Koranen er lyd

Koranrecitation, som den læres, bruges og forstås af kvindelige, københavnske muslimer

Abstract

This article shows that the recited Quran is an integrated part of the daily lives of Muslim women from a conservative mosque milieu in Copenhagen. Especially, contexts of learning and practicing the Quranic recitation are common and the women constantly work on their recitation by for instance attending classroom education or listening to the recited Quran while on the bus. The recitation is perceived to be something that can always be improved, and in the process of memorizing the text and perfecting the recitation the women engage in what – inspired by Anna M. Gade (2004) – can be described as an ongoing learning process with the Quran. This ongoing process is perceived to be a meaningful and pious deed in itself and it also affects the women’s subjectivity formation, as their close relation to the Quranic recitation is defining for their identification as dedicated and pious Muslims. While still adhering to the existing conservative gender norms of the milieu to which they are connected, the women through their daily Quranic practices show modes of religious engagement that position them as important Islamic agents and keepers of the Quran.