Women in the Perspective of The Haqqah Movement

Abstract

The Haqqah movement that emerged from the Naqshbandi order gave women a position they had not previously enjoyed in Kurdish society, as it worked to give them a completely different social and religious role than what was present in the prevailing social milieu. The status of women increased even more when the leaders of the movement allowed them to attend religious and social meetings and express their opinion on the various issues raised in these meetings. Then they reconsidered how girls are married off and women are treated as commodities to be bought and sold. Not only that, but they also gave women a place in the movement's religious affairs department. The movement worked to redefine some social values, helping to create a kind of gender equality and giving women belonging to the movement a stronger personality than their counterparts in traditional Kurdish society. On the other hand, social and religious actors in the Kurdish social milieu have criticized the movement and downplayed its social reforms, as a stark departure from the prevailing social traditions.