| dc.description.abstract | This bachelor thesis aims to critically analyse the contributions of the Islamist
women’s movement to women’s empowerment in the occupied Palestinian
territories (oPt) within an intersectional framework. In order to understand the
ideologies, motivations and intentions of Palestinian Islamist movements, one
must examine their development within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. By analysing how the conflict affects the social, economic and political
factors which Palestinians are subject to, one might come to understand why
the Islamist movement – particularly, Hamas – has gained such momentum
over the past decades. Moreover, by taking the historical and political context
into account when studying the evolution of the Islamist women’s movement
in the oPt, the relevance of their contribution to women’s rights and gender
discourse can be revealed. Since the struggle for women’s rights is usually
viewed within a Western feminist frame, the achievements and interests of
non-Western women are often overshadowed or underrepresented.
Furthermore, the intersecting patriarchal and colonial power structures and
the ongoing conflict have limited women activists’ abilities to advance their
position within society. Lastly, this research aims to problematise the notion
that Islamist women are tools in the hands of men that propagate their own
oppression and lack the agency to make their own decisions. | |
