Table Of Content‘TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY
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| BF Barbara Frum
me
Jewish, Christian,
& Muslim Feminists
on Why We Stay
edited by
Gina Messina-Dysert, Jennifer Zobair, & Amy Levin
Foreword by Judith Plaskow, Rosemary Radford Ruether, & Amina Wadud
rave & powerful examination of observance & empowerment.”
iM BIALIK, EMMY-NOMINATED ACTOR, ‘THE BIG BANG THEORY’
“What a brave and Rt Rane of observance and empower-
ment; of living within boundaries and embracing the possibilities they
reveal. The importance of appreciating the challenges and simultaneous
beauty of living inside of a system of observance cannot be overempha-
sized. This compilation does all of that and more”
-Mayim Bialik, Emmy-nominated actor, “The Big Bang Theory”
“One after another these Faithful Feminists from Abrahamic traditions
tell of their journey through bias and discrimination to clarity and peace.
The struggle can come within religious traditions or in secular settings,
but all lead to a fuller understanding of fidelity in a complex world. In
their telling many of their stories mirror and nourish my own. I am
grateful for their bold willingness to share their insights and stimulate
my reflection giving rise to the certainty that we are all sisters in this
quest. Thank you!
-Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of
NETWORK and founder of Nuns on the Bus
“Faithfully Feminist is a must read for anyone eager to tear down biases
and stereotypes surrounding the loaded concepts of both religion and
feminism. This beautifully written anthology finally provides a loud and
clear voice for women who are proud to call themselves feminists and
believers, and serves as a wakeup call to those that believe feminism is
incompatible with religion. An inspiring book!”
-Shaheen Pasha, Assistant Professor of international
Journalism at University of Massachusetts-Amherst and
former reporter for Dow Jones, CNN and Thomson Reuters
“The stories shared in Faithfully Feminist paint for us the varied and
textured reality of women’s feminist expressions of faith in all their
complexity. They defy any claim to simple, dualistic perspectives of how
feminists should relate to patriarchal religious traditions. Life cannot
be so reduced. These women’s stories are a testimony to the vastness of
human strength and creativity and the transformation that is possible
at the intersection of feminisms and religions. These women speak for
themselves and we are the better if we received their gift and listen to
their voices.”
-Xochitl Alvizo, co-Founder of FeminismandReligion.com
“What brings one to faith and keeps one ‘faithful; especially in religious
communities that remain densely patriarchal? As the narratives in this
anthology attest, these are such ineffably personal questions that no
woman can answer them for another. Perhaps that is just as well since
it allows us to learn from each other's struggles how to be present to the
divine in our own distinctive ways.”
-Dr. Asma Barlas, Professor of Politics at Ithaca College
and author of “Believing Women’ in Islam: Unreading
Patriarchal Interpretations of the Quran
“Faithfully Feminist is a creative collage of witty, tantalizing, courageous,
honest, and provocative faith stories. The writers share from the sacred
places in the heart and urge us to answer the question, ‘why do we stay?’
Their diverse stories affirm that feminism is necessary to the faith and
practice of us all for we are all God’s people. These heartwarming stories
challenge the boundaries that patriarchal religions place on women and
celebrates the significance of listening and attending to women’s faith
voices.”
~Grace Ji-Sun Kim, author of The Grace of Sophia:
A Korean North American Women’s Christology
“This is a richly textured, intellectually and ethically challenging book—
especially for readers like me. As a religious traditionalist, I need to hear
these voices. I may not always want to hear them, but I need to hear
them. Their honesty, depth, commitment, and energy are compelling.
This book attests to the vitality of our several traditions and to the moral
integrity of the thinkers who work to stay within them”
-Alan Mittleman, Professor of Jewish Philosophy,
The Jewish Theological Seminary and author of
A Short History of Jewish Ethics
“In today’s world, expressing faith is often as contentious as claiming
feminism. Faithfully Feminist brings the two together like cinders in
a fire longing for oxygen. Sparks fly as Muslim, Jewish, and Christian
women invite us into their stories of standing up for their equality and
full humanity while deepen their faith. The diversities and continuities
of their experiences of the divine and commitment to their communities
ignite and illuminate faith and feminism in ways that enrich each tradi-
tion. Stunningly eloquent, powerfully honest, a must read!”
—Kate Ott, author of Sex + Faith
“Read this book—to plunge immediately into the world of why women
bother sticking with the worlds’ sexist religious traditions—because they
want to transform them! In the words of the savvy editors of Faithfully
Feminist, ‘to live a feminist and religious life is an art. . . it requires being
graceful and bold, cunning and creative. This is precisely what this strong
collection of writing is all about.”
-Laura Levitt, Professor of Religion, Jewish
Studies and Gender, Temple University
Digitized by the Internet Archive
In 2022 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/faithfullyfeminiOO00unse
taithtully
feminist
A Note about the I Speak for Myself series:
I Speak for Myself ° is an inclusive platform through which people
can make themselves heard and where everyone’s voice has a place.
ISFM*’s mission focuses on delivering one core product, a “narrative
collection,’ that is mindset-altering, inspiring, relatable, and teach-
able. We aim to deliver interfaith, intercultural titles that are narrow
in scope but rich in diversity. “
Please be sure to check out our website, www.ISpeakforMyself.
com, to learn more about the series, join the conversation, and even
create an I Speak for Myself ° book of your own!
Sincerely,
Zahra T. Suratwala and Maria M. Ebrahimji
Co-Founders, I Speak for Myself *
Books in the Series
Volume 1: I Speak for Myself: American Women on Being Muslim
Volume 2: American Men on Being Muslim: 45 American Men on
Being Muslim
Volume 3: Demanding Dignity: Young Voices from the Front Lines of
the Arab Revolutions
Volume 4: Talking Taboo: American Christian Women Get Frank
About Faith
Volume 5: Father Factor: American Christian Men on Fatherhood and
Faith
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| SREAK FOR MYSELF
faithtull
teminist
Jewish, Christian,
& Muslim Feminists
on Why We Stay
edited by
Gina Messina-Dysert, Jennifer Zobair, & Amy Levin
Foreword by Judith Plaskow, Rosemary Radford Ruether, & Amina Wadud
White Cloud Press
Ashland, Oregon
The views and opinions expressed by each contributing writer in this book are theirs alone
and do not necessarily represent those of the series’ editors or I Speak for Myself, Inc.
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2015 by I Speak for Myself, Inc. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever, including
graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any
information storage or retrieval system, without permissiofnr,om the publisher.
White Cloud Press books may be purchased for educational,
business, or sales promotional use. For information, please write:
Special Market Department
White Cloud Press
PO Box 3400
Ashland, OR 97520
Website: www.whitecloudpress.com
Cover and Interior Design by C Book Services
Printed in the United States of America
First edition: 2015
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Faithfully feminist : Jewish, Christian, and Muslim feminists on why we stay / edited by
Gina Messina-Dysert, Jennifer Zobair, and Amy Levin. -- First edition.
pages cm. -- (I speak for myself series ; 6)
ISBN 978-1-935952-48-0 (paperback)
1. Women and religion. 2. Feminism--Religious aspects. I. Messina-Dysert, Gina. II.
Zobaizr, Jennifer. III. Levin, Amy, 1986-
BL458.F36 2015
200.82--dc23
2015012985
MIX
Paper from
responsible sources
re FSC® C011935
