''Believing Women'' in Islam - Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an

This is an original and, at times, groundbreaking piece of scholarship. --John L. Esposito, University Professor and Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University Does Islam call for the oppression of women? Non-Muslims point to the subjugation of women that occurs in many Muslim countries, especially those that claim to be ''Islamic,'' while many Muslims read the Qur'an in ways that seem to justify sexual oppression, inequality, and patriarchy. Taking a wholly different view, Asma Barlas develops a believer's reading of the Qur'an that demonstrates the radically egalitarian and antipatriarchal nature of its teachings. Beginning with a historical analysis of religious authority and knowledge, Barlas shows how Muslims came to read inequality and patriarchy into the Qur'an to justify existing religious and social structures and demonstrates that the patriarchal meanings ascribed to the Qur'an are a function of who has read it, how, and in what contexts. She goes on to reread the Qur'an's position on a variety of issues in order to argue that its teachings do not support patriarchy. To the contrary, Barlas convincingly asserts that the Qur'an affirms the complete equality of the sexes, thereby offering an opportunity to theorize radical sexual equality from within the framework of its teachings. This new view takes readers into the heart of Islamic teachings on women, gender, and patriarchy, allowing them to understand Islam through its most sacred scripture, rather than through Muslim cultural practices or Western media stereotypes. Annotation "This is an original and, at times, groundbreaking piece of scholarship."--John L. Esposito, University Professor and Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University Does Islam call for the oppression of women? Non-Muslims point to the subjugation of women that occurs in many Muslim countries, especially those that claim to be "Islamic," while many Muslims read the Qur'an in ways that seem to justify sexual oppression, inequality, and patriarchy. Taking a wholly different view, Asma Barlas develops a believer's reading of the Qur'an that demonstrates the radically egalitarian and antipatriarchal nature of its teachings. Beginning with a historical analysis of religious authority and knowledge, Barlas shows how Muslims came to read inequality and patriarchy into the Qur'an to justify existing religious and social structures and demonstrates that the patriarchal meanings ascribed to the Qur'an are a function of who has read it, how, and in what contexts. She goes on to reread the Qur'an's position on a variety of issues in order to argue that its teachings do not support patriarchy. To the contrary, Barlas convincingly asserts that the Qur'an affirms the complete equality of the sexes, thereby offering an opportunity to theorize radical sexual equality from within the framework of its teachings. This new view takes readers into the heart of Islamic teachings on women, gender, and patriarchy, allowing them to understand Is "Does Islam call for the oppression of women? Non-Muslims point to the subjugation of women that occurs in many Muslim countries, especially those that claim to be "Islamic," while many Muslims read the Qur'an in ways that seem to justify sexual oppression, inequality, and patriarchy. Taking a wholly different view, Asma Barlas develops a believer's reading of the Qur'an that demonstrates the radically egalitarian and antipatriarchal nature of its teachings.Beginning with a historical analysis of religious authority and knowledge, Barlas shows how Muslims came to read inequality and patriarchy into the Qur'an to justify existing religious and social structures and demonstrates that the patriarchal meanings ascribed to the Qur'an are a function of who has read it, how, and in what contexts. She goes on to reread the Qur'an's position on a variety of issues in order to argue that its teachings do not support patriarchy. To the contrary, Barlas convincingly asserts that the Qur'an affirms the complete equality of the sexes, thereby offering an opportunity to theorize radical sexual equality from within the framework of its teachings. This new view takes readers into the heart of Islamic teachings on women, gender, and patriarchy, allowing them to understand Islam through its most sacred scripture, rather than through Muslim cultural practices or Western media stereotypes."-- Résumé de l'éditeur Contents......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 16 1. The Qur’ān and Muslim Women: Reading Patriarchy, Reading Liberation......Page 20 PART I......Page 48 2. Texts and Textualities: The Qur’ān, Tafsīr, and Ahādith......Page 50 3. Intertextualities, Extratextual Contexts: The Sunnah, Sharī‘ah, and the State......Page 82 PART II......Page 110 4. The Patriarchal Imaginary of Father/s: Divine Ontology and the Prophets......Page 112 5. The Qur’ān, Sex/Gender, and Sexuality: Sameness, Difference, Equality......Page 148 6. The Family and Marriage: Retrieving the Qur’ān’s Egalitarianism......Page 186 Postscript......Page 222 Notes......Page 230 Glossary......Page 254 Select Bibliography......Page 256 Index......Page 268 Beginning with a historical analysis of religious authority and knowledge, this title shows how Muslims came to read inequality and patriarchy into the Qur'an to justify existing religious and social structures and demonstrates that the patriarchal meanings ascribed to the Qur'an are a function of who has read it, how, and in what contexts. Publisher Fact Sheet Asma Barlas develops a new view of reading the Qur'an which goes straight to the heart of Islamic teachings on women, gender, and patriarchy, and which demonstrates the radically egalitarian and antipatriarchal nature of its teachings