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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20120226T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20120226T180000
DTSTAMP:20260411T140534
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SUMMARY:Shahla Haeri on Women and Political Leadership in Muslim Societies
DESCRIPTION:Shahla Haeri\, a cultural anthropologist and a 2011-2012 CIRS Visiting Scholar\, gave a Focused Discussion titled\, “From Bilqis to Benazir: Women and Political Leadership in Muslim Societies” on February 26\, 2012. Haeri’s current research interests revolve around examining Muslim women in positions of power\, both past and present. \n \n \nHaeri began her talk by critiquing western media accounts of the Arab Spring that pondered the motivations compelling Muslim women to suddenly become active in politics. She pointed out that there was nothing sudden or unprecedented about Muslim women’s participation in the political domain as evidenced by the long and rich history of women in leadership roles. Haeri recounted the Judeo-Islamic story of the Queen of Sheba\, also known as Bilqis\, as one that is prominent in the Qur’an and favorably portrays the queen as a wise\, intelligent\, and caring ruler. The story of the Queen of Sheba shows that “the Queen’s gender is immaterial to her leadership and governance\, and gender politics plays no role in this Qur’anic story.” The story\, however\, has seldom played an important role in modern Muslim feminist discourse. “Given that this story permeates popular cultures and is explicitly specified in the Qur’an\, what has prevented Muslim women from appropriating the Queen’s model of leadership and actively participating in the political life of their societies?” Haeri mused. \n \n \nThe answer to this question\, she said\, can be found in the dynamics of an alleged hadith\, or prophetic saying\, and its patriarchal resonance in Muslim societies. The Prophet is reported to have said “those who entrust their affairs to women will never know prosperity.” In order to reconcile these two opposing narratives\, Haeri proposed juxtaposing the Qur’anic story that supports women’s political leadership with that of its reported condemnation in the hadith in order to determine the patriarchal and political machinations at work in undermining women in leadership roles. \n \n \nAs examples of Muslim women in power\, Haeri offered Raziya Sultan\, ruler of the medieval Mamluk dynasty in India; Benazir Bhutto\, the late Prime Minister of Pakistan who was democratically elected as leader of a highly conservative Muslim nation; and Ayesha\, the Prophet’s wife\, who led the “Battle of the Camel” against the reigning Caliph Ali. By examining the many historical examples of Muslim women in positions of power\, Haeri highlighted the religious ambivalence regarding Muslim women leaders rather than a categorical condemnation. Predominant patriarchal opposition\, she argued\, happens within a socio-political sphere\, rather than emanating primarily from the scripture. \n \n \nAll these women\, although hailing from different cultural traditions and historical periods\, shared a distinguished genealogical pedigree and had support from their powerful fathers or husbands. As Haeri explained\, “the patriarch’s support bestows power and prestige on the daughter\, facilitates her presence in the public domain\, and legitimates her political authority and activities\,” thus working to silence her detractors. Here lies what she has called “paradox of patriarchy.” While “history provides ample examples of fatal rivalries between the imperial fathers and coveting sons\, little is said on the political implications of the relationships between a patriarch and his daughter\, whom he may indeed favor over his sons who are in a structural position to dislodge the patriarch from his position of authority.” \n \n \nHaeri ended her discussion by noting that popular views against women in leadership were/are often emanating from patriarchal and political discourse\, and not necessarily from religious or scriptural dictates. “Aware of the hierarchy of the sources of authority in Islam – that between the Qur’anic revelations supporting women’s leadership and the alleged Prophetic hadith opposing it – religious authorities bide their time until an opportune moment arises to challenge the authority of a queen\, a sultan\, or a prime minister.” \n \n \nShahla Haeri is an Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology and the former director of Women’s Studies Program (2001-2010) at Boston University. Trained as a Cultural Anthropologist with specific focus on law and religion\, Haeri has conducted ethnographic research in Iran\, Pakistan\, and India. Her ongoing intellectual and academic interests converge on the evolving yet contentious relationship between religion/law\, gender\, and the state in the Muslim world in general\, and in Iran in particular. She is the author of Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage\, Mut’a\, in Iran (1989\, 2006 4th pt. Arabic Tr.13th printing 2010)\, and No Shame for the Sun: Lives of Professional Pakistani women (2002/2004). \n \n \nShe is the recipient of the 2011-2012 Visiting Fellowship at Georgetown University’s Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at Doha\, Qatar. She has been awarded several grants and postdoctoral fellowships\, including Henderson Senior Research Fellowships in the Humanities at Boston University (2008-2009)\, Women’s Studies in Religion Studies at Harvard Divinity School (Colorado Scholar; 2005-2006)\, Fulbright (1999-2000\, 2002-2003)\, St. Anthony’s College\, Oxford University (1996)\, American Institute of Pakistan Studies\, (1991-1992)\, Social Science Research Council (1987-1988)\, Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women\, Brown University (1986-1987)\, and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies\, Harvard University (1985-1986). \n \n \nDr. Haeri has produced a short video documentary (46 min.) entitled\, Mrs. President: Women and Political Leadership in Iran\, focusing on six women presidential contenders in Iran in 2001. This documentary is distributed by Films for Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com).  \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, Manager and Editor for CIRS Publications
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/shahla-haeri-women-and-political-leadership-muslim-societies/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Race & Society,Regional Studies
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20120226T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20120226T180000
DTSTAMP:20260411T140534
CREATED:20141026T110335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210901T132537Z
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SUMMARY:Ambassador Larocco on the Gulf Looking East
DESCRIPTION:On February 26\, 2012\, CIRS hosted a Focused Discussion with Ambassador James Larocco Distinguished Professor and Director of the Near East South Asia Center at the National Defense University in Washington\, DC. The talk titled\, “The Gulf Looking East: Afghanistan\, Pakistan\, India\, and Iran\,” was supported by the United States embassy in Qatar. Citing full academic freedom\, Larocco gave his take on the Gulf’s relationship with its neighbors “from Marrakesh to Bangladesh.” He explained to the audience how representing a research center afforded him freedom from the official US diplomatic stance\, and that he was able to have frank conversations with Pakistani and Iranian authorities. \n \n \nThe Ambassador recounted his experiences as a diplomat in the Middle East. His interest in the region began in the 1970s and he has been a regular resident in the region for many years. Most recently\, Larocco described his role as that of an educator\, rather than an emissary of the US government. Describing\, the Near East South Asia Center\, he said that it is an institution that “was deliberately created to try to bring people together from this region to have serious dialogue\, to create communities of influence\, to eliminate misunderstandings\, and to – as much as possible – open minds.” There are currently over 3\,000 of the center’s alumni in leadership positions all over the world\, he said. In fact\, the alumni are so prevalent in politics\, that they constituted members of both the government as well as the opposition in a recent political dispute in the Maldives. \n \n \nThe current nexus of power in the Middle East\, the Ambassador said\, includes Turkey\, Saudi Arabia\, Iran\, and Israel – all of which exert tremendous amounts of hard and soft power\, and will continue to do so. Pakistan and Afghanistan\, Larocco said\, are in extremely difficult situations for which he did not see an immediate solution – although he suggested that Qatar’s diplomatic and economic efforts could play a leading role in the future of Pakistan. \n \n \nMoving further east\, the Ambassador said that he did not see China as a military threat\, but as a country that has grown powerful through commerce. China’s expansion “is strictly based on its mercantilist policy of securing economic interest because China has to produce 20 million jobs every year.” Much of the US government’s efforts in South Asia\, Larocco said\, have been established in order to contain the growing influence of China\, although this has never been acknowledged as official US policy. In the next few years\, people will notice that US policy\, as well as naval and military presence\, will shift towards South Asia\, he said. \n \n \nLarocco concluded by saying that “the Middle East\, for the most part in the United States\, is a problem to be worked with and to be endured\, whereas South Asia and the Asia Pacific region are considered the future for the policy of the United States”. In addition\, because of its strategic geographic location\, roughly 50% of all world trade passes through the Indian Ocean\, and so this also increases the challenges that will be faced in relation to maritime security. Because the local institutions and infrastructure are inadequately equipped to deal with the myriad future challenges\, including the increased threat of maritime piracy\, the Ambassador explained that “the Indian Ocean is going to be the focus of either conflict or cooperation.” \n \n \nRetired ambassador James Larocco joined the NESA Center as a distinguished professor in August 2009\, after serving more than 35 years as a diplomat. During the past 15 years\, he held key leadership assignments related to the Near East region\, including Director General of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO)\, 2004-2009; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East\, 2001-2004; U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait\, 1997-2001 and Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge D’Affaires in Tel Aviv\, 1993-1996. His earlier postings included assignments as Deputy Director of Afghanistan\, Pakistan and Bangladesh Affairs at the State Department in Washington and key positions in American embassies in Egypt\, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He left the Foreign Service with the personal rank of Career Minister\, which equates in U.S. military terms to Lieutenant General. During his career\, Ambassador Larocco received numerous awards\, including the Distinguished Service Award that was personally presented to him by then Secretary of State Colin Powell.  \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, Manager and Editor for CIRS Publications.
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/ambassador-larocco-gulf-looking-east/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Distingushed Lectures,Regional Studies
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