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Women's vows, roles and household ritual in a South Asian Muslim sect

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Title Women's vows, roles and household ritual in a South Asian Muslim sect
 
Creator GHADIALLY, R
 
Description This paper describes and analyzes a household group religious ritual among the Bohra women of the Ismai'li Shi'i sect of South Asian Muslims. Bohras are a Gujarati speaking, endogamous group involved principally in petty trading. The sea has a well-organized cleric class which oversees the spiritual and often temporal concerns of the sea members. Bohra women engage in a variety of religious gatherings and rituals that often involve the fulfillment or anticipated fulfillment of a vow. A commonly observed ritual, performed in the name of Fatema Zehra-the daughter of the prophet-and known as Mithi Sitabi, focuses around motherhood and the vows of marriage. This paper highlights the role of this ritual in validating women's traditional roles and women's culture within Bohra society. From the women's point of view, these gatherings serve not only a religious but also an important social function within the community. From the perspective of the cleric class, these rituals establish boundaries for the structure and content of the practice of women's ritual gatherings. As such, they are an instrument by which the community traditions are preserved, community cohesiveness reinforced and a unique Muslim sub-identity maintained. Through an analysis of such religious ceremonies, this paper comments on and draws `conclusions about some gender perceptions of religious practices. It discusses the Bohras' unique interpretation of the Sitabi as an example of both the diversity and homogeniety that exists in South Asian Muslim religious life.
 
Publisher EWHA WOMANS UNIV PRESS
 
Date 2011-07-29T19:33:36Z
2011-12-26T12:52:35Z
2011-12-27T05:38:55Z
2011-07-29T19:33:36Z
2011-12-26T12:52:35Z
2011-12-27T05:38:55Z
1998
 
Type Article
 
Identifier ASIAN JOURNAL OF WOMENS STUDIES, 4(2), 27-52
1225-9276
http://dspace.library.iitb.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10054/7805
http://hdl.handle.net/10054/7805
 
Language en