A study of Medieval .. Debating Gender

This project is a combination of two studies submitted as MA papers within the program of Islamic Philosophy at the Freie University in Berlin.

Believing in the importance of the knowledge that the study of women along history can provide to people and scholars in general, but as well, women in particular. There is a real lack of knowledge on what took place in history along women’s lives. The historical narrative is patriarchal and has largely been documented by men and through men’s perspectives.

In the Middle East, where Islam forms a major essence of women’s structure in daily behaviors, and thus attitude and accomplishments (or lack of accomplishments), there seems to be a real gap of what women know and what women are taught to know. It is undoubtly, that what is delivered to women is the same that is delivered to all the society. Living inside a society that is strongly enrooted in history and religion, it is important to try to dismantle history from the different levels. Starting from the holiness related to this history and trying to bring it out with facts that are agreed upon through scholars that are still widely appreciated and followed.

This project is an attempt to shed the light on how women were perceived, treated, and valued along the specific history of golden Islam, through scholars, namely, al Ghazali, Ibn Rushd and Ibn Taymiya who are followed in their teachings in today’s Muslim societies.

The work consists of eight chapters (not including: outline, introduction, conclusion).
It comprises of approximately 30,000 words.