In order to determine the validity of specific issues, it is essential to review and analyze existing sources. At the same time, Muslim society, women’s rights, and religion can be interpreted by different authors through the prism of their own considerations, not supported by evidence. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the existing different types of literature and establish certain limitations and advantages that affect the value and relevance of the writings.
The purpose of the chapter written by Nash is to identify the problems associated with feminism in the context of the Middle East. Fatima Mernissi’s argues that common conceptions of women in Islam cannot always be correlated with Islamic ideals. Therefore, it is valuable to engage in the study of the Qur’an, rather than the viewing of it. This is because reinterpreting the Qur’an enables the creation of a feminist position that will not be completely analogous to the Western one. Nikki Keddie observed that women’s absence of rights results from religious considerations from a Western perspective. It is important to note how Leila Ahmed, who lived in the United States, perceived feminism. She distinguishes between two kinds of patriarchy; the first official is based on the texts of sacred books because the people who interpreted the scriptures did not have a sufficient understanding of Islam.
The second type, which accounted for the reduction of women’s rights, explained precisely the perception of women and the transmission of information to the next generations. One should remember Nawal El-Saadawi, who, in contrast to previous feminists, attempted to assert women’s identity by directly confronting patriarchal norms. However, the chapter notes that the feminists’ critique of their society demonstrates a lower level of Islamic women than that of American women. At the same time, feminist scholars’ critique of Muslim men undoubtedly captures a bifurcation of cultural meanings.
The chapter also mentions Azar Nafisi’s book, which argues that the author did not sufficiently study the literature in Afghanistan and Iran during and before the revolution. Hence, her views on the absence of rights for Muslims resulted from Western influence rather than a thorough analysis. It should be noted Seierstad’s narrative, which claims that the lives of women in Afghanistan have substantially benefited since the victory against the Taliban. She does not mention that women were not empowered with the customary rights inherent in Western society. Consequently, one can deduce that a section of the book highlights the opinions of females who have attempted to describe the lives of women in Muslim states. Many thinkers believe that religious norms are not the reason for restricting their rights, but they point to a misinterpretation of them. It should also be observed that the source presents a critique of feminist considerations and identifies the outdated data. Accordingly, it does not comprehensively understand Muslim women’s feminist discourse.
It is crucial, that Morey describes the fight against terrorism and urges the U.S. that the regime in Afghanistan negatively influences the lives of females. That is what distinguishes this source from the previous one, which focused on the internal aspects of Islam. However, the two chapters share a common criticism of the event’s influence and their misinterpretation of Islamic principles. Thus, this section analyzes feminist literature and is subject to considerable criticism because Nafisi used not only autobiography but also fiction.
Accordingly, critics find it challenging to differentiate between truth and fiction in his writing. Dabashi argues that Nafisi did not adhere to historical events in his work and omitted the Iranian context. For instance, there is no mention of why millions of people protested and died to depose one of the most brutal military dictatorships in modern history. Instead, Nikki Keddie describes the Iranian revolution as a desire to adopt Ataturk’s model of power and improve living standards. However, she also notes that one of the decisive moments was the conspiracy of external states to depose the regime. Nafisi’s criticisms include that the author does not describe the Western influence and desire for Iranian oil, which made the state’s leadership addicted to the Western world. It should also be noted that Nafisi considers the hijab and women’s clothing as oppressing their rights and creating stronger rules and lowering the age of marriage. Accordingly, this source addresses significant and still relevant issues of Muslims, although, as in the previous one, a criticism is provided. Hence, the author assesses the creations of feminists as influenced by Western thought, which is not fair and does not permit the discourse to continue.
Judith concentrates on biographical sources and their significance for the illuminated histories of the Muslim region. The author examines the description of the Prophet’s life as a fundamental base of knowledge that the present generation obtains about the lives of men and women in antiquity. Ibn al-Athir, Baha al-Din, and ‘Imad al-Din described the organization of the lives of leading people in society. This provides historical evidence for specific orders, which cannot be criticized because of artistic fiction. The writer remarks that there are two ways of describing biography: factual and interpretations. Arab literary writers adopted the first method, which the West has criticized. However, the author believes that the primary purpose of a biography is to provide historical events, not interpretations of the views of a particular person
It is essential to emphasize that Muhammad al-Muhibbi indicates the source of information in his papers, even if it refers to another. Thus, modern readers can assume that his narrative is truthful and structured. Accordingly, it is a valuable source for the lives of particular persons or patterns of society at the time. The author notes that Khayr al-Din’s biography shows the most critical stages of his life illuminated chronologically. At the same time, despite the criticism of Western writers, it can be said that the biography also illuminates emotional connections through relationships with others. Thus, biography has extremely valuable and relevant for contemporary research. It is crucial to remark that the confirmation of information and highlighting of the most significant events in the life of an extraordinary person enables one to assert the usefulness of this source for modern explorers. The previously mentioned authors who wrote pieces of fiction were criticized precisely because of the impossibility of evidencing their opinions with proof, which is why their sources do not appear to be sufficiently reliable.
Significantly, Chambers wrote an article about the autobiographical memoirs “The Making of Mr. Hai’s Daughter” and “Love in a Headscarf”. They are written in the traditional Muslim style, as is the previous biography of Khayr al-Din, although their predominant theme concerns their education and adolescence as British Muslim women (78). The author believes that an analysis of their memoirs allows us to assess the women’s authentic emotions and opinions about Muslim religion and identity. Yasmin Hai’s memoir describes her father’s migration, her Pakistani relatives, and their journey. Thus, even when attributed to an artistic style, this source enables the modern reader to appreciate the views of a Muslim female who values her culture regardless of her secular upbringing. In contrast to Seierstad and Nafisi, the value of this resource is that it demonstrates society’s reaction to Muslims being granted the right to work.
It is essential to specify the difference between Janmohamed and Hai because she is a devout Muslim of Trans-Asian roots. She attended the mosque frequently and wore the hijab in exile (79). This dedication of a female to her faith suggests that she is both a feminist and a Muslim. Accordingly, her memoir serves as a significant source of information confirming Hai’s oppression. The biographies of the two women are valuable sources of information because they point to their life experiences and the social processes of society.
Thus, it may be noted that the life of Muslims has been described by many writers, and their writings have different character and evaluation. For example, the value for the modern reader is biographies and memoirs, referring to the sources of data. At the same time, the works of fiction written by Nafis, Keddie, Nawal El-Saadawi, and others demonstrate information depending on the authors’ perception of it. Hence, they are often criticized and reevaluated; consequently, it is difficult to claim their reflections on Muslim females are truthful. Accordingly, their papers do not provide a complete understanding of feminist discourse and therefore are less valuable than biographies and memoirs.
Reference List
Chambers, Claire, “Countering the ‘Oppressed, Kidnapped Genre’of Muslim Life Writing: Yasmin Hai’s the Making of Mr Hai’s Daughter and Shelina Zahra Janmohamed’s Love in A Headscarf”, Life Writing, 10(2013), 77-96.
Judith, Tucker, “Biography as History. The Exemplary Life of Khayr al-Din al-Ramli” in Readings in Auto/Biography and the Construction of Identity and Community in the Middle East., ed. by Mary Ann Fay (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001), pp. 9–17.
Nash, Geoffrey, “Fixing Muslim Masculinity, Saving Muslim Women”, in Readings in Writing Muslim Identity, ed. by Geoffrey Nash (London: Continuum, 2012), pp. 50–69.
Morey, Peter, “Muslim Misery Memoirs: The Truth Claims of Exotic Suffering in Azar Nafisi and Khaled Hosseini” in Readings in Islamophobia and the Novel, ed. by Peter Morey (New York: Columbia University Press, 2018), pp. 96–125.