TY  - BOOK
AU  - D'Souza,Diane
TI  - Partners of Zaynab: a gendered perspective of Shia Muslim faith 
T2  - Studies in comparative religion
SN  - 9781611173789
AV  - BP194.2 .D76 2013eb
U1  - 297.8/2082 23
PY  - 2013///]
CY  - Columbia, South Carolina
PB  - University of South Carolina Press
KW  - Shīʿah
KW  - Customs and practices
KW  - Doctrines
KW  - Women in Islam
KW  - Women
KW  - Religious aspects
KW  - Islam
KW  - Chiisme
KW  - Coutumes et pratiques
KW  - Femmes dans l'islam
KW  - RELIGION
KW  - General
KW  - bisacsh
KW  - Shi'a
KW  - Shīʻah
KW  - fast
N1  - Includes bibliographical references and index; Foundations of Shia faith -- A sacred community space -- Remembrance gatherings -- The female face of religious leadership -- The alamʻa symbol of presence -- Rituals of intercession and blessing
N2  - How do pious Shia Muslim women nurture and sustain their religious lives? How do their experiences and beliefs differ from or overlap with those of men? What do gender-based religious roles and interactions reveal about the Shia Muslim faith? In Partners of Zaynab, Diane D'Souza presents a rich ethnography of urban Shia women in India, exploring women's devotional lives through the lens of religious narrative, sacred space, ritual performance, leadership, and iconic symbols. Religious scholars have tended to devalue women's religious expressions, confining them to the periphery of a male-centered ritual world. This viewpoint often assumes that women's ritual behaviors are the unsophisticated product of limited education and experience and even a less developed female nature. By illuminating vibrant female narratives within Shia religious teachings, the fascinating history of a shrine led by women, the contemporary lives of dynamic female preachers, and women's popular prayers and rituals of petition, Partners of Zaynab demonstrates that the religious lives of women are not a flawed approximation of male-defined norms and behaviors, but a vigorous, authentic affirmation of faith within the religious mainstream. D'Souza questions the distinction between normative and popular religious behavior, arguing that such a categorization not only isolates and devalues female ritual expressions, but also weakens our understanding of religion as a whole. Partners of Zaynab offers a compelling glimpse of Muslim faith and practice and a more complete understanding of the interplay of gender within Shia Islam
UR  - https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=750179
ER  -