Feminism and Islam: a review of the feminist claims rooted in Islamic philosophy

Islamic feminism is considered by many as an oxymoron. This being mainly because, usually, people generalise that feminist ideas cannot be juxtaposed with Islamic philosophy as the two are bi-polar concepts. In this paper an attempt has been made to reconcile the two by providing theoretical illustrations and substantiations. The Islamic philosophy retains in itself feminist claims and orientations which are aimed at protecting and elevating the social standing of the women within the family and the society at large. Ironically enough however womenfolk world over have been deprived of basic privileges on apparently ‘Islamic’ grounds which are of course contrived to create conducive circumstances for specific classes of the Muslim male elite. The bottom line is that the status quo within the religion has been created in such a way that it favours the male elite, leaving the woman subjugated. But this approach is not acceptable as equality is one of the founding principles of Islam. Thus, this paper explores the feminist orientations inherent in the religion itself which, quite contrary to popular belief, forms a substantial basis for the growth of a school of feminism rooted in Islam itself.