Dr. Susan Carland is an important public figure in the Australian landscape, especially at a time of heightened cultural intolerance. As an academic, a Muslim convert, and the wife of the most widely recognized Muslim in Australia today - journalist and TV presented Waleed Aly - Carland often finds herself in the role of the defender of Islamic faith in Australia. She has personally experienced two different (and currently clashing) cultures closely, has had the privilege of examining them from a social theory perspective, and is blessed with eloquence and charm. Who better to explain what is going on?
On the one hand, we keep hearing about and seeing evidence of the unequal treatment of women within Muslim communities the world over. On the other, we find that Muslim women are among the staunchest defenders of Islamic faith and community. So how are we to reconcile these two realities? And to what extent are regressive practices coded into Islamic religious texts?
Carland's recently published book Women, Faith and Sexism: Fighting Hislam is an attempt to grapple with these vexing questions - a condensed, reader-friendly version of her Ph.D. thesis on feminism within the West's Muslim communities. For her thesis, Carland interviewed 23 Muslim women who are fighting sexism and misogyny within Muslim communities in Australia and the United States. These interviewees include theologians, academics, journalists, bloggers, and activists. The book discusses their work, why they felt it was needed, the challenges they face, what role their faith plays in the fight, and who supports them.
Comment: Government should reform itself to keep its hands out of the public till, the contents of which were paid in advance by citizens and businesses that also pay taxes. Punishing the under-privileged and health-compromised is not the answer to Congressional allocations that create deficits.