Islamic feminists' approaches

Abstract

The continuously expanding body of literature within Western academia often termed as Islamic feminism traces its origins to the mid to late 1970s. Noteworthy authors from this period include the Egyptian scholar Nawal Saadawi, the Moroccan thinker Fatima Mernissi, and Azizah al-Hibri, who made significant early contributions. As we will see in this chapter, these pioneering efforts paved the way for a subsequent wave of influential figures in the 1990s and early 2000s, including such prominent names as Amina Wadud, Asghar Ali Engineer, Riffat Hassan, and Asma Barlas. This chapter serves a dual purpose. First, it acquaints the reader with the fundamental methodological approaches developed by these initial two generations of authors, most of whom were affiliated with Western academic institutions. It delves into their arguments for the reinterpretation of Islamic texts from a feminist per- spective, providing a detailed exploration of the methodological stances they advocated. References to various issues they addressed in their scholarship, such as polygamy, husband–wife relationships, and leader- ship within the family, are also included. Secondly, the chapter docu- ments how the works of these writers influenced the discourse on Islamic feminism in Indonesia, particularly by shaping the perspectives of young men and women who encountered their scholarship, especially during their graduate studies.