Islamic Feminism and Defending the Culture for Raqs' Sake.

Do Muslim women need liberating? is an interesting article*; although I cannot say I'm as involved with the struggle regarding femiinism in Islamic cultures as I might like to be (or should be?), it well reflects a number of isues I've heard/read over the years. It also reflects much of the trension regarding women who preform raqs sharqi "over there":

Merve Kavakçı - the former Turkish politician - claimed the modern evaluation of the situation of Muslim women was inherently biased. She believes there is a Western assumption that Muslim women are subjugated, which is attributed to Islam - a non sequiteur in her view, since while Muslim women do need to be liberated, it is not from the religion but from their indigenous culture. This is a crucial point: it's worth noting, for example, that female circumcision - the biggest stain on Islam's reputation - is predominant in Egypt, a secular country, and virtually non-existent in Saudi Arabia. The distinguishing factor is the different cultures in both countries.

She should have been more mindful of the reasons why Islam is seen as
oppressive by non-Muslims - she failed, for instance, to tackle the question of whether the Qur'an and the hadith may have inherent qualities or messages that lend themselves to a male dominant interpretation, a monopoly she herself acknowledged. Women from the very beginning of Islam participated in military combat and were given rights of divorce, alimony and so on, but such scriptural verses which compromise women's credibility in testimony, raise issues surrounding women's inheritance rights in addition to controversial texts in the Qur'an cannot be ignored in any debate about whether Islam subjugates women

I would add that my personal opinion is that women's rights were eroded over time; looking at descriptions of women being shrouded in the public sphere in the 'Abbasid era differs mightily from what we read about women in the time of the Four Righteous Caliphs. I've read, and personally think, that the incorporation of Persian culture, primarily for administrative purposes as the Empire grew, has a great deal to do with this, but I have no doubt there were other influences as well.
And yet, this is the critical take-away; these issues are, indeed, tied to underlying cultures, and the evolution of those cultures, as much as any other source. Islam was reinterpreted just as Christianity was reinterpreted; the man who drove moneylenders from the temple, and who's early followers lived in a communal style, might not recognize the Prosperity Gospel so prominent now, not to mention certain high-living, politically astute pastors. You cannot assume that practices in one culture apply to all of Islam, over all of it's long history.
Indeed, aside from the 5 Pillars of Faith, there is great variation in the religion, esp. in regards to laws, and the enforcement thereof. Shari'a is not always harsh and unforgiving, and in fact, even with the law, the pratical application may differ. I'm mindful of a paper I have that tracked down actual Prostitution cases in period Ottoman Istanbul, and found that the actual punishment was never carried out, in any recorded case. Those familiar with "50 dollars and time served" get the jist of what the reality was.
Too often do I hear people -- including fellow dancers! -- describe Islam in terms that are monolithic. And we must guard against these things, for it is no longer enough to defend our dance; we must defend it's cultures in a time where many people seek to dismiss us via dismissing any good coming from those cultures. This is the minefield we must traverse to gain more, and stronger, mainstream acceptance for raqs sharqi, and it's related forms.






*(h/t) LiveJournal's islam_feminism community