Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women

“The reason for my sleepless night lay in that desert town. I couldn’t check myself into a Saudi hotel room in the 1990s because thirteen hundred years earlier a Meccan named Muhammad had trouble with his wives.”

The juxtaposition of the speaker’s immediate discomfort (“my sleepless night”) with the distant past (“thirteen hundred years earlier a Meccan named Muhammad had trouble with his wives”) underscores the somewhat ironic connection between the two. This contrast amplifies the notion that the actions and teachings of historical figures, particularly those with religious significance, continue to shape the lives and choices of women in the modern Muslim world.

“I learned that one of the words for woman, hormah, comes from the same root as the words for both ‘holy, sacrosanct,’ and ‘sinful, forbidden.’ The word for mother, umm, is the root of the words for ‘source, nation, mercy, first principle, rich harvest; stupid, illiterate, parasite, weak of character, without opinion.’ In the beginning was the word, and the word, in Arabic, was magnificently ambiguous.”

The word “hormah” is symbolic of the dual nature of societal perception towards women, oscillating between reverence and restriction, sacredness and prohibition. This linguistic ambiguity reflects the societal ambiguity, where women are venerated in certain roles, such as motherhood or purity, yet constrained by numerous social and religious norms. Similarly, the word “umm,” while denoting “mother,” a term typically associated with nurturing and respect, also shares its root with words that carry significantly negative connotations. This juxtaposition within the linguistic framework symbolizes the contradictory expectations and evaluations of The Role of Women in Islamic Societies.

“Getting to the truth about hijab was a bit like wearing it: a matter of layers to be stripped away, a piece at a time. In the end, under all the concealing devices—the chador, jalabiya or abaya, the magneh, roosarie or shayla—was the body. And under all the talk about hijab freeing women from commercial or sexual exploitation, all the discussion of hijab’s potency as a political and revolutionary symbol of selfhood, was the body: the dangerous female body that somehow, in Muslim society, had been made to carry the heavy burden of male honor.”

The juxtaposition of the physical garment (chador, jalabiya, abaya) with the underlying philosophical and political discussions about hijab underscores the contrast between the visible, external representation of hijab and the internal, often contentious debates about its significance and implications. In reflecting on “the dangerous female body” and its connections to “male honor,” Brooks highlights how The Role of Women in Islamic Societies sometimes reflects patriarchal norms.

“Islam is one of the few religions to include sex as one of the rewards of the afterlife—although only for male believers. One of the Koran’s many descriptions of paradise reads like a brochure for a heavenly whorehouse. In a fertile garden with fountains and shade, male believers will be entertained by gorgeous supernatural beings with ‘complexions like rubies and pearls,’ whose eyes will be incapable of noticing another man, and ‘whom no man will have deflowered before them.’”

Imagery and allusion are employed to critique the gendered disparities in Islamic conceptions of paradise. The description of paradise as a “heavenly whorehouse” is a provocative metaphor that challenges consideration of the sensual and male-centric imagery used in some interpretations of the Quran. The detailed, almost luxurious description of the supernatural beings in paradise, contrasted with the exclusivity of their companionship (“whom no man will have deflowered before them”), underscores the gender imbalances and the objectification of women inherent in the vision Brooks presents of the Islamic afterlife.

“It is understandable that progressive Muslims hate to see their faith associated with these practices. But what is less understandable is the way they turn their wrath on the commentators criticizing the practices, and not on the crimes themselves.”

Brooks here emphasizes the disconnect between what is perceived as defending the faith and the moral imperative to condemn and address the crimes and injustices committed in its name. The passage also reflects The Diversity of Experiences Among Muslim Women, as Muslim women can range from very traditional in their approach to faith to having more radical views.

“Her religion, after all, was Islam—the Submission. It seemed to me that its rules had required her to submit to a lot.”

Brooks highlights the importance of submission in Islam, for both men and women, but implies here that there may be a gender imbalance in terms of which adherents face the most restrictions: In remarking that Islamic “rules” had required her interlocutor to “submit to a lot,” Brooks suggests that The Role of Women in Islamic Societies is often more limited and policed than that of men.

“Today, if you ask Sunni Muslims about Aisha, they will tell you she was the great love of Muhammad’s later life, a formidable teacher of Islam, a heroine in battle. But ask Shiites, and they will describe a jealous schemer who destroyed the prophet’s domestic peace, plotted against his daughter Fatima, spied on the household and fomented a tragic factional bloodletting that left the Muslim nation permanently divided.”

Antithesis is evident in the contrast between the Sunni and Shiite perspectives of Aisha. The Sunni view her as a beloved figure, a teacher, and a heroine, whereas the Shiite perspective paints her as a disruptor of peace and a schemer. This juxtaposition highlights the deeply divided interpretations of her character and her role in Islamic history.

“Repression of women was about to be legislated into the religion on a large scale by Abu Bakr’s successor as caliph, the violent misogynist Omar.”

Brooks here emphasizes The Impact of Politics and Society on Women’s Rights by recounting how what women can and cannot do is often reflective of the views of the religious authorities in a particular place and time. In this passage, the new caliph Omar represents a fresh “repression of women” due to his new legislation restricting their rights.

“The United Arab Emirates is a mirror image of Kuwait: rich, tiny, and tempting to tyrants.”

In calling the UAE “tempting to tyrants,” Brooks once more emphasizes how the government structures in the Middle East are often more authoritarian and restrictive than those of the Western world. Since women’s roles and status are directly impacted by how repressive a regime is, Brooks is always eager to stress The Impact of Politics and Society on Women’s Rights in the Islamic world.

“Before I went to the Middle East, I’d always found myself on the dovish side of every argument. Despite glaring evidence to the contrary (Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher) I believed that a world with more women in positions of power would be a more peaceful place.”

The juxtaposition of “dovish” beliefs against the examples of female leaders like Golda Meir and Margaret Thatcher challenges Brooks’s preconceived notion that female leadership inherently leads to more peaceful governance. This admission is not just a revelation but also an acknowledgment of the complexities and contradictions that define political power, irrespective of gender.

“The ancient trade routes of Arabia are potholed highways now. The groaning strings of camels that Muhammad led for Khadija from coastal port to inland fortress are gone as well. Instead, trucks thud and grind from Aqaba to Mecca through a miasma of diesel and dust. What passes for an oasis these days is a gray concrete truck stop, innocent of a palm tree or even a blade of grass.”

The transformation of Arabia from a land of “ancient trade routes” to “potholed highways” encapsulates the tension between tradition and progress, underscoring the cost of modernity on cultural heritage and the natural environment.

“Between the lines, what had happened was clear. The queen’s Western values had been at war with Zaid Rifai’s authoritarianism. The riots had proved the queen right and Rifai wrong. Rifai was gone; the queen wasn’t going anywhere.”

This passage speaks about the resistance to Queen Noor of Jordan’s “Western values” offered by some of the religious authorities in the country—in this instance, Zaid Rifai. Queen Noor’s power and influence in the face of more conservative pushback illustrates The Diversity of Experiences Among Muslim Women.

“The struggle went on, but it went on in the open. And the weapons were words, not bombs or gunshots or mass arrests. To me, it was clear that much of the credit for that transformation belonged to a woman.”

The metaphorical use of “weapons were words” elevates the power of dialogue and discourse over violence, indicating a more civilized and humane approach to conflict resolution. Brooks’s acknowledgment of Queen Noor’s significant role in this transformation is a testament to the influence and impact of her leadership.

“Was this, then, the logical end to the ideals of segregation? A profound rejection of the opposite sex?”

Brooks questions the practices of gender segregation, suggesting that these strict norms may lead to a “rejection of the opposite sex” in spite of Islamic teaching’s preference for marriage and sexual pleasure within marriage.

“For these women, Hamas’s view of women was laughable. And since they couldn’t hear the appeal of such views themselves, they were deaf to the appeal they held for their students.”

The women, presumably educated and liberated, initially find the conservative views of the Palestinian authority Hamas comical and out of touch. However, the irony lies in their own obliviousness to the influence and appeal these views have on others, reflecting how The Impact of Politics and Society on Women’s Rights might soon be felt in their own lives.

“Like most Westerners, I always imagined the future as an inevitably brighter place, where a kind of moral geology will have eroded the cruel edges of past and present wrongs. But in Gaza and Saudi Arabia, what I saw gave me a different view. From there, the future is a place that looks darker every day.”

Brooks’s idealistic vision of the future is contrasted with the observed reality in Gaza and Saudi Arabia, where the outlook is increasingly bleak for women’s rights. This juxtaposition effectively captures the disparity between idealism and reality, while also raising questions about what does or does not constitute progress in the eyes of other cultures.

“If a woman transgressed a rule of dress or segregation, the mutawain would take the matter up with her husband, father or brother—the ‘responsible male’ deemed to be in charge of her—in the manner of a school principal dealing with a recalcitrant child. Women of all ages are infantilized by the Saudi system.”

A simile compares the treatment of women who violate dress or segregation rules in Saudi Arabia to a school principal dealing with a “recalcitrant child.” This comparison illustrates the paternalistic nature of the society, where women, regardless of their age, are treated as minors requiring supervision and discipline by a male guardian. This passage reflects The Impact of Politics and Society on Women’s Rights, as what women are allowed to do can vary widely between Middle Eastern countries.

“Saudi Arabia is the extreme. Why dwell on the extreme, when it would be just as easy to write about a Muslim country such as Turkey, led by a woman, where one in six judges is a woman, and one in every thirty private companies has a woman manager?”

Brooks highlights here The Diversity of Experiences Among Muslim Women in the Islamic world, challenging the tendency to generalize based on the most conservative examples, which are not always representative of the Islamic world as a whole. The contrast between the extremes of Saudi Arabia and the more progressive Turkey serve as examples of the wide spectrum of women’s roles and rights within different Muslim societies.

“For most of their lives, this had been the meaning of politics for the women of Kurdistan: a dangerous and possibly deadly activity that led to places like the stained mattress, or the airless, feces-smeared cells tunneled through the earth beneath it.”

This passage reflects The Impact of Politics and Society on Women’s Rights, reflecting how times of political instability or war can impact women. Here, the women of Kurdistan experience politics as something dangerous, contrasting with the more regulated and stable political experience of women as citizens elsewhere in the Islamic world.

“As a girl I’d learned the profoundly unnatural movements of Western ballet, whose aim was to make the body seem as insubstantial as air.”

Brooks contrasts the “unnatural movements” of the Western ballet tradition with the more fluid and sensual movements of Egyptian belly dancing, suggesting that the traditional Middle Eastern dance form is a more naturalized celebration of women’s femininity and sensuality. In spotlighting the tradition of belly dancing, Brooks also gestures towards The Diversity of Experiences Among Muslim Women in terms of self-expression and artistry.

“In Egypt it seemed unlikely that a dour, fun-denying fundamentalism could ever really take hold for very long. The Egyptians seemed too much like the Italians: they’d listen politely to the Pope, but they’d still manage to put a porn star into Parliament.”

A simile and cultural references are used to draw a comparison between Egyptians and Italians, highlighting a shared tendency towards a certain jovial irreverence towards more fundamentalist beliefs. The phrase “listen politely to the Pope” suggests a superficial compliance with religious or moral authority, while the juxtaposition of this image with the notion of electing a “porn star into Parliament” illustrates a contrast between public piety and private, or even public, nonconformity.

“I have learned to live by the rhythm of other people’s prayers.”

Brooks speaks here of cultural acclimatization and how religion can influence the day-to-day lives of Muslim women, reflecting The Impact of Politics and Society on Women’s Rights.

“Rushdie and I didn’t know, as we sat talking of these things, that the Egyptian writer Farag Foda lay dying, that same day, of gunshot wounds inflicted by Islamic Jihad in reprisal for his eloquent and often scathing critiques of religious extremism.”

Brooks recounts having a discussion with Salman Rushdie, a writer who was placed under a fatwa by an Iranian ayatollah after publishing his book The Satanic Verses. Their conversation about free speech in the Islamic world takes place while Farag Foda falls victim to religious extremists who kill him over his writing and outspoken views, emphasizing the ongoing tensions between artistic expression and religious fundamentalism in some parts of the Islamic world.