Table Of ContentMuslim Women in Contemporary
North America
Muslim Women in Contemporary North America is a provocative study of how
strongly held and divergent opinions, values, and beliefs, as well as miscon-
ceptions, overgeneralizations, and political agendas pertaining to Muslim
women in the region, enter the public frame of reference.
Interrogating contested topics in a series of case studies from both Canada
and the United States, this book probes below the surface in pursuit of deeper
understanding and more productive dialogue. Chapters analyze controversies
over “clash” literature, dissident reformists, female religious leadership, veils,
and the nature of emancipation in a compelling examination of the ways
in which “Muslim,” “American,” and “Canadian” identities and values are
being defined, differentiated, and projected. By pinpointing both sources of
dissonance and unexpected patterns of resonance among complex, compos-
ite, and at times overlapping identity constellations, this book uncovers the
impact of controversies on broader cultural negotiations in the United States
and Canada.
Transforming controversy and cliché into genuine conversation, Muslim
Women in Contemporary North America is an invaluable resource for scholars
and students in the fields of Islamic and Muslim Studies, Gender Studies,
International Relations, Political Science, and Sociology.
Meena Sharify-Funk is Associate Professor of Religion and Culture at
Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada.
Muslim Women in Contemporary
North America
Controversies, Clichés, and Conversations
Meena Sharify-Funk
Designed cover image: HamidEbrahimi / Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Meena Sharify-Funk
The right of Meena Sharify-Funk to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sharify-Funk, Meena, author.
Title: Muslim women in contemporary North America : controversies,
clichés, and conversations / Meena Sharify-Funk.
Description: 1. | New York City : Routledge, 2022. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022028489 | ISBN 9780367356927 (hardback) | ISBN
9780367356897 (paperback) | ISBN 9780429341151 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Muslim women--North America--Social conditions--21st
century. | Muslim women--United States--Social conditions--21st century.
| Muslim women--Canada--Social conditions--21st century.
Classification: LCC HQ1170 .S4625 2022 | DDC
305.48/697097--dc23/eng/20220705
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022028489
ISBN: 978-0-367-35692-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-35689-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-34115-1 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9780429341151
Typeset in Bembo
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
To my parents, Nancy Olga Sharify and
Majdeddin Sharify-Hosseini, who taught me that
differences expand our horizons, and that love
knows no boundaries. I am eternally grateful to
both of you.
“Between hearts there is no separation…”
Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction 1
1 Mapping the Terrain of Muslim Women in 21st Century
North America 9
2 Living the Dialogical: Negotiating Identity and Meaning 38
3 Pervasive Anxiety about Islam and Muslims:
“Clash Literature” in North America 72
4 Dissidence, Dissonance, and the Politics of Muslim Women’s
Emancipation 100
5 Muslim Women Prayer Leadership and Gendered
Sacred Space 144
6 Veil Controversies: The Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion 177
Conclusion: The Muslim Woman 207
Index 219
Acknowledgments
Resilient is a wonderful word to describe the many women in my life who
have inspired me to remember the goodness and beauty as well as wonder
that are present within this precious world, even in times of difficulty. In
particular, my grandmothers, Olga Borghill Moen Bragee and Mohtaram
Zaman Javadi, and my mother, Nancy Olga Sharify, and my mother-in-law,
Jan Kay Potter – all have been amazing role models. I offer deep reverence
to their ways of wisdom, care, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and love. I am
grateful for all the positive attributes they have modeled for me, qualities
which provided life lessons from which I have gleaned and upon which I have
leaned during these challenging, pandemic times of uncertainty and anxiety
as well as throughout my life.
I also would like to acknowledge a variety of individuals to whom I am
genuinely indebted for their enduring support, unending patience, and kind
understanding. First, I would like to thank the incredible staff at Routledge
Publishers: Ceri McLardy, Iman Hakimi, Alison Macfarlane, Rebecca
Clintworth, Emma Yuan, and Amy Doffegnies. Each in their own way
helped this book come to fruition and I am grateful for their unwavering
assistance throughout the writing and publishing processes.
Friendship and collegiality are essential to any creative process, and I owe
deep appreciation to those who have accompanied and inspired me while
working on this project. To all my colleagues in the Department of Religion
and Culture and the Muslim Studies Option at Wilfrid Laurier University as
well as the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo,
it is an honor to work with all of you and I thank you for all that you do to
maintain a collaborative and intellectually dynamic space within the acad-
emy – my professional “home away from home.”
Over the years, I have gleaned from the support of brilliant research assis-
tants who have helped me to explore the nuances of specific case studies
about Muslim women in North America: Deborah Birkett, Judith Ellen
Brunton, Munira Haddad, and Christina Woolner. I thank each of them for
stimulating conversations and collaborations. For this book, Elysia Guzik was
Acknowledgments ix
essential, and I am beholden to her for meticulous research, editorial assis-
tance, and, most of all, great friendship.
My unending gratitude goes out to dear sisters of the heart around the
world, including Margarita, Judy, Karuna, Hamil, Shahrzad, Shobhana,
Brandi, Betsy, and Ayse. Your ways of being and friendships inspire me to
mind my heart and remember the greater aspects of life. I also would like to
extend this spirit of gratitude to Rory for all the rich and ongoing existential
and intellectual dialogues about life, the academy, and Islamic thought and
identity.
My deepest gratitude goes to my soulmate and best friend, Nathan C.
Funk. There are few words that can express what you mean to me. One is
the Arabic word, baraka. It is a true blessing to be on this journey of life with
you and to witness your wisdom, grace, patience, and ways of peace. Lastly,
to Mikael Aziz, may this book remind you to constantly explore the depths
of this beautiful world and all its diversity. May you seek for the patterns of
connection and find inspiration in the unexpected. May you always be open
to the wonder that is in and all around you.
