The present paper is a discussion of the dual analytical perspectives that can be applied to the issue of (contemporary) interpretive activities: Whether to underline the obstacles that prevent Muslim women from transgressing from more domestic and semi-public spaces into the public sphere; or to throw more light on the opportunities women have both seized, and to some extent fashioned, in order to have their voices heard in the formulation of contemporary Islamic theology. The Bosnian material presented in this paper gives arguments to both perspectives; and, perhaps most importantly, both these perspectives are used by women when defining arguments for various strategies of how to move on when the claiming the right to religious leadership.
The examples of Muslim women in the lead of religious activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina provided in this paper come with an emphasis on collective rather than individual leadership. The conditions for Muslim women's religious activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina have radically changed during the last 20 years, but for reasons different than in most other parts of the Muslim world. Experiences of authoritarian secularization campaigns during the communist era and the aftermath of the war on the Balkans in the 1990s have made 'the religion issue' a tense one. The close link between identity politics and ethnicity defined in religious terms leaves little space for any public theological interpretation that challenges religious convention; theological statements are - or are supposed to be - part of political agendas.
The specific case presented in the paper comes from a formal organisation with the explicit primary aim to support women in their family roles by means of education and personal development. The activities are not directed toward rituals or piety, but are instead carefully stated by the organisation to be focused on values and life-style. Instead of using mosques and formal teaching premises the organisation has successfully established a multi-functional meeting ground where leadership duties are distributed among several women with and without formal Islamic education. This draws attention to the many forms of collective leadership among Muslim women and how comparatively complex interpretations of faith and canonical texts can take the shape of community counselling.
Religious Studies/Theology