Islam and Woman

The Islamic interpretation of the Qur'an and Hadiths (Sayings of Prophet, Mohammed) has been made by men. Some Islamic reformists, men and women alike have agreed that it is not, in fact, the religion but patriarchal interpretation that has implemented Qur'an and Hadiths to exclude and oppress women. In this book, Hatem Mohammed Al-Shamea critically traces the hidden threads of patriarchy that led to the misinterpretation of the Qur'an. He comes out with a new logical reading of the Holy Scriptures that validates the women's rights and voices and brings them out of the shadows. Al-Shamea has used some Yemeni novels of Wajdi Al-Ahdal to apply the rational understanding of the Qur'an and Hadiths to dismantle the Arab sociopolitical dilemma which is created by the patriarchal interpretation of the Holy Scriptures as the Qur'an does not prescribe one unchanging and timeless social structure for both men and women. Al-Shamea breaks down some specific texts which have been exploited and employed to limit women's private and public role, even to justify oppression, exclusion, and violence toward (Arab) Muslim women, revealing that the original context and meaning of those texts defy such patriarchal understanding and interpretation.