Amina Wadud to speak in Philadelphia in March

The Luce Project is thrilled that we will be bringing Amina Wadud and Susannah Heschel to Philadelphia this March for an evening of dialogue concerning Women and Gender in Judaism and Islam.
In anticipation of this event, readers might want to check out this short documentary about Dr. Wadud.

"Gender struggles are at the very heart of reforming Islam today, and no one represents these struggles more powerfully, deeply, and passionately than Amina Wadud."
Omid Safi
Co-Chair, Study of Islam Section at the American Academy of Religion

The Noble Struggle of Amina Wadud

A film by Elli Safari

The Netherlands/US, 2007, 29 minutes, Color, VHS/DVD

On March 18, 2005, Amina Wadud shocked the Islamic world by leading a mixed-gender Friday prayer congregation in New York. THE NOBLE STRUGGLE OF AMINA WADUD is a fascinating and powerful portrait of this African-American Muslim woman who soon found herself the subject of much debate and Muslim juristic discourse. In defying 1400 years of Islamic tradition, her action caused global awareness of the struggle for women’s rights within Islam but also brought violence and death threats against her.

Filmmaker Safari follows this women’s rights activist and scholar around the world as she quietly but with utter conviction explains her analysis of Islam in the classroom, at conferences, in her home, and in the hair dresser’s shop. Wadud explains how Islam, with its promise of justice, appeals to the African American community. And she links the struggle for racial justice with the need for gender equality in Islam. Deeply engaging, this film offers rare insights into the powerful connections between Islam, women’s rights, and racial justice.

For more information, see http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c699.shtml