Trapped in History? Sex, Gender, and Creation in the Qurʾān

On March 26, students and scholars gathered in the Wren building to hear Rahel Fischbach, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, deliver a lecture drawn from her forthcoming book, Between God and History: Politics of Modern Muslim Qurʾānic Hermeneutics. Sponsored by the Religious Studies Department as part of its annual faculty speaker series, the talk explored the complex relationship between divine revelation and historical context in contemporary feminist interpretations of the Qurʾān. More specifically, the talk focused on the politics embedded in the Qurʾān’s creation narrative.

Fischbach unpacked key interpretive strategies within feminist Qurʾānic hermeneutics, highlighting both their transformative potential and the resistance they encounter. Situating her analysis within the broader scholarly debate between historical-critical and historical-literary approaches to the Qurʾān, she emphasized how each framework influences the theological and political stakes of interpretation. A focal point of her lecture was the recent work of German Islamic theologian Dina El Omari, whose holistic hermeneutic model challenges conventional readings of gender in the Qurʾān. Fischbach underscored the significance of El Omari’s contribution, suggesting that her method offers a radically new lens—one capable of bridging theological fidelity and gender.

The lecture concluded with a dynamic Q&A session. Attendees questioned long-standing assumptions in Qurʾānic scholarship and pressed Fischbach to clarify her own position in relation to El Omari and the broader field. In response, she stressed the importance of interpretive models that are both historically informed and theologically grounded—approaches that can meet the ethical imperatives of the present while remaining rooted in religious tradition.

For more information on Professor Fischbach and her research, click here.