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Women in the Qur’an: An Emancipatory Reading
Today, the issue of Muslim women is held hostage between two perceptions: an ultra-conservative Islamic approach and a liberal Western approach. At the heart of this debate Muslim women are finding their voices and calling for the rejuvenation of the Islamic spirit of equality and liberation that is at the heart of the Qur’an.
177 pages, Paperback
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 21, 2020
A fabulous attempt to rediscover and reappropriate the position of women in Islam. Asma Lamrabet has done an apt critical analysis of how the patriarchal interpretations of the Quran not only cornered women in the society but also make the men unjustly superior.
She has divided her book into two parts; when the Quran speaks OF women and when the Quran speaks TO women. The first part highlights the female characters cited in the Quran itself and the second part deals with verses where the Quran addresses the issues of female social, political, and economic participation.
She has gone into length to show that Islam has given all the equality to women, in fact, the Quran revealed the feminine model amid that time when intransigent patriarchal society was a norm. There is nothing in the Quran that treats women unequally but rather these cultural practices, human prejudice, black and white interpretation, literalist reading, and biased religious sphere advocate these inequalities. It is not Islam and its values that relegate women, in fact it emancipates the status of women.
This well-researched literature is a daring and brave attempt of the author to condemn such a thing. However, few arguments, like on inheritance and testimony, weren't supported with strong references to make the point, it feels like she pushes to every last limit to make the laws in her favor. Apart from that it was a good read.
She has divided her book into two parts; when the Quran speaks OF women and when the Quran speaks TO women. The first part highlights the female characters cited in the Quran itself and the second part deals with verses where the Quran addresses the issues of female social, political, and economic participation.
She has gone into length to show that Islam has given all the equality to women, in fact, the Quran revealed the feminine model amid that time when intransigent patriarchal society was a norm. There is nothing in the Quran that treats women unequally but rather these cultural practices, human prejudice, black and white interpretation, literalist reading, and biased religious sphere advocate these inequalities. It is not Islam and its values that relegate women, in fact it emancipates the status of women.
This well-researched literature is a daring and brave attempt of the author to condemn such a thing. However, few arguments, like on inheritance and testimony, weren't supported with strong references to make the point, it feels like she pushes to every last limit to make the laws in her favor. Apart from that it was a good read.
April 11, 2020
• As the book description says, " Today the issue of Muslim women is held hostage between two perceptions: a conservative Islamic approach and a liberal Western approach."
So I assume, in this book, author will consider a perspective that will be distinction to the above cited two mainstream perception!! But I find Author's view slightly biased towards 'Western feminist approach'. Specially in the sections of 'inheritance', 'polygamy', 'testimony' and 'hit them..?' The way writer tries to explain those quranic verses it seems to me she is desperate to prove the point 'women are equal to men' without any 'emancipatory' rationale.
• I expect this book will discuss about the rights, duties and aspects of women through out the stories, regulations that mentioned in Quran.
But I haven’t read anything which has solid ground or facts to believe the points Lamrabet wants to make! I find her logic of interpretation obnoxious and contentious. Also I haven’t found any clear concept about author's viewpoint regarding 'muslim women's freedom'.
• Author's Credibility
I am concern most on this point. Asma Lamrabet's continuous nagging to convince the writer without any solid arguments make me question her credibility. Author also mix up issues, assumptions of other religions along with Quranic stories to proof her points. When she is trying to explain the verses and stories from Quran and Hadith she is not sticking to the version mentioned in the quran and hadith but go throuh the myth and unreliable sources too. Example: mistake of Adam and Eve, romance between Yusuf and Zulaykha and so on.
• Not everything objectionable in this book!
There are some compelling discussion on 'Maryam,the favourite' and 'sumayaa, the first martyr of Islam' But overall this book really lacks in explaining and advocating, what are the real conflicts, struggles and consceince of muslim women.
So I assume, in this book, author will consider a perspective that will be distinction to the above cited two mainstream perception!! But I find Author's view slightly biased towards 'Western feminist approach'. Specially in the sections of 'inheritance', 'polygamy', 'testimony' and 'hit them..?' The way writer tries to explain those quranic verses it seems to me she is desperate to prove the point 'women are equal to men' without any 'emancipatory' rationale.
• I expect this book will discuss about the rights, duties and aspects of women through out the stories, regulations that mentioned in Quran.
But I haven’t read anything which has solid ground or facts to believe the points Lamrabet wants to make! I find her logic of interpretation obnoxious and contentious. Also I haven’t found any clear concept about author's viewpoint regarding 'muslim women's freedom'.
• Author's Credibility
I am concern most on this point. Asma Lamrabet's continuous nagging to convince the writer without any solid arguments make me question her credibility. Author also mix up issues, assumptions of other religions along with Quranic stories to proof her points. When she is trying to explain the verses and stories from Quran and Hadith she is not sticking to the version mentioned in the quran and hadith but go throuh the myth and unreliable sources too. Example: mistake of Adam and Eve, romance between Yusuf and Zulaykha and so on.
• Not everything objectionable in this book!
There are some compelling discussion on 'Maryam,the favourite' and 'sumayaa, the first martyr of Islam' But overall this book really lacks in explaining and advocating, what are the real conflicts, struggles and consceince of muslim women.
March 4, 2023
⚠️ Disclaimer ⚠️ Resensi yang kutulis merupakan hasil pengalaman baca seorang awam dg ilmu agama yg masih minim.
Sejak bertemu Believing Women in Islam karya Asma Barlas, aku jadi makin penasaran dg Islamic Study yg ditulis oleh cendekiawan perempuan. Tulisannya Asma Barlas berhasil bikin aku unlearn & mempertanyakan mapel Agama Islam zaman sekolah & kuliah dulu.
Maka, jangan heran kalau Women in the Qur'an kemudian menjadi bacaan selanjutnya buat mempelajari kesetaraan gender dari Islamic Study. Penulisnya adalah Asma Lamrabet, seorang cendekiawan perempuan Maroko. Meski namanya asing buatku, tapi nggak meruntuhkan keinginan buat lanjut baca bukunya.
Sejak bagian Introduction, aku sudah tertarik dg idenya. Benarkan Qur'an menulis demikian tentang perempuan? Atau itu cuma intepretasi manusia saja? Karena kalau dirunut lagi, zaman dahulu laki-laki menguasai ilmu pengetahuan. Bias gender itulah yg kemudian menjadi salah satu penyebab mengapa sesuatu yg diterjemahkan oleh laki-laki seakan-akan bersifat mutlak, tidak bisa digugat.
Aku suka sekali bagaimana Lamrabet mengatakan bahwa, The Divine message is clear. Yang perlu diperbaiki adl penafsirannya yg sering kali (& masih) meminggirkan perempuan.
Makanya buku ini terbagi menjadi dua bagian: bagaimana Qur'an menuturkan kisah perempuan-perempuan hebat dan bagaimana Qur'an berbicara kepada perempuan.
Pembaca disuguhkan mengapa ada nama perempuan dalam Qur'an, benarkah mereka berhak mendapat pujian (atau celaan)? Baru setelah itu, Lamrabet menganalisis apa maksud dari cerita-cerita perempuan itu untuk kehidupan perempuan setelah Rasulullah meninggal dunia.
Buatku, buku ini menggunakan bahasa Inggris yg agak rumit. Jujur, aku butuh beberapa lama untuk mencerna satu halaman saja 🥲 Tetapi rasanya senang sekali begitu berhasil menyelesaiakannya. Sebab Lamrabet menjawab salah satu pertanyaanku terkait kesetaraan gender, feminisme, dan hubungannya terhadap agama (beberapa netizen mengatakan bahwa feminisme adalah budaya Barat).
Lagi-lagi, karena analisis cendekiawan perempuan terhadap the sacred text, aku jadi terdorong buat baca buku yg serupa.
Sejak bertemu Believing Women in Islam karya Asma Barlas, aku jadi makin penasaran dg Islamic Study yg ditulis oleh cendekiawan perempuan. Tulisannya Asma Barlas berhasil bikin aku unlearn & mempertanyakan mapel Agama Islam zaman sekolah & kuliah dulu.
Maka, jangan heran kalau Women in the Qur'an kemudian menjadi bacaan selanjutnya buat mempelajari kesetaraan gender dari Islamic Study. Penulisnya adalah Asma Lamrabet, seorang cendekiawan perempuan Maroko. Meski namanya asing buatku, tapi nggak meruntuhkan keinginan buat lanjut baca bukunya.
Sejak bagian Introduction, aku sudah tertarik dg idenya. Benarkan Qur'an menulis demikian tentang perempuan? Atau itu cuma intepretasi manusia saja? Karena kalau dirunut lagi, zaman dahulu laki-laki menguasai ilmu pengetahuan. Bias gender itulah yg kemudian menjadi salah satu penyebab mengapa sesuatu yg diterjemahkan oleh laki-laki seakan-akan bersifat mutlak, tidak bisa digugat.
Aku suka sekali bagaimana Lamrabet mengatakan bahwa, The Divine message is clear. Yang perlu diperbaiki adl penafsirannya yg sering kali (& masih) meminggirkan perempuan.
Makanya buku ini terbagi menjadi dua bagian: bagaimana Qur'an menuturkan kisah perempuan-perempuan hebat dan bagaimana Qur'an berbicara kepada perempuan.
Pembaca disuguhkan mengapa ada nama perempuan dalam Qur'an, benarkah mereka berhak mendapat pujian (atau celaan)? Baru setelah itu, Lamrabet menganalisis apa maksud dari cerita-cerita perempuan itu untuk kehidupan perempuan setelah Rasulullah meninggal dunia.
Buatku, buku ini menggunakan bahasa Inggris yg agak rumit. Jujur, aku butuh beberapa lama untuk mencerna satu halaman saja 🥲 Tetapi rasanya senang sekali begitu berhasil menyelesaiakannya. Sebab Lamrabet menjawab salah satu pertanyaanku terkait kesetaraan gender, feminisme, dan hubungannya terhadap agama (beberapa netizen mengatakan bahwa feminisme adalah budaya Barat).
Lagi-lagi, karena analisis cendekiawan perempuan terhadap the sacred text, aku jadi terdorong buat baca buku yg serupa.
December 8, 2020
This reads more like a thesis than an explanation. There's a lot of wide passionate claims from the author which I'm sure comes from a place of love for the Quran but there are some obvious biases. Still, it does clear up a lot of misunderstandings the non-muslim world has about feminism and Islam even if the author takes a very western approach to some of the topics. Islam isn't the oppressive backward religion that many think it is. And the author does a good job of providing an alternate thinking mechanism. This is more suited to people who have a preliminary understanding of the Quran cause some of the discussions in the book can be biased and may have been misconstrued by the author. The endnotes do provide a little bit more clarity and I would suggest the reader to do their own research as well.
Also, the translation wasn't the easiest to read. It was filled with repetitions, unnecessary use of complicated run-on sentences, and commas.
Also, the translation wasn't the easiest to read. It was filled with repetitions, unnecessary use of complicated run-on sentences, and commas.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews