Beyond the Veil: Male-female Dynamics in Modern Muslim SocietyFrom the writing of her first book, Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society in 1975, Mernissi has sought to reclaim the ideological discourse on women and sexuality from the stranglehold of patriarchy. She critically examines the classical corpus of religious-juristic texts, including the Hadith, and reinterprets them from a feminist perspective. In her view, the Muslim ideal of the silent, passive, obedient woman has nothing to do with the authentic message of Islam. Rather, it is a construction of the 'ulama', the male jurists-theologians who manipulated and distorted the religious texts in order to preserve the patriarchal system. Mernissi's work explores the relationship between sexual ideology, gender identity, sociopolitical organization, and the status of women in Islam; her special focus, however, is Moroccan society and culture. As a feminist, her work represents an attempt to undermine the ideological and political systems that silence and oppress Muslim women. |
Contents
Introduction to | vii |
A Note to the Western Reader | 7 |
Part One The Traditional Muslim View of Women and | 25 |
Copyright | |
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according active Allah allowed Arab asked authority become believe century child claim Code concept concerning considered countries created cultural decided decision desire early economic equality example express face fact father fear female female sexuality forces four girls give hand human husband Ibid idea ideology Imam Imam Ghazali important individual institution intercourse interests Islam kind Koran letters liberation live male marriage marry means Moroccan Morocco mother movement Muhammad Muslim societies nationalist never parents patterns percent person political polygamy practices present problem Prophet relations religious repudiation revealed role rural seems segregation sense sexual situation social space structure theory traditional tribe umma union unit universe urban veil Western wife wives woman women young