On January 27, there was held the lecture «Islamic Feminism or Feminism in Islam?» by Nataliia Malynovska, PhD in Political Studies, senior lecturer in the National University of Ostroh Academy, as a part of the IIIT lectures series for CIS countries, organized by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and the Institute of Knowledge Integration (IKI).
In her presentation, Dr. Nataliia Malynovska spoke on the history of feminism in Muslim countries and the stages of development of the Islamic feminism.
The lecturer pointed out that feminist movements in Muslim countries developed simultaneously with those in Western countries. The difference between the nature of Western and Eastern feminism lies in the fact that feminist movements in Western countries are not about religion, but about the struggle against certain social order and traditions that infringe on and restrict women and men equality. While in Muslim countries, the social order and traditions are largely determined by the religion. Islamic feminism often appeals to religion that is an integral part of Muslim societies.
Dr. Malynovska spoke in detail about feminist concepts in Islam. She made a brief review of the book “Rethinking Muslim Women and the Veil” by Dr. Catherine Bullock, published by the IIIT, as well as contributions of first researchers of Islamic feminism Margot Badran, Professor of Gender Studies Chandra Talpade Paharmi Mohanti, British activists Ann Amos and Pratibha Parmar.
She also drew attention to the historical and contemporary feminist movements in Muslim countries. Audience learned about female movements in Palestine, Lebanon, and public campaigns supporting women in Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia in recent years.
The second part of the lecture included answers to the questions of participants about the influence of feminism in Muslim countries on the Western feminism, modern social movements and the activities of Muslim women in different countries, and in Ukraine in particular.
More than 30 participants from different countries, such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, and Estonia, attended this online event.
The next lecture will be announced soon on both the IIIT lectures series for CIS countries and Institute of Knowledge Integration Facebook pages.
