{"id":187782,"date":"2026-06-19T14:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=187782"},"modified":"2026-06-19T14:54:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:54:48","slug":"late-dr-zeenath-kausars-stance-on-womens-empowerment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=187782","title":{"rendered":"Late Dr Zeenath Kausar’s stance on Women’s Empowerment\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By, Daniya Afroz<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late Professor Zeenat Kausar\u2014who passed away on 15th March 2026\u2014was a distinguished scholar of International Islamic University Malaysia where she served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science from 1997 to 2006. She was the wife of Dr Mumtaz Ali, who currently serves as professor at IIUM. Her scholarship did not only encompass academic teachings but also significant contributions across various fields for the benefit the Muslim ummah. Her work focused on the critique of western civilization, gender studies\u2014particularly feminism and Islamic political thought. She has authored more than 20 books, delivered more than 30 international conference papers, published dozens of peer reviewed journal articles globally, and received multiple awards for her research and academic contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of her scholarly contributions is the article titled \u201cWomen\u2019s Empowerment in UN Documents neither a Safe Haven nor a Pandora\u2019s Box: Need for A Holistic Perspective,\u201d in which she examines the narrative set by UN to empower women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me first begin with a question \u2014 Is women\u2019s empowerment truly empowering women\u2026 or is it redefining them in ways<\/em> we have not fully questioned?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the very outset, Professor Zeenat makes her position clear. She does not reject women\u2019s empowerment. She supports women\u2019s development, dignity, and advancement. But her contribution lies in her critical examination of how this concept has been shaped \u2014 particularly by the United Nations. Her work focuses on the UN-promoted idea of women\u2019s empowerment, especially since the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action. While this framework appears progressive, Professor Zeenat argues that it is not neutral \u2014 it is constructed and directed through a specific lens, known as the gender perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the UN discourse, gender is not simply biological \u2014 it is seen as a social construct, where roles of men and women are defined by society rather than nature. At first, this may sound liberating. But Professor Zeenat urges us to look deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She argues that this perspective goes beyond challenging harmful stereotypes. It begins to question even natural and foundational institutions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Heterosexual marriage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The family structure<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 And even reproduction within marriage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this framework, all gender roles are often viewed as socially constructed \u2014 and therefore, something to be dismantled. This leads us to one of her strongest critiques:The UN-based concept of women\u2019s empowerment is built on a framework that overemphasizes equal power-sharing in all spheres, ignores meaningful gender differences, and most critically, undermines institutions like religion and family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Zeenat highlights that in many UN documents, religion and family are subtly \u2014 and sometimes explicitly \u2014 portrayed as barriers to women\u2019s empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she asks a crucial question: Can empowerment truly exist without moral and social foundations?<\/em> She argues that power alone is not enough. Power must be legitimized, guided, and restrained by institutions like religion and family. Without them, empowerment risks becoming directionless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another key contribution of her work is her critique of what she calls the \u201cpower-shifting model\u201d of empowerment. Most modern theories define empowerment as the ability to make choices, to gain control, and to challenge power structures. While this is important, Professor Zeenat points out that this approach often becomes a \u201ctit-for-tat\u201d solution \u2014 simply shifting power from one group to another. But empowerment, she argues, should not just be about who holds power. It should be about how power is used, and within what moral limits. However, Professor Zeenat does not stop at criticizing the gender perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also introduces another extreme \u2014 what she calls the patriarchal perspective. This perspective, rooted in historical and cultural traditions, rigidly defines gender roles, placing women in subordinate positions both in family and society for e.g. restricting women\u2019s participation in public affairs. Professor Zeenat firmly rejects this perspective as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here lies the brilliance of her scholarship. She does not choose one extreme overthe other. Instead, she critiques both:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The gender perspective, which dissolves structure in the name of equality,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 And the patriarchal perspective, which suppresses women in the name of tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between these two extremes, she calls for a middle path \u2014 a moderate, balanced, and holistic approach to women\u2019s empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An approach that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Recognizes women\u2019s rights and capabilities,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Respects meaningful differences without turning them into inequalities,\u2022 And most importantly, restores the rightful place of religion and family as guiding institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She beautifully cautions us that women\u2019s empowerment should neither be seen as a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPandora\u2019s box\u201d \u2014 something dangerous to be feared, nor as a \u201cperfect solution\u201d \u2014 something blindly celebrated. Rather, it must be thoughtfully redefined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her concluding reflections, Professor Zeenat raises a powerful critique \u2014 about Western ethnocentrism, which imposes vision of viewing diverse cultures and civilizations through one lens. She reminds us of concepts like women\u2019s empowerment cannot be defined by a single worldview. A truly meaningful framework must be inclusive of cultural, religious, and social realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, Professor Zeenat\u2019s contribution to academia is not just a critique \u2014it is an intellectual intervention. She teaches us to question dominant narratives, avoid ideological extremes, and seek balance between progress and tradition with wisdom and integrity. Her work is a reminder that true empowerment is not just about gaining power \u2014 but about grounding it in purpose, ethics, and humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the works of Late Dr Zeenath Kausar reflected her lifelong commitment to meaningful scholarship. She was the best example of a Muslim woman \u2014 scholarly, intellectual, nurturing, and kind. May Allah (SWT) accept her efforts, to forgive her shortcomings, and grant her the highest place in Jannah. May her knowledge continue to benefit others as \u1e63adaqah j\u0101riyah<\/em>, and may we carry forward her legacy with sincerity and purpose.***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By, Daniya Afroz Late Professor Zeenat Kausar\u2014who passed away on 15th March 2026\u2014was a distinguished scholar of International Islamic University Malaysia where she served as… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":187784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,1,773,11,8,21],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[279,239],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7931317f-3470-44d1-80ce-0bfdb03a7100.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=187782"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187792,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187782\/revisions\/187792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/187784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=187782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=187782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=187782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}