The Forgotten Queens of Islam Fatima Mernissi Translated by Mary Jo Lakeland		$20.00 Paper ISBN: 0-8166-2439-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-8166-2439-3
The essential work about women in Islamic history. When Benazir Bhutto became prime minister of Pakistan in 1988, many claimed that it was a blasphemous assault on Islamic tradition since no Muslim state, critics alleged, had ever been governed by a woman. But Fatima Mernissi examined fifteen centuries of Islamic history and discovered that the critics were wrong. Recovering the stories of fifteen Islamic queens, this remarkable exploration tells how they ascended the throne, how they governed and exercised their power, and how their forgotten reigns influence the ways in which politics is practiced in Islam today. "Fatima Mernissi is regarded by many as the greatest living Koranic scholar. In her inspiring book, she gives a glimpse of how one might escape a narrow dogma of a political creed." —Vanity Fair "Mernissi's writing is intellectually relevant both to her own people and to others because of her thorough explanations and fascinating stories about each queen. An unusual piece of detective work. Reasoned, informative, respectful, and groundbreaking." —Belles Lettres “If the battle for the soul of Islam ends up being won by the moderates, the victory will in no small measure have been secured by women. The noted Moroccan scholar Fatima Mernissi has been challenging the fundamentalist version of Islam for decades.” —First Things "In The Forgotten Queens of Islam, a short and very readable volume, Fatima Mernissi, perhaps the best known writer on woman and Islam, establishes a historical foundation for women's political independence. A very clear and useful discussion, providing a concise but thoroughly accessible hermeneutics of Arabic and Koranic terminology. The material presented is clear and interesting, and it should enlighten [those] who are inclined to make broad and unqualified generalizations about the role of women in Islamic political history. A valuable introduction to Mernissi's perspective." —Journal of World History "Mernissi's breathtaking investigation challenges both contemporary fundamentalist Islamic opposition to women in the public sphere and one-dimensional Western representations of Muslim women as completely lacking in agency. Essential not only for those interested in the history of Islam, but also for all those committed to contextualizing women's history and to multiculturalizing feminist discourse." —Ella Shohat "A brilliant achievement of feminist historical archaeology. With wit and apparent ease, Mernissi leads us through the intricacies of the language, history, and culture of Islam, right up to the tensions between Islamic tradition and modern democracy in contemporary Islamic states." —Susanne Kappeler Fatima Mernissi teaches sociology at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. She is the author of numerous books, including Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society (1987). 238 pages | 1997 Contents: Introduction: Was Benazir Bhutto the First? Part I: Queens and Courtesans How Does One Say "Queen" in Islam? The Caliph and the Queen The jawari or Revolution in the Harem Khayzuran: Courtesan or Head of State? Part II: Sovereignty in Islam The Criteria of Sovereignty in Islam Fifteen Queens Part III: The Arab Queens The Shi'ite Dynasty of Yemen The Little Queens of Sheba The Lady of Cairo Conclusion: The Medina Democracy