Feminism and Islamic Fundamentalism: The Limits of Postmodern Analysis

by Haideh Moghissi

A highly controversial intervention into the debate on postmodernism and feminism, this book looks at what happens when these modes of analysis are jointly employed to illuminate the sexual politics of Islam.

As a religion, Islam has been demonized for its gender practices like no other. This book analyzes that Orientalism, with particular reference to representations of Muslim women and describes the real sexual politics of Islam. The author goes on to describe the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the West's response to it. She argues that regardless of the sophisticated argument of postmodernists and their suspicion of power, as an intellectual and political movement postmodernism has put itself in the service of power and the status quo. Moghissi brilliantly demonstrates how this trend has given rise to a neo-conservative feminism.

A major feminist critique of Islamic fundamentalism, this book asks some hard questions of those who, in denouncing the racism of Western feminism, have taken up an uncritical embrace of the Islamic identity of Muslim women. It is urgent reading for all those concerned about human rights, as well as for students and academics of women's studies, political science, social theory and religious studies.

Genres: Feminism, Islam, Religion, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 1999

Reviews

[Elmira Bahmani · Rating 3 out of 5]

اون چیزی که این کتاب رو برای روشنفکر ایرانی مهم و ضروری میکنه نقدش به روشنفکرانیه که مبارزه با استعمار و امپریالیسم رو با درک نوستالژیک از اسلام خلط می‌کنند و در نهایت امر سرکوب‌گری مثل "حجاب" رو توانمندساز و مایه قدرت زنان و نه مانع می‌دونند. (شبیه شعار بومی و نفرت انگیز حجاب محدودیت نیست، مصونیته). نمونه‌ش رو میشه بین فمینیست‌های اسلامی بعد از انقلاب اسلامی هم دید که برای معضلاتی مثل چندزنی، حق وراثت، دیه و ... توجیهاتی بشردوستانه ارائه می‌دن! نویسنده به جز نقد به روشنفکران بومی، نقدی هم به آکادمیسینهای غربی داره که از کنار فجایعی که بنیادگرایی اسلامی درکشورهایی مثل مصر، ایران، افغانستان و سودان به بار آورده به راحتی میگذرند و با توجیهاتی مثل "تفاوت فرهنگی" و اینکه "حجاب، فرهنگ ایرانی-اسلامیه و نه قانون" یا "ختنه زنان برای زن آفریقایی چندان آزاردهنده نیست و یک رسم خوشاینده" فضا رو برای اعمال خشونت بنیادگراها باز می‌کنند. بنابراین از این جهت کتاب بسیار مهمیه و اگر کسی حوزه کارش علوم انسانیه به نظرم حتما باید نیم‌نگاهی به بحث‌های این کتاب بندازه. انگلیسی ساده‌ و قابل فهمی هم داره.
نقدم به کتاب اینه که نقد به بخشی از فمینیست‌های پسااستعماری رو با نقد به کلیت پست‌مدرنیسم و پساساختارگرایی (اگر چنین چیزی وجود داشته باشه!) خلط کرده. به نظرم بزرگترین ضعف کتاب اینه که توصیفش از اندیشه پست‌مدرن کاملا ساده‌لوحانه‌ست. همونقدر سادو‌لوحانه که درک بخشی از فمینیستهای پسااستعماری (مثل فاطمه صادقی تو ایران) که مورد نقد نویسنده هم هستن، از پساساختارگرای، پست‌مدرنیسم و نسبی‌گرایی فرهنگی.

[Asifa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really makes some important points about the problematic way in which feminists (who she points out are largely of the urban elite) use cultural relativism (regarding the oppression of Muslim women--largely those of the non-urban, non-elite) as a reason to keep Western interventionists at bay. At the same time, I think some of her expectations can be a bit naive--while the book is a lot smarter and intellectually stimulating than Diane Sawyer's eyeroll-worthy "Behind the Veil" documentary, it may unfortunately end up accomplishing the same "save their women" point, because the text doesnt' really propose a viable alternative. She comes down so hard on, oh, 95% of the most important Islamic Feminist scholars; feminists whose points I think she sometimes oversimplifies to make her own argument. I could talk about this book for hours because it really is so provocative, and who doesn't appreciate watching postmodernism get a well-deserved ass-kicking? So in that regard, I recommend it--on the other hand, you really need to balance her polemic by reading the texts she's challenging-- Ahmed, Mernissi, Hassan, Abu-Lughod, Moghadam, etc.

[Brian Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moghissi's critique uphold's women's "bias" in defining what Islam stands for. Naturally, her line of reasoning involves cherry picking which aspects of the religion to prioritize. As she explains, for Muslim feminists “only ‘the ethical, egalitarian voice’ in the Islamic message matters, not its ‘legalistic voice’” (p. 39). And obviously such moral cherry picking often strikes both liberals and traditionalists as indefensibly selective. But as Christians may note, this is the kind of selective argument that Jesus reportedly made against authoritarian legalism in his Jewish tradition. And although Western awareness of the Islamic feminist movement remains low, its progress in Muslim societies has been substantial.

[Afsaneh Hojabri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago and I remember noticing how educational and insightful it sounded to me in its analysis of women’s movement in Iran, and “Islamic feminism” in Middle East and its place in the world. Well, I still keep referring to different passages and chapters of this book, as I have not come across a book this convincing in its argument and thorough in its analysis.

[Karolina Góras · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mam lekki problem z ta ksiazka - przedstawia tylko jedna perspektywe. Duzo histori Iranu i feminizmu irańskiego. Nie ma podziału na muzułmanki zachodnie (ktore zmagaja się z innymi rodzajami opresji) a muzułmankami azji i afryki pln.

[Mehreen Qaisar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Religion Islam has been demonized for its rigid principles and rules and Shariah based legal system. This book analyzes that Orientalism with reference to representations of Muslim women in the western world. It describes the gender identity politics and political Islam, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the West's response to it. I think this book is very relevant for the students of gender and Women Studies in both Eastern and western world to understand what actually is problem in conservative Muslim society like Iran. This book gives an insight about Human rights situation in context of Iranian society which is basically considered conservative Islamic country In the middle east.

[Lupyta Divina · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book helps me understand about how Islamic fundamentalists define feminism through their perspective.

[Shohana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should use it in my thesis work

[Lorelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommended!