Power and gender in the muslim world
A paragraph or more each question
1. According to Ahmed’s work, how did Muhammad Abdu think Islam could escape its condition of “ignorance and helplessness”?
2. What is the “colonization of consciousness”? Why could it complicate feminism in Muslim societies?
3. For Ahmed, what are the practical advantages for women to wear Islamic dress in Egypt from the 1970s till the present?
4. Ahmed refers to “Establishment Islam” in her book. What is Establishment Islam? Why does it matter for women’s rights in Muslim societies?
5. According to Moghadam, which factors are generating challenges for patriarchy and the “traditional family” in the Middle East?
6. How are Shi’a women in North-West Pakistan, using religious rituals, such as majalesto empower themselves?
7. After watching the film, Divorce: Iranian Style, describe how the women were able to petition for divorce in court.
8. Why did village elders in Bangladesh issue “fatwas” targeting women in the 1990s? According to class discussion, are these fatwas enforceable? Explain why they are or are not.
9. According to Van Doorn-Harder, how do ‘Aisyiyah and Muslimat NU differ from one another in regards to women’s rights in Islam?
10. In her article, Mohammad quotes that women often finds themselves the “privileged signifiers of difference”. What does this phrase mean?
