Muslim masculinities

What is the prescription of the Qur'an

Bibliographic Data

ID3609731
AuthorsZehra F Kabasakal Arat (0000-0003-1994-4223, University of Connecticut, corresponding author), Abdullah Hasan (University of Connecticut)
Year2018
Volume27
Issue7
Pages788-801
Publication date2018-10-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Gender Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0958-9236 • E-ISSN: 1465-3869
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09589236.2017.1316246
OpenAlexW2613527375
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited32

Orientalist art and literature have historically associated Islam with violence, but since the 1990s, this association gathered greater depth. Muslim men started to be stereotyped as terrorists, and various armed Muslim groups further cemented this stereotype. Although committing violence, for religion or other causes, is not limited to Muslim men, recent developments reinforced the popular notion that Islam encourages male violence. This paper examines the message of Muslim masculinities conveyed in the Qur’an – the sacred text that is regarded by Muslims as the word of God and as the highest authority for moral guidance. The content analysis of the Qur’an reveals at least five salient character traits that may be taken as prescriptions of masculinities. These traits – submissiveness, altruism, righteousness, steadfastness and combativeness – however, are not only overlapping but are also contradictory, depending on the institutional context in which the people are acting, as well as their religious status (e.g. prophet, believer, hypocrite, etc.). Thus, the message of the Qur’an is complex, and it can be put into practice properly only when it is examined and absorbed holistically

Buddhism · Islam · Orientalism · Political science · Righteousness · Salient · Sociology · Theology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · History · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence