Figures du féminin en islam: Houria Abdelouahed on Women in Islam

In an interview with Jacqueline Caux, psychoanalyst Houria Abdelouahed discusses her book 'Figures du féminin en islam' (PUF), analyzing the nine exemplary wives of the Prophet Muhammad. She argues that Islam's origins included a strong erotic dimension, but later religious and social developments led to the subjugation of women. Abdelouahed examines figures like Khadija, Aisha, Zaynab, and Fatima, highlighting how their stories have been reinterpreted to control female sexuality. She contrasts Meccan verses focused on spiritual practice with Medinan verses that regulated social life, including the notorious 'beat them' verse (4:34). The interview also explores the story of Aisha's lost necklace, the prohibition of adoption after Muhammad's marriage to Zaynab, and the concept of the 'unmurdered father' in Islam. Abdelouahed, a Franco-Moroccan psychoanalyst and lecturer at Paris 7 University, calls for confronting the past to build a future. Jacqueline Caux is preparing a film on Arab female singers and musicians.