Search / Search Results Date Added to Site: 4th May 2006     Short Summary Title The Terms of Women’s Empowerment: Islamic Women Activists in Egypt Author Hafez, S. Publication Date September 2003 Publisher The American University in Cairo Press Volume Cairo Papers 24 Series 4 Short Summary How do Egyptian women find empowerment in Islamism when Islamists are traditionally perceived as the opposers of women's liberation? This study contends that rather than being dominated and oppressed, Islamic women are empowered as a result of their willing submission to higher levels of religious attainment. It focuses on Islamic women activists in Egypt who seek self-perfection as a means of gaining proximity to God. In the pursuit of this goal, they work to enhance the well-being of others so as to become better Muslims - organising training sessions for women, carrying out community projects, educating women in the skills necessary for employment. Through their activism, these women are entering public spheres once exclusively occupied by men and are highly aware that they are contesting male power. Yet for them, empowerment is based not on challenging male authority but from an inner satisfaction derived from helping others. From this perspective, empowerment is not a goal but a tool or method to reach a Muslim ideal. The language of most contemporary feminist scholarship is thus inadequate to describe the work of these women and the nature of their engagement with power. These Islamic women do not see themselves as free individuals who search for independence from unjust male control, but as deeply connected to each other, to the husband and the family, and ultimately to God. Their empowerment is sought through these connective relations rather than despite them. For a copy of this publication contact: The American University in Cairo Press, 113 Sharia Kasr el Aini Street, Cairo, EGYPT, Tel: +20 (0)2 797-6926, Fax:+20 (0)2 794-1440, E-Mail: aucpress@aucegypt.edu Summary Source adapted from author