Amina Wadud

Amina Wadud was born September 25, 1952 in Bethesda, Maryland. Her father was a Methodist minister and her mother descended from Muslim slaves of Arab, Berber and African ancestry dating back to the 8th Century. She is considered by many as a controversial Islamic feminist and scholar. She received her her B.S, from The University of Pennsylvania, between 1970 and 1975. In 1972 she pronounced shahadah and accepted Islam by choice, not knowing of her maternal ancestry. She received her M.A. in Near Eastern Studies and her Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, in 1988. During graduate school, she studied advanced Arabic in Egypt at the American University in Cairo, she studied Qur'anic studies and tafsir at Cairo University, and took a course in Philosophy at Al-Azhar University.

She is currently visiting Scholar at the Starr King School of the Ministry, Berkeley CA. She achieved Full Professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia, in 2007. She is now retired from there as of 2008. She joined VCU after a three year contract as Assistant Professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia, between 1989 and 1993. Wadud's research specialities include gender and Qur'anic studies. She wrote a book on the subject, "Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective". The first edition of the book, published by Fajar Bakti, an Oxford University Press Subsidiary in Malaysia while one of the founding members of Sisters in Islam in Malaysia continues to be used all over the world as a basic text for activists and academics alike.Fact|date=June 2007 After publishing her first book, she spoke at universities, grass roots level, government and non-government forum at various gatherings throughout the United States, Jordan, South Africa, Southern Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Belgium,Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sarajevo, Spain, Malaysia, France, Italy, and Germany.

Her latest book, "Inside the Gender Jihad: Women's Reform in Islam", was published in 2006. It not only continues her Qur'anic analysis but also provides extensive details about her experiences as as Muslim, wife, mother, sister, scholar and activist.

Friday Prayer

Wadud was the subject of much debate and Muslim juristic discourse after leading a Friday prayer (salat) of over 100 male and female Muslims in the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York on March 18, 2005, breaking with the tradition of having only male imams (prayer leaders). Three mosques had refused to host the service and the museum that had agreed to host it pulled out after a bomb threat. (The event was not the first time in the history of Islam that a woman had led the Friday prayer. See Women as imams for a discussion of the issue.)

In August 1994, Wadud delivered a Friday "khutbah" (sermon) on "Islam as Engaged Surrender" at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa. At the time, this was largely unheard of in the Muslim world. As a result, there were attempts in Virginia by some Muslims to have her removed from her position at Virginia Commonwealth University.

There has been objection and some support from Muslims around the world to Wadud's imamate. In spite of the criticism, Wadud has continued her speaking engagements, and has continued to lead mixed-gender Friday prayer services. On October 28, 2005, following her talk at the International Congress on Islamic Feminism in Barcelona, Spain, she was invited to lead a congregation of about thirty people.

The majority of the Islamic community, whether laymen and Islamic scholars, are opposed to the idea of women leading mixed gender congregations, but allow women to lead women only. [ [http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503549600 Are Women Too Inferior to Lead Men in Prayer? - IslamonLine.net - Ask The Scholar ] ] However, some jurists, such as the Iranian Shi'i jurist Mohsen Kadivar have espoused her view on the permissibility of female imams. It must be clarified, however, that most Shi'is do not agree with Kadivar's views.

Media appearance

She was interviewed on WNYC radio on July 14, 2006, to discuss her book "Inside the Gender Jihad". She responded to questions and comments about other activities including women in gender-mixed Friday prayer service.

References

ee also

* Asra Nomani
* Asma Barlas
* Women as imams

External links

* [http://www.has.vcu.edu/wld/faculty/wadud.html Virginia Commonwealth University faculty biography]
* [http://www.womenandspirituality.net/ Women and Spirituality]
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muslims/interviews/wadud.html Amina Wadud interview]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/regional/story/2005/03/050318_amina_friday_prayers.shtml Woman Imam, BBC Urdu page]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/miscellaneous/story/2005/03/050319_amina_wadud_overview.shtml Who is Dr Wadud (Urdu)?]
* [http://www.sunnipath.com/Resources/Questions/QA00002016.aspx More Qur'an-only Feminism]
* [http://webcast.rice.edu/speeches/20030331wadud.html Gender and Reform in Islam]
*Associated Press story: [http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/18/muslim.prayer.ap/ Woman leads Muslim prayer service] (CNN link)
*WNYC podcast of July 14, 2006 radio appearance:
* [http://feeds.wnyc.org/wnyc_bl] (index of podcasts)
* [http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=6805&CATE=3600 Dr. Amina Wadud and the Progressive Muslims: Some Reflections on Woman-Led Prayer Answered by Ustadha Zaynab Ansari - SunniPath Answers]
* [http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/d/ufaw_e.pdf An Innovation of Misguidance:Amina Wadud’s Unenlightened Feminism by GF Haddad (PDF)]
* [http://www.oneworld-publications.com/cgi-bin/cart2/commerce.cgi?pid=148&log_pid=yes]