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Kecia Ali | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 (age 53–54) |
| Education | BAStanford University, MA, PhDDuke University |
| Occupation | Scholar of Islam |
| Website | bu |
Kecia Ali (born 1972) is an American scholar of Islam who focuses on the study ofIslamic jurisprudence, ethics, women and gender, and biography.[1] She is currently a professor of religion atBoston University.[2] She previously worked withBrandeis University's Feminist Sexual Ethics Project,[3] presided over the Society for the Study of Muslim Ethics and was a research associate and postdoctoral fellow at Brandeis University andHarvard Divinity School.[1]
Ali received her BA atStanford University in History and Feminist Studies in 1993. Then, in 2000, she received her M.A. in Religion and in 2002 her Ph.D. in Religion both atDuke University. She converted to Islam while in college.[2]
Ali has written relating to the topic of marriage, womanhood, and their connection with, and development alongside, Islam.[4] She is sensitive to the way theWestern World perceives women in Islam and says that in Islamic studies "Issues of gender are very much on everybody's minds."[5]
Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith, and Jurisprudence was called a "challenging contribution" to Islamic history byComparative Islamic Studies.[6][7] Ali talks about controversial topics such as marriage, divorce, sex, concubinage, same-sex intimacy, and much more.[7]
Ali has since published an anniversary addition ofSexual Ethics and Islam. This 2016 edition supplements the existing chapters with a Coda to further expand on topics previously addressed.[7]
Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam was called a "meticulous, pellucid, authoritative and very focused survey of early Islamic marriage law" by theJournal of the American Academy of Religion.[8] TheJournal of Law & Religion callsMarriage and Slavery a "valuable contribution to the fields of legal, historical and gender studies."[9]The Lives of Muhammad was reviewed favorably byPublishers Weekly.[2]
Her major works include:
