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Jamila Hussain
University of Technology, Sydney
'Islamic Feminism: The Australian Dimension'
The religious resurgence which has taken place in the Muslim world in the last 30 years has had profound implications for women. On the one hand, religious conservatives have used the upsurge in religious feeling to justify the imposition of strict limits on women's lives and activities, as the Taliban did in Afghanistan, arguing that this represents authentic Islam. On the other hand, Islamic feminists – women and men – have begun to search back to the original sources of Islam, the Quran and Sunnah, to challenge long held assumptions about women's role. Traditional ideas are being challenged in the fields of education, work, family responsibilities and participation in public and religious life. Issues of concern for Muslim women are not necessarily those which western feminists believe are necessary for their 'liberation'. In some countries overseas, slow progress is being made; in others the backlash against the perceived imposition of western culture has made it less likely that women will achieve equity in the near future. In Australia, the Muslim community is relatively new and very diverse. However, Muslim women, especially the young and educated, are voting with their feet to take up the opportunities available to them in contemporary Australian society. This is not however, at the cost of religious commitment. More and more young Muslim women are adopting hijab, joining Islamic study circles and following Islamic practices in their daily lives.
Bio: Jamila is an Australian Muslim who spent two years studying Shariah (Islamic law) at the International Islamic University Malaysia. She has a particular interest in women's issues as they affect Muslims. She is the author of Islamic Law and Society An Introduction published by Federation Press Sydney 1999, and is a frequent speaker on Muslim women's and interfaith issues. She also teaches an undergraduate course in Islamic law at UTS.
<jamila@mountains.net.au>