Dr Muhammad Maroof Shah

The problem of applying scriptural statements in changing historical situations is not unconnected with deeper hermeneutical issues that Mernissi and other Muslim feminists raise. For some Muslim feminists (as distinguished from both Islamist feminists and secular feminists who, respectively, seek to ignore modernity and Islam) veiling can’t be associated with Islam that affirms the idea of the individual (including women) as a subject, a free will present in the world, a sovereign consciousness that can’t disappear as long as the person lives. To be veiled is to be crushed and silenced and negated as monstrosity, an untruth. Muslim feminists are striving hard to “raise the hijab that covers the mediocrity and servility that is presented to us as tradition.” Thus they see hijab as a symbol of servility and mediocrity and imprisoning stratagem that derives its legitimacy neither from God nor his Prophet (SAW).       Feminist author Fatima Mernissi in her ...

Looking at the practice of Hijab in the light of modern alternative interpretations. Regarding the issue of veil I have been puzzled by a few questions. Here it goes: Why it evokes strong responses for and against, to the extent that Muslim society is polarized on this Shouldn’t a woman ask herself why a man arrogates to himself the right to advocate for veil, speak in the name of God, and use persuasion or coercion to keep a woman in line with his conception of her body? Why there have hardly been any influential women exegetes, or women fuqaha in our tradition? Have women chosen silence or been silenced? Is the right question today whether women should be veiled or not, or it is of identifying and fighting every symbol of gender injustice imposed in the name of religion? Why particular form of dress becomes an issue impacting sometime sacred relationships like marriage or choice of mate? Today I propose to look at certain influential modernist Muslim interpretations to ...