The Unforgettable Queens of Islam

Shahla Haeri is Associate Professor of Anthropology and a former director of the Women's Studies Program at Boston University. She is the author of the pioneering ethnographic book Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shī'ī Iran (1989, 2014) on the unique Shi'a practice of temporary marriage in Iran and No Shame for the Sun: Lives of Professional Pakistani Women (2002). She is the producer and director of a video documentary on Iranian women presidential contenders entitled Mrs. President: Women and Political Leadership in Iran (2002). Haeri is the recipient of many grants and postdoctoral fellowships.

• Introduction. Games of succession: patriarchy, power, gender; Part I. Sacred Sources of Authority: The Quran and the Hadith: 1. Queen of Sheba and the mighty throne; 2. Aisha Bint Abu Bakr: battle of the camel, battle for succession; Part II. Medieval Queens: Dynasty and Descent: 3. Sayyida Hurra Queen Arwa of Yemen: 'the little Queen of Sheba'; 4. Razia Sultan of India: 'Queen of the world Bilqis-I Jihan'; Part III. Contemporary Queens: Institutionalization of Succession and Leadership: 5. Benazir Bhutto: a queen 'without parallel'; 6. Megawati Sukarnoputri: 'Limbuk becomes Queen'; Conclusion. Patriarchal paradox?

'Most women rulers in Islamic states succeeded their fathers or husbands, and Shahla Haeri shows that they cultivated an image as tolerant and caring 'mothers' of their nations. Her fascinating and original study concludes that an emerging generation of female politicians may represent a more democratic and inclusive force in Muslim societies, precisely because their very identity is a challenge to military and theocratic establishments.' Adam Kuper, British Academy