Open AccessWomen and Scriptures in the Arab World
Author(s) -
Hosn Abboud
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
al-raida
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2226-4841
pISSN - 0259-9953
DOI - 10.32380/alrj.v0i0.99
Subject(s) - oppression , interpretation (philosophy) , islam , context (archaeology) , religious studies , gender studies , sociology , judaism , subject (documents) , history , political science , politics , law , philosophy , linguistics , archaeology , library science , computer science
The subject of women and scriptures is very important, especially for Arab and Muslim women who are witnessing a phase of religious revivalism, which is keen on redefining Islam in many different ways. Moreover, to raise issues by women on women’s rights in the context of the Arab world opens the discussion for reform and for a new interpretation of religious symbolism, rituals, and traditions. Historically, the interpretation of sacred texts by male exegetes and theologians exclusively has contributed to the oppression of women and to their exclusion from sacred space. However, rising literacy and awareness of their rights have led Arab women to increasingly access scriptural knowledge. Since the 1970s, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim women including scholars, historians, literary critics, psychologists, feminist theologians, activists, and devout women attending to their rituals in the synagogue, the church, or the mosque, have studied the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Qur’an throughout the Arab world.