How Should Educators Address Islamic Feminism Claims?

Islamic feminism seeks to promote its Western-inspired ideas among Muslims under two major banners: first, the defense of women and their rights, attempting to lift the social injustices they face in Muslim societies; and second, the re-reading of religious texts in order to purge them of patriarchal and male-centered interpretations that, according to them, have entrenched women’s oppression and men’s domination.

From Re-Interpretation to Atheism

Islamic feminism does not openly clash with religion, but rather calls for a re-reading of its texts and the scholarly tradition through a feminist lens, which ultimately aligns with the outcomes of Western feminism. In doing so, it tears apart many definitive meanings of Islamic law that are known as necessities of religion. Its opponents consider this a preparatory stage for dismantling the authority of religion over Muslim societies and opening the way to atheism through the gateway of women’s grievances.

This is exactly what happened with the Omani girl Zuwaina, who committed suicide after apostatizing and leaving religion due to such dark feminist ideas.

Real Focus of Islamic Feminism

To clarify, our discussion of Islamic feminism does not address its critique of certain juristic opinions that are based on texts open to interpretation in authenticity or meaning—opinions from which one may legitimately turn to other views of reputable scholars. Rather, it concerns Islamic feminism’s criticism of definitive religious texts that the Ummah has unanimously agreed upon throughout its history, such as: hijab, the wife’s obedience to her husband, her dowry and financial maintenance, the husband’s right to divorce, and similar rulings. It advances this criticism by relying on modernist methodologies such as “re-reading the text” and “historicism,” among other Western methods alien to the interpretive principles of Islamic law.

Opportunity for Educators

Despite this evasive presentation by Islamic feminism, its mere acknowledgment of religion and its authority—even if only temporarily—can be sufficient to dismantle its claims, if educators wisely leverage this admission to engage with and challenge such deviant ideas that claim to renew and modernize Islamic rulings.

Some general points that educators should emphasize when refuting the claims of Islamic feminism include the following:

First: Highlighting the religious texts and classical statements that emphasize care for women, affirm their role and complementary function alongside men, and negate the very notion of conflict with men upon which feminism at large bases its propaganda. Historical examples should be presented, such as the women of the Prophetic era and other immortal figures throughout Islamic civilization.

Second: Reminding learners of the objectives of Shariah and the purposes behind human creation, for which Allah legislated those rulings that organize the roles of men and women in Muslim society. One must show how these rulings harmonize with themselves, with those greater purposes, with reason, with innate nature, and with the order Allah set for all existence—leading to human happiness in this life and the next, and protecting humanity from both excess and neglect. Any alteration of this divine, integrated legislative system results in imbalance and corruption that undermine the very intent of Shariah.

Third: Warning against extremist calls that exploit women’s real grievances in certain societies to drive them away from the family role Allah has assigned them—thus depriving them of their closest innate rights such as marriage and motherhood—and instead turning them into mere commodities within the global markets of material consumption, where everything is subject to buying, selling, and supply-and-demand.

Fourth: Educators must clarify the distinction between the sacred religious texts and the non-sacred human juristic interpretations around them. They should also distinguish between rulings that are speculative (where scholars differ) and those that are definitive (upon which the Ummah is unanimous). Not all texts are authentic in transmission, nor are all interpretations acceptable; some are validly possible, while others cannot be borne by the text. Though this distinction is complex, it is crucial for setting priorities and preserving the fundamentals.

Fifth: It is also necessary to expose the corruption of certain methodologies upon which Islamic feminism relies to extract religious meanings, such as re-reading the text, historicism, rejection of consensus, denial of analogy, and rejection of Sunnah. These must be contrasted with the sound methodologies recognized in Islamic scholarship. This requires going into detail, consulting scholars, and engaging in deep dialogue with learners—especially in today’s age of informational fluidity and instant access to knowledge.

Sixth: Since Islamic feminism is a hybrid thought attempting to merge Shariah, local culture, and Western intellectual products, it is inevitably filled with contradictions—which has been proven in practice. Educators must expose these contradictions and highlight the conflicts and inconsistencies among feminist advocates themselves, showing that they fail to provide a coherent methodology worthy of being associated with religion.

Seventh: Educators must also not neglect to point out the errors of Western feminist ideas, their materialist and atheistic roots, their injustices to women, and the harms they have caused to women’s real interests—illustrated by concrete examples from Western societies. Although Islamic feminism claims to differ from Western feminism, in both methodology and outcome it does not; the difference lies only in presentation and rhetoric. If an educator succeeds in prompting Islamic feminism to criticize Western feminism, much of its own claims can be undermined—as proven in practice.

This, then, is a selection of what can be said to educators in addressing the phenomenon of Islamic feminism, which infiltrates Muslim minds in the name of religion and has unfortunately influenced some veiled women and religious individuals. And in such a discussion, the “devil” is not in the details, as the saying goes; rather, delving into the details is precisely what shuts the doors of the devils.

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