COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVORIAL SCIENCES
WOMEN’S STUDIES PROGRAM
WST 360
TRANSNATIONAL FEMINISMS: ISLAMIC FEMINISM
Tues-Thurs 12:34pm to 2 pm. Building 64. Room 28
Instructor: Philippa Winkler, PhD
Email: Philippa.Winkler@nau.edu
Phone: 774 1765
Office : Room A102, Women’s Studies Faculty Office, Riles Building. Hours: Friday 2-4
pm or by appointment.
Course Description
This course focuses on the theories, political goals, strategies and activities of Islamic
feminism in the context of the emerging global feminist movement. Since the 19th
century, women’s political organizations in Islamic countries have contributed to the
development of civil society, socialism and a feminist re-interpretation of the Koran. In
general, their visions promote gender equality, a culture of peace, and social justice. But
Islamic feminism has come under intense scrutiny. Scholars have asked, is feminism
possible within a religion founded on a patriarchal view of gender? Have advocates of
cultural relativism gone too far in endorsing theocratic gender relations in an effort to
respect intersectional differences among women? As a result, several over-arching
questions have emerged: Should feminism be defined by ideology or by praxis situated in
diverse regional and organizational contexts? Should feminism prioritize adherence to all
human rights over religion and religious considerations? How credible or effective are
models of progress offered by Western women? What is the potential for dialogue
between Islamist and Western feminists in the critique of patriarchy and the concomitant
creation of a movement towards global sisterhood? The course will explore these
questions and others through the lens of postcolonial feminism with a focus on
transnational anti-capitalism, as scholars such as Mohanty (2003) have suggested.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

Understand Islamic feminism as a diverse movement reflecting varied and
culturally-based interpretations of Islam throughout the world.

Appreciate the complex interplay of religious, nationalist and ethnic issues in
shaping and manipulating gender identity in Islamic communities and states

Identify major feminist approaches to Islam: Re-interpretation of the Koran,
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activism against legal discrimination and male violence in Islamic communities,
and transnational ideological mobilization (Marxism, nationalism, religious
fundamentalism)

Compare central gendered tenets of Christianity with those found in Islam.

Understand Islamic feminist practices within the context of the transnational
feminist movement against capitalism/globalization.

Identify key issues in the Western liberal feminism versus Islamic feminism
debate.

Improve the basic skills of critical thinking, analysis, and effective writing.
Required Readings
Badran, Margot and Cooke, Miriam, Eds, Opening the Gates, A Century of Arab
Feminist Writing, Bloomington, Indiannapolis, Indiana University Press, 1990.
Webb, Gisela, Ed, Windows of Faith, Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North
America, New York: Syracuse University Press, 2000.
The Koran, transl. Davood, NJ, London: Penguin Books, 1995.
Required books available at Aradia Bookstore, 116 W Cottage Avenue, Flagstaff.
All other readings available on e-course reserves and print reserves at Cline Library.
YOU MUST BRING A MAP OF THE WORLD TO CLASSES WHEN COURSE
MATERIAL COVERS ISSUES OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS (Instructor reserves the right to make changes)
PARTICIPATION IN CLASS (50 points). This course focuses on readings and
discussions in class. Therefore students must read the readings and be prepared to pose
and answer questions about course content. Students will be required to sign an
attendance record at each session. If you miss your class, please e-mail me ahead of time,
or as soon after as possible. All excuses should be provided to me in writing by email. 10
points will be deducted for every unexplained absence. Five or more absences will require
some form of institutional documentation and a personal meeting with the instructor.
FIVE SHORT ASSIGNMENTS (RESPONSE PAPERS, SHOW AND TELL, ETC)
Worth 10 points each (50 points)
ESSAY (40 points)
RESEARCH/ANALYSIS PAPER AND PRESENTATION (60 points)
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TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS: 200
GRADES
A= 190-200; B=180-189; C=170-179, D=160-169. F=Below 160.
The instructor will grade each assignment with a letter grade and points.
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM AND THE KORAN
WEEK ONE
Tuesday August 31
Introduction
Thursday September 2
Video extracts in class, including Living Islam, Part Four
Reading:
Fernea, Elizabeth Warnock, “Conclusion” from In Search of Islamic Feminism, One
Woman’s Global Journey, New York: Doubleday, 1998, p 414-423.
Sabbagh, Suha, Ed, “Introduction, the Debate on Arab Women” from Arab Women,
Between Defiance and Restraint, New York: Olive Branch Press, 1996, p xi-xxvii
WEEK TWO
Tuesday September 7
History of Islam. Handout provided.
DUE: Please bring in a map of the world with sufficient space to write numbers of
Muslim populations on each country, which we will do in class. This assignment is
worth 10 points.
Thursday September 7
Discussion in class based on assignment and readings.
Sharzad, Mojab, “Theorizing the Politics of ‘Islamic Feminism’, Feminist Review,
Winter 2001, Issue 69, p 124. (Please note this reading is optional, but relevant to
students who are versed in feminist theory).
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Khalidi, Ramla and Tucker, Judith, “Women’s Rights in the Arab World”, from Sabbagh,
Suha, Ed, Arab Women, Between Defiance and Restraint, New York: Olive Branch
Press, 1996, p 9-21.
Manji, Irshad, Chapter One, The Trouble With Islam - a Wake-Up Call For Honesty and
Change', St Martin’s Press, London, 2004.
DUE: Response Paper. Three-page minimum, one-and-a-half –spaced. Worth 10
points.
Irshad Manji's is a lesbian Muslim based in Canada. Her best-selling book, 'The
Trouble With Islam - a Wake-Up Call For Honesty and Change' has made her a
target for assassination. Please read Chapter One (available on e-course reserves). Do
you agree with Manji’s idealization of the Western model of rationality and freedom?
Thinking of the religion you grew up with, do you agree with her contention that a
gender-friendly “reinvention of faith” (p. 7) is possible? How does Manji’s view compare
to the Islamic feminists interviewed in Living Islam, Part Four? (Her website:
http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/)
WEEK THREE
Tuesday September 14
The Advent of Patriarchy and Class-Based Social Structures
Readings:
Harding, Esther M, “The Moon Mother” from Woman’s Mysteries, Ancient and Modern,
Boston: Shambhalla, 1990
Ahmed, Leila, “Women and the Rise of Islam” from Women and Gender in Islam,
Historical Roots of a Modern Debate, .New Haven and London: Yale University Press,
1992, p 41-64.
Mernissi, Fatema, “My Harem: Harun Ar-Rachid, The Sexy Caliph” from Scheheradze
Goes West, Washington Square Press, 2002, p 117-129.
Thursday September 16
Discussion in class based on assignment
DUE: Response paper. Three-page minimum, one-and-a-half –spaced. Worth 10
points.
Reading excerpts from the Koran and the Judao-Christian Bible is key to
developing your own understanding of the common patriarchal roots of Islam,
Judaism and Christianity. What are differences and similarities in stories, edicts, or
teachings about women that appear in the Bible (Old and New Testaments) and the
Koran? Choose a minimum of one example. Search for terms on the following:
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Online Koran: http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran/ Find Surahs (Chapters) in your
assigned text of the Koran. Note any differences in translations.
Online Bible: http://bible.crosswalk.com/
WEEK FOUR
Tuesday September 21
Read Surahs (Chapters) 1, 4, 18, 24, 31, 32, 33, in the Koran (bring required text to
class).
PART TWO
MODERN ARAB AND NORTHERN AFRICAN ISLAMIC FEMINISM
Thursday September 23
Early 20th Century Feminism
Readings from Badran, Margot and Cooke, Miriam, Opening the Gates, A Century of
Arab Feminist Writing, Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana University Press.:
Introduction, xv-xxxvi
Al-Taimuriya, Aisha, “The Results of Circumstances in Words and Deeds” (Egyptian,
1887/8), p 125-134.
Fawwaz, Zainab, “Fair and Equal Treatment” (Lebanese, 1891) p 220-227
Nawfal, Hind, “The Dawn of the Arabic Women’s Press” (Lebanese, 1892) p 215-220
Al-Badiya, Bahithat, “Bad Deeds of Men: Injustice” (Egyptian, 1909), p 134-137
WEEK FIVE
Early to mid 20th Century
Tuesday September 27
Readings from Badran, Margot and Cooke, Miriam, Opening the Gates, A Century of
Arab Feminist Writing:
Ziyada, May, “Warda al-Yaziji” (Palestinian, 1924), p 239-244
Al-Din, Nazira Zain, “Unveiling and Veiling” and “The Young Woman and the Shaikhs”
(1928, Egyptian), p 270-279.
Shaawari, Huda, “Pan-Arab Feminism” (Egyptian, 1944), p 337-341
Shafiq, Duriya, “Islam and the Constitutional Rights of Women” (Egyptian, 1952), p 352357
Accad, Evelyne, “The Excised” (Lebanese, 1982), p 168-174.
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Thursday September 29
Late 20th and 21st Islamic Feminism
Lecture: The role of US Foreign Policy in the Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in the
Middle East
Mernissi, Fatema, “Palace Fundamentalism and Liberal Democracy: Oil, Arms and
Irrationality” from Hewitt de Alcantara, Social Futures, Global Visions, Oxford UK:
Blackwell Publishers, 1996, p 39-55.
WEEK SIX
Gender Issues and Iran
Tuesday October 5
Poya, Maryam, “Introduction” p 1-28 from Women, Work and Islamism, Ideology and
Resistance in Iran, London: Zed Books, 1999, 1-28.
Thusday October 7
Nafisi, Azar, p 258-288, in Reading Lolita in Tehran, A Memoir in Books, New York:
Random House, 2003. Azar Nafisi is a bold and inspired teacher who every Thursday
morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, secretly gathered seven of her
most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics.
DUE. ESSAY. Worth 40 points. Five pages minimum space-and-a-half. Based on the
readings, your choice of extracts from Opening the Gates, and course material in
Parts 1 and 2, illustrate the following statement: Women’s identities in Arabian and
Northern African countries are faced with a number of challenges: religious reinterpretations, resistance to Western hegemony, local customs and economic survival.
Can you identify other challenges? A detailed prompt for this assignment will be
handed out in class.
WEEK SEVEN
GENDER ISSUES IN BALKAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN MUSLIM
COMMUNITIES AND STATES (includes Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, BosniaHerzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan)
Tuesday October 12
Discussion based on the readings:
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Tohidi, Nayereh, from Bodman, Herberi L and Tohidi, Nayereh , Women in Muslim
Societies, Diversity Within Unity, Boulder, Co: Lynne Rienner, 1998, p 137-187.
Describes manipulation of gender issues in Aizerbaijan, a post-Soviet Union state.
Moghadam, Valentine, “ Women and Social Change in Afghanistan, in Modernizing
Women”, Gender and Social Change in the Middle East, Boulder, Co: Lynne Rienner
Publishers, Inc., 1993, 207-249. Describes the challenges to women’s rights championed
by the socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978-1992).
Thursday October 14
DUE: “Show and Tell”
Bring to the class a photo or illustration of headgear and dress typically worn by
Muslim women in a country in Central Asia (sometimes called Central Eurasia).
Identify as much as possible, locality, profession, economic and social status, rural
or urban. Worth 10 points.
WEEK EIGHT
Tuesday October 19
Lecture and Discussion based on readings:
“Muslim and Bosnian Women Reconcile” Women’s International League for Peace and
Freedom
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/SerbiaMontenegro/June04/reconcile.html
Mladjenovic, Lepa and Hughes, Donna M, “Feminist Resistance to War and Violence in
Serbia”, from Rycenga, Jennifer and Walter, Marguerite R, Eds, Frontline Feminisms,
Women, War and Resistance, New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc, 2000, p
247-274,.
PART FOUR:ISLAMIC FEMINISM IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA (India,
Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia)
Thursday October 21
Class discussion based on the following assignment:
DUE: From the internet, bring a description of one or more feminist activist
organizations in one of the following countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh. Worth 10 points.
WEEK NINE
Tuesday October 26
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Van Doorn-Harder, Nelly, “The Indonesian Islamic Debate on a Woman President”,
SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Oct2002, Vol. 17 Issue 2, p164,
27p.
Bahramitash, Roksana, "Myths and realities of the impact of political Islam on women:
female employment in Indonesia and Iran, " Development in Practice, June 2004, Vol. 14
Issue 4, p508, 13p
Thursday October 28
Kausiki, Mukhopadhyay and Pallab, Paul, “Organisational Differences in Hinduism and
Islam and their Impact on the Women’s Movement on the Indian Subcontinent,”.Asian
Studies Review, Dec2003, Vol. 27 Issue 4, p419, 24p.
WEEK TEN
Tuesday November 2
Bhutto, Benazir, “Speech criticizing male domination of women of Islamic religion”
Essential Speeches, 2003, p0, 0p; (AN 8866759) EPSCO HOST. Benazir Bhutto
became the first woman head of government in the Muslim world when she was elected
Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988. Deposed in a coup 20 months later, she was reelected in 1993 and dismissed in 1996 under charges of corruption.
Douglas, Carol Anne , “Malaysian Sisters in Islam oppose fundamentalism”, Off Our
Backs, Mar 1998, Vol. 28 Issue 3, p10.
PART FOUR
MUSLIM WOMEN’S STUDIES IN NORTH AMERICA
Thursday November 4
Reading from
Webb, Gisela, Ed, Windows of Faith, Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North
America, New York: Syracuse University Press, 2000:
Webb, Gisela “May Muslim Women Speak for Themselves, Please?” xi to xxi,
Al-Hibri, Azizah Y, “An Introduction to Muslim Women’s Rights”. 51 to 72
Zoharah Simmons, Gwendolyn, “Striving for Muslim Women’s Human Rights-Before
and Beyond Beijing, An African American Perspective” 197-226
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WEEK ELEVEN
Tuesday November 9
From Windows of Faith:
Hassan, Riffat, “Is Family Planning Permitted by Islam?” 226-241
Al-Faruqi, Maysam J, “Women’s Self-Identity in the Qur’an and Islamic Law” 72-102
(NO CLASS Thursday November 11)
PART SIX
THEORIZING THE ISSUES: THE WAY FORWARD
We will review the academic origins, competing claims and key debates which have made
Islamic feminism so controversial. Issues will be evaluated primarily in the context of
the immense contribution made by Islamic woman-driven organizations to the global
movement for peace, human rights and social justice. What are pathways (and barriers)
to the integration of Islamic and Western feminist praxis?
Prompt for Research/Analysis Paper. Presentations begin Week 15, Final
Paper due Week 16: Students will research and write a minimum 10 page, doublespaced report, plus bibliography, and end notes based on a topic of their choice and theory
related to the course Students will orally present their research to the class. 10 points
deducted if no presentation offered. The instructor will review draft papers, if desired.
WEEK TWELVE
Tuesday November 16
Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, from Feminism Without Borders, Decolonizing Theory,
Practising Solidarity, Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2003, p 228-245.
Begins “Under and (Inside”) Western Borders.”
Narayan, Uma, “Contesting Cultures: ‘Westernization’, Respect for Cultures and ThirdWorld Feminists”, 1997, from Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions and Third
World Feminisms, in Kolmar, Wendy K and Bartkowski, Frances, Feminist Theory: A
Reader, McGraw-Hill, 2005, p 542-550.
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Thursday November 18
Cooke, Miriam, Women Claim Islam, Creating Islamic Feminism Through Literature,
Chapter 5, “Multiple Critique”, New York, London: Routledge, 2001, p 107-136..
WEEK THIRTEEN
Tuesday November 22
Moghissi, Haideh, Chapter Seven, “Islamic Feminism and Its Discontents”, from
Feminism and Islamic Fundamentalism, New York: Zed Books, 1999, p 125-149.
Ahmed, Leila, extract from “Conclusion”, from Women and Gender in Islam, Historical
Roots of a Modern Debate, Yale University, 1992, p 240-248.
Thursday November 25 – NO CLASS
WEEK FOURTEEN
Tuesday November 30
Readings:
“Women’s Rights in the Muslim World: Where do they stand?” By Dominique Pettit,
Middle East Online, February 18 2004, http://www.middle-eastonline.com/english/morocco/?id=8938
Hassan, Riffat, “Human Rights in the Qur’ranic Perspective” in Windows of Faith, p 241249
King, Jennifer, S, “Islamic Feminism vs. Western Feminism, Analyzing and
Conceptualizing Conflict,” Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science, International
Studies, Central Connecticut State University, May 2003, Chapter Nine (Conclusion), p
70-82. Internet, accessed on:
http://fred.ccsu.edu:8000/archive/00000056/01/etd-2003-11.pdf
Thursday December 2
PRESENTATIONS
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WEEK FIFTEEN
Tuesday December 7
PRESENTATIONS
Thursday December 9 – LAST DAY OF CLASS
DUE: Research/Analysis Paper. Worth 80 points.
PRESENTATIONS
12:30 –2:30 PM
OPTIONAL READINGS AND VIDEOS
“The Last Crusade” (videorecording) a BBC-TV Production in Assocation with Ambrose
Video Publishing, Producer, John Percival, New York, NY: Ambrose Video Publishing.
This program looks at the Islamic revival and revolutionary and reforming spirit of
Muslims, 1993, VT 3821.
“Women and Islam” videorecording, Epicflow, Channel Four, Princeton, NJ: Films for
the Humanitaries and Sciences, 1994, VT 6328.
“Beyond Borders” Arab Feminists talks about their lives—East and West. The National
Film Board of Canada, directed by Jennifer Kawaja, Princeton NJ: Films for the
Humanities and Sciences, 2000, VT 8515.
Othman, Norani, 1999, “Grounding Human Rights Arguments in Non-Western Culture:
Shari'a and the Citizenship Rights of Women in a Modern Islamic State”, in The East
Asian Challenge for Human Rights, Bauer, Joanne R, and Bell, Daniel, Eds, Cambridge
UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. .
Mayer, Elizabeth Ann, 1999, “Islamic law and human rights : conundrums and
equivocations” in Gustafson, Carrie and Juviler, Peter, Eds, Religion and Human Rights:
Competing Claims?, Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Moghadam, Valerie, April 2000, “Islamic Feminism and its Discontents: Notes on a
Debate”
http://www.iran-bulletin.org/women/Islamic_feminism_IB.html
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COURSE POLICY
Academic Contact Hour Policy: For every contact hour (time spent in class,) a student
should expect, on average, to do a minimum of two additional hours of work per week,
e.g., preparation, assignments, studying etc.
Late papers, assignments:
Papers and all other assignments MUST be completed on the date assigned unless there is
a legitimate emergency or university-related conflict. If you miss a deadline without valid
authorization, your final grade will be dropped by two letter grades.
Plagiarism
The intentional or unintentional representation of someone else’s work as your own,
without citing sources, is not tolerated.
Catching Up On Missed Classes
If you miss a session, it is your responsibility to obtain the handouts and class exercises
from that session from the instructor.
CLASS RULES
RESPECT EVERYONE’S OPINIONS. This is a class that encourages critical
thinking, so we must expect differences of opinion! The classroom is a safe space for
each student to express themselves, and every relevant opinion is considered useful to the
discussion.
PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME. If you are having trouble making it on time, let me
know.
DON’T CHANGE SEATS: If possible, please stay in the same seats during the
semester, as this will help the instructor to remember your names!
Students may be required to put name cards on desks.
TURN OFF CELL PHONES, BEEPERS, etc. Unless you are a parent.
NO FOOD OR DRINKS IN THE CLASSROOM. Bottled water/drink with
spill-proof lid is acceptable. Snacks, however, can be brought into the last class of the
semester.
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