A Comparative Study of Power in Feminist Thought and the Islamic Approach (Based on the Views of Simone De Beauvoir and Shahid Motahhari)

The issue of power and its equitable distribution between men and women is one of the most important and controversial issues in the present age and has attracted the attention of many theorists. The concept of power in feminist thought and the Islamic approach seems to differ fundamentally and significantly. Therefore, a comparative study of two thinkers, one representing feminist thought and the other representing the Islamic approach, is useful in explaining their different interpretations of the power. In this paper, after examining the works of Simone De Beauvoir and Shahid Motahhari, using the comparative method, the views of two thinkers in the concept of power are compared. The findings suggest that Simone De Beauvoir considers power as a human-centered concept and gives it an inherent originality, but Islam's interpretation of power focuses on the divine purpose and attention to revelation in social matters. In other words, in the feminist approach, power is a human thing, but in the Islamic approach, it is a divine thing. The result of feminist thought is that women should have as much power as possible, but in the Islamic approach, their place in the power system is determined by considering the inherent differences between men and women.