Religious Fundamentalism and Violence

Primary Source Analysis: Islamic Text

The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most notable conservative Pan-Islamic groups -- it is based in Egypt but has a worldwide influence. As is the case with most fundamentalist organizations, the Brotherhood takes an extremely gendered view of women. According to one of its most influential members Hasan al-Banna in his tract "Towards the light:"

"Following are the principal goals of reform grounded on the spirit of genuine Islam...Treatment of the problem of women in a way which combines the progressive and the protective, in accordance with Islamic teaching, so that this problem - one of the most important social problems - will not be abandoned to the biased pens and deviant notions of those who err in the directions of deficiency and excess...a campaign against ostentation in dress and loose behavior; the instruction of women in what is proper, with particular strictness as regards female instructors, pupils, physicians, and students, and all those in similar categories...a review of the curricula offered to girls and the necessity of making them distinct from the boys' curricula in many stages of education...segregation of male and female students; private meetings between men and women, unless within the permitted degrees of relationship, to be counted as a crime for which both will be censured...the encouragement of marriage and procreation, by all possible means; promulgation of legislation to protect and give moral support to the family, and to solve the problems of marriage...the closure of morally undesirable ballrooms and dance-halls, and the prohibition of dancing and other such pastimes..." (Al-Banna 126).

The curtailment of female sexuality is viewed as a necessary component of the Islamic state, according to al-Banna. Women are seen as fundamentally 'different' from men and their education must be carefully policed. All potential encounters between women and men are laced with potentially deviant sexuality and the state must take an active role in governing female education and criminalizing errant sexual behavior. Al-Banna calls this treatment of women 'protective' in the manner it specifically allows the (male-dominated) state to govern how women appear and how they dress. Even though both men and women receive separate educations for 'their own good,' Al-Banna is primarily concerned with what the education of girls entails.

However, a number of female voices in the Muslim world have been raising their voices to counter such sentiment in Islam. "I see the justification [for feminism] in my faith. In the Qur'an it says that we're all equal in the eyes of God,' says Fatemeh Fakhraie, founder of Muslimah Media Watch. 'It means that the dignity of every person is important'" (Sanchez 2013). How can women be 'equal' if they are not allowed to pursue an education that enables them to enter into a profession or to be autonomous from their husbands? Islamic feminists see the suppression of women within the faith as fundamentally anti-Islamic. The Muslim American woman Mehrunisa Qayyum, founder of PITAPOLICY Consulting & Blog says: "in defense of those who do identify themselves as Muslim feminists, I don't think the two terms have any cognitive dissonance" and points out the many female supporters the Prophet Muhammad had, the respect he showed for his wives "and the fact that his first wife Khadija was a successful businesswoman'" she says (Sanchez 2013).

In other words, the justification of female oppression based upon the Koran has everything to do with male interpretation and the Koran's current location in a male-dominated society where women have little social or economic power. Islam is not inherently at fault, only its interpreters who are using the religion to justify their own prejudices and power needs, not because they have any unique insight into what it means to be a Muslim. Of true Islam, says Qayyum, "it's a religion of dialogue, a religion of community" (Sanchez 2013). However, the types of sentiments articulated by anti-feminist men shut down dialogue between themselves and women and deny girls the ability to fully participate in the Islamic community.

Contemporary Muslim feminists point out that ancient Islamic texts must be contextualized in light of the times they were produced. Given the circumstances of his day and age, Muhammad could be characterized as progressive, when one compares his words and actions against common practices in the Middle East when he lived. Says Sakena Yacoobi, the founder and director of the Afghan Institute of Learning, a nonprofit organization that provides health and education services to women and children in Afghanistan, "Islam focused on education from the very first day. And in the time of the holy prophet, women used to work…women participated along with the line of men in almost all sort of professions" (Conan 2010). Islam is not a religion that seems to be founded upon the need to suppress the female spirit or refuse to educate women equally. Fifteen hundred years ago, women took an active role in the establishment of the early faith, a role they are denied today.

Yacoobi, like many other Islamic feminists stresses the role of patriarchal culture vs. Islam as a suppressive force. "In some countries where…they do not allow the women to go and get higher education, it is not Islam that's stopping them, it is their cultural values" (Conan 2010). To those who would argue that Islam is 'uniquely' oppressive to women in a manner that Christianity and other Western religions are not, Yacoobi adds: "if you read the Christian Bible quite literally, that poses challenges for women, and that's absolutely true of the Quran. There are passages in the Quran that pose challenges for women's rights within Islam" but that is true of all faiths (Conan 2010). A comparison of Christianity and Islam in the abstract would not necessarily yield the finding that Christianity was inevitably the 'more tolerant' of the two religions.

On a personal level, I agree that it is very important to contextualize the words of an ancient religion in the time period when they were written. One cannot expect Islam to be 'politically correct' in its original form in a manner that would suit modern feminists. Also, there is no final judgment that can be passed upon the innate sexism of Islam. Like the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, there are many contradictory passages regarding the role of women with the Koran, and it is up to believers to find a coherent and life-sustaining faith. Islam is not an artifact; it is a living and breathing religion.