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MEN IN CHARGE? A S E M I N A R

7 March 2015

Khalili Lecture Theatre, Philips Building, SOAS Thornhaugh St, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

Organised by Musawah; Faculty of Theology, Study of Religions Unit, University of Helsinki; Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL),

SOAS, University of London

Panellists and participants in this public seminar will discuss some of the main insights from Men in Charge? Rethinking Authority in Muslim Legal Tradition, the first output of Musawah’s Knowledge Building Initiative on Qiwamah and Wilayah. The book critically engages with two concepts in Muslim legal tradition: qiwamah, which generally denotes a husband’s authority over his wife, and wilayah, which refers to the right and duty of male family members to exercise guardianship over female members. The panelists, who are all contributors to the book, will trace how male dominance came to be inherent in the tradition, show how it is produced and sustained in contemporary times, and indicate how the tradition can be reformed in order to promote gender equality and justice.

Programme 9:30–10:00 Registration (and coffee/tea) 10:00–10:30 Welcome and Introduction Lynn Welchman, CIMEL, SOAS Mulki Al-Sharmani, University of Helsinki Zainah Anwar, Musawah 10:30–12:00 Rethinking Male Authority: Interpretive Tradition, Modern

Transformations, and Lived Realities Moderator: Hatoon Al-Fassi Ziba Mir-Hosseini – Why Qiwamah and Why Now? Mulki Al-Sharmani – Lived Realities of Qiwamah and Wilayah Amina Wadud – The Ethics of Tawhid over the Ethics of Qiwamah 12:00–14:00 Lunch Break (various cafés/restaurants near campus) 14:00–15:45 Male Authority and Family Relations: Laws, Norms, and

Practices

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Moderator: Annelies Moors

Lynn Welchman – Qiwamah as a Legal Postulate Marwa Sharafeldin – Islamic Law Meets Human Rights in Egypt Lena Larsen – Fatwas on Spousal Roles and Rights Mussurut Zia – Life Stories from the United Kingdom

15:45–16:15 Break (tea/coffee) 16:15–17:45 Reclaiming Islamic Ethics: Towards Egalitarian Gender

Relations Moderator: Amira El-Azhary Sonbol

Omaima Abou-Bakr (via Skype) – Qiwamah as an Exegetical Construct Ayesha S. Chaudhry – Guardianship (Wilayah) in Prophetic Practice Asma Lamrabet – Qur’anic Ethics and Women

17:45–18:00 Concluding Remarks Ziba Mir-Hosseini and Zainah Anwar, Musawah

Musawah is grateful for the generous support for this seminar provided by the Faculty of Theology, Study of Religions Unit, University of Helsinki;

Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law, SOAS, University of London; and UN Women MENA.

In addition, Musawah would like to thank the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ford Foundation, Oxfam Novib, and the Academy of Finland Project

‘Islamic Feminism: Tradition, Authority, and Hermeneutics’, Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki, for their generous support of the

Knowledge Building Initiative on Qiwamah and Wilayah.

A special acknowledgement goes out to Musawah Advocates in the UK, Muslim Women’s Network, for their continued support and collaboration in

Musawah projects and activities.

For inquiries, contact: musawah@musawah.org