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A review by aish_dols
A History of Islam in 21 Women by Hossein Kamaly
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
When I picked up this historical book, I had a different idea of what it’d be about. Or at least the women that would be highlighted. I thought I’d be reading about 21 female companions of the prophet PBUH. The first three chapters aided my belief; they were about Khadijah, Aisha & Fatima. The other 18 women? I’ve not heard of. I learnt from their lives, how they were not passive victims of circumstances and took on powerful roles in times when women were hated for speaking up. However I feel the selection of certain women were influenced by the author’s Shia-Islam
The political situations in their times (7th - 20th century) filled the book that one would have to make reference to it and not assimilate the information once. In short, it dragged the points. A lot about the Ottoman Empire and pre-Islamic Arabic customs show that Islam and people’s deviations are parallel; I had to question the decisions some women and men made when it came to killings in the case of Safiye Sultan and Pari Khanum.
Apart from the first three women, the stories of these women in particular drew me in and were written brilliantly: Nur Jahan, Nana Asmau, Halida Edip, Noor Inayat Khan, Mukhlisa Bubi, Zaha Hadid & the mathematical prowess, Maryam Mirzakhani.
I especially admire how several of these women were sold into slavery, or sent off to be concubines or mistresses for Sultans, Kings, Men in power, but fought their way into being more than that, balancing faith and intellect, putting effort to change the status quo of their societies. Many of these women, when their voices gained power, were brought down violently by men in their times. Either through murder or imprisonment or stripping them totally of their power.
The misogyny did not start today! History has evidences of these things! And the fact that many of these women were successful regardless of their circumstances because they chose to be active and do more than traditional roles is impressive and worthy of their names to be mentioned.
#AHistoryOfIslamin21women
The political situations in their times (7th - 20th century) filled the book that one would have to make reference to it and not assimilate the information once. In short, it dragged the points. A lot about the Ottoman Empire and pre-Islamic Arabic customs show that Islam and people’s deviations are parallel; I had to question the decisions some women and men made when it came to killings in the case of Safiye Sultan and Pari Khanum.
Apart from the first three women, the stories of these women in particular drew me in and were written brilliantly: Nur Jahan, Nana Asmau, Halida Edip, Noor Inayat Khan, Mukhlisa Bubi, Zaha Hadid & the mathematical prowess, Maryam Mirzakhani.
I especially admire how several of these women were sold into slavery, or sent off to be concubines or mistresses for Sultans, Kings, Men in power, but fought their way into being more than that, balancing faith and intellect, putting effort to change the status quo of their societies. Many of these women, when their voices gained power, were brought down violently by men in their times. Either through murder or imprisonment or stripping them totally of their power.
The misogyny did not start today! History has evidences of these things! And the fact that many of these women were successful regardless of their circumstances because they chose to be active and do more than traditional roles is impressive and worthy of their names to be mentioned.
#AHistoryOfIslamin21women