Political and popular tropes portray Muslims as monolithically, uniquely, and inherently patriarchal and misogynistic—a phenomenon of which Muslims are acutely aware. This study asks whether and how Islamophobic tropes influence Muslims’ gender ideologies. Using life history interviews with Muslim Americans, we find a diversity of gender beliefs, challenging the discourses that frame Muslims’ gender ideologies as monolithic. Four major typologies emerge in our data: Loyalist Complementarians, Patriarchal Reactionaries, Critical Egalitarians, and Reformist Egalitarians. These beliefs are multifaceted and are composed of a dialogic exchange between beliefs toward gender relations, perceptions of Islamic doctrine, and negotiation with what we call the Orientalist gaze. Each group navigates how their ideas about gender fit into or challenge a broader society that is scrutinizing Muslims, and each group articulates their gender beliefs through and against Islamophobic discourse, a process akin to walking an Orientalism tightrope.

中文翻译：

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走在东方主义的钢丝上：美国穆斯林如何构建他们的性别意识形态


政治和流行的比喻将穆斯林描绘成铁板一块、独特且本质上是父权制和厌恶女性的——穆斯林敏锐地意识到了这一现象。本研究询问了仇视伊斯兰教的比喻是否以及如何影响穆斯林的性别意识形态。通过对美国穆斯林的生活史采访，我们发现了性别信仰的多样性，挑战了将穆斯林的性别意识形态框定为铁板一块的话语。我们的数据中出现了四种主要类型：保皇互补主义者、父权制反动主义者、批判平等主义者和改革主义平等主义者。这些信念是多方面的，由对性别关系的信念、对伊斯兰教义的看法以及与我们所谓的东方主义凝视的谈判之间的对话交流组成。每个群体都在探索他们的性别观念如何适应或挑战一个正在审视穆斯林的更广泛社会，每个群体都通过和反对仇视伊斯兰教的话语来表达他们的性别信仰，这个过程类似于走东方主义的钢丝。