April Hughes

Women and Gender in Islam

Methods

I. Pre-Islam: Mesopotamia and Mediterranean(Egypt, Greece, Rome,

Byzantine Empires)
1. Mesopotamia- Growth of urban societies increased male dominance, as
well as military competitiveness. Law codes institutionalized males as the
head of the family.
2. The Mediterranean Middle East- Mostly Christians and Jews in this area
throughout history. There were parallels with Islamic and Byzantine legal
thought in regards to gender. Aristotle’s Theories of gender= women as
inferior beings.

II. Islam: 600AD-800-AD (Arabia, Iraq)

1. Women and the Rise of Islam- Tells about the lives of Muhammad’s
wives. His first wife’s indepence represents Jahilia rather than Islamic
society. Passing on of property through the sons gave more importance to
the male and facilitated more male dominance in society. Muhammad only
said his wives should be secluded, not all Islamic women.
2. The Transitional Age- Koran expressly notes the equality of men and
women. In the scripture there is also common and identical spiritual and
moral obligations placed on all individuals regardless of sex. Ethical
egalitarianism leads Muslim women to express insist that Islam is not
sexist.
3. Elaboration of the Founding Discourses- Islam’s expansion of influence
affected gender roles. Islam integrated Arab culture and traditions that
were already in place at the time. Major assimilation btwn Persians and
Arabs.
4. Medieval Islam- Egypt, Turkey, Syria. Four Factors that shaped the
possibility of women’s lives: the customs and law regulating marriage, the
social ideal of women’s seclusion, women’s legal rights to own property,
and women’s position in the class system.

III. New Modern: 19th and 20th Century (Egypt)

1. Social and Intellectual Change- 1800’s Fundamental social transformation.
European influence. For the first time, women’s treatment in Islam was a
national debate. European economic advances in the area had negative
effects for rural and lower class women. Issue of education of women.
2. The Discourses of the Veil- Amin’s work represents the beginning Arab of
feminism.
3. The First Feminists- Beginning of 20th century. Rapid change. Nassef was
first woman to contribute articles regularly to the mainstream press.
Associations created for women’s liberation. Two divergent voices of
feminism in Egypt and Arab Middle East.
4. Divergent Voices- More girls attending school. Women wanting jobs
struggled with their family’s approval. Zeinab al-Ghazali campaigned for
women and the nation in Islamist terms. Doria Shafik campaigned for
women’s rights in the language of secularism and democracy.
5. The Struggle for the Future- 2nd half of 20th century. Transformation of
women is as important for women as it is for men. National Congress in
1962 proclaimed that women and men should be considered equal
working partners.
Chapter 7: Social and Intellectual Change:

1800’s- women in middle east go through huge transformation b/c of interaction with
Europe and global economy.

European economic influence was both negative and positive for women

For the first time since its est. Islamic laws treatment of women was openly discussed in
middle eastern society

This discussion started among intellectual men in Egypt and turkey as to how muslim
countries could catch up with Europeans economically

Ppl who thought that the role of muslim women needed to change, thought that they
should almost trade their who culture for a more European one, which the author says is
impossible, and crazy b/c Europeans have also mistreated its women. Ex) witch trials and
burnings

The issue of the veil was brought up

Political relation to Europe also shaped social aspects in their socities

She focuses on the developments in Egypt, who were at the forefront of the changes

Issue of the veil marked a huge discourse: Western vs. “indigenous” or “authentic” values

It is a discourse of women and the veil in which another history is also inscribed, that of
colonial domination and the struggle against it.

Muhammad ‘Ali came into and stayed in power in Egypt for 33 years. His initiatives
gave women development in economic, educational, industrial and cultural arenas

This and other ‘Alis initiatives adversely affected some lower class women. European
involvement in textiles lowered the production in the middle east and this was one of the
few jobs that women participated heavily in. Egypt b/c supplier of raw material and an
importer of the more expensive European finished good.

Schools and universities for men to learn European technologies were created.

General enterprise and pursuit of European knowledge

Shortly after this the state adopted the view that the education of women was also
desirable, in theory

Still took very little steps to educate women till 1870s

Upper class hired teachers for their daughters

Small percent of lower and middle class attended schools

Some went to missionary-led schools

With british occupation in 1882 education of women slowed down

Turkey also created state action plans that noted that they were in favor of women’s
education

Many intellectual thinkers of the time called for muslims to disgard the misinterpretations
of the Islamic doctrine and to elevate the status of women

‘Abdy was probably the first to make the argument, still made by muslim feminists today,
that it was islam an dnot the west that first recognized the full and equal humanity of
women

he was a secular intellectual, but he had a basis in religious teachings

by 1890s the call of women’s reform could be clearly heard

women began to present their own cases in the media

women were becoming more visible in public affairs