scholarly articles or essays. Book reviews, brief responses to articles, conference reports and summaries of research projects are also welcome. Articles submitted for the section called “praxis” must show evidence of how sound theoretical reflections are brought to bear on practical action. Within this section on “praxis” we will publish essays that are not considered “mainstream academic” but nonetheless point to theories of gender justice in action. Submissions are evaluated through an editorial committee screening process. Further, the articles are also sent to a minimum of two competent scholars working in a similar field of interest for peer-review. Prospective contributors of scholarly articles should send a typed copy of their article via email to the submissions editor at [email protected]. All submissions must strictly follow the guidelines set out in the AJGR Style Sheet. Any article that does not conform to the Style Sheet will be returned and will not be further considered until the style requirements are adhered to. Published contributors will receive one complimentary copies of the issue in which their work is published. Opinions expressed by contributors are solely their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial committee or the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape. CONTENTS Debunking Marvel Comics’ First Pakistani-American Born Muslim Female Superhero: Reading Religion, Race and Gender 1 in Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) Johannes A Smit and Denzil Chetty Religion, International Human Rights Standards, and the Politicisation of Homosexuality in Ghana 25 Seth Tweneboah Identifying Gender Biases in Islamic Legal Literature: An Examination of Analogical Arguments to Prohibit Women from 49 Leading Prayer David Solomon Jalajel Gender studies and biblical interpretation: (How) Does 68 theory matter? Jeremy Punt Pilgrims of Belonging: Family, Gang, and Religious Script(ure)s 95 to Live By Jan-Louise Lewin and Javier Perez Islam between Margins: Reassessing Gender and Sexuality in 120 Islam Nadeem Mahomed and Sa’diyya Shaikh Kharnita Mohamed, Called to Song. 139 Reviewer: Ayesha Kajee Haji Mohamed Dawjee, Sorry, Not Sorry: Experiences of a brown woman in a white South Africa. 142 Reviewer: Mujahid Osman Siya Khumalo, You Have to be Gay to Know God. 147 Reviewer: Megan Robertson 1-24 The African Journal of Gender and Religion Vol. 24 No 2 (December 2018) Debunking Marvel Comics’ First Pakistani-American Born Muslim Female Superhero: Reading Religion, Race and Gender in Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) Johannes A Smit1 and Denzil Chetty2 Abstract Over the past decade, we have witnessed a comic book renaissance. The impact of this renaissance can be described as three-fold. First, we have seen comic books emerge as a compelling component of popular culture; second, as a “hybrid” form of texts and graphics, comic books have attained a new level of literary acceptance; and third, we have seen the advent of comic studies as an academic discipline in various higher education institutions. In addition, by drawing on myth and history, fantasy and reality, comic books have reproduced society’s values, ideals, prejudices, and aspirations, thereby producing various ideological contestations. It is within this context that Marvel Comics’ latest creation Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), portraying a first-generation American Muslim female teenager, born of Pakistani immigrants as the legendary Ms. Marvel – an American superhero – offers a unique opportunity to unpack the socio-cultural and political nuances embedded in comic books. Hence, by drawing on Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) as a case study, this paper seeks to provide a critique of the intersections between religion, race and gender in contemporary comic books. To do this, we employ “social constructionism” as an interpretive and analytical theoretical approach to a selection of scenes from the Ms. Marvel corpus. Our hypothesis is that the intersections between religion, race and gender as “played” out in Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) serve to foreground a socially constructed reality of religious (Islamic) bigotry; immigrant socio-cultural and political assimilation 1 Johannes A Smit is Professor and former Dean and Head of the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He is the founding editor of the SAPSE journal Alternation and served as research chair of the Humanities in the early 2000s. He teaches Comparative Religion (focus Christianity), and is the head of the Programme in Religion and Social Transformation since 2002. He has a lifelong commitment to interdisciplinary learning and critical research capacity development in the Arts and Humanities. Email: <[email protected]>. 2 Denzil Chetty is an academic and researcher at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in the College of Human Sciences, School of Humanities, Department of Religious Studies and Arabic. Much of his work focuses on contemporary religion; religion and popular culture; religion, technology and civil society; religion, subalternity and resistance; and the digital humanities. He has published and presented several papers both locally and internationally within this niche. He is also an Abe Bailey Fellow (United Kingdom), a Shanghai Open