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Islamist Feminism: Constructing Gender Identities in Postcolonial Muslim Societies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2011

Jeffry R. Halverson  and
Amy K. Way
Jeffry R. Halverson*
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Amy K. Way*
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jeffry R. Halverson, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871205, Tempe, AZ 85287-1205. E-mail: jeffry.halverson@asu.eduor Amy K. Way, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871205, Tempe, AZ 85287-1205. E-mail: amy.way@asu.edu
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jeffry R. Halverson, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871205, Tempe, AZ 85287-1205. E-mail: jeffry.halverson@asu.eduor Amy K. Way, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871205, Tempe, AZ 85287-1205. E-mail: amy.way@asu.edu
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Abstract

This article analyzes the emergence of female Islamist leaders in the Middle East and North Africa, and the glaring contradictions between their feminist views and their roles as political activists for the Islamic State. The two Islamist leaders who form the primary focus of this analysis are Zaynab al-Ghazali (d. 2005) of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Nadia Yassine of Morocco's Justice and Charity Society. Our analysis reveals the existence of “Islamist feminism,” distinguished from broader secular-oriented Islamic feminism, as a logical, albeit unique, extension, and expression of Muslim anti-colonial discourse rooted in the intellectual currents of twentieth century independence movements that still resonate today.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 4 , Issue 3 , December 2011 , pp. 503 - 525
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2011

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