Author: admin

First and foremost, as someone with limited knowledge of religion in general I really appreciate the detail put into this book. The author’s expansion on different vocabulary terms that reader’s may not be familiar with was extremely helpful. Another thing I really enjoyed about this chapter and reading thus far was the in depth breakdown of why Islam is not inherently anti-woman. Rather, it is double-talk and manipulation of different practices that are anti woman.

Despite the concept of double talk being incredibly relevant in a variety of other religions, the Tawhidic Paradigm contextualized the relationships between women, and men and Allah in Islam. As postulated by the author, creations come in pairs (woman and man) and are both equal to the other. The pair is in relationship then to Allah. I found Wadud’s argument incredibly intriguing and found that it made a lot of sense in relation to the arguments against women’s equality. In other words, Wadud’s contextualization of the Tawhidic Paradigm broke down double talk by using another form of rhetoric against them informed by the same “divine” sources.

After completing this reading I do feel that the points made were very important. However, I do feel the delivery of the material was unnecessarily drawn out and described in a more complex way than it needed to be. With that being said, I do not have a background in really any religion so I do acknowledge that it is possible a lot of information went over my head.

As for the specifics, the emphasis of religious plurality and religious acceptance was incredibly interesting to read about. I also found that the frequent assertion of religion changing through time and context very vital to the point of the piece. Further, Ernst’s attention to the prejudice and misconceptions associated with Islam was incredibly important. In this society there is a lot of generalization. We live in an age where we take one step forward and multiple back. By ignoring prejudice you allow it to spread, so I appreciate Ernst’s attention to that detail and stride to correct it.

Between the Ernst reading and this one I found myself particularly intrigued by this one. In Ernst’s writing I found that religion as a term has changed a lot over the passage of time. In Lughod’s writing, I was able to see how that shift in terminology manifests in our society.

As I was reading “Do Muslim Women (Still) Need Saving” I did find myself confused at times as well as invested in what was being said. I was pondering the question of whether the overwhelming interest in Muslim women was exploitative rather than helpful. As noted by the author, she said the priorities of interviewers in questioning was focused on dividing the public rather than examining the internal political struggle of what was going on. Further, there was an agenda being pushed that presented the military intervention in Afghanistan in a light that suggested we saved women from being oppressed.

Most notably, to me, from this reading was the quote on the white savior complex. “Be wary when Lord Cromer in British ruled Egypt, French ladies in Algeria, and first lady Laura Bush, all with military troops behind them claim to be saving/liberating Muslim women.” The word liberation or saving sets up a hierarchy. White men being the savior depicts Muslim women as helpless or in need of saving. It seems that the government would like us to think we are a gift to anyone we decide to help, but this article suggests that there is far more to it than that (of course.) And I am incredibly curious about the rest of this article.

In other words, the public’s fascination with the small picture rather than the why seems to be one of the most relevant points of this reading.

Subjectively, I very much enjoyed reading this poem. After the first reading I found myself curious about the significance of direction in the piece. Lines like “she faces East” and “from each direction will come her blessings” lead me to this question.

I am incredibly moved by the line “the feminine force of the Divine” as well. Could this poem be about the liberation of religion? This question feels particularly relevant to the following line of “Within her own body her own face”– as if she is empowered or motivated from the inside and out.

Further, the stanza before the last leads me to questions about how religion shapes the family relationship and ways of going through the world. The openness of the writer to reading the words taught by father and living them by mother seems to be cultivated by religious pride and passion.

I enjoy the narrative structure of this poem because it illustrates the progress of the writer. The refusal to bow before man then praying on carpets and calling on “Perfection Grace” then valuing family and waiting to experience the Divine. There is a sense of attempt at first, then a sense of completeness at the end. Rather than calling to Grace, she is waiting to experience the Divine. This progress leads me to concluding that this confidence and satisfaction is nourished by the practice of religion and ultimately, leaves the reader feeling uplifted, regardless of their own personal beliefs.