Something to bend Eliza’s mind a little…
BAHRAIN:
Seeking Gender Equality in Quran
Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Aug 25 (IPS) – For the first time, feminists in Bahrain are seeking new Islamic perspectives on gender and women’s empowerment, and asking for modern interpretations of the Quran.
Through a series of four workshops, launched in May, the Bahrain Women Association for Development intends to engage the public in serious debate over the “true meaning” of Quranic verses that are used to assert male supremacy.
“We aren’t against Islam and don’t want to promote our perspective,” explains Asma Rajab, an activist and member of its board of directors. “We want to make our society consider women as complete humans.”
With the advances made by Muslim women in many countries including Bahrain, it is time to reinterpret the Quranic verses, she adds. “Islam is a renewable religion that fits all situations and periods, so its regulations should be re-interpreted to meet the advancements of Muslim women,” she says.
Social practices that violate women’s rights include the law of male guardianship, unequal inheritance, domestic violence and testimony in Shariah courts. Also, the widespread belief that Islam forbids women from becoming presidents, judges and parliamentarians.
These are against Islamic principles, the Association asserts, publicly throwing a challenge to religious scholars and others who insist that women are inferior to men.
The workshops on “Woman, a Renewable Perspective” have been organised to correct centuries of misunderstanding that gender discrimination has religious sanction. The second workshop in the series was held on Aug. 15. The third has been scheduled for December.
“To change the men-oriented societies, the Muslim world should accept the flexibility of the Quran and Islamic thoughts,” advises Rajab.
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