2 | Is Feminism the Problem?

Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

Author Biography
Tesneem Alkiek has a B.A. in Islamic Studies and Early Christianity from the
University of Michigan, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Islamic Studies at
Georgetown University.

Nour Soubani has a B.A. in American Culture, Arabic, and International Studies
with honors from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She recently
completed her M.A. in Middle East Studies at Harvard University and is currently
the Advocacy Specialist at the National Network for Arab American Communities,
working on issues of Islamophobia and anti-Arab discrimination.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in these

papers and articles are strictly those of the authors. Furthermore, Yaqeen does not
endorse any of the personal views of the authors on any platform. Our team is
diverse on all fronts, allowing for constant, enriching dialogue that helps us
produce high-quality research.

Copyright 2017. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research

3 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

[Tesneem:] It was at the point in our weekly Islamic Studies session where I began
to zone out when I heard the shaykhs words floating past my ears, ...and thats
why women shouldnt memorize the Quran. What did he just say? I had just
finished memorizing the Quran myself that year, so I sat up in my seat. My sister
memorized the Quran, he continued, but shes been so busy with her newborn
baby that she never has time to review it, and now shes forgotten it all. So its
better for women not to memorize because they wont be able to retain it while
raising children. I couldnt hide my shock and immediately responded that I knew
many men who had memorized the Quran and, for some reason or another, had not
retained it. But the encounter stayed with me: how could he have discouraged
women from simultaneously pursuing two of the greatest deedsmemorizing the
Quran and raising children? In that moment, he took something that had given me
inspiration, strength, and serenitythe endless hours and dedication put into
memorizing the Quranand left me feeling disempowered.

We cannot deny that Muslim communities have a problem with gender. On the one
hand, Muslims feel frustrated by the injustices they seeboth major and
minorwhen it comes to gender. On the other hand, many Muslim men (and some
women) feel exasperated by what they see as a growing segment within the
Muslim feminist movement that condemns all men as sexist and all institutions,
including religion, as inherently misogynistic.

What is Feminism?
During the late 19th century, the term fminisme surfaced in France and quickly
spread to other European nations, eventually reaching the Americas by 1910.1 The
original French term reveals the roots of the concept: femme, meaning "woman,"
and -isme, meaning a social or political ideology. Yet, from the outset, the label
feminism was not readily adopted by most women due to disagreements over its
meaning. Hence, from its inception, what it meant to be a feminist was in constant

Estelle Freedman, No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women (New York: The Random
1

House Publishing Group, 2002), 18.

4 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

flux, changing as a function of culture and politics.2 Some aspects of the ideology,
nevertheless, have remained relatively consistent: feminism in general seeks to
challenge expectations and disparities associated with gender.3 In any case,
segments of this movement have continued to develop, with some branches
representing revolutionary changes in what being a woman means. At times it
has involved a call for equal career opportunities for women; at others, it has
involved rejection of prevailing attitudes towards gender rooted in religious
paradigms.4

In the United States, in particular, the history of mainstream white feminism is

often described in waves. First-wave feminism involved the movement for
womens suffrage; it was introduced at the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 by
prominent figures Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. This wave
emerged in the context of industrialization and focused on equal employment
opportunities for women. In the 1960s and 1970s, the second wave of feminism
was closely tied to both the post-war and civil rights movements. Finally,
beginning in the 1990s, feminism entered its third wave, which, like so many other
movements, deals with the questions of post-colonialism.5 Of course, throughout
history, women across the world have always struggled for themselves and their
families, whether they have been labeled feminists or not.

Feminism has naturally continued to evolve. Today, many different movements,

causes, and groups claim ownership of the term and its values, and it has become,
like other social justice ideas, intersectional in its application. Now,
self-identifying feminists have their own understanding of the term that is informed
by their experiences. Some feminists speak out against sexual assault and unfair
wages; others critique the movement as a whole for its whiteness and class
privilege, while reclaiming their unique space in it. What has been primarily

2
Ibid, 17.
3
Ibid, 20.
4
Mary Kassian, The Feminist Mistake (Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2005), 11.
5
Charlotte Krolokke and Anne Scott Sorensen, Three Waves of Feminism: From Suffragettes to Grrls, in Gender
Communication Theories & Analyses: From Silence to Performance, (Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2006), pp.
1-25.
5 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

identified as a movement about gender and equality has had to grapple with
different conceptions of both of these terms, as well as their intersections with race,
class, religion, citizenship, war, imperialism, and more.6 Feminism, then, is defined
by its history as much as it is by critiques of that history.

Critics of the Muslim feminist movement, in particular, argue that the ideology
leads its followers down a slippery slope that begins with concerns over
gender-based oppression, goes on to attribute that oppression to religion, and ends
with the abandonment of faith altogether due to the perception that religious
institutions and doctrines are inherently patriarchal and misogynistic.7 Much of this
argument rests on the fact that some foundational aspects of the feminist project
have been incompatible with religion in general, and may even be irreconcilable
with Islam (e.g., the ascription of all gender differences to social determinants, or
the wholesale rejection of any distinct gender roles). Thus, opponents of feminism
argue that some who embrace this ideology may leave, or may be prone to leaving,
the fold of Islam. In this piece, we describe the problem as we see it and assess the
most effective ways forward that are rooted in our tradition.

The Problem
So why do some Muslim feminists leave Islam? Although there isnt only one
answer to this question, a useful first step may involve asking a different question,
Why do some Muslim women leave Muslim spaces? The 2014 Unmosqued
study surveyed mosques across the country to assess the challenges associated with
sustaining a successful Muslim community in the United States today. The main
finding was that Muslim women are among the most impacted by these challenges.
At that time, mosques reported a decade-long average female attendance of 18% at
events like Friday prayer, compared to male attendance of 77%. Of course, while
this may be partly due to the fact that attendance is obligatory for men and not for
6
On intersectionality, see Kimberle Crenshaw, "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black
Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics," University of Chicago
Legal Forum 1989:1, 8. Available at: http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8
7
See, for example: https://muslimskeptic.com/2017/09/19/grave-implications-feminist-islam/
6 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

women, the data also suggest that, in general, mosques may not be the most
welcoming places for women. While many mosques included womens programs,
only 4% of them prioritized these programs and activities, and only 3% of mosques
prioritized womens groups and associations.8 We know that historically, by and
large, womens representation in mosque leadership has been minimal, as has been
the amplification of womens voices at events, lectures, and other platforms. The
issue of physical space also looms large: many mosques do not have adequate
womens spaces, and women often deal with prayer areas that are cramped,
unsanitary, and otherwise inaccessible.

Outside of these houses of worship, Muslim women, like all women, face
challenges at home and in society, including domestic violence and sexual
harassment. In some cases, the perpetrators of these abuses use religion to justify
and legitimize their actionsa problem certainly not unique to Islam.

And finally, Muslim women bear the brunt of what all Muslimsespecially those
who are visibly Muslimface, which is increasing Islamophobia. A 2017 ISPU
study of American Muslims found that Muslim women are the most likely to suffer
from hate crimes and explicit Islamophobia in the post-Trump era, and that they
are the most likely to report it.9

What this leaves us with, then, is a community in which there are very few spaces
tailored for, and committed to, empowering Muslim women to reach their full
potential and make meaningful contributions. To be sure, some Muslim women
continue to exercise their own agency to excel, achieve, represent their faith, and
lead in their communities, despite these challenges. But oftentimes, they turn to
other spaces that take their concernsincluding the lack of support, resources, and
literal and figurative space they are afforded in their own communitiesseriously,
and place those concerns within the context of a broader feminist struggle against
patriarchal systems. What is often attractive here is not necessarily the ideology

8
http://www.unmosquedfilm.com/the-facts/
9
Dalia Mogahed and Youssef Chouhoud, American Muslim Poll 2017: Muslims at the Crossroads, Institute for
Social Policy and Understanding, https://www.ispu.org/american-muslim-poll-2017/.
7 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

itself but its goal of addressing some of the injustices faced by Muslim women, a
goal that is not seen to be on the agenda in many Muslim spaces.

So What Should We Do?

Some Muslims promote a brand of Islamic feminism that predicates its notion of
womens liberation on the sociocultural norms of the West, taking these norms as
universal truths by which they call into question the validity of gender-related
teachings of the Quran and Sunna. They advocate for Muslims to embrace
everything labeled feminism and jump wholeheartedly on to this ideological
bandwagon in order to solve the communitys challenges associated with gender.
Meanwhile, other Muslims see feminism as a foreign threat to the integrity of
Islam, a poison that will gradually erode all core Islamic values by forcing
Muslims to change religious traditions to adopt western liberal ideals and norms.
Some of these people direct their efforts entirely towards the refutation of
feminism, while neglecting the underlying issues which drive women towards the
feminist camp to begin with.

It is of course important to educate ourselves on the ideological roots of feminism

and their potential contradictions with the faith, both at their origins and when
taken to their logical ends. This is part of encouraging ourselves to be mindful in
our activism and self-reflective in our critiques. At the same time, to focus on
feminism as the primary reason for women leaving the faith is problematic for at
least two reasons: 1) it involves addressing what we see as a symptom of Muslim
womens alienation and not its root causes; and 2) it risks further alienating those
who already feel they have no space in the Muslim community.

What is more pressing is addressing the reasons some Muslim women and men are
turning to secular feminism in the first place. Instead of accepting gender norms in
our community that are not rooted in Islam, and as a result brushing aside all forms
of sexism, small and large, we should focus on establishing an environment that
empowers Muslim women and recognizes their centrality in the Islamic
8 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

traditionhistorically, currently, and in the future. Before delineating all the

reasons feminism is not, and cannot, be compatible with Islam, we should redouble
our efforts to understand the Islamic approach to gender, and implement it in our
families, mosques, organizations, and communities. Instead of pointing the finger
of blame at a feminist bogey(wo)man that is pulling Muslims away from their
faith, we should first hold ourselves accountable for failing to behave in ways
consistent with prophetic teachings.

What is the Prophetic Example?

Ironically, the Prophetic precedent, in spite of its beauty and perfection, is often
abused to promote negative treatment of women. Quite often Friday sermons and
evening lectures are interlaced with decontextualized hadith that imply the
inferiority of women and impede women from becoming full participants in their
own communities. Take for example the hadith that ostensibly declares that
women are nqit aql wa-dn, or deficient in intellect and religion.10 It is easy
to lose count of the number of times this hadith has been used with a pointed finger
to remind the audience that men are superior and more fit to lead in every situation.
Yet, often missing is the specific context of this saying of the Prophet , which
actually was not a sermon on the topic of gender, but was instead about charity.11
He said it on Eid day as he was preaching to the men and women after prayer.
He turned to the men and called out to them to spend in charity for the sake of
Allah (swt). He then turned to the women, and by way of encouragement,
reminded them to increase in their charity as well, alluding to the fact that during
their menstruation and the like, they were not responsible for prayer and fasting.
Thus, by advising them to increase their donations, the Prophet was pointing
them to other opportunities for coming closer to Allah (swt). The intention behind
his words was immediately understood by those who were there to actually witness

10
This hadith will be discussed in greater detail in an upcoming Yaqeen publication.
11
Critiquing the way this hadith has been used to engage in misogynistic rhetoric, the contemporary scholar Shaykh
Salman al-`Awdah observed, Reduction in religion (nuqn al-dn) does not entail reduction in religiosity
(tadayyun), for indeed there are many women who exceed men in religiosity. Rather, it means lessened
responsibility (takhff al-taklf), as a woman does not pray or fast during her period. (January 11, 2016,
IslamToday.net, http://www.islamtoday.net/albasheer/artshow-12-221128.htm).
9 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

them. Zaynab b. Abu Muawiyah immediately ran back to her home after the Eid
prayer, rushing to adhere to the counsel of the Prophet and give from her
wealth in charity. This crucial context to the hadith illustrates that the Prophet
was not making any kind of ontological declaration about the relative worth or
capacity of women in relation to men, nor was he delineating some kind of
cosmological hierarchy of gender with men occupying a rank above women;12
rather, he was making an exhortation in that particular situation to women to
take the lead in charity in light of their lessened responsibilities in other domains
and their tremendous influence on men.

Now imagine that your average imam or religious teacher led his congregation
with the assumption that women are just as capable of being scholars and leaders in
their communities. Imagine that your average mosque or organizational leadership
not only held this assumption, but actively implemented it by constituting itself of
both men and women and valuing the voices and concerns of all members equally.
We are far from this reality. Calling out the patriarchy is often representative of
the frustration of women who do not see their concerns taken seriously, and do not
see themselves reflected as integral to their own communities. Waging war against
feminism may unintentionally enable those in our communities who seek to
discredit and silence women by labeling every complaint they raise as due to
feminism.

When the Prophet received complaints from female companions, he listened

to them attentively and took them very seriously. Take, for instance, the story of
Khawla bint Thalabah (ra) who complained of her husbands unjust actions
towards her. The response to her complaint came from none other than God
Himself, to be preserved in the Quran as an example until the end of time: God
has heard the words of the woman who disputed with you [Prophet] about her

12
The Andalusian jurist, Ibn Hazm (d. 456 H) explained the fallacy of taking this hadith as an ontological
description by pointing out that any man who makes such a claim must assuredly admit to being inferior in
intelligence and religion compared to the revered Islamic figures of Maryam, Aisha, Fatima, the mother of Moses,
and Sarah. He explained that the Prophet s statement refers only to reduction in prayers and fasting, and the
reduction in testimony and does not entail a criticism of women. Refer to Kitab al-fasl fi al-milal wa-al-ahwa'
wa-al-nihal, vol. 4, p. 104, accessed online: http://www.islamport.com/w/aqd/Web/2595/552.htm
10 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

husband and complained to God: God has heard what you both had to say [Quran
58:1]. In this verse and those that follow, Allah (swt) sets the best of examples by
not only acknowledging the concerns of Khawla (ra), but also legitimizing them
and providing a solution through an entire chapter in the Quran named after her.

The reality of the matter is that Muslim women throughout history have been
leaders in scholarship and luminaries in various fields. From Aishah (ra), the wife
of the Prophet , who corrected her male counterparts in matters of hadith and
jurisprudence and Nusayba bint Kaab (ra) who fought alongside the Prophet
in battle, to Sutayta al-Mahamli who found solutions to some of the most
complicated mathematical equations of her time and Queen Amina of Zaria who
protected her kingdom, Muslim women have set unparalleled standards in serving
their communities. Yet, despite this rich history, we have managed to erase our
memories of their contributions and rewrite their stories to fall in line with our own
expectations of women as marginal figures. It is up to us to revive these precedents
and instill strength and motivation in our women, young and old, in order to
empower the current generation and those to come to achieve their full potential in
serving others and serving God.

Moving Forward

There may well be many ideas advanced under the label of feminism that pose a
problem for Muslimsand some that may even be antithetical to Islam. But the
truth is that there are many secular ideologies that, when taken to their extremes,
clearly contradict Islamic religious and moral creeds. The only way we can avoid
the pitfalls of these ideologies is by looking beyond labels, evaluating the concepts
themselves, and approaching them from a firm foundation in our tradition. If we
are confident in Islam and its sources and methodology, we can face these dogmas
head-on. Only then can we sort through complex theories to affirm what is good
and discard that which does not align with our religion.
11 | Is Feminism the Problem? Why Ideological Bandwagons Fail Islam

We must acknowledge, however, that not all Muslimsnot even mosthave this
firm foundation. For this reason, we need to focus our efforts on training imams
and community leaders to provide spaces where those struggling with their religion
can be critical and ask questions. We must create platforms for everyonebut
especially for those who are marginalized, like women, youth, converts, and
othersto voice their doubts and misgivings about Islam without shutting down
their very real concerns by accusing them of being brainwashed by Western
ideologies. And where those concerns are a result of our own imperfections and
shortcomings as human beings, and a failure to live up to the prophetic ideal, we
need to recognize and address them. Until we do so, those who cannot fully
express themselves in their own mosques and communities, will undoubtedly turn
to outlets that will provide them with the answers they are looking for.