Windows of Faith

Windows of Faith provides a space where Muslim women speak forthemselves and challenge rigidly traditionalist voices that have often hadhegemonic status in Islamic jurisprudential works regarding women. It is avolume that represents the voices of some of the most highly regardedMuslim women scholars and activists today. The book appears to cater toa primarily academic audience, and one that is familiar with the tradition ofIslamic feminism.In her introduction, Gisela Webb describes the overall approach ofthe contributors as challenging hegemonic discourse in many circles. Itchallenges: elements within the Muslim and the non-Muslim imaginationthat define Muslim women as mute victims; western feminist patriarchytoward Muslim women; and also the Muslim cultural patriarchy thatappropriates the sources of Islamic law and praxis yet, in the view of(probably all of) these women, has abandoned the essential Divineegalitarian purposes. Windows of Faith is a refreshing read, especiallydue to today’s urgent need to respond to the Qur’anic challenge: Do theynot reflect?In the first part (Qur’anic/rheological Foundations) Amina Wadud’spiece “Alternative Qur’anic Interpretation and the Status of MuslimWomen” explores neo-traditionalist and secular approaches towardalternative interpretation of the Qur’an regarding the status of women. Itis interesting to examine her comment, “Being anti-Western has becomea basis for legitimacy in ‘Islam’ ” against some of Maysam al-Faruqi’scomments in her chapter, which seem to dichotomize “Islamicness” withwesternness in the context of gender relations. In the second chapter“Muslim Women’s Islamic Higher Learning as a Human Right,” NimatBarazangi seeks, through an analysis of qualitative research with Muslimwomen, to develop an “action plan for the Muslim woman” in the postmodemera, “to regain her identification with Islam.” The need of the houris to “reinstate woman as an educational agent, both at home and at themosque one who herself will outline her priorities as a trustee entrustedwith changing history toward social justice.” Will we see womenas weil as men delivering khutaba and instituting policies in mosques ...