Gender Jihad: The Hermeneutical Resistance of Muslim Feminists against Conservative Muslim Critics
Muslims feminists contend that they possess the intellectual capacity to challenge conservative juristic notions and patriarchal narratives regarding their roles and talents. They believe that gender-biased negative stereotypes have gone unquestioned owing to the dominance of male scholars in the hermeneutical domain. Scholars like Hibba Raouf, Amina Wadud and Farhat Hashmi confidently argue that the interpreter of the text, not the text itself, is to blame for androcentric bias towards women. Furthermore, they claim that conservative Ulama (intellectuals) misuse their position of authority and strive to preserve their dominance. Conservative scholars maintain that Islam prioritizes a woman's seclusion to the extent that she is not permitted to publicly preach the message of Islam. Disagreeing with their conservative critics, these female scholars argue that Islam does not impose such restrictions on women and they are free to pick the type of career and discipline which they think is compatible with their nature and disposition.This article analyses the perspectives of Hibba Rouf, Anima Wadud, and Farhat Hashmi on crucial topics including polygamy, female education, career choices, and political
engagement.
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Exegetical Methodology, Quranic Worldview, Patriarchal Lens, Polygamy, Andocentric Religious Worldview, Conservative Ulama, Nushuz, Shariah
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(1) Saeed Akhtar
Lecturer, Department of Islamic Studies, University of Malakand, KP, Pakistan.
(2) Adnan Khan
Assistant Professor Department of Sociology, University of Malakand, KP, Pakistan.
(3) Usman Khan
Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Malakand, KP, Pakistan.
Identity Construction in Polygamous Households: Psychological and Social Consequences for Women in Central Punjab
This qualitative research work focuses on social, psychological and physical experiences of polygamous first wives in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. The semi-structured interviews, informed by Feminist Theory and Intersectionality, were carried out with 11 first wives and their interviews analyzed through the use of the thematic analysis. Eight themes were identified as being associated and connected: emotional neglect, social marginalization, psychological distress, physical health degradation, religious justification and gendered silence, economic dependency, coping mechanisms and identity reconstruction. The subjects indicated the loss of emotional support, social respect, anxiety, sleeping difficulties. The results indicate that polygamy is a socially constructed institution, which supports gendered inequalities in rural Pakistan. The increased enforcement of family laws, the increase of community-based counseling and mental-health services, the enhancement of gender- sensitive religious education, and women economic empowerment are necessary to increase well-being in polygamous families.
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Polygamy; Gender Inequality; Emotional Neglect; Women’s Well-Being; Patriarchy; Pakistan
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(1) Shahzad Khaver Mushtaq
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Intizar Raza
Civil Teacher, Garrison Human Resources Development Centre (HRDC), Cantt Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Asma Yunus
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
