Women & Politics and Gender in the Middle East

Religious Women’s Attires

Niqab—Saudi Arabia, Yemen, elsewhere

Chador—Iran & some other Shi`a communities Burqa--Afghanistan

Hijab--Rest of MENA

Interpretations of the Veil• Restrictive device so men can control (dominant Orientalist notion)

• Indicative of class, age, ethnicity, or region (Yemen reading)

• Veil as a tool of control by the state to advertise power of their belief systems (Tunisia restrictions, Kuwait (10/09) requires it… being challenged)

• Expression of opposition to reduce the leverage of the occupier (ex: Algeria)

• Protection from harassment and interference by others. Statement not to be objectified. No object for consumerism.

• Statement of identity, especially where Muslims are minority

• Social empowerment – control over oneself. Choice.

Huda Sha’arawi

Patriarchy• a system that privileges males and elders and justifies this

privilege in kinship terms. This gives males legal and economic power over family members.

• Extension of male dominance over women in society in general.

• Represents a gender and age hierarchy based on the household as a productive unit, has been seriously challenged in recent decades by social transformations

• Androcentrism – an ontology in which ‘the masculine’ is at the center and ‘the feminine’ is peripheral.

– Males are the focus of one’s world view and understanding of culture and history, while women are understood in relation to males.

• Patrilineality, Patrilocality, Endogamy

Patriarchal system• Public:

– Public office– Court testimony– Dress codes– Segregated work spaces– Legal limitations on movement

• Private (mostly personal status): – Child custody– Divorce/marriage laws– Inheritance– Freedom of movement & employment– Honor killings

Factors that Erode Patriarchy

• Wage labor opportunities outside household

• Breakup of extended family (patrilocality)

• Increasing age of marriage

• Inter-marriage (vs. endogamy)

• Rise in education levels

• Rural to urban migration

• Quotas in legislatures

Women in Islam• Adam & Eve created together (Eve not sole receiver of blame)

• Female infanticide prohibited by Islam

• Limits marriage to four women by men – if treated equally

• Women negotiate contract of marriage (legal contract vs. sacrament)

• Marriage gift goes to wife, not family (mahr)

• Women’s right to refuse prospective husband

• Women have right to own and inherit property

• Women can not lead prayer

• Women’s restrictions on divorce (justified to Qadi)

• Women worth half of a witness in court

How are women involved in political processes in MENA?

Symbols of national honor Often mothers creating power in numbers

Fighters supporting national liberation & revolutionary movements

Women’s branches of political parties Members of political parties & Groups Women’s organizations created in state institutions Participation in independent organizations (charitable

societies and NGOs)

Islamic and Secular Feminisms

• Secular Feminism: – Authentic as indigenous, but often seen as imposed– Some conflict w/ Islamic feminism

• Claim of Superiority – “culture of misery” in discourse rejects Agency

– Passive, docile, victim

• Ex: N.O.W. during Gulf War• “Excessive covering” vs. Material Exploitation

– Is one more repulsive or unforgivable than the other?

• Key Question: what are the best approaches to bring about policies of equal rights for women in Islamic states and other Muslim communities?•The Activist’s Paradox (apologetic/complacent vs. Arab-bashing ‘self-hatred’)

Islamic and Secular Feminisms (cont.)

• Islamic Feminism:– Movement aimed at equal rights and legal protection of

women rooted in Islamic discourse• Emphasize teachings of equality in Qu’ran, Hadith

– Engagement with Islam is necessary in societies where many laws on personal status are based on religion (shari’a)

– Mostly educated, professional women & therefore cannot be easily dismissed as irrelevant by secular feminists

– Increasing visibility in mass media (previously domain of secular, middle-class women)

• Key Question: what are the best approaches to bring about policies of equal rights for women in Islamic states and other Muslim communities?

Readings Discussion on Sexuality

• Asad AbuKhalil• Characteristics of Present-day sexism•Persistence of Male dominance•Women missing from public space•Tolerance of homosexuality

• Bruce Dunne “sexuality in political culture”

• Dialmy – Contradictions and contraception

• Suad Joseph – the nation-state and Gender• Pre-colonial and post-colonial• Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft

The MENA region