I’ve written a commissioned article for The G-Blog on the present challenges of Muslim feminism in Malaysia and globally, linking it to wider structures of war, (post)-neoliberal economics, and the rise of alt-right political narratives. Excerpt: Situating Muslim feminism in the bigger picture Let’s face it, times are bad. Full-time and secure paid work are… Continue reading Post-liberal jihad: Muslim feminism during a time of cruelty and despair
Tag: Islam
Non-veiling and down-veiling narratives in Malaysia
Project statement in English It would be wise to establish that, in Malaysia, the dichotomy between the unveiled and veiled woman as oppositional and mutually exclusive is a reductive one, masking the shifting subjectivities of women who wish to unveil but cannot, women who remove the veil but choose to eventually re-veil, women who… Continue reading Non-veiling and down-veiling narratives in Malaysia
New column on the Malay Mail Online – Asal usul obsesi Melayu dengan tudung
For good reasons and bad, my article on the tudung was one of the most talked about pieces on gender, Islam, and feminism lately (social media metrics: 13,000 Facebook ‘Likes’, more than 6000 Facebook ‘shares’ and over 300 Twitter ‘tweets’). Piece is written in Bahasa Malaysia: Nampaknya perempuan yang tidak memakai tudung di Malaysia sudah… Continue reading New column on the Malay Mail Online – Asal usul obsesi Melayu dengan tudung
New essay on The New Inquiry
The New Inquiry has kindly published an essay I’ve written on Islamic astronomy, ritual, and outer space in their January issue on ‘Stars’. Here is an excerpt: Astrological and cosmological inquiry by medieval Muslim and Arabian scholars (that is, they wrote in Arabic) were concerned with the link that connected the earth and the night… Continue reading New essay on The New Inquiry
All singing and dancing – Islamic pop music in Indonesia
First published on The State Pop singers like Vidi Aldiano are nothing like the nasyid* groups, the more conventional all-male singers of Islamic ditties. Young, fresh-faced and nary a skullcap in sight, he dresses like any other young man in urban Indonesia in ubiquitous t-shirt and slim-fitting jeans. The music is like any other unoriginal… Continue reading All singing and dancing – Islamic pop music in Indonesia
The street as stage: Muslims participating in peaceful protests
While in Denmark and Indonesia this year, I found myself standing alongside people who took to the streets to demand the end of oppression against Muslims. In Copenhagen in late summer was a protest against the retainment of the Danish armed forces in Afghanistan. In Jakarta on Valentine’s Day feminist and Muslim activists and members… Continue reading The street as stage: Muslims participating in peaceful protests
Commodification of Islam in Malaysia: A postmodern condition
First published on New Mandala on 8 November 2012. At the World Halal Week held annually in Kuala Lumpur, you can purchase halal bone china, an exemplar of luxury and piety rolled into one. Malaysia is the leader in halal certification and a major promoter of the global halal industry. With markets saturated with a… Continue reading Commodification of Islam in Malaysia: A postmodern condition
Mainstreaming Islam in the Indonesian public sphere: Ummi Aminah as a case study
The film premiere of Aditya Gumay’s newest film, Ummi Aminah (Mother Aminah) in Jakarta last January 2012 was situated at the crossroads of events in Indonesian film industry. Prior to the screening of the film, the film director’s address to the audience expressed a plea to the public to consume locally-made films. As I write… Continue reading Mainstreaming Islam in the Indonesian public sphere: Ummi Aminah as a case study
Alicia Izharuddin 