gender

TESTIMONY OF GENDER

There is a tendency amongst some Muslims to proffer a feeble and hypocritical apologetic regarding the treatment of women in Islam. The argument is that the oppression of women by Muslims is simply a sad example of Islam not being put into practice properly. In reality, the name of Islam is still readily used to justify oppressive representations and mistreatment of Muslim women.

At the same time, discussing issues of women and gender in Islam is fraught with difficulties. Muslim standpoint feminists have to contend with complexities of cultural diversity and Muslim histories, as well as the impact of post-colonial discourses, all of which help to define the possible interpretations and responses of Muslims to their words.

On top of this, contemporary mainstream Islamic discourse has been flooded by puritanical Salafi rhetoric, which either derides Muslim women or promotes social structures that disempowers them. Moreover, some women have internalised the patriarchal slogans of these debased theologies, even to the extent of accusing heartfelt Muslim standpoint feminists of being unIslamic.

As a Muslim Anarchist opposed to all forms of patriarchy and political violence, I seek to define my own gender trajectory in a way which acknowledges not only the rights of Muslim women, but also takes into account the insights of contemporary social theory whereby both gender and sexuality are perceived as social constructs. Gender is thus more than a matter of biological duality, but is best understood in terms of the way social structures are defined by (and define) the human reproductive cycle.

I also consciously reject masculine identities that celebrate social distance and dominance, in the belief that these are common facets of gender identity contributing towards the male act of oppression, whether it be military violence, rape, emotional manipulation or the oppressive gaze that so frequently objectifies women as sexual 'things'.

In addition, I seek to define my gender trajectory in a way which will be pertinent to the transformation of Muslim societies and communities, in a manner cognisant of current levels of knowledge and consciousness. Thus in rejecting modes of male behaviour which legitimate injustice, I also embrace Islamic discourses which elevate the masculine beyond patriarchal custom and identity politics.

I thus seek to define a gender trajectory which combines the courtesy of the Prophet (aws) with his stance as a warrior; that recalls the balance of his incisive mind with a forgiving heart; that hopes to emulate his understanding of humanity with a desire for justice. It is in seeking to emulate these qualities, rather than in the mimicry of minutiae, that my own present and future as a Muslim is defined. Insha Allah.