Versions and Subversions of Islamic Cultures in the Film The Stoning of Soraya M

Summary

The aim of this article is to explore the idea of versions and subversions of narrative constructions and reinterpretation of Islamness or Muslim cultures from an analysis of the film The Stoning of Soraya M. This will be done by focusing on the narratives authorised by men in comparison to those narratives of Islam created by women in the film. It will be demonstrated that male-authored narratives are anchored in the dastardly law of the stoning/lapidation of women as found in the Hadith. In the fictional world of the film The Stoning of Soraya M, the stoning/lapidation of women is depicted as a gross distortion of the Qur'an. In short, it will be revealed that women can create their own narratives that shun and complicate the Qur'an and critique men, most of whom are the interpreters of the Qur'an. If male narratives in the film incline towards violent actions against women, women's response to these forms of violent narrative of Islamness is uneven. The film benefits narrative versions of women who reinterpret the Sunnah and its support of the practice of the stoning/lapidation of women. Through the character of Zahra, women in the film create alternative frameworks for self-help and the call to stop the abhorrent practices of the physical and spiritual stoning/lapidation of women. The film suggests that this action by women in the film, as in real life, is fundamental to the survival of the most democratic versions of Islam that are threatened by orthodox and inflexible interpretation of the Qur'an. The attempt at retrieving contesting narrative versions of Islamness means engaging with multiple re-evaluations of received histories of Islam imagined from a privileged cultural site of the film.

Opsomming

Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die idee van weergawes en subweergawes van verhalende konstruksies en hervertolking van Islamheid of Moslemkulture uit 'n ontleding van die film The Stoning of Soraya M te ondersoek. Dit sal gedemonstreer word dat verhale deur mans geskryf, geanker is in die lafhartige wet van steniging van vroue soos in die Hadith gevind word. In die fiktiewe wêreld van die film The Stoning of Soraya M, word die steniging van vroue as 'n bose verdraaiing van die Koran uitgebeeld. Kortliks, dit sal aantoon dat vroue hul eie verhale kan skep wat die Koran ontwyk en kompliseer, en mans, waarvan die meeste vertolkers van die Koran is, kritiseer. Indien manlike verhale in die film na geweld teen vroue neig, is vroue se reaksie op hierdie vorme van geweldadige verhale van Islamheid ongelyk. Dit bevoordeel verhalende weergawes van vroue wat die Sunnah en sy ondersteuning van die praktyk om vroue te stenig hervertolk. Deur die karakter van Zahra, skep vroue in die film alternatiewe raamwerke vir selfhelp en die oproep om die afskuwelike praktyke van fisiese en geestelike steniging van vroue te stop. Die film beweer dat hierdie optrede deur vroue in die film, soos in die werklike lewe, fundamenteel is vir die oorlewing van die meeste demokratiese weergawes van Islam wat deur ortodokse en onaanpasbare vertolking van die Koran bedreig word. Die poging om teenstrydige verhalende weergawes van Islamheid te herwin, beteken om met veelvuldige her-evaluerings van ontvangde geskiedenisse van Islam, vanuit 'n bevoorregte kultuurterrein van die film, om te gaan.