Women in Islamic Scholarship

Announced by the University of Pittsburgh

Recent decades have witnessed the increasing presence and prominence of Muslim women in a variety of civic and professional contexts, as well as in charitable, educational, and cultural organizations. At the same time, explicitly religious roles for Muslim women as religious scholars, mosque leaders, chaplains, and legal authorities also continue to expand in number, scope, and influence. This year, the AbuSulayman Center’s annual conference will bring together both scholars and practitioners for an extended discussion of the many ways in which Muslim women are leading, shaping, and supporting their communities.

PROGRAM

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Panel 1 | Merten 1204 | 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

Women Leaders in History

Ayat Agah : Fatima bint Muhammad as a Model for Religious and Civic Leadership

Mohamed Enab Abdoulrahman : Princess Ġāliyah Al-Būqamiyah: An Historical Analysis of her Legacy and Political Influence in 19th Century Saudi Arabia

Safa Demir Sari : The First Leadership and Organizational Experience of a Muslim Turkish: Fatma Bacı and Bacıyân-ı Rum (Anatolian Women)

Discussant: Sumaiya Hamdani

Panel 2 | 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Muslim Women and State Programs

Meriem El Heitami : Women’s Religious Authority in Morocco: An ethnography of Compliant Agency

Dina Hosni : State-Sponsored Female Preaching in Egypt and the Question of Women’s Agency

Rose Hattab : From Totalitarianism to Republic: Iraqi Women’s Rights Under State Civil Law and Conservative Influences

Discussant: TBD

Break | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Keynote Speaker | 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm | Fenwick Reading Room

Mirjam Künkler : Women Interpreting Islamic Law: What we know and do not know about Women’s Juristic Authority in Islam.

Friday, April 26, 2024

Panel 1 | 9:00 am – 10:30 am

Women in Islamic Scholarship

Asma Sayeed : Female Participation in Moroccan Qurʾānic Studies: Challenges and Opportunities

Feryal Salem : Women’s Formative Leadership in Contemporary Islamic Contexts: Shaykha Munirah Qubaysi (1934 – 2022)

Celene Ibrahim : Muslim Feminist Thought Leadership: Path-Finding and Agenda-Setting between Liberative Epistemologies and Religious Conservatism

Jumana Al-Ahmad : Tunisian Women Scholars: Advocates of Progress in Social Justice and Gender Equality

Discussant: Maria Dakake

Panel 2 | 10:45 am – 12:15 pm

Muslim Women Activists

Sobia Ibrahim : Sufism and Ecofeminism: The Role of Tijani Sufism in Promoting Ecofeminism in Senegal

Daisy Khan : Muslim Women’s Activism in US Context: Experiences and Challenges

Fatima El Sayed : “We empower German society so it becomes more diverse.” - Muslim Women Organizations’ Intersectional Politics in Post migrant Germany

Discussant: Ahmet Tekelioglu

Break | 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm

Panel 3 | 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm

Women Leaders Creating Community in Contemporary Contexts

Betül Kafkas : Women in Mosques between Leadership Positions, Visibility, and Gender Imbalance: Perspectives from Germany

Hiba Khodr : Challenges and Opportunities in Creating a Women’s Community as a Third Space in Muslim Societies

Maryam Sharrieff : From the Back of the Bus to the Front of the Masjid: Black American Muslim Women’s Leadership and Authority in Sacred Knowledge Educative Spaces

Louise Cainkar : “US Muslim Women-led refugee resettlement”

Discussant: Yasemin Ipek

Closing Remarks | 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm