Farhat Hashmi (Urdu: فرحت ہاشمی) (born December 22, 1957) is an Islamic scholar, preacher and muslim televangelist from Pakistan.^[1] She holds a PhD degree in Islamic studies from the University of Glasgow, Scotland and was formerly a lecturer and assistant professor at the Faculty of Usul-al-Din at International Islamic University, Islamabad.^[2][3] Hashmi founded Al-Huda International Welfare Foundation in 1994. The foundation started a number of schools to teach the Quran and Hadith to women in order to "help women become better observant muslims by helping them understand the Quran". The foundation now runs a network of schools, seminaries and social welfare projects.^[4][5][6] In 2004, the foundation established the Al-Huda Institute in Mississauga (Toronto area), Ontario, Canada. This institute offers courses on exegesis of the Quran and Hadith and attracts students from a number of foreign countries such as Australia. ^[7][8]

She has gained popularity as a feminist scholar both in Pakistan and abroad, as evidenced by crowds of up to ten thousand that attend her religious lessons, called "Dars". Most followers come from liberal, literate and modern backgrounds; and most are women.^[9][10] Her approach is Quran-centric, focused on allowing women to understand their daily lives by understanding the commandments of the Islamic Holy Book.^[11] She has stated that her mission is to bring a renewal in Islam, through better understanding of the core scriptures. In contrast to rigid and confrontational styles of proselytising, Hashmi has emphasized the need for her students to engage in voluntarily educating others through their examples. ^[12][13]

Early life and education

Farhat Hashmi was born in Sargodha, Punjab, on December 22,1957. Her father, Abdur Rehman Hashmi, was a Muslim scholar, and the local leader of the Jamaat e Islami.^[14] She was educated at a local school; then studied at the Government College for women Sargodha and ultimately completed her Masters degree in Arabic Language from the University of Punjab, Lahore. Her religious education occurred at her home where she was taught the tenets of Islam by her father. She married a fellow scholar of Hadith Muhammad Idrees Zubair and the couple took up posts of lecturers at the International Islamic University (IIU), Islamabad. Soon after they moved to Scotland where they enrolled in the doctorate programme of Islamic studies. During this time, they both travelled to Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.^[15]

Career

While teaching at the International Islamic University, Hashmi had started informal religious classes for women. Upon returning to Pakistan she launched Al-Huda International; a non-government welfare trust which seeks to educate women as to how they can interpret and then employ Islamic principles in their daily lives. The establishment of a progressive school purely for women, by a female Islamic scholar was seen by some as a direct response to large seminaries, which women had come to view as being regressive and highly politicised. ^[16][17] The curriculum at the school focused on Quran and its interpretation. The schools offer a range of courses aimed at both children and adults.^[18] Hashmi has been noted for her nontraditional style of teaching and original lectures which focus on feminism. She utilizes modern methods of teaching in her lectures and is multilingual in Urdu, Arabic and English, so her female students; a large of whom come from educated, urban families, are able to relate with her. ^{[19][18][20][21][22]}

Views

During a sermon, when asked by a woman what a wife should do if her husband was unwilling to help her destitute parents, Hashmi promptly quoted An-Nisa, 34 (Chapter Al Nisa, verse 34) of the Quran, arguing that the wife should comply with her husband's wishes, "no matter what, as he was her divinely appointed imam."^[23]

Hashmi has preached that Muslim women should let their husbands marry a second time so “other sisters can also benefit”. This saves men from having a non-marital relationship, which is forbidden according to the Quran.^[23]

According to Hashmi, women can touch and recite the Quran during their menstrual periods, wearing gloves (either when learning Quran from a teacher or teaching Quran to others), traditionally considered by some to be prohibited.^[24][25] Other scholars are supportive of her views. ^[26]

Hashmi encourages her followers to interpret the Qur'an for themselves supporting their views with strong evidence, but her critics argue that "Hashmi's talks center around personal and family development, rather than community service," instead of using their knowledge to improve their social conditions.^[27]

Media reception

One Canadian newspaper criticized her for being elitist and observed that the "moderate Muslims of Canada call her Wahhabi because of her unbending doctrines."^[28] Raheel Raza, writing in American Thinker on 8 November 2008, stated that she "is known for promoting a very conservative Islamic ideology that is based on Wahhabism. She is in favor of Sharia in Canada."^[29] However, she is against the Taliban, citing her own example as having traveled overseas to attain a PhD degree, something the Taliban views as inappropriate for women. ^[30]

Hashmi has also been featured in the yearly publication of "The Muslim 500 – The 500 Most Influential Muslims."^[31]

References

External links

• Official website
• Al Huda International Welfare Foundation