Revisiting Critiques of Orientalists On Selected Muslim Women Figures
Keywords:
Critique, Orientalist, Muslim Women, Islamic sources.Abstract
The enduring interest of Western orientalists in critiquing Islam, spanning decades and persisting today, manifests through their critical examination of the Quran, Prophetic hadith, and the character of the Prophet. Central to their discourse are inquiries into the portrayal and status of Muslim women figures, particularly those closely associated with the Prophet as his wives, and their potential implications for the authenticity and reliability of Islamic sources. This paper undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the arguments advanced by Western orientalists who contend that these women figures reveal inherent issues within Islam. Additionally, it seeks to refute these criticisms and evaluates the viewpoints of various scholars who champion the pivotal contributions of these women to the Islamic faith. Employing a qualitative approach, this study primarily relies on content analysis to scrutinize the arguments set forth by orientalists and, concurrently, to offer counterarguments substantiated by an extensive array of primary and secondary references. The findings obtained underscore the inconclusiveness and indecisiveness of orientalist criticism concerning Muslim women figures, asserting the prominence of these figures as a cornerstone in opposing the Quran and Hadith as the principal legal sources in Islam. It is argued that safeguarding the honour and dignity of Muslim women figures transcends feminist advocacy; rather, it serves as a fundamental means to debunk baseless contentions and affirm the authenticity of Islamic sources.
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