oa Antigone, Irony, and the Nation State: The Case of Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) and the Role of Militant Feminism in Pakistan

This paper seeks to elucidate how certain grass roots women’s movements in Third World countries are forced to make alternative alliances. The author discusses the issue of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) incidence in Pakistan to illustrate, how Muslim militant feminists have re-aligned themselves with the nation, state, and religion to justify their feminist identities. Through the case study of the Red Mosque in Pakistan and the militarization of the Jamia Hafsa feminists, Dr Rasheed discusses the problematic of engaging in a “radical Islamist” discourse when interpreting scenarios such as the Lal Masjid.