The absence of women’s voices from the scriptures of the major world religionshas been the subject of feminist theologians’ inquiry, especially duringthe past three decades. Georgina Jardim’s work in feminist scholarship andwomen’s study is impressive. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences DownloadRead More

The polyvalent Qur’anic text lends itself to multiple interpretations, dependingupon one’s presuppositions and premises. In fact, Q. 3:7 distinguishesbetween muḥkam (explicit, categorical) and mutashābih (metaphorical, allegorical,symbolic) verses. As such, this device provides a way for reinterpretingverses that outwardly appear to be problematic – be it in the area ofgender equality, minority rights, religious freedom, or...Read More

Teaching Arabs, Writing Self traces Evelyn Shakir’s evolution from a buddingstudent of canon English literature who was desperately trying to “becomewhite” to her epiphany that stories from her own working-class immigrantneighborhood might be of equal worth. There, she found her unique niche bybecoming an author and scholar of Arab-American literature who helped gainrecognition for this...Read More

In this extension of her important 2002 article in American Anthropologist,Lila Abu-Lughod examines the problematic nature of the western discoursesurrounding Muslim women. In particular, she is interested in how westernpolitical programs in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan use the status ofgirls and women to validate their claims to occupy, colonize, or otherwisemeddle in Muslim countries’...Read More