Muslim Feminists and Transnational Networking in Asia: Upholding the Origin and Diaspora

Abstract

Globalization, with both its banes and boons, poses certain threats to the episteme of the religions across the globe. Islam is no exception in this connection especially when it comes to its practices and popular discourses on gender. The Muslim feminists, at a global level, should tend to secure a transcultural and diasporic identity while also maintaining their territorialized affiliations with their respective virtual centers. The ideal can be materialized through the notion of transnational networking while exploiting the modern means of communication. The authors, in this paper, tends to articulate that in face of the starkly exploding spirit of postmodernist simulacra characterizing the present-day world order, the Muslim feminists in Asia are supposed to uphold both their origin and diaspora on the parallel if they intend to sustain their essential identity as Muslims while also enjoying the citizenship of a world order which has become most globalized, challenging and kaleidoscopic today.

Keywords: globalization, transnational networking, simulacra, diaspora, Islam, feminism, Other