Asma Barlas

Asma Barlas ( born in 1950 in Pakistan) is a Pakistani political and Islamic scholar. She is a professor at Ithaca College, New York. Barlas is considered as an Islamic feminist, although she rejects the term for themselves.

As Amina Wadud it starts from a fundamentally anti-patriarchal message of the Quran, which, however, in part because for centuries only men operated Koran exegesis, was buried and it is important to expose.

Work

In her book, " Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an ( University of Texas Press, 2002 ), she examines the thesis that the Koran is a patriarchal text, both in the sense of classical Patriarchatrsbegriffs ( rule of the father on the family ) and the extended concept of patriarchy ( the male domination over women ). Using the example of Abraham, who is considered the epitome of the Patriarch to feminists, it shows that the Koran turns straight against the rule of the fathers, by criticizing the assumption of ( polytheistic ) customs of the fathers. The Sacrifice of history interprets also anti-patriarchal, the father just could not decide freely about his son, but are governed by the ( alleged) divine will. Also the equality of God and man she looks refuted by the Quranic principle of incomparability of God. While the parents are to be treated with kindness, but it is does not require obedience and even insubordination required if obedience would be contrary to the divine commandments.