Why invite her here? Her voice is ʿawra
Vocal nudity debates and Muslim female preachers in northern Nigeria
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2103753 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rahina Muazu (Episcopal Divinity School, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 92 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 334-353 |
| Publication date | 2022-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Africa (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-9720 • E-ISSN: 1750-0184 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0001972022000286 |
| OpenAlex | W4283449895 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 24 |
This article analyses the debates surrounding the ʿawra (nudity or nakedness in Arabic) of the female voice - what I call here vocal nudity - and the public presence of the female voice in Nigeria. It focuses on the preaching activities of two Muslim female preachers, Malama Khadija Gambo Hawaja and Malama Dr Zahrau Muhammad Umar, who present tafsīr (Qurʾanic interpretation; Hausa: tafsīrin azumi) to the public during Ramadan and rose to prominence through the publicity of their audio and video sessions and fatwas offered to women. I discuss their interpretation of verse 33.32, the only verse that refers to the female voice in the Qurʾan, their understanding of vocal nudity, and how they use the interpretations to reshape the concept of a righteous woman (Hausa: mace ta gari) in twenty-first-century Muslim West Africa
Arabic · Archaeology · Hausa · Interpretation (philosophy · Islam · Linguistics · Political science · Publicity · Sociology · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Gender Studies · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Race, History, and American Society
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Body Covering and Body Image
The Voice in Women
Wrapping Authority
Muslim Modernity in Postcolonial Nigeria
Politics of Piety
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The Heritage of Islam
African women
Being and Becoming Hausa
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(Re)Turning to Proper Muslim Practice
Muslim Feminist, Media Sensation, and Religious Entrepreneur
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Distance learning from purdah in nineteenth-century northern Nigeria
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |