Islamic feminism: 13 reasons why Islam is not a sexist religion.

Does the expression “Islamic feminism” sound like an oxymoron to you? Admit it: you felt a little shaken when you read those two terms together.This is because the idea Islam = submissive women still appears very quickly in our “Western” minds. The main point of this article is that there is no direct correlation between this religion and the subjugation of women, and I’ll explain why!

Islam in the world

Islam is practiced in countries across the most diverse geographical areas: Indonesia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, China, Russia, the United States.Did you know that only 20% of Muslims are Arab?How can we think that all Muslim women are equally oppressed just because of their faith? We value intercultural exchange immensely, but we are often unable to look at followers of Islam without our own preconceptions.Religion is one of the many aspects that form part of a culture. Religion is culture.

So yes, it’s time to start understanding the difference between what the Scriptures affirm and what instead arises from the intertwining of historical, political, and cultural dynamics of a given country.

We need, in fact, to make a little peace and friendship with Islam.We need to welcome it, get to know it up close, and then encounter it again with new eyes. Understanding the origin of erroneous and stereotypical belief systems, tracing their genealogy, is essential in order to overturn them.

Index

• The rhetoric of oppression

• A gender-based lens to reform Islamic discourse

• The first woman to lead Friday prayer: Amina Wadud

• The spirit and general design of the Qur’an

• Adam and Eve and all human beings come from the same soul

• Eve is not the sinner

• All human beings are entrusted with contributing to society starting from their own soul

• The role of women in the Qur’an

• Men and women share the same spiritual potential

• Distinguishing historical contingencies from universal precepts

• No, Muslim women do not have to obey their husbands!

• The Qur’an suggests marrying only one woman

  
  

The rhetoric of oppression

Do you know how the rhetoric of Muslim women’s oppression was used during the colonial period in the Middle East and North Africa? European colonizers promoted a discourse based on the opposition between the West and Islam, and the alleged incompatibility between Western and Muslim women. Thus, the idea of the “burden” of liberating Muslim women was exploited to impose political control. And do you know what impact this had on the development of feminist movements in those regions? It created the idea of overlapping feminism with cultural imperialism: the notion that imperialist domination of the third world occurred through cultural subversion and especially through “liberating” women. Thus, women’s emancipation became associated with the interference of European colonial powers. As a result, feminist movements were heavily opposed not only due to the usual misogynistic resistance found in any society but also because they were accused of betraying the homeland and the values of Islam.

A gender-based lens to reform Islamic discourse

Feminist movements in the Muslim world developed along two main lines: a secular one and another known as Islamic feminism. Even though many Muslim activists do not call themselves “feminists,” since the term may seem neo-colonial, their goal is to read the Qur’an analytically and in depth, developing an exegesis from a gender perspective. They work to reform Islamic discourse from within, criticizing traditional interpretations that often diverged from the actual meanings of the sacred text. We must pay attention to something: whenever we read a text, we interpret it based on our worldview — shaped by the society we live in, our experiences, our personality, and even our unconscious.

It’s intuitive, right? For centuries, interpretation of Scripture was carried out exclusively by men.Thus, the female perspective vanished, and their societies’ misogyny was transferred into the sacred realm.

The element of sacredness grants strong legitimacy to certain claims, so sexist prejudices spread by patriarchal religions became even more solidified.

This remains important today: even in a secular state, certain Catholic norms continue to influence us culturally; we have internalized them.

It’s also important because we must learn to distinguish between genuine spirituality and what has been introduced by human beings.

The first woman to lead Friday prayer: Amina Wadud

Amina Wadud’s “The Qur’an and Woman” is a book that greatly fascinated me because it explains, clearly and simply, the universal design — and the spirit — of the Qur’an, while skillfully demonstrating the interpretative mistakes of traditional exegetes who derived misogynistic teachings for their own benefit.

Let me introduce you to this woman, considered one of the foremost figures in Islamic feminism.

Amina Wadud was born in 1952 in Bethesda, Maryland. Originally Christian, she converted to Islam in 1972. She specialized in Arabic and Islamic studies and Near Eastern studies. Later she deepened her knowledge of Arabic, theology, and philosophy at Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

In 2005, she became the first woman to lead Friday prayer as an imam, in front of both men and women, defying interpretations that consider this role exclusively male. Wadud conducts a gender-oriented tafsir: an interpretation of the Qur’an guided by a gender perspective. It is a holistic method that analyzes the Qur’an as a whole and within its social, moral, economic, and political context.

The spirit and general design of the Qur’an

Let’s look at some basic elements of the Qur’anic worldview.This will help you understand not only why Islam is not a sexist religion, but also bring you closer to the religion itself and away from misleading media portrayals.

But first, an important detail:

The word Allah simply means God in Arabic. It is the same God worshipped by Christians and Jews, since Islam is understood as the third monotheistic religion; Jesus is one of the prophets and Muhammad the seal of the prophets.

Translating the name as something “other” only creates more distance between us and Muslim believers.

Adam and Eve and all human beings come from the same soul

According to the Qur’an, all human beings originate from the same point: the same nafs (soul).God created Adam and Eve from a single soul and from it created its zawg (spouse).Nafs means human being, soul; it does not indicate a male.

What does “from it He created its spouse” mean? It refers to the dual nature of creation: everything in nature is created in pairs.Each member of the pair exists in relation to the other and is equally essential. The masculine and feminine are essential characteristics of humanity, but not assigned roles.

Eve is not the sinner

The Qur’anic story of Eden differs from the Biblical one: the Qur’an says that both Adam and Eve disobeyed God.Responsibility falls on both, not solely on Eve or on the female gender.

All human beings are entrusted with contributing to society beginning with their own soul

The purpose of the Qur’an is to guide humanity toward certain actions, toward practicing faith — for which they will be rewarded — and toward recognizing essential truths.

The Qur’an makes no distinction between men and women in creation, purpose, or reward.

One of its most beautiful messages is that all human beings, regardless of gender, are entrusted with contributing to humanity’s development by beginning with transformation within their own soul.

The role of women in the Qur’an

The Qur’an’s view of women has been influenced by cultural ideas dominant in particular historical moments.As a result, women’s experiences were excluded or interpreted through male perspectives.

But, as Wadud states, the Qur’an must be analyzed in light of social change.

The Qur’an acknowledges women’s biological capacity for reproduction, but not necessarily for caregiving.Giving birth is important, but not the only task assigned to women.Men are ordered to respect women’s function: this is the principle of Qiwama, acting in a way that women are not overburdened.

Female Qur’anic figures represent human striving on earth. Their roles are not tied to gender, but to their spiritual contribution. Examples:

• Mary is described as “one of God’s devout”; her value transcends gender.

• The mother of Moses received divine revelation (Wahi).

• No woman was given the role of Risala (a messenger for all humankind) due to historical reasons: they would not have been respected or believed at the time.

• Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, is praised for her political and religious insight.

Men and women have the same spiritual potential

The Qur’an discusses functional differences in society but does not rigidly define gender roles.

The relationship between the individual and God is not expressed in gendered terms. The term used is nafs, with its own responsibilities and rewards. The most noble person is the one with the most Taqwa — piety and consciousness of God.

Distinguishing historical contingencies from universal precepts

The Qur’an was revealed in a specific historical and social context: Arabia at the time of the Prophet Muhammad.It responded to concrete moral and social problems of that era.

Thus, a double interpretative movement is necessary:

1. From the specific: study the historical context to understand a verse.

2. To the general: extract a universal moral-social lesson.

A concrete example: The veil.The Qur’an establishes the general principle of modesty.But the use of the veil and the segregation of women in 7th-century Arabia were merely culturally and historically specific expressions of that principle.

No, Muslim women do NOT have to obey their husbands

Let’s address the most controversial parts. In verse 4:34, it states that men should admonish, abandon in bed, and beat women who disrupt marital harmony. Does the Qur’an grant husbands the right to beat their wives if they disobey? Absolutely not.We must be very careful: the passages were revealed at a particular moment in history and expressed in terms adapted to that context. One of the greatest mistakes has been extracting universal principles from solutions to specific problems. A misogynistic interpretation contradicts the Qur’an’s essence and the Prophet’s practices. The Qur’anic text places limits on violent marital behavior that already existed; it does not legitimize it.

The Qur’an suggests marrying only one woman

The same applies to polygamy: the Qur’an sought to limit and regulate a pre-existing practice.It does not encourage marrying multiple women; in fact, it advises marrying only one, recognizing how difficult it is to treat multiple wives justly.

Conclusion

The interpretative process must continue endlessly, because only in this way can the wisdom of the Qur’an be fully expressed.

Thank you for reading.

See you soon,

Ylenia