Joyce Antler’s Women’s Liberation and Jewish Feminism after 1968: Multiple Pathways to Gender Equality is a great historically enthusiastic Jewish Feminist who self-identified as Jewish and saw themselves as ‘radical’ and their movement as ‘radical feminist’ in the USA, especially northern. The author greatly acknowledges the movement history of “the Jewish 1968” and credited the second-wave feminist activists which are the precious cornerstones of Jewish feminist history.
Overcoming the opposition, ignorance, disgrace, and restructuring of society and culture to continue the Jewish feminist movement is a very impressive and exemplary movement for other conservative religious societies. The communal movement for “communal change” and the achievement that creating new rituals, texts, art, and revitalized music, egalitarian language into prayer books, Passover Haggadahs, and liturgy, and introduced new notions of God and Torah with feminist perspectives, (p.48) are astonishing works of the Jewish feminists. It is witnessing that God is participating, intervening, and proving what is the truth and accurate ways of His will and religion. Swallowing all the oppression, submitting, and waiting for God’s timing to change the patriarchal society, instead of doing any movement is meaningless and walking in a dream.
The article of Ruth Roded, Jewish and Islamic Religious Feminist Exegesis of the Sacred Books: Adam, Woman, and Gender is a research work on the process of 1970s and 1980s of the Jewish and Islamic Feminist re-interpretation of the Hebrew text Gen. 3:16, “he shall rule over you”, and Qur’an 4:34, “Men are in charge of women.” The woman-friendly Feminist movement of Jewish and Islam to neutralize a foundation stone of patriarchy – the creation of the first woman after the man, from him, and for him, (p.60) is excellent to define, interpret, discern, and upgrade, the real meaning of the two texts by new creative study strategies.
The long and process history of pen-dispute, re-interpretation, argumentation, and re-reading, of the two creation stories from the Jewish and Islam Feminists’ perspectives will not be ceased until when both male believers from Jewish and Islam accept and acknowledge that the Sacred books are decorated and dominated by the patriarchal ideologies through traditionally and practically. One optimistic and invaluable fact for Feminists is that Feminists will innovate, try, research, and put more energy to reach the goal of gender egalitarianism among believers, and a lot of smart Feminists theologians will appear more in the future.
Mitzi Smith’s chapter three Race, Gender, and the Politics of “Sass” is reading Mark 7:24-30 through a womanist lens of intersectionality and inter(con)textuality by comparing the tragic event of Sandra Bland 28 years old black female activist who suicide in Waller County jail cell on July 10, 2015. Her death was blamed and argued that it was because of her audacity to sass or talk back to a police officer instead of insulting her race, gender, and class. The author’s exegetical interpretation of Mark 7:24-30 by highlighting the Syrophoenician Woman’s sass or talk back to Jesus as a resistance language, a contextual, a subversive mother tongue (p.19), as a foreigner, a female, and a mother of a demon-possessed daughter, (p. 21).
Because of her sassy words, the Syrophoenician Woman got joy and received a blissful future for her daughter, because of her sassy words, the Syrophoenician Woman changed the mind of Jesus and also the system, ideology, traditions, culture, and mindsets of the Jewish people who were around her. But because of her sassy words, the 28 years old black female activist was hanged by herself. Why was Jesus, a male leader, but why not the police officer, a male leader, too? It is very sure that until there has no egalitarianism, no equal rights concerning, race, sex, class, and so on, between women and men, the act of sass, and talking back will be much stronger than before.
Isasi Diaz, chapter 12, A Mujerista Christological Understanding is redefining the concepts of Christology from the context of Hispanas/Latinas. For them, Christology is praxis – the fullness of life, personal relationship with God, and membership in God’s family. The author expands the metaphors of God’s kingdom with the Hispanas/ Latinas’ understanding of the kin-dom of God which is the central and most important institution in life, a true sense of home exists, a sense of belonging, and is safe to be and become fully oneself, (p.249).
With the strong background doctrine of Catholicism, linking women’s love, reverence, and commitment to the picture of lady Guadalupe is powerful and supportive of the Mujerista Feminist movement. It is one of the huge paths to go out from the dominance of patriarchy.
The article, Women and Religion: Portrayal of Women in Christianity and Islam discusses and presents women’s roles, positions, and status in Christianity and Islam focusing on the creation stories of the Hebrew Bible and comparing the Qur’an prophetic words and Muslim empirical life. The article is concise and uncovers the actual condition and status of women in Christianity and Islam. Hope brighter and more secure future life for women of Muslim.