Muslim women and religious authorities in the mass media in Malaysia
The issues of participation and contribution of Muslim women in public spheres have been widely discussed in the academic circles. Up to the present day, many Muslim women in patriarchal Islamic societies are still struggling to have a role in public life. On the other hand, in some parts of the M...
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2010
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/22732/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/22732/1/270-271.pdf |
| Summary: | The issues of participation and contribution of Muslim women in public spheres have been widely
discussed in the academic circles. Up to the present day, many Muslim women in patriarchal Islamic
societies are still struggling to have a role in public life. On the other hand, in some parts of the Muslim
world women enjoy a much better status. They are welcome to contribute to and actively engage in their
communities. This study will focus on Muslim women-preachers in contemporary Malaysia. The
emphasis is on their ideas and preaching as expressed in the mass media outlets. The three preachers
chosen for this study are: Dr. Sharifah Hayati Syed Ismail, a professor of Islamic studies at the National
University of Malaysia, Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood, a preacher and a motivator who owns a motivational
company, and Dr. Fatma al-Zahra, an Egyptian medical doctor who migrated to Malaysia. These
preachers have expressed religious responses and opinions to the masses through different media channels
such as the national television, printed newspapers, as well as magazines. Oftentimes, they are also
invited to give occasional lectures at the local and international mosques. The paper seeks to answer the
following questions: What are the issues that feature prominently in the lectures delivered by Muslim
women preachers?; Are their works and the issues they talk about only limited to the ‘women’ issues?;
What are the challenges that these female preachers face in doing their job?; Do they feel being
discriminated against?; What motivates them to engage in such work?; Are their views and opinions
accepted and valued by the general public?; Are their views accepted because of their religious
education?; Are their targeted groups mostly women? This study will analyze their works as expressed in
the television programs, newspaper columns and magazines, and lectures at the mosques. The researcher
will also conduct personal interviews with the female preachers. |
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