Title

Femininity Versus Feminism: Contemporary Islamic Perspectives on the Essence of Womanhood

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 10-1-2001

Abstract

This essay shows how the concept of womanhood undergoes a transformation in the minds of some western females who convert to the Muslim faith. With respect to the role of women in Islam, three different groups may be distinguished: “outsiders looking in,” “insiders looking out;” and “converts to Islam looking around and back.” Within the f i i t category, a majority see Islam in terms of oppression and servitude, although for a smaller group the faith represents a return to all that “hearth and home” signifies. The second major grouping consists of Muslims, many of whom find Muslim womanhood to be superior to non-Islamic alternatives. But an increasing number seek to liberate females from “the tyranny of Islamic Law.” Those in the third category were originally “outsiders looking in,” but after a transitional period become “insiders looking out.” The . female converts are originally attracted to a feminine ideal that is interpreted through their own culture and experience. Becoming “insiders” brings exposure to issues of Islamic womanhood which necessitate a re-interpretation of the essence of femaleness, producing what uninitiated western observers might call rationalizations but which actually form apologetical replies to objections from unbelievers.

Comments

Poston, L. (2001). Femininity Versus Feminism: Contemporary Islamic Perspectives on the Essence of Womanhood. American Journal of Islam and Society, 18(4), 47-62. https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v18i4.1981

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