Looking back over 2016, I recall that one of the most special afternoons I had at Central Library was hosting a cultural exchange group from the Critical Thinking Forum (CTF) of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan. Documentary filmmaker, Jennifer Lee (“Feminist Stories from Women’s Liberation”), contacted me to inquire if Central Library might host a discussion panel comprised of women scholars from the CTF. The topic question - how do we see each other? What perceptions do Americans have of Pakistanis and what perceptions do Pakistanis have of Americans?
The panel arrived on July 10th and I was greeted by eight scholars dressed in the most vibrant clothing followed by warm introductions all around. Dr. Munazza Yaqoob and Ms. Lee led the delegation. Dr. Yaqoob began the Taper Auditorium discussion with a brief description of the CTF’S mission to foster critical reflection on cultural and socio-political issues and values. Then Dr. Yaqoob and Ms. Lee engaged the panelists on topics ranging from Islamic feminism to gender roles to women’s advancement via higher education. I was surprised, that is I had a pre-conception exposed, to discover there is a rich tradition of feminism in Islam and I asked for a bibliography to be made available to our library patrons. Dr. Summaaira Batool Malik graciously compiled the book list below.
The video embedded within this blog entry is a record of the panel discussion and audience participation. I hope you enjoy the recorded discussion and perhaps have your own consciousness raised as you view the video cultural exchange. We are, afterall, living in this beautiful world together and a better understanding of each another creates a more rewarding and enriched life than life without one another.
Bibliography
Please note that Google books listed may be available as preview or with snippets only. Highlighted titles are linked to the LAPL catalog.
Women’s Rights and Status in Pakistan
Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Pakistan by Rashida Mohammad Hussain Patel . Oxford University Press. 2010.
Interpreting Islam, Modernity, and Women’s Rights in Pakistan. A. Weiss. Palgrave Macmillan US, 2014.
Muslim Feminism and Feminist Movement: Pakistan. Abida Samiuddin, Rashida Khanam. Global Vision Publishing House, 2002.
No Shame for the Sun: Lives of Professional Pakistani Women by Shahla Haeri 2002.
Google books version
South Asian Feminisms. Ania Loomba, Ritty A. Lukose. 2012.
Google books version
Will the Real Pakistani Woman Please Stand Up? Empire, Visual Culture and the Brown Female Body by Moon Charania
Google books version
Women of Pakistan: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back? Khawar Mumtaz, Farida Shaheed. Zed Books, 1987.
LAPL Reference use only
Working with Sharks: A Pakistani Woman's Story of Sexual Harassment in the United Nations - From Personal Grievance to Public Law. Fouzia Saeed. Advances Press, 2013.
Books by Contemporary Islamic Feminists
Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Quran. University of Texas Press. 2002.
Google books version
Beyond the Veil: Male-female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society by Fatima Mernissi. Indiana University Press. 1975, 1987
Google books version
Encountering the Transnational: Women, Islam and the Politics of Interpretation. Meena Sharify-Funk. Routledge. 2016.
Google books version
Feminism and Islamic Fundamentalism: The Limits of Postmodern Analysis by Hiadeh Moghissi. 1999.
Google books version
Inside The Gender Jihad: Women's Reform in Islam. Amina Wadud. OneWorld Publication. 2006.
Google books version
Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam by Kecia Ali. Harvard University Press. 2010.
Google books version
Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject by Saba Mahmood
Google books version
A Quiet Revolution: The Veil's Resurgence, from the Middle East to America by Leila Ahmed. Yale University Press, 2014.
Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective. Amina Wadud. Oxford University Press. 1999.
Google books version
Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith and Jurisprudence by Kecia Ali.
Google books version
LAPL Call number 176 A398 2016
Standing Alone: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam by Asra Nomani. HarperCollins. 2016. [LAPL’s earlier edition entitled “Standing Alone in Mecca…]
Google books version
Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate by Leila Ahmed. Yale University Press, 1992.
Women and Islam: An Historical and Theological Inquiry by Fatima Mernissi. 1991.
Google books version
Women's Rights and Islam: From the I.C.P.D. to Beijing by Riffat Hassan. 2010.
Google books version