Description
Book Synopsis"Unveiling the Breath: One Woman's Journey into Understanding Islam and Gender Equality" tackles one of the most pressing issues that face us today - the changing roles that men and women must confront in a globalizing world. In particular, it explores the whole issue of gender within the Islamic world. This is the world the author has observed firsthand both through her humanitarian work and her experience as the first female vice-president of Nexen Inc., a large Canadian-based energy company operating in Muslim-majority countries. "Unveiling the Breath" incorporates East-West perspectives on faith and feminism, addresses male and female points of view, examines the thorny question of how to reconcile spirituality and patriarchy, and takes a close look at the complex issues involved in raising sons. In so doing, Kennedy-Glans peels back the 'Gender Onion' starting from the outer, more secular layers of our globalizing world-the workplace and communities - and on to the inner core of our private world of faith, spirituality and family.
Trade ReviewIn settings as diverse as the Bedouin townships of Yemen, the streets of Tehran and the farming communities of her prairie youth, Kennedy-Glans deconstructs and reconstructs her impressions and prejudices, all to further her dream that we might see each other as we are.A" Again and again she is drawn back to Yemen to learn more about universal gender equilibrium.A" Kennedy-Glans writes: I've found that patriarchy exists in subtle ways in the West that we might not want to acknowledge; conversely, patriarchy in the Muslim world isn't as extreme as our Western view of it, either. Which brings us closer than most people realize.A" ..."Unveiling the Breath" is a bold work, rich with insights into the murky realm of culture, religion and gender. Alberta Views Kennedy-Glans sees the challenges that women face here and in Muslim countries as being more alike than most people realize... The author-along with many Muslim women (and men)-calls for patriarchy to be rooted out from the faith. In approaching the subject of gender with a dose of introspection and complexity, she finds more similarities than differences. She also warns against western arrogance toward the plight of Muslims, arguing instead for dialogue. The book is peppered with wisdom from ancient scriptures and ancestral teachings of the East and West. Yet we are provided with a modern context by the author's extensive use of international development reports and surveys (for example, the United Nations Arab Human Development Report). The extensive research provided by the author should be an eye-opener to those unfamiliar with the rich history of the Middle East (and Yemen,in particular). Literary Review of Canada
