Dr Karen Bauer, Research Associate in the 河顎姻a稼ic Studies Unit at the IIS, presented at the Seventh Biennial Conference on held at . Dr Bauers paper, entitled Womens Testimony and the Re-Interpretability of the 河顎姻a稼, investigated a specific verse of the 河顎姻a稼Muslims believe that the Holy 河顎姻a稼 contains divine revelations to the Prophet Muhammed received in Mecca and Medina over a period of 23 years in the early 7th century CE. More, 2:282. According to Dr Bauer, this verse seems, at first glance, to be an unequivocal statement that two women should testify in the place of one man, and therefore that womens testimony is not equal to that of men.
Her paper explored the discourse on womens testimony in classical and modern commentaries and drew on interviews conducted by Dr Bauer in Iran and in Syria, and the texts of modern Egyptian thinkers, to speak about the modern discourse on whether womens testimony equals that of men.
Dr Bauer explained that the central question for modern interpreters is whether the common interpretation of this verse had to do with the social circumstances at the time of the advent of the 河顎姻a稼, or something intrinsic to womens nature that makes them unable to testify in certain circumstances.
Those interpreters who take the latter stance maintain that womens testimony is unequal to mens in certain circumstances, but those advocating the former stance, that the verse was revealed due to the social circumstances at the time of the 河顎姻a稼s advent, are open to reinterpreting the verse in the light of todays societal norms. The paper touched on two of the central questions for todays interpreters: the extent to which culture dictates interpretation and how one determines the limits of reinterpretation.
The conference series has a broad and interdisciplinary scope, bringing together papers representing a diverse range of areas and approaches within 河顎姻a稼ic studies.
Related Pages on the IIS Website:
- News Archive, 2009: Dr Karen Bauer Presents Paper on Tafsir and its Audience
- News Archive, 2010: 河顎姻a稼ic Studies Workshop: Theories and Methods in 河顎姻a稼 Commentaries
- News Archive, 2008: IIS Scholar presents at St. Johns College, Oxford University