I found Kahf’s article really refreshing to read. I think we often get so focused on critiquing media representations of Islam and women that we forget to celebrate the good things; we spend so much time saying “Islam isn’t oppressive,” and stopping there, and the positive role of Islam in our lives doesn’t always get talked about. Or, you’ll see articles that talk about positive things in Islam, but only in opposition to the supposedly evil, immoral “West.” I really liked how Mohja Kahf talked about some of the things in her article, and really identified with her descriptions of prayer, prayer clothes and wudu.

I did think it was weird to focus so much on the scarves, but at the same time, I appreciated that she wrote about them in such a different way. We spend so much time speaking back to the media, saying “get over the scarf, it’s just an article of clothing,” and so I liked the way that she introduced the topic by talking about it AS just an article of clothing, in a really matter-of-fact way. I also liked how she spoke about wearing hijab as an extension of the scarf that she wears to pray, and bypasses the normal discussions about why people wear it.

A couple of the commenters here have talked about how Kahf’s understanding of the role of sex within Christianity might not be complete; I wonder if that’s a flaw that comes out in other aspects of her article as well, where she’s fighting against the common perception of Islam, but perhaps not interrogating her own perceptions of Christianity or (non-Muslim) Western society/laws? It would be interesting to see a Christian feminist response to it. I would also be curious to read similar articles by women of other faiths about their reflections on gender issues within their religions.