Writing fiction within a feminist framework is a helpful way in bringing up women’s issues to a wider readership that is not necessarily familiar with feminist scholarship. Through creative narrative an author can dispel misunderstandings, correct misconceptions and represent underrepresented women who have been rendered invisible or pushed to the margins by hegemonic discourses. My novella tells the story of a group of Muslim women doing community work in Turkey. Navigating their way in contemporary Turkey, these women dispel the upheld literary stereotypes of Muslim women. Through their work and dedication, these women show that they are not victims of a suppressive religion, or escapees from an oppressive culture. Instead they see themselves as participants in a noble cause for the benefit of the wider society. The impetus for their service is drawn from the main sources of their religion: Quran and the example of the prophet Muhammad.

This study offers a critical assessment of Letty Mandeville Russell’s contributions to feminist theology with a view to gleaning wisdom for Muslim women who also wrestle with the issue of justice for women. As a liberation theologian, Russell’s definition and construction of feminist theology is based on two elements: commitment to Christianity and strong advocacy of feminism. Russell believes that in human communities, marginalized people, particularly women, are kept down and disempowered in society, history, and the church. Russell recognizes tradition as the key challenge for feminists and she struggles with “all oppressive expressions of Christian tradition.” She notes the androcentric and sexist elements of the Bible, but she refuses to leave the church. Rather, her attempt is to proclaim the “prophetic- messianic” message of the gospel while advocating a critical approach to the biblical text. Thus this thesis will explore the question: Is it possible to reconstruct a theology in a systematic way that is faithful to religious convictions while advocating feminism. In addition to Russell’s books and articles, which form the primary sources for this study, two other Christian feminists (Fiorenza and Harder) will be drawn into the discussion in order to further illuminate the various building blocks that women use to link faith and feminism. Chapter one provides a background for the feminist movement and introduces feminist theology, in order to position Russell within the wide spectrum of feminist theologians who attempt to reconcile their Christian faith and their convictions and vision for women. Chapter two looks Russell’s claim that she is both Christian and feminist. Russell’s definition of feminism, faith, and their inter-relationship will be illuminated as a key to her identity as a feminist theologian. The chapter shows not only how Russell understands these two commitments, often understood as contradictory, but also shows how Russell’s roots in liberation theology have aided her in building a bridge between faith and feminism. Chapter three deals with the methodology that Russell uses to build a bridge between faith and feminism. She proposes a process of action-reflection in which women gain a new understanding of faith and add new perspectives to Christian theology. Chapter four analyzes Russell’s contributions in dealing creatively and faithfully with tradition while being both a Christian and a feminist. She proposes a paradigm shift for the community that does theology; a shift from a paradigm of domination to a paradigm of partnership. She believes that through this shift, all marginalized people, including women, can find their own voices and thus be included in the promises of God to his people. The concluding chapter, chapter five, offers a grandstand view of all of the building blocks that Russell uses to construct a bridge between faith and feminism, thus making apparent how it is possible to advocate feminism and also be committed to Christianity. At the same time, this chapter will also consider whether the same building blocks can be used to build the same kind of bridge for Muslim women.

This study offers a critical assessment of Letty Mandeville Russell’s contributions to feminist theology with a view to gleaning wisdom for Muslim women who also wrestle with the issue of justice for women. As a liberation theologian, Russell’s definition and construction of feminist theology is based on two elements: commitment to Christianity and strong advocacy of feminism. Russell believes that in human communities, marginalized people, particularly women, are kept down and disempowered in society, history, and the church. Russell recognizes tradition as the key challenge for feminists and she struggles with “all oppressive expressions of Christian tradition.” She notes the androcentric and sexist elements of the Bible, but she refuses to leave the church. Rather, her attempt is to proclaim the “prophetic- messianic” message of the gospel while advocating a critical approach to the biblical text. Thus this thesis will explore the question: Is it possible to reconstruct a theology in a systematic way that is faithful to religious convictions while advocating feminism. In addition to Russell’s books and articles, which form the primary sources for this study, two other Christian feminists (Fiorenza and Harder) will be drawn into the discussion in order to further illuminate the various building blocks that women use to link faith and feminism. Chapter one provides a background for the feminist movement and introduces feminist theology, in order to position Russell within the wide spectrum of feminist theologians who attempt to reconcile their Christian faith and their convictions and vision for women. Chapter two looks Russell’s claim that she is both Christian and feminist. Russell’s definition of feminism, faith, and their inter-relationship will be illuminated as a key to her identity as a feminist theologian. The chapter shows not only how Russell understands these two commitments, often understood as contradictory, but also shows how Russell’s roots in liberation theology have aided her in building a bridge between faith and feminism. Chapter three deals with the methodology that Russell uses to build a bridge between faith and feminism. She proposes a process of action-reflection in which women gain a new understanding of faith and add new perspectives to Christian theology. Chapter four analyzes Russell’s contributions in dealing creatively and faithfully with tradition while being both a Christian and a feminist. She proposes a paradigm shift for the community that does theology; a shift from a paradigm of domination to a paradigm of partnership. She believes that through this shift, all marginalized people, including women, can find their own voices and thus be included in the promises of God to his people. The concluding chapter, chapter five, offers a grandstand view of all of the building blocks that Russell uses to construct a bridge between faith and feminism, thus making apparent how it is possible to advocate feminism and also be committed to Christianity. At the same time, this chapter will also consider whether the same building blocks can be used to build the same kind of bridge for Muslim women.

Dans ce travail, une étude analytique comparative sur la notion du mahr (don nuptial) dans le droit islamique selon les différentes écoles juridiques est réalisée. Les écoles en question sont; ḥanafite, mālikite, šāfiʿite, ḥanbalite, imāmite, zaydite et ibāḍite. Tout d’abord, une présentation de la genèse de cette notion et aussi les difficultés de sa traduction est faite. A travers les enseignements de ces écoles, la notion de mahr et son importance dans le contrat de mariage sont analysées. Les points d’accords ainsi que ceux de divergences à travers une confrontation passionnante de sources classiques du fiqh sunnite, chiite et ibāḍite, sont ainsi développées. Cette recherche couvre la période entre Ier et VIIème siècle de l’hégire, ce qui correspond avec VIIème et XIVème siècle de l’ère chrétienne. L’aspect juridique du mahr, le montant, la nature et les différentes sortes de celui-ci sont des questions que nous allons tenter de répondre dans le présent travail. Nous traitons également des notions telles le mahr musamma ainsi que mahr al-miṯl. Cette étude a été réalisée en considérant le mahr dans toutes les situations juridiques : mariage, répudiation (ṭalāq), ẖulʿ et dissolution du mariage (fasẖ). / This work aims to illustrate a comparative analytical study of the concept of mahr (marriage gift) in Islamic Shari’a according to different schools of fiqh: hanafī, maliki, shafi'i, hanbali, ja'fari, ibadi and zaydi. At the beginning, the genesis of the concept of mahr and the difficulties of its translation are presented and discussed. Through the directions of these schools, the concept of mahr and its importance in the marriage contract is analyzed. The points of agreement and the divergence are demonstrated and based on the interesting confrontation of the various conventional sources of sunni, shi’i and ibadi fiqh. The research covers the period between first and seventh century of Hegira, which corresponds to the VII and XIV century of the Christian era. The legal aspect of mahr, its amount, nature and the different kinds are the questions explained in the thesis. The concepts of the mahr musamma and mahr al-mitl are extensively discussed. This study is carried out by considering mahr in all legal situations: the marriage, the divorce (talaq) ẖul' and the dissolution of marriage (faskh).

Lygybės prieš įstatymą, teisės apsaugos ir nediskriminavimo principai yra laikomi žmogaus teisių pamatinėmis normomis, kuriomis turi būti grindžiama teisės sistema. Lygybė reiškia, kad visi žmonės gimta laisvi ir lygūs, turi tokias pačias teises, yra vienodai gerbiami ir vertinami tiek šeimos, tiek ir visuomeniniame gyvenime. Vadovaujantis lygybės principu, visi žmonės yra lygūs savo prigimtinėmis teisėmis bei orumu, todėl niekam neturėtų būti paneigtos žmogaus teisės dėl tautybės, etninės kilmės, rasės, religijos, lyties, amžiaus, kalbos, seksualinės orientacijos, negalios, politinių ir kitų pažiūrų, bei remiantis kitais diskriminaciniais pagrindais. Lygybės principas yra neatskiriamas nuo nediskriminavimo principo, kuris jį papildo, bei sudaro bendrą ir pagrindinį žmogaus teisių principą. Nediskriminavimo principas iš tiesų reiškia, kad turi būti lygios teisės tarp vyrų ir moterų visose gyvenimo srityse. Nors žmogaus teisių apsauga sulaukia vis didesnio dėmesio tarptautinėje bendruomenėje, tačiau,vis tik išlieka susirūpinimas dėl moterų teisių apsaugos, kadangi ne visada tarptautiniai žmogaus teises ginantys dokumentai yra pajėgūs užtikrinti vyrų ir moterų lygiateisiškumą, o moterų teises ginantys dokumentai nesulaukia pakankamo musulmoniškų šalių pripažinimo, ypač tose srityse, kurios glaudžiai susijusios su musulmonų religijos ir kultūros aspektais. Magistriniame darbe bus kompleksiškai išanalizuotas lyčių lygybės principas šeimos teisiniuose santykiuose... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Equality before the law, protection of the rights and non-discrimination are considered as core set of human rights norms and must form the whole legal system. Equality means that all people are born free and equal, have same rights and are equally respected and valued both in family and society. In accordance with the principle of equality of all people are equal in their natural rights and dignity, so no one should be denied human rights on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, age, language, sexual orientation, disability, political or other opinion which are based on other discriminatory basis. The principle of equality is inherent in the principle of non-discrimination which it complements and includes general and basic human rights. Non-discrimination principle in fact implies that there must be equality of rights between men and women in all spheres of life. Although the protection of human rights receive growing attention in the international community, however, there is still a concern for women's rights, as not always protecting international human rights and not always welcomed by Muslim countries, especially in areas that are closely associated with the Muslim religion and culture. This master's thesis will be analyzing a comprehensive gender equality in the legal family relations at the international level which is based on Sharia law. It will be focusing on the situation of women in the legal assessment of family relationships through... [to full text]

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O presente trabalho investigou a concepÃÃo do direito à educaÃÃo e sua expressÃo de universalidade, inserida no Ãmbito dos direitos humanos bÃsicos em contextos geo-sÃcio-polÃticos, culturais e religiosos, dentre outros aspectos, tÃo distintos em suas fundamentaÃÃes, como das comunidades islÃmicas. Intencionamos conhecer mais aprofundadamente os impactos dessas questÃes entre o normatizado nas legislaÃÃes locais e internacionais (DeclaraÃÃo IslÃmica Universal dos Direitos Humanos de1981, DeclaraÃÃo de Cairo sobre Direitos Humanos IslÃmicos de 1990 e a Carta Ãrabe dos Direitos Humanos de 2004) e a perspectiva dos âsujeitos de direitoâ. Temos como foco, especialmente, mulheres e meninas, por serem estas marcadas por uma maior situaÃÃo de vulnerabilidade e fragilidade social (DEMANT, 2015; MOTAHARI, 2008; NEUMANN, 2006; SAID, 1996; YOUSAFZAI e LAMB, 2013, entre outros). A temÃtica se apresenta em consonÃncia com os discursos mundiais em defesa de uma sociedade democrÃtica, inclusiva, de direitos, como alicerce para a cidadania planetÃria, de paz mundial e de emancipaÃÃo humana (BOBBIO, 2004; FOUCAULT, 1999; LEITE, 2002; NASCMENTO, 2008, SANTOS, 2009; 2013; SEN, 2010 dentre outros). O paradigma da educaÃÃo para todos à importante de ser posto em anÃlise à luz de aspectos mais particulares a cada sociedade, em uma perspectiva de compreensÃo inter e multicultural. Empregamos a abordagem qualitativa, cujos procedimentos utilizados envolveram pesquisa do tipo bibliogrÃfica, documental e de campo. A pesquisa documental tem como base documentos jurÃdicos e dados/estatÃsticas de organizaÃÃes internacionais, alÃm de informaÃÃes e discursos divulgados na mÃdia impressa. A pesquisa de campo inclui entrevistas semi-estruturadas, junto aos sujeitos muÃulmanos, quer no Brasil ou em outras comunidades islÃmicas, como os campos de refugiados (por email, em idioma InglÃs), aliadas aos depoimentos coletados no site TED.COM.. A partir da anÃlise das informaÃÃes obtidas, observamos que os sujeitos entrevistados destacaram a presenÃa de fatores econÃmicos, polÃticos, culturais e religiosos como determinantes e impedidores e/ou favorecedores do usufruto do direito educacional, paradigma mundialmente conclamado, mas indicaram tambÃm percepÃÃes singulares de famÃlias que podem, em exceÃÃo, contradizer circunstÃncias como as de guerra e territÃrios em perigo e/ou regras sociais ainda arraigadas. Tal fato nos aproximou exemplarmente de sujeitos com elevados nÃveis de escolaridades e atuaÃÃes profissionais no mundo do trabalho.

This study is about what it is like to live in Stockholm with a shawl based on Muslim women's own experiences and perspectives. In this study I interviewed four Muslim women wearing shawls of different ages and backgrounds that live in Stockholm. With the help of these qualitative interviews, the researcher has been able to analyse and discuss their responses to get a view on how they feel about living in Stockholm wearing a shawl. The aim of the study was to get answers to these two questions: How does the respondent’s choice of wearing a shawl affect their way of living in Stockholm? How do the respondents perceive the received treatment from others at their workplace and in public? The respondents respond to how the choice of wearing a shawl has affected their way of living in Stockholm and how they feel that people meet them at work and in public on their free time. This study’s respondents do not represent all Muslim women with shawls in Stockholm. But based on their answers, it is still possible to get a picture of what it is like to live as a Muslim woman with a shawl in Stockholm. The respondents explained how they felt that people had prejudices about them based on what they looked like. They feel that there are different prejudices about both the shawl and Islam, which they considered to be a factor in how they were dealt with by different people in the society. The prejudices can vary from that the shawl is not their own choice to the shawl is being seen as a religious symbol and linked to negative incidents in which Islam is involved. Wearing a shawl in Stockholm can be a challenge as the shawl stands out and women with the shawl can be seen as different

The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the depiction of women in Quran from an Islamic feminist perspective. The questions that my study is based on are: How is the woman accounted in the Quran according to Islamic feminists? How do Muslim feminists argue and what do they base their reasoning on? My study is based on analyzes of the feminists’ works and statements. The results were analyzed with the help of different theories including Miriam Cookes “multiple critique”, Jan Hjärpes “The Islamic basket”, Jonathan Potters “methodological relativism” and Luckman & Bergers “social construction of reality”. The main result of this study is that it highlights how different Islamic feminists interpret the Quran in relation to the present and how their interpretations have created debates internationally. I also discuss the importance of new interpretations and the globalization for Muslim women.

The work deals with alternatives and general features of spending the free time of women, who live in the muslim countries. For a better insight of the subject, there is the term muslim world explained at the beginning and there are described the sources of Islamic law, from which many of restrictions and rules for muslim women flow. In the following chaptures there are sketched concrete free time activites of muslim women, as for example sports, fashion, singing or travelling. The expressions of muslim authorities´opinions, whether the particular activities are convenient for women, are also linked to the themes. The work doesn´t compare free time activites between specific muslim countries, but it focuses on elements, that are in common for the majority of muslim women living in various countries.

伊斯蘭世界的婦女問題在當代學術研究中佔有相當重要地位，其中一個因素乃西方的研究者不滿伊斯蘭世界對待女性的方式。自十三世紀以降，伊斯蘭世界在西方人的眼中一直是一個象徵神秘的境域，也是西方國家亟欲瞭解的地區。西方人對伊斯蘭世界探討之目的多半是希望對其進行思想與宗教文化上的侵略。穆斯林婦女蒙著面紗的景像總是不斷出現在旅行者的日記、記錄之中，而西方研究者對這些地區進行的調查亦呈現如此一般的印像，並將之視為伊斯蘭壓迫女性的例證。然而，事實是否確實如此？從其他角度觀之，伊斯蘭所欲呈現的面貌與其真實性似乎與過去西方學者所理解的面向有出入。西方思想脈絡下女性主義思想之興起與發展，或許為人類數千年來的兩性關係提供反省、思考之新方式，但是人類亦為此一思想潮流付出不少代價。性別研究的概念固然根源於西方文化的價值觀，也就是「人權」（human rights）的觀點，但是「人權」的觀點卻是人類對父權社會（Patriarchy）體制思想的一種反省。「平等」（equality）與「平權」（公平的權利，equity）並不完全相等同，女性主義者（feminists）追求的是一個「平等」的社會制度，強調的是站在相同起點的兩性觀，而伊斯蘭強調的是一種「平權」的兩性觀，主張男性與女性在此世有其各司之職務，兩性地位並不會因為此一職務性質上做作高低的區分，而導致不對等的情況出現。因此，我們可以說，這兩者之間明顯存在著本質上的差異。 父權體制之源起與宗教信仰、思想、實踐息息相關，人類社會並非一開始即已是完全以男性為主導的社會生活形態，考古學的證據亦告訴我們，母系社會體制之存在是無庸置疑，阿拉伯世界在伊斯蘭建立之前，半島上即有些許部族實行的是以母系（Matriarchy）氏族結構為主的社會制度。就像其他的人類社會一般，在這些母系社會中，女性的確享有較多的權利以及較少的義務。不過，此一論述的標準乃是以其與父權制度的社會情況相比較而得出的結果。當個人在檢視伊斯蘭發展史之研究著作，以及對伊斯蘭經典的研讀中發現，雖然伊斯蘭世界深受許多不同的社會結構思想之背景所影響，但是從歷史的角度觀之，伊斯蘭世界的性別議題及其發展，確實有別於西方女性主義思想之論述，兩者亦不可相提並論，或是任意地以其中一方的觀點來概括另一方的思想文化。西方女性主義者的「平等觀」與伊斯蘭世界的「平權觀」二者之間的差異性，以及古蘭經呈現的觀點似乎與現實世界中穆斯林的認知、實踐有明顯的落差等現象，均是促使個人欲對此作更深入研究的動機。本論文雖旨在闡釋穆斯林的婦女觀，但是亦希望對上述二者之間的異質性作一初步論述。 本論文第一章主要說明研究的動機與目的、研究方法、本研究之限制以及未來可能的研究方向；第二章則從伊斯蘭社會發展的背景著手，說明伊斯蘭建立之前的阿拉伯半島地區之社會結構與生活方式、信仰型態以及兩性的社會地位、互動關係等，透過婚姻制度、財產繼承、男性與女性的活動方式等面向，闡明此一時期的社會特徵，接著探討伊斯蘭建立之後，對阿拉伯半島地區的居民所作的改變，包括伊斯蘭如何看待兩性社會地位，賦予女性相關的婚姻保障、財產繼承權利、以及廢止活埋女嬰等舊慣習俗之改革，以說明伊斯蘭對待女性的方式。第三章則以古蘭經為分析的主要對象，一方面對古蘭經中關於女性的經文詳加分析，另一方面則整理了傳統宗教學者對這些經文的解讀與詮釋，除了以此作為思想上的對比之外，更希望從這些不同學派的觀點中，瞭解古蘭經詮釋之背景以及對穆斯林生活上的影響。 第四章是以聖訓為主，首先對聖訓中關於女性之條文作一整理，並整合不同學派的分析觀點，尋求一個更為普遍合理的說明。第五章則在說明伊斯蘭現代主義思想興起的背景，在經歷中世紀的洗禮之後，伊斯蘭思想產生的重大變革，以及伊斯蘭復興所帶動的改革浪潮，不僅促使傳統的宗教學者重新思考自身的論述立場，保守主義、現代主義、伊斯蘭主義思想的興起，更是為伊斯蘭世界掀起一股更大的反省力量，保守主義者堅守伊斯蘭基本教義之信念，摒除了伊斯蘭接受現代化思想的可能性；現代主義者強調現代化之於伊斯蘭世界的重要性，甚至不惜犧牲自身的傳統文化，以配合現代化的發展進程，而伊斯蘭主義者雖然也強調伊斯蘭世界現代化的重要性，但是他們更注重伊斯蘭世界在此一現代化的過程中，應該要「伊斯蘭化」（Islamization）或是「再伊斯蘭化」（re-Islamization）。伊斯蘭主義者的理念對穆斯林而言是不難理解的，亦即，在現代化的過程中，不應當失去伊斯蘭的傳統價值與道德倫理觀，只是在實際運作的層面上，卻出現更多有待釐清的問題。在此一發展過程中，女性便成了伊斯蘭主義者訴求保存伊斯蘭傳統文化的重要角色。至此，女性議題已經不再是單純的宗教或是文化上的討論，更加入了濃厚的政治性色彩，亦使得婦女研究更為複雜。本論文亦試圖透過對比現代主義思想與古典伊斯蘭思想的內涵，指出一存在於伊斯蘭世界中難以解決的問題，亦即有關兩性地位的爭論。古蘭經與聖訓對相同議題的詮釋並非總是一致，其間已經存在許多相互矛盾之處。此外，宗教學者對經典的詮釋又有許多不同的意見與觀點，均是促成此一問題的原因，也是本論文欲處理的重點。 / The Studies of Woman in Islam is a very important part of the Islamic researches since the 15th century, whatever of the Occident or the Orient world. The major theme of the former concerned about the emancipation of women from every dimension of human life, such as workplace, rights to elections, and rights to education, etc. However, of the later, it is different from the former one; scholars of Islam primarily discussed not only the emancipation from some kind of limitation or discrimination but also the status and value both of male and female in the Islamic Ummah. Islam, emerged and established in the 7th century by the Prophet Muhammad, has already developed an institutional and systematic understanding of the humane world. During the one thousand and five hundred years, Islam has also merged many kinds of thoughts from different cultures into its own world. Therefore, while we start to discuss the problems of women in Islamic world, we have to take a look at the whole history of Islam first, then, we could hold a proper and just attitude to the woman in Islam. My thesis is concerning about the images and descriptions of Muslim Women, which were represented in the Quran, the most sacred book in Islam, and the Hadith, the sayings and behaviors of the Prophet Muhammad, recorded and edited by the Companions of the Prophet and some other religious experts after the death of Muhammad. Most important of all, I attempt to figure out what is the most initial and primordial concept of woman in Islam, and, the way how it is explained, and the process of transition and transformation of these concepts. In addition, I also examine several sorts of schools of thoughts concerning the Muslim women and Islam, including the Islamic traditionists, and modernists. Meanwhile, I juxtapose these two different sides of thought of woman and Islam, and try to give a much clearer picture of this scene between what we called conflict and convergence, whatever of peacefully or militantly. Through this mutual influence between the Quran, Hadith, Islamic traditionists and Islamic modernists, we could understand better the relationships of woman and Islam, or Islam and religion, or religion and woman, etc. Finally, I also try to point out the possibly real problems of woman issues encountered nowadays within the Islamic world.