A Case Study of Women Branches of Islamist Parties; Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and AK Party Turkey

Abstract

This thesis examines Islamist women's political activism in the late 2010s and early 2020s in Pakistan's Jamaat Islami in comparison with women from the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Jamaat Islami serves as the main case study, while the AK Party serves as a comparison group to help identify what is distinctive in the experiences of Jamaat Islami women and what is shared across various Islamist movements. This thesis uses a range of qualitative methods from gender studies to examine the voices of Islamist women within these groups. It mainly draws upon interviews conducted between 2018 and 2020 with women members, male party officials, and academics providing valuable firsthand insights into Islamist political groups. By analysing interviews and data gathered from observing group meetings in the broader context of historical discourses and party documents, the study examines the conception of ideal femininity within these two Islamist parties, investigates why women choose to join conservative parties that might restrict their freedom, and considers the role of conservative political engagement within a diverse feminist landscape. Through these three themes, the thesis delves into the possibilities and limitations Muslim women in these parties face in the contemporary time. The central argument of the thesis is that Islamist women in Pakistan and Turkey, during the 2010s and 2020s, continue to find meaning and agency by actively supporting conservative political groups within the framework of gender hierarchy. By capturing the voices and perspectives of individuals involved with these groups, the study demonstrates that trends identified in the earlier studies on Islamist women in the 2000s have grown stronger. The thesis highlights that Islamist political groups in Pakistan and Turkey negotiate rather than resolve tensions between quests for women's greater empowerment and social pressures to maintain gender hierarchies. In this study, despite the socio-cultural differences between Pakistan and Turkey and their varying state-religion relationships, commonalities in the notions of ideal femininity and the motivations for women's participation in Islamist political parties have emerged. The study establishes that the examination of the ideal woman in different cultural and political contexts reveals striking similarities between JI and AKP, suggesting a convergence in Islamist ideologies that transcends national boundaries, and raises intriguing questions about the persistence of shared features despite Turkey's history of secularization and Pakistan's history of Islamization and resistance to colonial modernity. The motivation behind women's involvement in Islamist political groups is driven by a variety of factors, including the opportunity to strengthen social and familial bonds, access new educational and social avenues, pursue moral ideals, engage in a socially acceptable form of modernity, and advocate for women's well-being. However, this engagement comes with an implicit expectation to uphold patriarchal structures in exchange for these opportunities. The study also highlights the potential for considering this work within the framework of Islamist feminism, despite the rejection of feminist identity by women activists in both parties. Notably, women in the Jamaat Islami party in Pakistan experience a higher degree of freedom and autonomy compared to their counterparts in Turkey, shedding light on the nuanced dynamics within these political movements. Show more