An educational opportunity for (re)-scripting gender justice as an imperative of faith and citizenship: a South African case

ABSTRACT

The centring of Muslim women in Islam resides in an intertwining historico-politico -theological narrative of gender reform, first promulgated in a seventh century revelation of the Qur’an. Significantly, the gains derived by the women of Islam’s first community, have become lost in the dominance of contemporary androcentric-patriarchal interpretations. The argument advanced by this paper is that Muslim educational institutions have a responsibility in (re)-scripting gender justice as an imperative of the scripture; and in establishing resonance between identities of faith and citizenship. I commence by looking at the disjuncture between what Islam says about gender equality, and how it unfolds under the predominant auspices of a patriarchal gaze. As an example of this disconnection, I focus on the trajectory of the ‘women in mosques’ campaigns in South Africa, spanning from an apartheid to a democratic context – noting that despite, or perhaps, because of far-reaching political change, the resistance encountered by Muslim women has remained the same. Thereafter, I turn my attention to an intertwining consideration: the responsibility of Muslim education in (re)-scripting gender justice as an imperative of the scripture; and the obligation of Muslim education in establishing resonance between identities of faith and citizenship.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender justice
• citizenship
• ‘women in mosques’
• religion
• citizenship
• South Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Hadith (pl. ahadith): Reported statements and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

2. Ulamāʾ, singular ʿālim, ʿulamāʾ also spelled ulema refer to those who possess the quality of ʿilm, ‘learning,’ in its widest sense. In a broad sense, the ulamāʾ include theologians, canon lawyers (muftis), judges (qadis), as well as scholars.

3. At the time, the main Muslim organisations, who articulated a conservative political discourse are the ‘u/ama-groups, chiefly represented by the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), the Jamiatul ‘Ulamā (Council of Theologians) of Transvaal, the Jamiatul ‘Ulamā of Natal and the Majlisul ‘Ulamā (Council of Theologians) of South Africa (Moosa 1989).

Additional information

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Nuraan Davids

Nuraan Davids is Professor of Philosophy of Education in the Department of Education Policy Studies, Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University. Her primary research interests include democratic citizenship education; Islamic philosophy of education; and philosophy of higher education. She is a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University (2020 −2021). She is a Co-Editor of the Routledge series, World Issues in the Philosophy and Theory of Higher Education; Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Education in Muslim Societies; Associate Editor of the South African Journal of Higher Education; Editorial Board Member of Ethics and Education. Recent books (with Y. Waghid): Academic Activism in higher education: A living philosophy for social justice (Springer, 2021); Teaching, friendship & humanity (Springer, 2020); Teachers Matter: Educational Philosophy and Authentic Learning (Rowman & Littlefield – Lexington Series, 2020).