Book review: Mahmood, Saba (2005) Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Politics of Piety is about the formation of Islamic female subjects in Cairo, Egypt. In this monograph, Saba Mahmood follows the lives of participants of a female mosque movement. Her informants attend weekly prayers and religious lessons at local mosques in a conscious effort at religious furtherance. The mosque movement emerged in recent decades as part of the larger Islamic Revival that has flourished in the Muslim world. In this setting, the Islamic Revival is articulated in opposition to imported Western values and Egyptian secular state. It is noteworthy that Islamic sentiment has grown in modern times. …show more content…
As the title suggests, the political character of the piety movement is of prominent interest. Chapter two is a detailed account of the mosque movement including its historical and political background. Throughout, the author demonstrates a familiarity with Arabic, Islamic scripture and concepts. In particular, the meaning of da’wa is invaluable to understanding the motivations and organisation of the piety movement. The term da’wa translating as call, invitation, appeal or summons, is related to da’iya. In this context da’iya denotes a religious teacher or better yet any person practicing …show more content…
For Mahmood’s informants, al-ḥayā’ is mandatory to achieving piety and is perfected through bodily acts including wearing the veil and adopting an inward disposition i.e. silent and submissive. What is first important to understand is that in Egyptian society liberal and traditional values are equally compelling and contradictory. As Mahmood points out, virtues like modesty and obedience have lessened in value in modern times. Mahmood elucidates on this point through a story about Abir and Jamel who had a marital dispute. Hitherto the mention of the domestic life of female mosque participants is absent from Mahmood’s analysis. As explained, Abir’s decision to adopt the full face and body veil (ḥijāb) went against her husband, Jamal’s wishes who would have preferred his wife to dress stylishly. This is problematic because women are traditionally expected to show obedience to their husbands. To quote Mahmood, “contradictions [are] posed by the conflicting demands of loyalty to God versus fidelity to one’s (sinful) husband” (184). Therein lies the paradox at the core of the piety movement which invariably extends beyond the family to workplaces, city streets, public transport, and so forth. Unfortunately, messier details such as this are mentioned only briefly and the fifth and final chapter finishes on a sort of
Politics of Piety is about the formation of Islamic female subjects in Cairo, Egypt. In this monograph, Saba Mahmood follows the lives of participants of a female mosque movement. Her informants attend weekly prayers and religious lessons at local mosques in a conscious effort at religious furtherance. The mosque movement emerged in recent decades as part of the larger Islamic Revival that has flourished in the Muslim world. In this setting, the Islamic Revival is articulated in opposition to imported Western values and Egyptian secular state. It is noteworthy that Islamic sentiment has grown in modern times. …show more content…
As the title suggests, the political character of the piety movement is of prominent interest. Chapter two is a detailed account of the mosque movement including its historical and political background. Throughout, the author demonstrates a familiarity with Arabic, Islamic scripture and concepts. In particular, the meaning of da’wa is invaluable to understanding the motivations and organisation of the piety movement. The term da’wa translating as call, invitation, appeal or summons, is related to da’iya. In this context da’iya denotes a religious teacher or better yet any person practicing …show more content…
For Mahmood’s informants, al-ḥayā’ is mandatory to achieving piety and is perfected through bodily acts including wearing the veil and adopting an inward disposition i.e. silent and submissive. What is first important to understand is that in Egyptian society liberal and traditional values are equally compelling and contradictory. As Mahmood points out, virtues like modesty and obedience have lessened in value in modern times. Mahmood elucidates on this point through a story about Abir and Jamel who had a marital dispute. Hitherto the mention of the domestic life of female mosque participants is absent from Mahmood’s analysis. As explained, Abir’s decision to adopt the full face and body veil (ḥijāb) went against her husband, Jamal’s wishes who would have preferred his wife to dress stylishly. This is problematic because women are traditionally expected to show obedience to their husbands. To quote Mahmood, “contradictions [are] posed by the conflicting demands of loyalty to God versus fidelity to one’s (sinful) husband” (184). Therein lies the paradox at the core of the piety movement which invariably extends beyond the family to workplaces, city streets, public transport, and so forth. Unfortunately, messier details such as this are mentioned only briefly and the fifth and final chapter finishes on a sort of