In this book, Hamida Riahi explores the powerful use of intertextuality in Mohja Kahf's E-Mails from Scheherazad, focusing on how parody and allusion work to deconstruct Orientalist discourses surrounding Muslim women.
Through a parodic rewriting of The Thousand and One Nights, the Shakespearean sonnet genre, and Matisse's paintings, Kahf dismantles reductive stereotypes imposed on Muslim women and revises the dominant Western narratives that portray Muslim women as oppressed and voiceless. Riahi explores how the Kahf draws upon allusion to Islamic history and the Qur’an, invoking iconic figures such as Aisha, Khadija, Esther, Zuleika, and others, to offer a counter-narrative that challenges both Western feminist perspectives and entrenched patriarchal views. Through this dual approach, Kahf not only critiques the historical and cultural misconceptions imposed by the West but also affirms the rich, complex identities of Muslim women. The author’s examination provides a fresh perspective on the intersection of postcolonial feminism, Islamic feminism, and literary innovation.
By:
Hamida Riahi Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Country of Publication: United States Dimensions:
Height: 232mm,
Width: 158mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 640g ISBN:9781666969894 ISBN 10: 1666969893 Pages: 120 Publication Date:21 August 2025 Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One Islamic Feminism Chapter Two Parody: Dismantling the Paradigm of the Oppressed Muslim Female Chapter Three Allusion: The Journey Back in Time Conclusion Bibliography About the Author
Hamida Riahi is Lecturer at Northern Border University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
