project leader
Shehnaz H
location
Virtual
(Online)
latest update rss
Our first video is out! Check it out on YouTube!

the project

Feminist Islamic Troublemakers of North America or FITNA is a collaborative space for Muslim feminists and allies. Our name takes back the Arabic term fitna, variously translated as temptation/sedition/discord/corruption, which is often used to describe Muslim feminists by detractors in the Muslim community. We redefine the term fitna as constructive disruption around gender issues in the Muslim community, such as by promoting gender-just interpretations of Islam.

 

Given the significant coverage that Muslim women receive in the U.S. media, topics of gender and Islam are of interest to the general public. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions held about these topics not just by non-Muslims but also by Muslims.

 

While gender-egalitarian interpretations of Islam exist, they are not easily accessible. Non-sexist scholars of Islam are not given platforms in mainstream or Muslim outlets. Currently, any google searches on a random topic related to Islam and gender generates results that are dominated by patriarchal interpretations of Islam that are misleading, discouraging, and even harmful to people impacted by those interpretations. 

 

FITNA attempts to correct these problems by showcasing non-patriarchal interpretations of Islam grounded in compassion and justice for all genders while still being rooted in Islamic sources. With your help, we aim to further our work towards this goal by creating short videos with experts on Islam and gender on various topics that are seldom discussed in a gender egalitarian way. These topics include female prophets, women’s marriage to non-Muslims, same-sex relations, female leadership, menstruation and ritual purity in Islam, and the hijab, to name a few. For this project, we plan to invite five experts for an interview style discussion on such topics, edit these videos, and promote them on social media. We have already produced one such video as a proof of concept that we invite you to view to get a sense of the kind of resources we seek to create for public consumption. While this video was produced by volunteers, we’re seeking funds to scale the project and hire professional production services and compensate our speakers.

the steps

In addition to producing a proof of concept video, we have already solicited common questions people have about topics in Islam and gender & made a list of potential scholars to invite. Our goal is to produce one video per month starting July 2021.

After receiving funds, for each video we will:

- Contact scholars to arrange participation 

- Record interviews with each scholar 

- Edit & caption videos for accessibility 

- Share and promote each video as it is made on social media 

why we're doing it

Muslim women and LGBTQIA+ Muslims are the ones most affected negatively by the current dominant interpretations and practices of Islam which are patriarchal, transphobic, homophobic etc. While gender-just interpretations of Islam exist, they are not widely available or accessible to lay Muslims or the general public. Additionally, non-Muslim allies are not exposed to the ways that Muslim feminists deal with questions of gender, sexuality, feminism, and religion. 

 

Our goal is to empower lay Muslims with knowledge about Islam from a gender justice perspective and to help teach allies about important topics about Islam and gender to aid in coalition building for feminist activism affecting multiple communities. 

 

We will not be generating new interpretations of Islam. What we aim to do is showcase the work of scholars who are well known in academic circles. Their work often appears in academic journals or books but these are not accessible to a lay audience. Additionally, mainstream Muslim and interfaith spaces that cater to a lay audience do not often provide platforms to gender justice scholars. This problem is then compounded as event organizers want to invite speakers with an existing body of accessible work that they can review. What we hope to do with this project is both provide an online platform and share knowledge in an accessible format and also provide a resource to event organizers looking for speakers. 

 

The FITNA team leading this project includes experts on Islam and gender and the study of religion. We have the qualifications, the expertise, and the commitment to justice to pursue this project and contribute to the mainstreaming of feminist Islam. 

budget

Updated Budget (10.1.21):

Scholar honorariums for 5 videos: $1500

Interviewer honorariums for 5 videos: $750

Video editing for 5 videos: $1000

Marketing, software & incidentals: $250

Website for showcasing videos: $500



TOTAL RAISED = $4,348.19
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) $217.41
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) $130.45
TOTAL TO DISBURSE= $4,000.33

 

Original: REVISED BUDGET

Scholar honorariums: $1500

Interviewer honorariums: $750

Video editing: $1000

Marketing, software & incidentals: $250

 



TOTAL PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED $3,500
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) $190
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%)
(Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.)
$114
TOTAL TO RAISE= $3,804
Donation processing fees apply to donations only. 100% of match funding goes to projects. Please note, fees are estimated here and final numbers may change based on the final amount raised and amount of match funding applied to this campaign.  

ORIGINAL BUDGET 

Scholar honorariums: $3000

Interviewer honorariums: $1500

Video editing: $2000

Marketing, software & incidentals: $500



TOTAL PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED $7,000
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) $380
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%)
(Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.)
$228
TOTAL TO RAISE= $7,609
Donation processing fees apply to donations only. 100% of match funding goes to projects. Please note, fees are estimated here and final numbers may change based on the final amount raised and amount of match funding applied to this campaign.  

 

updates

Our first video is out! Check it out on YouTube!

Hi to all the FITNAs supporting this project!

We have great news to share with you.

It’s taken us some time to assemble the right team but Alhamdolillah we now have our first video out thanks to your generous donations. 

We would love for you to check out the video on our YouTube channel:

Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Can Muslim women marry nonMuslims? A women friendly perspective

Please watch, like & share the video in your networks & help us get the word out about this project. 
 

We have several other great videos planned for this year that we’re currently working on filming. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified when they’re published. We will also be posting project updates here.

 

Thank you all once again for your support. We couldn’t have done this without your help & hope we can count on you to spread the word about this project!

 

Comments & feedback about the videos always welcome at: feministfitna@gmail.com

 

- FITNA Team

 

 

 

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Noha A.
  • Anonymous
  • Sadaf J.
  • Adnan M.
  • Sarwar A.
  • Saba Fatima
  • Anonymous
  • Robert T.
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Mamun Islam
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Ali
  • Sabina K.
  • Deirdre W.
  • Rajaa B.
  • Yasmin Y.
  • Shaymaa T.
  • Sana N.
  • Lisa G.
  • Shabana M.
  • Anonymous
  • Fatima Price Khan
  • Joanna M
  • Alan Howard
  • Hina Razzaq
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Wati R.
  • Anonymous
  • Senior Troublemaker
  • Anonymous
  • Rhiannon L.
  • Nadiah Mohajir
  • HYasin
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Samah C.
  • Anonymous
  • Jennifer N.
  • Anonymous
  • Mike Ita
  • Anonymous
  • Feminista!
  • Safiyya Hosein
  • Deborah P.
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  • Andrea E.
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  • Shabana Mir
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  • Bill C.
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  • Patzia G.
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  • Safiyyah A.
  • Bianca J.
  • Rio S.
  • Anonymous
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  • Waheeda Saif
  • Sara S.
  • Good Troublemaker
  • Anonymous
  • Banafsheh M.
  • Anonymous
  • Shabana Mir
  • Matthew W.
  • Sabina K.
  • Homayra Z.
  • Nida K.
  • Farah K.
  • Nazish
  • Sana S.
  • Senior Troublemaker
  • Nusaiba M.
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Alan H.
  • Anonymous
  • ShahBano I.
  • zeik