Some so-called Muslim leaders in Australia have nothing better to do than lead a protest campaign against a course on "Women in Arab and Muslim Literature" taught by a Palestinian-Australian professor, Samar Habib. They are frothing at the mouth and making a big fuss because they don't like the books she's teaching.
They particularly object to her including The Perfumed Garden and writers as Nawal el Saadawi, Fatima Mernissi, and Amina Wadud. According to the stone-brained protesters, these sources talk frankly about sex and give a distorted, disrespectful view of women in Islam. They are kicking and screaming because Habib is also including some material about prophet Mohammad's relationship with his wife Aisha. They suggest instead that the Qura'nic sura about the Virgin Mary offers a more accurate representation of Islam's view of women. Ya right!
In other words, what they are saying is that only their highnesses have the right to touch the tradition, to interpret it, and to twist it whichever they want to suit their own view of what women in Islam are. The tradition is theirs to suppress, select from, and invent. Everyone else should just keep their mouths and minds shut and be good faithful sheep.
And in a typical ad hominem move, they try to discredit Habib herself for being a specialist in, according to Al Arabiya, "deviancy." Let me translate that into non-hate talk: it means Habib has written a book called Female Homosexuality in the Middle East: Histories and Representations. She also translated and wrote the introduction to Lebanese writer Ilham Mansour's novel on Lesbian desire I Am You. According to the Australian mullahs, this qualifies her to "spread" lesbianism, which they accuse her of, and disqualifies her from even mentioning Islam or Muslims, especially the women. (oh, protect the women, protect the women!!!)
Habib is defiant and dismissive. According to her, the Australian media loves to publicize the view that Muslims are closed minded and not open to living in a pluralistic civil society. That is the reason they publicize the tired views of some conservative who does not represent all of the Australian Muslims. Of course, she is right. But never underestimate the ability of those so called Muslim-leaders to stir up hysteria. (For a sample of other controversies stirred by Australian Muslim nit-wits, check this older post).
Al Arabiya, in its usual non-professional and hate-mongering manner, responded by asking her to clarify her position on the veil, Islam, and the accusation that she spreads lesbianism. Habib, wisely didn't respond because anything she says (or not say) will be held against her.
If anybody is giving Islam a bad name, it's not Habib, who I think is doing a very responsible job. It's those Mullahs. If you give them the chance, they would shut us all up. They will insert themselves in every course, every poem, every cartoon, every greeting, every color, and every bedroom. Their ambition is to tell us how to eat, drink, brush our teeth, make love, and pick our noses (there is the right way and the wrong way you know). All in the name of protecting an Islam they appointed themselves its guradian when in fact they are it's public enemy number one.
posted
very interesting. I like the part about how the Mullahs want to be the only ones to interpret the Quran, and let everyone else follow like sheep. Very true.
Thanks for posting
Posts: 4446 | From: Egyptian in Sydney | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
Editor’s Note: A few Fridays ago, we published a link about the uproar over an Islamic studies course, entitled Women in Arabic and Islamic Literature, taught by Dr. Samar Habib at the University of Western Sydney in Australia.
We at MMW believe that knowledge is power (yes, clichés and all), and institutions of higher learning have a duty to provide students with as much information as possible, as well as with tools to build critical thinking and decision-making skills. It's up to the students to decide what they believe past this point.
Not only does this sound like an awesome class, but one that is necessary. Muslim women's voices are notably absent from large parts of Islamic history and literature; it's important to encourage and highlight these women because they speak of half a population's experience. Our history holds a lot of great female thinkers, writers, and political figures, and their contributions shouldn't be ignored or belittled, but taught alongside the contributions that Muslim men have made to our history.
Muslim groups, including the Australian National Imams Council and Muslims for Peace, have attacked both the university and Dr. Habib herself, accusing the class of "promoting lesbianism" and "[giving] a negative view of women in Islam". Several stories such as the one above have been published in the Australian press. We have been unable to find a press release from the university or from Dr. Habib. However, there has been plenty of negative press from the class’s opponents, notably by a group called Muslims for Peace (not to be confused with the U.S.-based group of the same name). Ironic, huh?
Anyway, because the entirety of the press surrounding this issue has been negative, we felt it important to air this email we received in support of Dr. Habib and her class. This email is from a former student who has given her permission for us to publish her voice.
There are many articles just like this one circulating the Australian Media, and it enrages me.
I took this class: Women in Arabic and Islamic Literature with [Dr.] Samar Habib, and it is one of the best classes I have ever taken.
I am Muslim and I must say that there is no foundation to these accusations.
We studied many different types of Literature, 3 of those were I Am You by Elham Mansour, Nafzawi's Perfumed Garden (I loved it actually), and various Bukhari Ahadith pertaining mostly to Aisha.
I absolutely loved the course. [Dr.] Samar Habib did not ever push anti-Islamic sentiment down anyone's throat. She was educated and well-knowledgeable and held a feminist's view that I admire. The fact that she said that women are oppressed in Islam is not incorrect. It is true, but not because of Islam, rather it is because of a patriarchal society that likes the idea that men have the power when it comes to translation and transliteration of Islamic text.
We also studied the Qur'an as it relates to hijab. We (the class) all agreed that the Qur'an does not specifically say that believing women must cover their heads. But it is implied and it comes down to personal choice whether to hijab or not to hijab. The one point always made though was that there is more to Islam than hijab. We all have other obligations. It seems that the 5 pillars of Islam are forgotten over issues like to shake hands or not to shake hands and hijab.
Anyway, I would just like to know your views. I have written to countless newspapers about my experience in the class, but of course I have been ignored.
I also want to add that there were many non-Muslim students who walked away from the class with a better understanding of Islam. Many of them realised that Islam is not a religion where women are seen as inferior. History, and the action of certain Muslims, have obscured the 'real' Islam. They were able to hear many different points of view; especially from those who actually took the class.
The course was also not entirely about Islam. As the name of the course suggests, it was also about women in Arabic literature. That was the reason for reading novels like I Am You; which has absolutely nothing to do with Islam, but rather homosexuality in Beirut: a secular Arabic culture.
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic