Militant Femininities, ‘Enlightened Moderation,’ & the Global War on Terror

subtitle: Pakistan’s Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) Movement
The Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) movement came into international
visibility in 2007 when armed men, women and children occupied the
oldest mosque in Islamabad, refusing to surrender until
the Pakistani government met their demands. A notable
aspect of this movement was the emergence of militant
women activists affiliated with Jamia Hafsa the
women’s seminary affiliated with the Lal Masjid – who
participated in very public forms of protest to demand
new systems of governance premised on a purist interpretation
of Islam. This presentation will illuminate the
ways that these religious femininities engage, challenge,
and intervene in hegemonic discourses surrounding
the Global War on Terror.

Dr. Khanum Shaikh is a University of California
Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow for 2010-2012 in
the Department of History at UCSB.

Directions:The Orfalea Center is located in the detached
ground-level wing of offices on the left just outside the
main Ocean Road entrance to Robertson Gymnasium.

hm 10/15/11