This class has been one of the most challenging, yet most enjoyable classes that I've experienced during my time at SNHU. It has certainly raised far more questions about the topic of Women, Sexuality and Islam than I had prior to starting, but I think in many ways it's designed to. This topic is full … Continue reading Women, Sexuality and Islam – Final Thoughts
Category: Women, Sexuality and Islam
Fundamentalism, Islam and Agency
This entire term it seems as though we’ve wrestled and understood writers who view Islam through the lens of colonialism, custom, culture and outside influence when attempting to explain woman’s role within it. This module, however, we get a different perspective from Haideh Moghissi. While other writers are content to insist in various ways that … Continue reading Fundamentalism, Islam and Agency
Can Islam Evolve to Accept the LGBTQIA Community
Islam, at least as understood by Western society and culture does not seem particularly accepting of gays and lesbians within the greater Muslim community. It is surprising to realize, therefore, that the Quran and the Prophet Muhammed have very little – if anything – to say about gays and lesbians, and are entirely silent on … Continue reading Can Islam Evolve to Accept the LGBTQIA Community
Authority, Responsibility and the Law
If there is one thing that the reading this weak made abundantly clear is the element of personal responsibility in the Islamic world. I find the idea admirable in a way. In so much of culture of the United States that I see and experience (especially these days) there is a tendency to try to … Continue reading Authority, Responsibility and the Law
Islam’s Relation to Culture
As our readings throughout this course became more and more advanced, they combined into a functional understanding of what Islam is – as well as what Islam isn’t. I think it’s absolutely certain that Islam exists apart from the collection of Muslims who practice it. Religions have come and gone throughout history, but the memory … Continue reading Islam’s Relation to Culture
Islam in the Modern World
While this week’s reading may initially seem to be more progressive than a lot of the conservative ideology previously covered in other resources this term, I do not agree that it can actually be labeled as progressive. It is certainly not a shift towards more liberal interpretations of the Quran, the Hadiths or centuries worth … Continue reading Islam in the Modern World
Women, Islam and the Law
As I look back on the combined readings that we’ve had so far throughout this class, I’m struck by the simple idea that Islam – at least at a fundamental level – has the potential for gender equality, yet also has the potential for misogyny. The readings this week seem to point to one of … Continue reading Women, Islam and the Law
Islam: The Lasting Influence of Few Men
Author Fatima Mernissi was onto something I think is critically important to understanding Islam from a Western point of view when she wrote in her book “Is it possible that Islam’s message had only a limited and superficial effect on deeply superstitious seventh-century Arabs who failed to integrate its novel approaches to the world and … Continue reading Islam: The Lasting Influence of Few Men
Ethics vs. Pragmatism in Islam’s Age of Expansion
The readings this week highlighted an aspect of Islam that I was unware of but that links it with both Christianity and Judaism – the matter of interpretation. Being raised in a strict Christian home, I grew up believing that there was a singular Christianity, a singular Judaism and a singular Islam – although, to … Continue reading Ethics vs. Pragmatism in Islam’s Age of Expansion
Do Muslim Women Need to be Saved?
From the readings and the videos provided in this module, regardless of whether any prior knowledge and/or bias was present prior to the start of this term, it’s clear that the question of the “salvation” of Muslim women is a complex, nuanced and difficult subject that cannot be easily answered. To be honest, I’ve wrestled … Continue reading Do Muslim Women Need to be Saved?
tabletalktaboosdotcom 