Zara Faris

The full video of my debate with two feminist activists – a barrister and magazine editor who argued that everyone should identify as feminist – is now up! The debate motion “Is it wrong not to identify as feminist?” was decided by audience voting before and after (where the winner is the side that manages … Continue reading →

Adapted from a lecture delivered at Cheadle Mosque (Manchester, UK) in February 2018. The Prophet (ﷺ) clearly commanded us to ensure that we do not prevent women from coming to the masjid. However the limited attendance of women (and men) in today’s masajid (mosques) is actually the sign of a deeper and more fundamental problem … Continue reading →

The following paper was first delivered in Frankfurt (Germany) at Goethe University’s conference: “Horizons of Islamic Theology” convened in 2014 by the Centre for Islamic Studies (Zentrum für Islamische Studien). The panel was entitled ‘Feminist Theology – Islamic Feminism – Muslim Feminism’, and I was asked to present on the title, “Do Muslims Need a … Continue reading →

The #MeToo campaign, secular liberalism, and the problem of sexual harassment Groundhog day I was not going to write about the #MeToo campaign. The hashtag at first seemed to bring catharsis for some women and men speaking about their sexual harassment traumas openly (although reliving trauma on social media was itself traumatic for some). Predictably, … Continue reading →

Here is a video excerpt from the full debate refuting the claim that religion, or an interpretation of religion, leads to terrorism. I then discuss the real ideology that actually justifies terrorism in its name. (This video is an excerpt from the iERA organised debate ‘Is Islam the solution or cause of Extremism?’)

Following the exciting debate, This House Believes That Shari’ah Law is Fairer than English Law, between Zara Faris alongside Abdullah Al-Andalusi for the motion, and Adrienne Page QC and a retired Judge against the motion – following which the motion, “This House Believes That Shari’ah Law is Fairer than English Law” was WON on voter … Continue reading →

“Find them behind the veil where they hide themselves” The situation of the Muslim woman, and particularly the wearing of the veil, has persistently been used through recent history as the “theme of action” by those working to intellectually subdue Muslim communities. In colonial Egypt, British colonial officials specifically cited the veil and treatment of … Continue reading →

by Zara Huda Faris “As to women, as many, if not more than men, are to be seen in the streets [i.e. going about their daily activities, etc] […] I think I never saw a country where women may enjoy so much liberty, and free from all reproach, as in Turkey […] The Turks in … Continue reading →

‘Do Women Need Power?’ It is commonly claimed by feminists that women need economic or political power in order to safeguard the interests of women, but this call to “empower” women is a highly misguided one that is propagated by feminists under the guise of justice. The feminist call for power is not really about … Continue reading →

Here is my lecture on why Islam prescribes the ‘hijab’ for Muslim women. In this lecture, I discussed how society perceives women in the West, and how this has impacted women’s perception of themselves. I also discussed how the solutions that Islam posits by way of ‘hijab’, and other facets of its social system, are … Continue reading →