Gender perspectives in the Italian Muslim family

Martina Crescenti

doi:10.7336/academicus.2024.29.06

Authors

Martina Crescenti University of Bologna, Italy 0000-0002-4917-6299

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2024.29.06

Abstract

This article presents research on the dialogue between second-generation Muslim parents and children in the Italian context regarding gender identity, sexual identity, and gender education. Through the testimonies of young people (18-30 years of age), the nature of intergenerational dialogue and parental position toward the relational transformations that their children are experiencing is analysed within the Italian cultural context. For this purpose, 28 semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2021 with boys and girls aged 18–30 years and belonging to Italian Islamic associations. Moreover, 24 young people were divided into 4 focus groups to conduct an in-depth exploration of gender perspectives on these topics; these young people are active members of the Giovani Musulmani d’Italia (Association of Young Italian Muslims). A strongly taboo dialogue emerges from the data; however, this does not hinder young people’s search for greater openness to different forms of relationality and sexuality, both in their current lives and their future families.

Keywords:

second-generation Muslims, Italy, gender taboos, patriarchy, gender identity,

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References

Abo-Zena, Mona. 2019. “Being Young, Muslim, and Female: Youth perspective on the Intersection of Religious and Gender Identities.” Research on Adolescence 29, no. 2: 309-320.
Acocella, Ivana, and Renata Pepicelli. 2015. Giovani musulmane in Italia. Percorsi biografici e pratiche quotidiane. Bologna: Il Mulino.
Adamczyk, Amy, and Brittany Hayes. 2012. “Religion and Sexual Behaviors: Understanding the Influence of Islamic Cultures and Religious Affiliation for Explaining Sex Outside of Marriage.” American sociological review 77, no. 5: 723-746.
Al Zbon, Ahmad, and Mustafa Smadi. 2017. “The role of the family in the emotional growth of the adolescent in light of the Islamic education.” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 22, no. 1: 78-92.
Ali, Faiza, Malik, Ashish, Pereira, Vijay, and Akram Al Ariss. 2017. “A relational understanding of work-life balance of Muslim migrant women in the west: future research agenda.” The International Journal of Human Resource Management 28, no. 8: 1163-1181.
Bargeron, Carol. 2015. “The continuing vitality of the tradition: a classical muslim paradigm of children and family.” Intus-Legere Historia 9, no. 2, 5-22.
Bélanger, Danièle, and Tran Giang Linh. 2011. “The impact of transnational migration on gender and marriage in sending communities of Vietnam.” Current sociology 59, no. 1: 59-77.
Brouwer, Lenie. 2004. “Dutch-Muslims on the internet: a new discussion platform.” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 24, no. 1: 47–55.
Choubak, Melisa. 2014. “The experiences of lesbian and gay first-generation immigrants to Canada: Negotiating identities post-migration.” PhD diss., University of Guelph.
Cigliuti, Katia, and Ivana Acocella. 2016. “Identità di genere e identità religiosa di giovani musulmane italiane: tra ereditarietà e rivisitazione.” Mondi Migranti 3: 155-179.
Crescenti, Martina. 2021. “Giovani musulmani italiani. Appartenenza religiosa, socializzazione e agenzie socializzative.” Culture e Studi del Sociale 6, no.1: 35-50.
Crescenti, Martina. 2023. “Associazioni islamiche giovanili in Italia. Dimensioni e pratiche di cittadinanza.” Educazione interculturale 21, no. 1: 117-128.
Dialmy, Abdessamad. 2010. “Sexuality and Islam.” The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care 15, no. 3: 160–168.
Diehl, Claudia, Koenig, Matthias, and Ruckdeschel. Kerstin. 2009. “Religiosity and gender equality: Comparing natives and Muslim migrants in Germany.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 32, no. 2: 278-301.
Digby, Tom. ed. 2013. Men doing feminism. New York: Routledge.
Douglas, Susan, and Munir Shaikh. 2004. “Defining Islamic Education: Differentiation and Applications.” Current Issues in Comparative Education 7, no. 1: 5-18.
El-Ali, Leena. 2022. “Sexual Misconduct: What the Qur’an Tells Us about Pre-Marital vs Extra-Marital Sex.” In No Truth Without Beauty: God, the Qur’an, and Women’s Rights edited by Leena El-Ali, 249-261. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
El-Oqlah, Emily. 2021. “Allah Made Me This Way: Negotiating Identities for Muslim Americans with Same-Sex Attraction”. Thesis diss., University of Memphis.
Fedele, Valentina. 2015. Islam e mascolinità. La definizione delle soggettività di genere nella diaspora musulmana nel mediterraneo. Milano: Mimesis.
Franke, Patrick. 2012. “Before scientia sexualis in Islamic culture: ‘Ilm al-bāh between erotology, medicine and pornography.” Social Identities 18, no. 2: 161-173.
Frisina, Annalisa. 2005. “Musulmani e italiani, tra le altre cose. Tattiche e strategie identitarie di giovani figli di immigrati.” In Giovani Musulmani in Europa edited by Jocelyne Cesari and Andrea Pacini, 167-187. Torino: Edizioni della Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli.
Frisina, Annalisa. 2007. Giovani musulmani d’Italia. Roma: Carocci.
Golriz, Golshan. 2021. “Does religion prevent LGBTQ acceptance? A case study with queer and trans Muslims in Toronto, Canada.” Journal of Homosexuality 68, no. 18: 2451-2475.
González-López, Gloria. 2005. Erotic Journeys. Mexican Immigrants and Their Sex Lives. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Gribaldo, Alessandra, and Valeria Riberio Corrossacz. 2010. La produzione del genere. Ricerche etnografiche sul femminile e il maschile. Verona: Ombre Corte.
Gutiérrez, Rámon. 2012. “Islam and sexuality.” Social Identities 18, no. 2: 155-159.
Hervieu-Léger, Danièle. 1996. Religione e memoria. Bologna: Il Mulino.
Inglehart, Ronald, and Pippa Norris. 2003. Rising tide. Gender equality and cultural change around the world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jaafar-Mohammad, Imani, and Charlie Lehmann. 2011. “Women’s rights in Islam regarding marriage and divorce.” Journal of Law and Practice 4, no. 3: 1-13.
Karimi, Aryan, Bucerius, Sandra, and Sara Thompson. 2019. “Gender identity and integration: second-generation Somali immigrants navigating gender in Canada.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 42, no. 9: 1534-1553.
Karlsson Minganti, Pia. 2010. “Matrimoni contestati. Giovani musulmani in contesti transnazionali.” Mondi Migranti 12, no. 3: 117-129.
Linjakumpu, Aini. 2016. “Alternative Islamic voices on the Internet.” In Mediating Faiths edited by Guy Redden and Micheal Bailey, 37-48. London: Routledge.
Maliepaard, Mieke, and Richard Alba. 2016. “Cultural integration in the Muslim second generation in the Netherlands: The case of gender ideology.” International Migration Review 50, no. 1: 70-94.
Marcotte, Roxanne. 2010. “Gender and sexuality online on Australian Muslim forums.” Contemporary Islam 4, no. 1: 117-138.
Masullo, G. (2015). Homosexuality elsewhere: young migrants, sexuality and transcultural identity strategies. Academicus International Scientific Journal, 12, 120-133. https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2015.12.07
Masullo, Giuseppe, and Francesco Iovine. 2016. “Famiglia e mutamenti socioculturali: pratiche educative e rap-presentazioni sociali di genere e della sessualità diffuse tra i genitori.” La camera blu. Rivista di studi di genere 15: 47-69.
McKim, Courtney. 2017. “The value of mixed methods research: A mixed methods study.” Journal of mixed methods research 11, no. 2: 202-222.
Regalia, Camillo, and Cristina Giuliani. eds. 2012. Esperienze di donne nella migrazione araba e pakistana. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
Riccio, Bruno, and Monica Russo. 2010. “Associazioni delle nuove generazioni a Bologna. Sfide interne ed esterne.” Mondi Migranti 11, no. 2: 247-274.
Ricucci, Roberta. 2016. “Giovani e musulmani. La realtà quotidiana dei cittadini senza cittadinanza.” Quaderni di diritto e politica ecclesiastica 19, no.1: 111-122.
Rivera, Annamaria. 2010. La bella, la bestia, l’umano. Sessismo e razzismo senza escludere lo specismo. Roma: Ediesse.
Robinson, Kathryn. 2007. “Marriage migration, gender transformations, and family values in the ‘global ecumene’.” Gender, Place & Culture 14, no. 4: 483-497.
Runganga, Agnes, and Peter Aggleton. 1998. “Migration, the family and the transformation of a sexual culture.” Sexualities 1, no. 1: 63-81.
Saint-Blancat, Chantal, ed. 1999. L’islam in Italia. Roma: Edizioni lavoro.
Scheible, Jana, and Fenella Fleischmann. 2013. “Gendering Islamic Religiosity in the Second Generation: Gender Differences in Religious Practices and the Association with Gender Ideology among Moroccan- and Turkish-Belgian Muslims.” Gender and Society 27, no. 3: 372–395.
Setiyawan, Radius, Lestari, Sri, and Arin Setiyowati. 2022. “Cybersex and Religion: Intimacy, Resistance, and Negotiation of Islamic Students In Indonesia.” The Journal of Society and Media 6, no. 1: 104-120.
Sirri, Lana. 2020. Islamic feminism: discourses on gender and sexuality in contemporary Islam. New York: Routledge.
Steinbach, Anja. 2009. “Die hâusliche aufgabenteilung bei paaren mit Tiirkischem migrationshintergrund und einheimischen Deutschen paaren im vergleich.” Zeitschrift für Bevôlkerungswissenschaft 34, no.1: 79-81.
Syed, Jawad, and Harry Van Buren. 2014. “Global business norms and Islamic views of women’s employment.” Business Ethics Quarterly 24, no. 2: 251–276.
Timmerman, Christiane, Fonseca, Lucinda, Van Praag, Lore, and Sónia Pereira. eds. 2018. Gender and migration: A gender-sensitive approach to migration dynamics. Leuven: Leuven University Press.
Velayati, Masoumeh. 2016. “Gender and Muslim Families.” In The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Family Studies edited by Constance Shehan, 933-938. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Vercellin, Giorgio. 2002. Istituzioni del mondo islamico. Torino: Einaudi.

References

Abo-Zena, Mona. 2019. “Being Young, Muslim, and Female: Youth perspective on the Intersection of Religious and Gender Identities.” Research on Adolescence 29, no. 2: 309-320.

Acocella, Ivana, and Renata Pepicelli. 2015. Giovani musulmane in Italia. Percorsi biografici e pratiche quotidiane. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Adamczyk, Amy, and Brittany Hayes. 2012. “Religion and Sexual Behaviors: Understanding the Influence of Islamic Cultures and Religious Affiliation for Explaining Sex Outside of Marriage.” American sociological review 77, no. 5: 723-746.

Al Zbon, Ahmad, and Mustafa Smadi. 2017. “The role of the family in the emotional growth of the adolescent in light of the Islamic education.” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 22, no. 1: 78-92.

Ali, Faiza, Malik, Ashish, Pereira, Vijay, and Akram Al Ariss. 2017. “A relational understanding of work-life balance of Muslim migrant women in the west: future research agenda.” The International Journal of Human Resource Management 28, no. 8: 1163-1181.

Bargeron, Carol. 2015. “The continuing vitality of the tradition: a classical muslim paradigm of children and family.” Intus-Legere Historia 9, no. 2, 5-22.

Bélanger, Danièle, and Tran Giang Linh. 2011. “The impact of transnational migration on gender and marriage in sending communities of Vietnam.” Current sociology 59, no. 1: 59-77.

Brouwer, Lenie. 2004. “Dutch-Muslims on the internet: a new discussion platform.” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 24, no. 1: 47–55.

Choubak, Melisa. 2014. “The experiences of lesbian and gay first-generation immigrants to Canada: Negotiating identities post-migration.” PhD diss., University of Guelph.

Cigliuti, Katia, and Ivana Acocella. 2016. “Identità di genere e identità religiosa di giovani musulmane italiane: tra ereditarietà e rivisitazione.” Mondi Migranti 3: 155-179.

Crescenti, Martina. 2021. “Giovani musulmani italiani. Appartenenza religiosa, socializzazione e agenzie socializzative.” Culture e Studi del Sociale 6, no.1: 35-50.

Crescenti, Martina. 2023. “Associazioni islamiche giovanili in Italia. Dimensioni e pratiche di cittadinanza.” Educazione interculturale 21, no. 1: 117-128.

Dialmy, Abdessamad. 2010. “Sexuality and Islam.” The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care 15, no. 3: 160–168.

Diehl, Claudia, Koenig, Matthias, and Ruckdeschel. Kerstin. 2009. “Religiosity and gender equality: Comparing natives and Muslim migrants in Germany.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 32, no. 2: 278-301.

Digby, Tom. ed. 2013. Men doing feminism. New York: Routledge.

Douglas, Susan, and Munir Shaikh. 2004. “Defining Islamic Education: Differentiation and Applications.” Current Issues in Comparative Education 7, no. 1: 5-18.

El-Ali, Leena. 2022. “Sexual Misconduct: What the Qur’an Tells Us about Pre-Marital vs Extra-Marital Sex.” In No Truth Without Beauty: God, the Qur’an, and Women’s Rights edited by Leena El-Ali, 249-261. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

El-Oqlah, Emily. 2021. “Allah Made Me This Way: Negotiating Identities for Muslim Americans with Same-Sex Attraction”. Thesis diss., University of Memphis.

Fedele, Valentina. 2015. Islam e mascolinità. La definizione delle soggettività di genere nella diaspora musulmana nel mediterraneo. Milano: Mimesis.

Franke, Patrick. 2012. “Before scientia sexualis in Islamic culture: ‘Ilm al-bāh between erotology, medicine and pornography.” Social Identities 18, no. 2: 161-173.

Frisina, Annalisa. 2005. “Musulmani e italiani, tra le altre cose. Tattiche e strategie identitarie di giovani figli di immigrati.” In Giovani Musulmani in Europa edited by Jocelyne Cesari and Andrea Pacini, 167-187. Torino: Edizioni della Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli.

Frisina, Annalisa. 2007. Giovani musulmani d’Italia. Roma: Carocci.

Golriz, Golshan. 2021. “Does religion prevent LGBTQ acceptance? A case study with queer and trans Muslims in Toronto, Canada.” Journal of Homosexuality 68, no. 18: 2451-2475.

González-López, Gloria. 2005. Erotic Journeys. Mexican Immigrants and Their Sex Lives. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Gribaldo, Alessandra, and Valeria Riberio Corrossacz. 2010. La produzione del genere. Ricerche etnografiche sul femminile e il maschile. Verona: Ombre Corte.

Gutiérrez, Rámon. 2012. “Islam and sexuality.” Social Identities 18, no. 2: 155-159.

Hervieu-Léger, Danièle. 1996. Religione e memoria. Bologna: Il Mulino.

Inglehart, Ronald, and Pippa Norris. 2003. Rising tide. Gender equality and cultural change around the world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Jaafar-Mohammad, Imani, and Charlie Lehmann. 2011. “Women’s rights in Islam regarding marriage and divorce.” Journal of Law and Practice 4, no. 3: 1-13.

Karimi, Aryan, Bucerius, Sandra, and Sara Thompson. 2019. “Gender identity and integration: second-generation Somali immigrants navigating gender in Canada.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 42, no. 9: 1534-1553.

Karlsson Minganti, Pia. 2010. “Matrimoni contestati. Giovani musulmani in contesti transnazionali.” Mondi Migranti 12, no. 3: 117-129.

Linjakumpu, Aini. 2016. “Alternative Islamic voices on the Internet.” In Mediating Faiths edited by Guy Redden and Micheal Bailey, 37-48. London: Routledge.

Maliepaard, Mieke, and Richard Alba. 2016. “Cultural integration in the Muslim second generation in the Netherlands: The case of gender ideology.” International Migration Review 50, no. 1: 70-94.

Marcotte, Roxanne. 2010. “Gender and sexuality online on Australian Muslim forums.” Contemporary Islam 4, no. 1: 117-138.

Masullo, G. (2015). Homosexuality elsewhere: young migrants, sexuality and transcultural identity strategies. Academicus International Scientific Journal, 12, 120-133. https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2015.12.07

Masullo, Giuseppe, and Francesco Iovine. 2016. “Famiglia e mutamenti socioculturali: pratiche educative e rap-presentazioni sociali di genere e della sessualità diffuse tra i genitori.” La camera blu. Rivista di studi di genere 15: 47-69.

McKim, Courtney. 2017. “The value of mixed methods research: A mixed methods study.” Journal of mixed methods research 11, no. 2: 202-222.

Regalia, Camillo, and Cristina Giuliani. eds. 2012. Esperienze di donne nella migrazione araba e pakistana. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

Riccio, Bruno, and Monica Russo. 2010. “Associazioni delle nuove generazioni a Bologna. Sfide interne ed esterne.” Mondi Migranti 11, no. 2: 247-274.

Ricucci, Roberta. 2016. “Giovani e musulmani. La realtà quotidiana dei cittadini senza cittadinanza.” Quaderni di diritto e politica ecclesiastica 19, no.1: 111-122.

Rivera, Annamaria. 2010. La bella, la bestia, l’umano. Sessismo e razzismo senza escludere lo specismo. Roma: Ediesse.

Robinson, Kathryn. 2007. “Marriage migration, gender transformations, and family values in the ‘global ecumene’.” Gender, Place & Culture 14, no. 4: 483-497.

Runganga, Agnes, and Peter Aggleton. 1998. “Migration, the family and the transformation of a sexual culture.” Sexualities 1, no. 1: 63-81.

Saint-Blancat, Chantal, ed. 1999. L’islam in Italia. Roma: Edizioni lavoro.

Scheible, Jana, and Fenella Fleischmann. 2013. “Gendering Islamic Religiosity in the Second Generation: Gender Differences in Religious Practices and the Association with Gender Ideology among Moroccan- and Turkish-Belgian Muslims.” Gender and Society 27, no. 3: 372–395.

Setiyawan, Radius, Lestari, Sri, and Arin Setiyowati. 2022. “Cybersex and Religion: Intimacy, Resistance, and Negotiation of Islamic Students In Indonesia.” The Journal of Society and Media 6, no. 1: 104-120.

Sirri, Lana. 2020. Islamic feminism: discourses on gender and sexuality in contemporary Islam. New York: Routledge.

Steinbach, Anja. 2009. “Die hâusliche aufgabenteilung bei paaren mit Tiirkischem migrationshintergrund und einheimischen Deutschen paaren im vergleich.” Zeitschrift für Bevôlkerungswissenschaft 34, no.1: 79-81.

Syed, Jawad, and Harry Van Buren. 2014. “Global business norms and Islamic views of women’s employment.” Business Ethics Quarterly 24, no. 2: 251–276.

Timmerman, Christiane, Fonseca, Lucinda, Van Praag, Lore, and Sónia Pereira. eds. 2018. Gender and migration: A gender-sensitive approach to migration dynamics. Leuven: Leuven University Press.

Velayati, Masoumeh. 2016. “Gender and Muslim Families.” In The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Family Studies edited by Constance Shehan, 933-938. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Vercellin, Giorgio. 2002. Istituzioni del mondo islamico. Torino: Einaudi.