Men in Charge? Rethinking Authority in Muslim Legal Tradition

Abstract

At a time when men’s assumption of leadership roles through all-male events and publications is a popular phenomenon, Men in Charge?, a byproduct of a project by the women-led organization Musawah, could not have been published at a more opportune moment. Comprising a foreword by Zainah Anwar, Musawah’s director, an introduction by the editors, and ten chapters from academics and activists of varied backgrounds, the book historicizes and problematizes the Islamic idea of qiwāmah (authority) and wilāyah (guardianship), among other legal patriarchal precepts. It successfully argues that the Islamic legal tradition with regards to gender roles rests on the false notion of male superiority. Men in Charge? carries immeasurable value for scholars and students of Islam, religion, women’s and gender studies, activists working toward gender- egalitarianism, and (Muslim) feminists seeking empowerment within a religious framework. It also speaks to reform leaders and lawmakers in Muslim states, who might better understand the fundamental assumptions upon which family laws operate and their disconnect from the reality that women and families face. The book’s major success lies in covering several important layers of the myth of male authority, from the theoretical gaps in the notions of qiwāmah, wilāyah, and istikhlāf to a practical examination of the impact of these legal principles and proposals for new and creative approaches for feminists to apply in their vision of a gender-egalitarian Islam. Men in Charge? can be divided into two sections: (1) a theoretical discussion of the problems raised through fiqh rulings on gender and proposes new ways through which Muslim feminists can approach those problems and (2) an analysis of the established ideals’ practical impacts. Ziba Mir-Hosseini’s discussion in the first chapter, “Muslim Legal Tradition and the Challenge of Gender Equality,” effectively contextualizes the book’s broader discussion: What Muslim scholars did in the early twentieth century to challenge the legal tradition’s normative thought in an effort to move toward more democratic and egalitarian family systems. According to the ideas of the scholars from the past and those from the more modern period, there appears to be an inconsistency between the two groups’ understanding of “woman.” This suggests that the idea of woman is ...