If Allah Has No Gender, Why Not Refer To God As 'She?'

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There's a quiet revolution happening amongst some Muslim women who are beginning to refer to Allah as 'She' rather than 'He.' TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP via Getty Images

There's a quiet revolution happening amongst some Muslim women who are beginning to refer to Allah as 'She' rather than 'He.'

TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP via Getty Images

When people speak about God in various religions, the deity is typically referred to using the masculine pronoun "He."

In Islam, Allah is not depicted as male or female — Allah has no gender. Yet Allah has traditionally been referred to, and imagined by many, as a man.

Some Muslim women have begun to refer to Allah with feminine or gender neutral pronouns.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Hafsa Lodi, who wrote about this movement in the religion magazine The Revealer, about what's driving this.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Linah Mohammad and Brianna Scott. It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas and Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.