Voices from Shia Imami Ismaili Nizari Muslim women: Reflections from Canada on past and present gendered roles in Islam

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of women within the Canadian Ismaili Muslim community. Among the mosaic of cultural backgrounds that characterize Islam, are the voices of women within the Ismaili Tariqah from the South Asian, Central Asian and Middle Eastern Traditions. Highlighting historical accounts of prominent Ismaili women, particularly from the Fatimid era and through the guidance of Fatimid Imam-Caliphs, enables us to understand how women within this milieu envisioned their own role. In turn, this sheds light on the nature of the role of Ismaili women today. The ethical framework of the Imamate Institutions, inspired by the Qur'an itself, places importance on meritocracy regardless of gender and cultural background, thereby enabling women to envision their role from a nuanced perspective. This allows the Ismaili woman to see her role not so much as rooted to a past as much as a lived and dynamic experience within a particular context, bringing fluidity to faith, practice and communal engagement.