A qualitative investigation of Muslim and Christian women's views of religion and feminism in their lives.

Abstract

This qualitative investigation explored a relatively understudied aspect of cultural diversity: feminism and religion in the lives of religiously diverse women. More specifically, structured interviews were used to investigate views of religion, women's issues, gender roles, culture, and feminism for a small group of Muslim and Christian women living in the United States. The data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Findings indicated a complex relationship between feminism, gender roles, culture, and religion for these women with the majority of the Muslim women reporting that their religion supports feminist principles and identifying themselves as feminist. Christian women were less willing to endorse the feminist label. Implications for multicultural feminist practice are discussed.

A Conversation About the Intersection of Faith, Sexual Orientation, and Gender: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives

“…Ali, Mahmood, Moel, Leathers, and Lovmo () reported that Muslim women who participated in their study indicated that gender roles were influenced by both religion and culture, but they were able to make distinctions on how both of these factors influenced their own perceptions of gender roles. Ali () noted that the role of women in Muslim countries has varied, from women participating at the highest levels of leadership (e.g., president or prime minister of Muslim countries) to enslavement (i.e., no access to basic human rights).…”

Religion, Gender and Citizenship

“…A qualitative study on Christian and Muslim women in the United States by Saba Rasheed Ali and colleagues (Ali et al 2008) found a complex relationship between feminism, gender roles, culture and religion. In their study, the majority of the Muslim women reported that their religion supports feminist principles and identified themselves as feminist, while the Christian women were less willing to endorse the feminist label.…”

Religion, Ethnicity, Culture, Way of Life: Jews, Muslims, and Multicultural Counseling

“…One such research study examined the feminist identity of Muslim women living in the United States. Ali et al (2008) explored the views of feminist identity and religion among a group of Muslim and Christian women. They found that despite the misperception that Muslim women are not feminist and are oppressed by religion, many of the Muslim participants identified themselves as feminist and described their religion as supportive of feminist ideals.…”

“…Third, it is critical to understand the complexity of Jewish and Muslim identities. Being a Jew or a Muslim encompasses much more than just identifying with a particular set of religious beliefs; it includes cultural, racial, gender, economic, and familial considerations as well (Ali, Mahmood, Moel, Hudson, & Leathers, 2008;Friedman, Friedlander, & Blustein, 2005;Herzbrun, 1999). In addition, as noted previously, one's Jewish or Muslim identity is often central to one's overall identity (Ali et al, 2008;Friedman et al, 2005).…”