notions of female authority in modern shi’i thought在现代释u201c思想观念的女性权威.pdfVIP

Religions 2011, 2, 449-468; doi:10.3390/rel2030449 OPEN ACCESS religions ISSN 2077-1444 /journal/religions Article Notions of Female Authority in Modern Shi’iThought Mona Tajali Department of Humanities, Concordia University, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1M8, Canada; E-Mail: mtajali@alcor.concordia.ca; Tel.: +1-514-660-0920 Received: 22 August 2011; in revisedform: 8 September 2011 / Accepted: 20 September 2011 / Published: 22 September 2011 Abstract: The dominant Shi‟igender discourse has undergone major shifts in recent years, resulting in revisions of various jurisprudential rulings on women‟s rights and status. Among such shifts, there have been rulings on female authority, particularly women‟sright to access political decision-making positions. Despite being a controversial topic that has historically faced much clerical debate and disagreement, in recent years a number of reformist clerics have argued in favor of women‟sleadership, which is considered a radical departure from the conventional stance. While there are a number of reasons that have contributed to these modernist clerical views in recent years, I argue that the most significant is women‟s demands and mobilization for reform of misogynist Shari„a-based laws. Through reference to clerical gender discourses unfolding in Iran, a Shi‟istate, this work will shed light onto the modernist clerical discourses that resulted from women‟s strategic and organized pressuring for enha