Islam and Gender

Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate In Contemporary Iran:

In Ziba Mir-Hosseini's article "Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate In Contemporary Iran", Hosseini documents her final meeting at the Payam-e Zan. In her documentation, she interviews men of the Islamic clergy to talk about the gender inequality rights of women according to the Faqh. Hosseini's main question to the Islamic clergy is "How can solutions for women's issues be found in the Feqh, which perceives women as defective? How can the securing of women's rights be done within legal system and worldwide which sees women as naturally defective and accepting of oppression" (P.172). Hosseini in the debate comes across gender issues such as temporary marriage, the idea that women can't lead or become a part of the Tehad, not having support from society to provide for a family household and the tradition of giving up bloody money. Hosseini responds to the issues of oppression by providing the option of picking apart the laws of the Faqh to show how women are seen in society. Hosseini refers to women according to the Faqh as defective (P.174). Throughout contradictions and debating for and against the laws of the Faqh, Mortazavi finds the need to defend the Faqh. He refers to gender as a subject based on the roles in society and through the Balance Perspective (P.174). By the end of the debate, Hosseini and the Islamic clergy don't make a great radical change but, leave the reader with these questions:

1.Who should decide that a ruling should change?
2. Is polygamy really beneficial to Islamic women
3. Can gender be seen in the Islamic society as equal under the laws of the Faqh?

Overall, I enjoyed this article and admired Hosseini's courage to stand up for what she believes in as a feminist with little to no support.