BEYOND BUTLER: GENDER IDENTITY, QUEER THEORY, AND FIṬRAH ISLAMIC THEOLOGICAL AND JURISPRUDENTIAL PERSPECTIVES ON PERFORMATIVE GENDER THEORY: A CRITICAL ANALYTICAL STUDY

Abstract

This article explores the contemporary intellectual conflict between the Islamic tradition and queer theory, particularly the performative gender framework established by Judith Butler. While queer theory posits that gender is a socially constructed performance lacking any inherent metaphysical or divine ground, the Islamic framework asserts that gender is an intentional act of divine creation. This study addresses the urgent crisis of identity among Muslim youth—specifically in Pakistan—arising from the widespread dissemination of queer theoretical claims through digital media. The research employs an interdisciplinary methodology, utilizing analytical-descriptive readings of primary Islamic sources (Qurʾān, ḥadīth, and classical fiqh) alongside a comparative theological analysis of Western gender discourse. Central to this analysis are the concepts of fiṭrah (the primal nature inscribed on the human soul) and karāmah insāniyyah (unqualified human dignity bestowed by the Creator). The article argues that these two principles, when structured through a maqāṣid-based jurisprudential methodology, provide a more coherent, humane, and philosophically sound account of the human person than the internally inconsistent anti-essentialism of queer theory. By examining classical treatments of gender ambiguity (khunthā), the study demonstrates that the Islamic tradition possesses the necessary resources to address contemporary gender identity challenges with both normative clarity and compassionate rigor.