Gender and Equality in Muslim Family Law: Justice and Ethics in the Islamic Legal Tradition (Library of Islamic Law)

"Gender equality is a modern ideal, which has only recently, with the expansion of human rights and feminist discourses, become inherent to generally accepted conceptions of justice. In Islam, as in other religious traditions, the idea of equality between men and women was neither central to notions of justice nor part of the juristic landscape, and Muslim jurists did not begin to address it until the twentieth century. The personal status of Muslim men, women and children continues to be defined by understandings of Islamic law - codified and adapted by modern nation-states - that assume authority to be the natural prerogative of men, that disadvantage women and that are prone to abuse. This volume argues that effective and sustainable reform of these laws and practices requires engagement with their religious rationales from within the tradition. Gender and Equality in Muslim Family Law offers a ground-breaking analysis of family law, based on fieldwork in family courts, and illuminated by insights from distinguished clerics and scholars of Islam from Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia, as well as by the experience of human rights and women's rights activists. It explores how male authority is sustained through law and court practice in different contexts, the consequences for women and the family, and the demands made by Muslim women's groups. The book argues for women's full equality before the law by re-examining the jurisprudential and theological arguments for male guardianship (qiwama, wilaya) in Islamic legal tradition. Using contemporary examples from various contexts, from Morocco to Malaysia, this volume presents an informative and vital analysis of these societies and gender relations within them. It unpicks the complex and often contradictory attitudes towards Muslim family law, and the ways in which justice and ethics are conceived in the Islamic tradition. The book offers a new framework for rethinking old formulations so as to reflect contemporary realities and understandings of justice, ethics and gender rights."--Bloomsbury publishing. The Personal Status Of Muslim Men, Women And Children Continues To Be Defined By Understandings Of Islamic Law - Codified And Adapted By Modern Nation-states - That Assume Authority To Be The Natural Prerogative Of Men, That Disadvantage Women And That Are Prone To Abuse. This Volume Argues That Effective And Sustainable Reform Of These Laws And Practices Requires Engagement With Their Religious Rationales From Within The Tradition. Gender And Equality In Muslim Family Law Offers A Ground-breaking Analysis Of Family Law, Based On Fieldwork In Family Courts, And Illuminated By Insights From Distinguished Clerics And Scholars Of Islam From Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan And Indonesia, As Well As By The Experience Of Human Rights And Women's Rights Activists. Introduction: Muslim Family Law And The Question Of Equality / Ziba Mir-hosseini, Kari Vogt, Lena Larsen And Christian Moe -- Justice, Equality And Muslim Family Laws : New Ideas, New Prospects / Ziba Mir-hosseini -- Qiwāma In Egyptian Family Laws : Wifely Obedience Between Legal Texts, Courtroom Practices And Realities Of Marriages / Mulki Al-sharmani -- Egyptian Women's Rights Ngos : Personal Status Law Reform Between Islamic And International Human Rights Law / Marwa Sharafeldin -- The Religious Arguments In The Debate On The Reform Of The Moroccan Family Code / Aïcha El Hajjami -- From Local To Global : Sisters In Islam And The Making Of Musawah : A Global Movement For Equality In The Muslim Family / Zainah Anwar -- Gender Equality And The Doctrine Of Wilāya / Muhammad Kahlid Masud -- The Status Of Women Between The Qur'an And Fiqh / Nasr Abu-zayd -- Gender Equality And The Hadith Of The Prophet Mohammad : Reinterpreting The Concept Of Maḥram And Qiwāma / Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir -- Rethinking Men's Authority Over Women : Qiwāma, Wilāya, And Their Underlying Assumptions / Hassan Yousefi Eshkevari -- Revisiting Women's Rights In Islam : Egalitarian Justice In Lieu Of Deserts-based Justice / Mohsen Kadivar -- The Paradox Of Equality And The Politics Of Difference : Gender Equality, Islamic Law And The Modern Muslim State / Anver M. Emon. Edited By Ziba Mir-hosseini, Kari Vogt, Lena Larsen And Christian Moe. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Dante is one of the towering figures of medieval European literature. Yet many riddles and questions about him persist. By re-reading Dante with an open mind, Barbara Reynolds made remarkable discoveries and unlocked previously hidden secrets about this greatest of Florentine poets. A fundamental enigma has tantalised readers of the'Commedia'for seven centuries. Who was the leader prophesied by Virgil and Beatrice to bring peace to the world? Many attempts have been made to identify him, but none has seemed conclusive - until now. As well as proposing a solution to the famous prophecies, this lively, engaging and elegantly-written biography contains a provocative new idea in virtually every chapter. Dr Reynolds'research indicates that Dante smoked cannabis to reach new heights of creativity. That Beatrice, Dante's great love, was not who most scholars think she was. That Dante was a talented public speaker, who created a quite new form of poetic art, holding audiences spellbound. Above all, Reynolds views Dante as one of the greatest spin-doctors of Western civilization. His aim was not to preach an interesting parable about punishments for sin and rewards for virtue. It was to use poetry to change the politics of the age, and unite Europe around the secular authority of an Emperor. To promote this idea, which dominated his writings from his exile onwards, Dante combined it with a dramatic presentation of the Christian belief in Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Vividly told in the first person, with a colour and immediacy derived from the pop art of street narrators - now made to seem respectable by its use of classical predecessors like Virgil - this extraordinary journey through the three realms was always profoundly political in intent. Dante here comes alive as never before: irate, opinionated, settling scores - a man of mutifaceted gifts and extraordinary genius, whose role as an interpreter of world history makes him more than ever relevant to the new millennium.