The role of Islam in Ṭāhar al-Ḥaddād’s feminist thought

Ṭāhar al-Ḥaddād (1899-1935), beginner of feminism in Tunisia, was a towering figure who dedicated his best known work to describing and criticizing the edging situation women in his country lived in, while offering his own views on what had to be done to stop gender inequality. Said work, Imra’tu-nā fī l-Šarīca wa-l-muŷtamac, became a major discussion topic in the society of his time and cost him several problems with al-Zaytuna, Tunisia’s biggest religious institution, even though al-Haddad’s theories come from a clearly religious background. Throughout this article we’ll study the role of Islamic faith in his thought via the analysis of the proposals offered in his book, searching for continuity and rupture with the Islamic tradition of his time.