Gender & Legal Personhood in Hanafi law by Dr Saadia Yacoob

With gender being a central theme of the discussion, Dr. Yacoob began by positioning her presentation in the milieu of gender in Islamic law,  and particularly from the Hanafi School. The presentation explored the idea of intersectional identities to ask the question about how much of what is seen as gender-related law, is actually informed exclusively by gender as the identity marker. Dr. Yacoob argued that it is often other aspects of a female subject’s identity that cause certain laws to apply.  

These other identity markers may include the woman’s position in a  family unit, her freedom, her age and other social positions. In her closing arguments, Dr. Yacoob included the idea that viewing Islam and  Islamic law, through the lens of gender, was partly a colonial imposition. The presentation resulted in a vibrant question and answer  session among the virtual seminars attendees