Islam, Gender and Modernity

By Amira Nowaira

This collection of articles deals with various aspects of Islam, gender and modernity, and their intersections and interactions. The topics range from the tradition of dissent in Islamic thought to a consideration of Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo. The articles are written from the liberal perspective of an Arab/Muslim woman.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amira Nowaira
• Release date: Oct 13, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452335988

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Islam, Gender and Modernity

Amira Nowaira

Published by Amira Nowaira at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 Amira Nowaira

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Islam’s Forgotten Chapters

History of Atheism in Islam

Shajarat Al-Durr: A Forgotten Muslim Queen

Part 2: Islam and Europe

Why the face-veil should be banned not only in Europe but the whole world: A Muslim woman’s view

Fitna: The Art of Fomenting Peace

A Predictable Furor over Vilks’s Cartoons

The Killing of a Veiled Egyptian Woman in a German Court

Part 3: Intersections of Politics and Islam in Modern Egypt

Thus Spoke Obama to the Muslim World from Cairo

1967 – A Very Personal Defeat

Recriminations and Nostalgia on the 40th Anniversary of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Death

Egypt in the Grip of Royal Nostalgia

Part 4: Confrontations and Counter-Narratives

Counter-Narratives of 9/11

A Modest Proposal

Passages of Silence and the Dangers of Compassion Fatigue

Home Bound: Sahar Hamouda’s Once Upon a Time in Jerusalem

An open letter to Israel: On the Freedom Flotilla fiasco

Introduction

This book is a collection of articles I wrote over the period of a few years extending from 2005 until 2010. A few of these appeared in various publications while others have not been published before. Although they all deal with the intersections of Islam, gender and Middle Eastern politics, they neither represent a systematic examination of the subject nor offer a particular argument or philosophy. To a large extent, they betray my own personal prejudices and preferences as a woman whose formative years were spent in the sixties and whose liberal outlook has been nurtured and shaped by various intellectual trends.

Part 1 entitled Islam’s Forgotten Chapters brings to the surface some forgotten aspects of Islamic thought and history. History of Atheism in Islam: The Forgotten Chapter deals with the issue of intellectual dissidence in Islam, a phenomenon that still requires more extensive exploration and investigation. The article argues that Islamic thought has a long and venerable tradition of dissent. An example of this is the work of the tenth-century philosopher, Abu Bakr Al-Razi, who challenged the authority of the holy books and tried to establish a mode of existence based purely on reason. All that modern Islamic scholars are required to do is to review tradition and re-emphasize the human values of tolerance and freedom of thought by reaching deep into their own cultural coffers to retrieve the pearls and discard the dregs.

The article entitled Shajarat Al-Durr: A Forgotten Muslim Queen throws light on one of the few Muslim women who ascended the throne and wielded power in a Muslim land. It follows her from a slave in the harem until she assumed the highest office in thirteenth-century Egypt. Her life exemplifies the tribulations, rewards, and challenges facing women who get involved in the political power game.

Part 2 deals with various issues connected with Islam in Europe, especially in the wake of 9/11 when Muslims have come increasingly under social and political pressures, and are treated with a great deal of suspicion and fear.

The article Why the Face Veil should be banned puts forward the argument that all forms of face coverings or niqabs should be banned in public places everywhere in the world, for as it is a woman’s prerogative to dress as she pleases, it is also the right of other citizens to feel safe from hidden faces and concealed intentions. Fitna: The Art of Fomenting Peace was written in response to the short film Fitna (2008) made by the right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders, in which he launched a scathing attack against Islam, portraying it as a religion of violence that poses a serious threat to European life and values. The film displays a verse from the Quran side by side with images of the twin tower attack of 9/11. Wilders ends his film with statistics indicating that Muslims’ rate of breeding will change the demographic structure of Europe in future. The movie seems to be designed to instill fear in the hearts of Europeans regarding the growth of Muslim population in Europe. A Predictable Furor over Vilks demonstrates that the same message of hate and fear may be found in the work of the Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks who presents offensive depictions of Prophet Mohammed. In the article, I argue that the violent response to Vilks's cartoons is both