A Woman Is Not Created Mute: An Ethnography of Gender and Voice on Islamic Radio in Tanga, Tanzania

ABSTRACT This article explores how Muslims in Tanga, Tanzania, navigate theological and social constraints on the female voice through participation in Islamic radio. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork at Radio Nuur, a nondenominational station, it examines how women engage with the contested notion of the female voice as ‘awrah—a source of both modesty and moral risk. Through on-air participation, behind-the-scenes conversations, and listener engagement, women negotiate religious authority, gendered expectations, and public audibility. The article theorizes “voice” as both acoustic and symbolic, showing how involvement with Islamic radio can simultaneously reinforce and reconfigure gender norms. It argues that women’s vocal presence on Islamic radio constitutes a form of religious agency that is neither wholly resistant nor wholly compliant but situated within evolving moral and institutional frameworks. By doing so, the article contributes to broader debates on gender, authority, and media in Muslim societies, as well as the anthropology of religion.