Female Scholarship Within the Community by Shahanaz Begum

This presentation looked at narratives dealing with the experiences  of female scholars within the Sunni Muslim community in the UK, with a focus on the South Asian community. The South Asian community is  responsible for setting up many of the traditional Islamic learning  institutions (darul ulums) in the UK for both male and female students.

Many  of these institutions will follow the same curriculum whereby students will study the same texts and subjects, yet female graduates often face greater challenges upon graduation. Often their education is questioned  and their opportunities to serve their communities are more limited.  This presentation highlighted some of those challenges through personal  narratives taken from various studies conducted in the UK. Finally, it called for greater community participation in creating a more accepting  space for female scholars and a more supportive community network so  that they are able to better serve their communities, and the community  is able to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.