Ziba Mir-Hosseini

Foreword ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xxi
Note on Language xxiii
Introduction 3
Gender in Islam: The Need for Clarity 3
Perspectives on Women in Post-Revolutionary Iran 7
Narrative and Debate in Ethnographic Writing 10
Religious Authority and Knowledge in Post-Revolutionary Iran 11
Ethnography of Gender Debates in Qom: The Organization of the Book 17
PART ONE: THE TRADITIONALISTS: GENDER INEQUALITY 21
Introduction to Part One 23
One Women Ignored: Grand Ayatollah Madani 26
"The Way of Rulings on Marriage and Divorce" 30
"Newly Created Problems" 31
Ayatollah Madani in 1997 47
Two Women Politicized: Ayatollah Azari-Qomi 49
"Women's Image in the Islamic Order 51
"The Personality of Wooman in Comparison to Man" 58
"Duties of Wives and Husbands toward Each Other" 63
The "Culture of Hejab" 65
"Response to Your Questions" 71
Ayatollah Azari-Qomi in 1997 78
PART TWO: THE NEO-TRADITIONALISTS: GENDER BALANCE 81
Introduction to Part Two 83
Three Women Represented: Discussions with Payam-e Zan 86
The Discussion Begins 88
A Visit to the Shrine in Qom 110
Four Equality or Balance: Redefining Gender Notions in the Shari'a 112
The Second Session with Payam-e Zan 115
Five Women Reconsidered: Ayatollah Yusef Sane'i 144
Discussion with Ayatollah Sane'i 147
After the Meeting 168
Six Agreeing to Differ: Final Meeting with Payam-e Zan 170
The Final Session 172
A Second Visit to the Shrine 207
Payam-e Zan in 1997 208
PART THREE: THE MODERNISTS: TOWARD GENDER EQUALITY 211
Introduction to Part Three 213
Seven Challenges and Complicities: Abdolkarim Sorush and Gender 217
Sorush's Lectures on Women 222
Sorush in London 237
Eight Gender Equality and Islamic Jurisprudence: The Work of Hojjat ol-Eslam Sa'idzadeh 247
Sa'idzadeh in 1997 268
Conclusion 273
Glossary 281
Bibliographic Essay 283
Bibliography 287
Index 303