Riffat Hassan
Encyclopedia
Riffat Hassan is a Pakistani-American theologian and a leading Islamic feminist scholar of the Qur'an
.
, England, where she studied English and philosophy
. She received her Ph.D.
from Durham University
in 1968 for her thesis on Muhammad Iqbal
, who she has written about frequently.
She taught at the University of Punjab at Lahore from 1966 to 1967 and worked in Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from 1969 to 1972. In 1972, she immigrated to the United States
with her daughter. She has taught at schools including Oklahoma State University and Harvard University
, and is currently a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Louisville
.
of human rights," prescribing human rights and equality for all, while the inequality of women in many Muslim societies
today is due to cultural effects. Hassan claims the Qur'an upholds rights to life, respect, justice, freedom, knowledge, sustenance, work, and privacy, among others.
She supports a non-rigid interpretation of the Qur'an, arguing that while it is the word of God, words can have different meanings, so there are theoretically countless possible meanings of the Qur'an. She believes the meaning of the Qur'an should be determined through hermeneutics, examination of what its words meant at the time it was written. She also speaks of an "ethical criterion" that rejects the use of the Qu'ran to perpetrate injustice, because the God of Islam is just.
Hassan supports abortion rights and access to contraceptives for Muslim women, saying that the Qur'an does not directly address contraceptives, but that Islam's religious and ethical framework leads to the conclusion that family planning should be a fundamental right. She says a review of Muslim jurisprudence indicates that abortion has been considered acceptable within the first 120 days of pregnancy, when the fetus has not yet been ensouled
.
In February 1999, she founded The International Network for the Rights of Female Victims of Violence in Pakistan, which works against honor killings. She has argued that honor killings are a distortion of Islam, and in fact that the whole idea of women being inferior is a result of the incorrect belief among Muslims that Eve
was created from Adam's rib; in fact, in the Islamic creation story, they were created at the same time.
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
.
Early life and career
Hassan was born in Lahore, Pakistan to an upper-class Sayid Muslim family. Her grandfather was Hakim Ahmed Shuja', a Pakistani poet, writer and playwright. She lived a comfortable childhood, but was affected by the conflict between her father's traditional views and her mother's nonconformism. For most of her life, she hated her father's traditionalism because of his views of sex roles, but she later came to appreciate it because of his kindness and compassion. She attended Cathedral High School, an Anglican missionary school, and later St. Mary's College at Durham UniversityDurham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, England, where she studied English and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. She received her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
in 1968 for her thesis on Muhammad Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
, who she has written about frequently.
She taught at the University of Punjab at Lahore from 1966 to 1967 and worked in Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from 1969 to 1972. In 1972, she immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with her daughter. She has taught at schools including Oklahoma State University and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and is currently a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
.
Theology and activism
Hassan's theology is an example of Progressive Islam; she was one of the first to accept the Islamic feminist label. She says the Qur'an is the "Magna CartaMagna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
of human rights," prescribing human rights and equality for all, while the inequality of women in many Muslim societies
Muslim society
Muslim society #3 - Terrorist grouping of the Wahhabism stream, operating in Russia. This is on the account of members committing a grouping explosions of apartment houses in Moscow and Volgodonsk in 1999 , 2 acts of terrorism in the Moscow underground in 2004 , acts of terrorism in Krasnodar ,...
today is due to cultural effects. Hassan claims the Qur'an upholds rights to life, respect, justice, freedom, knowledge, sustenance, work, and privacy, among others.
She supports a non-rigid interpretation of the Qur'an, arguing that while it is the word of God, words can have different meanings, so there are theoretically countless possible meanings of the Qur'an. She believes the meaning of the Qur'an should be determined through hermeneutics, examination of what its words meant at the time it was written. She also speaks of an "ethical criterion" that rejects the use of the Qu'ran to perpetrate injustice, because the God of Islam is just.
Hassan supports abortion rights and access to contraceptives for Muslim women, saying that the Qur'an does not directly address contraceptives, but that Islam's religious and ethical framework leads to the conclusion that family planning should be a fundamental right. She says a review of Muslim jurisprudence indicates that abortion has been considered acceptable within the first 120 days of pregnancy, when the fetus has not yet been ensouled
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
.
In February 1999, she founded The International Network for the Rights of Female Victims of Violence in Pakistan, which works against honor killings. She has argued that honor killings are a distortion of Islam, and in fact that the whole idea of women being inferior is a result of the incorrect belief among Muslims that Eve
Eve (Bible)
Eve was, according to the creation of Abrahamic religions, the first woman created by God...
was created from Adam's rib; in fact, in the Islamic creation story, they were created at the same time.