Fatema Mernissi - founder of Islamic feminism

Fatema Mernissi, born in Fez in 1940, was a renowned Moroccan sociologist and author (Fox, 2015; Rassam and Worthington). She studied at Mohammed V university and then did her postgraduate work at Sorbonne University in France and at Brandeis University for her PhD. Notably, she is commonly known as the founder of Islamic feminism due to her research and work that focused on Islamic scripture, women’s sexuality, gender roles and the struggles of women in Islam, specifically those of Moroccan society. Her academic interests were likely influenced by her childhood having grown up in a domestic harem which is a designated space in the house of a Muslim family specifically for women (ibid). Experiencing these aspects of her culture from an early age sparked an interest in Mernissi to understand the subordination of women in society.

Some of her most notable works include her dissertation and first book, Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society and The Veil and the Male Elite (Rassam and Worthington). In Beyond the Veil, Mernissi analyzes patriarchal society and how religious texts have not created the “silent, passive, and obedient woman”, it was the power hungry male religious figures that have maintained gender inequalities throughout time (ibid). Similarly, The Veil and the Male Elite examines how politicians and religious leaders have skewed Prophet Muhammad’s message of equality between the sexes. In the words of Mernissi herself: “Not only have the sacred texts always been manipulated, but manipulation of them is a structural characteristic of the practice of power in Muslim societies” (Fox, 2015). Mernissi was a pioneer in her area of study because during the mid 20th century there were not too many women challenging the status quo in any country and even less so in more conservative societies such as Morocco. By empowering women through her own education and knowledge, Mernissi has sought to challenge men’s opinion on the autonomy and sexuality of women. Fernissi powerfully states how “If women’s rights are a problem for some modern Muslim men, it is neither because of the Quran nor the Prophet, nor the Islamic tradition, but simply because those rights conflict with the interests of a male elite” (Fox, 2015). Overall, Fernissi has enlightened women who have traditionally been silenced and encourages everyone, both men and women, to question what is “normal”.

References

Fox, M. (2015, December 10). Fatema Mernissi, a founder of Islamic Feminism, dies at 75. Retrieved May 08, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/world/middleeast/fatema-mernissi-a-founder-of-islamic-feminism-dies-at-75.html

Rassam, A., & Worthington, L. (n.d.). Mernissi, Fatima. Retrieved May 7, 2021, from http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t236/e0527