Zina, Transnational Feminism, and the Moral Regulation of Pakistani Women By Shahnaz Khan (Vancouver, Canada: University of British Columbia Press, 2007. 152 pages.)

Abstract

Using the role of an immigrant researcher in her country of origin, Shahnaz
Khan uses her feminist lens to explore dualities, decontextualization, and
stereotypes of third-world women, more specifically Muslim women, while
examining the contested issue of the ZinaOrdinance and itsmultifaceted consequences
for women in Pakistan. Juxtaposing her feminist analysis within
the context of transnational feminism, the author examines the tensions surrounding
this ordinance by questioning three intersecting contexts, namely, culture, politics, and religion. Pointing out such issues as corruption, male
violence, poverty, and drug and alcohol abuse, Khan argues that the ordinance
allows families, in collaboration with the state, to regulate women’s
sexuality. She reminds her readers that women charged with adultery and fornication
by the state are not victims, as they resist their incarceration in multiple
ways. Ironically, the prisons as well as the state-sponsored shelters
become safer spaces for women to flee the wrath of their families ...