Women and Islam: Myths, Apologies, and the Limits of Feminist Critique

by Ibtissam Bouachrine

Muslim women of all ages, economic status, educational backgrounds, sexual orientations, and from different parts of historically Muslim countries suffer the kinds of atrocities that violate common understandings of human rights and are normally denounced as criminal or pathological, yet these actions are sustained because they uphold some religious doctrine or some custom blessed by local traditions. Ironically, while instances of abuse meted out to women and even female children are routine, scholarship about Muslim women in the post 9/11 era has rarely focused attention on them, preferring to speak of women’s agency and resistance. Too few scholars are willing to tell the complicated, and at times harrowing, stories of Muslim women's lives. Women and Myths, Apologies, and the Limits of Feminist Critique radically rethinks the celebratory discourse constructed around Muslim women’s resistance. It shows instead the limits of such resistance and the restricted agency given women within Islamic societies. The book does not center on a single historical period. Rather, it is organized as a response to five questions that have been central to upholding the 'resistance discourse': What is the impact of the myth of al-Andalus on a feminist critique? What is the feminist utility of Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism? Is Islam compatible with a feminist agenda? To what extent can Islamic institutions, such as the veil, be liberating for women? Will the current Arab uprisings yield significant change for Muslim women? Through examination of these core questions, Bouachrine calls for a shift in the paradigm of discourse about feminism in the Muslim world.

Cover images provided by Tachfine Bouachrine.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Religion, Womens

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Acacia Irving · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing could have prepared me for the reading this book. I'm shaken, and more than changed! This is more than just a feminist nonfiction this challenged all I knew and had learned. I couldn't believe how much is not considered when we discuss women in Islam and the stories and the lives and the strength! Review on my channel to come!

[/d. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather short book qhose main points can be summed up as follows:
- Chapter One: A critique of modern Muslim feminists' tendency to romanticize pre-modern Islamic societies. Bouachrine illustrates how Muslim feminists attempt to construct a narrative of modern thoughts already having existed in pre-modern Muslim times. Examples and, primarily, quotes from other authors, illustrate counter-examples und deconstruct the narrative.
- Chapter Two: A deconstruction of the arguments of Edward Said's Orientalism. This chapter showcases examples that counter the popular Saidian opinion that Western representations of the East/Other were/are nothing but racist, hyper-essentalists fetishizations of Otherness. Bouachrine argues that that argument ist nothing but a retort to the exact same essentialization it attempts to criticize.
- Chapter Three discusses feminists' techniques and illuminates holes in the structure of their arguments.
- Chapter Four discusses the complexity of the veil, particularly in regard to gatekeeping by Muslim scholars
-Chapter Five does exactly what its title says.

This is a decent book with a whole bunch of useful information. Overall, I think more critical analysis of the author herself could have gone into the book. The book is full of references to other scholars' works, where paraphrasing occasionally runs over several pages. It's a good counterweight to books such as Gender Jihad by Amina Wadud and certainly plays a useful role in the ongoing discourse of contemporary Islam.

[Dania F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting points, but it feels more like an undergrad dissertation, where the author basically just collects quotes from different authors and seems to have trouble keeping a straight thought process. A pity, because the topic is interesting, but the writing puts you to sleep.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Huge huge huge respect for and thanks to Ibtissam <3
I think she has some really strong arguments against previous scholarship and I think her theories are incredibly powerful. I wish though that this book focused more on her own views and critiques rather than primarily being a reaction to others'.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating book, particularly the deconstruction of al-Andalus myths and the exploration of the role of masculinity in constructing the Arab Spring, but I’m not sure I buy her interpretation of Aucassin and Nicolette as it pertains to Catharism.

[Mills College Library]

297.1 B7521 2014