C L O S E R

right to decide | it is impossible to disentangle religion from culture or tradition

Posted on July 7th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Young Muslims.

An interview with my ISIM-colleague Linda Herrera on right to decide

Some parts of it:

In the context of the Muslim world the bad practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM), honour killings, forced marriages, homophobia, and a range of other oppressive patriarchal practices and attitudes get so much media and scholarly attention that I do not need to go into those topics here. What I can point out is that things are not always as they appear. The Islamic Republic of Iran which represents a fairly conservative theocracy, for example, has one of the most efficient and perhaps even progressive approaches to sexual and reproductive health in the region. A number of scholars including Soraya Tremayne (Oxford University) and Homa Hoodfar (Concordia University) have shown that due largely to a vibrant grassroots and mainly female based civil society working in the fields of health and sexuality, a range of services and programs by both governmental and non-governmental agencies have had a vast impact on curbing population growth and providing much needed services in areas of reproductive health. Such programs include condom distribution, sex education, abortion services, sex change operations, in-vitro fertilization, and services for teen pregnancy. These types of services get justified through religious rulings and testify to how practices and attitudes change according to dynamic process that involve the agency of activists, clergy, government and non-governmental organizations.

[…]

The Quran, a seventh century sacred text in Arabic verse believed by Muslims to represent the actual words of God (transmitted to the Prophet Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel), in its very reading, reciting, or hearing, necessitate interpretation. Whether one approaches the Quran as divine communication, sublime poetry, or historic document, it is not a how-to manual from a certain ideological orientation with straight forward instructions on how to deal with specific issues (such as sexual and reproductive rights and health issues). My understanding of these debates, therefore, is that the Quran, like any other holy book, body of thought, philosophy, transcendental guidance, is neither inherently traditional nor progressive; it is what the reader, reciter, or listener, situated in a specific historic moment with a certain social positioning and ethical inclination, makes of it.

[…]

In addition to changes that might occur through international influence and pressure, Muslim societies and individuals within transnational Muslim communities are also contributing to the advancement of more rights-based movements. Countries such as Egypt have seen the growth of organizations dealing with sexuality and rights such as Al-Nadim Centre for Human Rights and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Iran, as mentioned above, has long been witnessing a vibrant civil society movement in arenas of gender and sexuality. Proponents of a progressive Islam, such as Zeina Anwar of the Sisters of Islam in Malaysia and Scott Kugle, a fellow at the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM), are working in movements with colleagues and like-minded reformers towards greater social justice as it pertains to gender and sexuality. Change, I believe, is not only inevitable, but a force of nature. But change towards greater social justice will need not only support from many constituents, but continuous commitment, courage, and creativity.

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