When patriarchy brings credibility
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I find it interesting in the Morales reading that many women-led groups such as PIEDAD and LALMA had to rely on the guidance and teaching of male (arabic-speaking) scholars to not only lead their educational programs but to also add credibility to their cause. I wonder which groups within the Muslim community would have judged the employment of female scholars or of less “traditional” ones. Would critiques have come from the Arab Muslims in California? Would they have come from non-Muslim Latine communities?
I also think it is interesting to see how patriarchal or sexist practices can sometimes be in service of women (unfortunately). Had these groups employed other scholars to teach new Muslims about Islam, the success of their groups would’ve been much less likely.
As for the Cook reading, I thought it was quite egregious of people to be accusing others of being Muslim and using circumcision as proof. Specifically, my issue is less with circumcision and more with the fact that someone took note of another’s genitalia and cared enough to bring it to court as evidence of some immoral beliefs that went against Spanish values.
(I am not attempting to evaluate the sexist/patriarchal practices within Islam, and I don’t think I have the credentials that would make any of my comments relevant or needed, these are only observations)