EMPOWERING PILGRIMAGE: Queer(feminist) and intersectional perspectives on Islamic rituals
Thimm V (2026)
Publication Type: Authored book
Publication year: 2026
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
ISBN: 9781003630593
Abstract
Pilgrimage to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia is an essential form of spiritual immersion for every believing Muslim. However, the practical, emotional, and spiritual experiences of this important endeavor differ for Muslim pilgrims according to their gender, sexuality, and socio-political approach to the world, which in this case is feminist. Two particularities of certain pilgrimage rituals stand out that influence gendered, sexualized and feminist experiences. Firstly, the ritual of circumambulation of the kaabah (tawaf), the black cube in the mosque in Mecca, and the mandatory prayers (solat) around the kaabah are performed gender-mixed. This is striking against the background of the otherwise customary gender-segregated prayer around the globe. Secondly, the ritual of running between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwa (sai’r) commemorates the female figure of Hajar and thereby represents the only procedure with historical female reference. In the context of the prevailing emphasis on the unifying and collective aspects of these experiences, this chapter, drawing on examples from the U.S., Germany, and Malaysia, explores the less apparent and more nuanced dimensions of gendered and sexualized pilgrimage for queer and queerfeminist Muslims.
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Thimm, V. (2026). EMPOWERING PILGRIMAGE: Queer(feminist) and intersectional perspectives on Islamic rituals. Taylor and Francis.
MLA:
Thimm, Viola. EMPOWERING PILGRIMAGE: Queer(feminist) and intersectional perspectives on Islamic rituals. Taylor and Francis, 2026.
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