Heidi Nichols Haddad
Islamist (traditional), Islamic feminist (progressive), and secular and liberal/left in orientation
(secular). It is important to note that “progressive” neither implies Western notions of
secularism nor modernity. In this sense, progressive refers to a reinterpretation of women’s
rights within an Islamic context.
According to the traditionalist view, women are inferior due to their biological
differences from men. This does not mean that women do not have rights; adherents of this view
argue that women have many rights under Islam that are more important than equality, such as
the right of financial support for a wife and her children by her husband (Yuan 2005). In this
view, women are fulfilled by their roles as wives and mothers and their primary place is in the
household raising children, not in the workplace competing with men. This idea is exemplified
by Lemu’s (1976) interpretation of the rights and obligations of Muslim women:
The wife herself is responsible for the care of her home and the welfare of her
family. She may express her views and make her suggestions concerning all
matters, but the best role she can play is keeping the marital tie intact and strong,
is to recognize her husband as the person responsible for the running of the affairs
of the family, and thus to obey him even if his judgment is not acceptable to her,
in a particular matter, provided he does not go beyond the limits of Islam. This is
the meaning of obedience in the context of marriage in Islam. It is a recognition
of the role of the husband as the head of the family unit and the loyalty of both
husband and wife to a higher law, the Shari’a (18).
Wadud (2000) theorizes this traditional view of gender roles as mimicking the original
community founded by the Prophet at Madinah, which was based upon a Quranic ethos. Some
Muslims desire this literal regression to the Madinah because they see Islam as assaulted by
Western ways and want to preserve an authentic Muslim identity and practice. In this
community, “Women may be heavily veiled, including the face veil, and they are rarely called
upon to perform competitive public duties such as wage-earning employment outside the home.
In some cases, the women in the groups who adhere to this perspective may also fall below the
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Convention