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Compiled by Feran Morgret, WOW! summer intern

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Resources Utilized in the Preparation of This Brief

We recommend the following resources, a number of which were utilized in the preparation of this issue brief, as good sources for further learning on the subject of Muslim women, their lives and their roles.

 

Angha, Seyedeh Dr. Nahid. Women in Islam. (n.d.). Sufism: An Inquiry. Available online at http://www.ias.org/articles/Women_in_Islam.html.

 

Angha’s article discusses some of the cultural and historical issues that influence some of the current practice of Islam.

 

Badran, Margot. The Gender of Islam. (2006, April 23). Available online at http://www.indianmuslims.info/articles/others/margot_badran_the_gender_of_islam.html.

 

Badran discusses the ways that progressive readings of Islam could enhance women's rights, focusing especially on divorce and how literacy could help women gain rights mentioned in the Qur’an but not commonly available in national legal settings.

 

Balchin, Cassandra, & Sarah Masters (eds.). Women Living Under Muslim Laws. Dossier 28. (December 2006). Available online at

http://www.wluml.org/english/pubsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[87]=i-87-552888.

[The following information has been adapted directly from the source.] This dossier explores issues around 'secularism'. In the context of globally rising extreme right politics justified with reference to religion and rising neo-liberalism's impact on democratic governance and social inclusion, it is time to discuss secularisms in depth. The articles in this volume look at some of the questions feminists need to begin discussing in order to define more clearly the changes we want to see and the systems that will work best for women, and in order to develop a movement that is more inclusive and more effective. This group of articles seeks to contribute to these discussions by presenting various analyses of secularism, from the perspective of theory as well as lived experience in contexts as diverse as Algeria, Argentina, China, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Senegal, South Africa, and Sudan.

 

Jones, Rochelle. How Are Women Working to Eliminate Violence Against Women in Muslim-Majority Societies? Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID). (July 22, 2005). Available online at http://awid.org/go.php?stid=1511.

 

AWID highlights the efforts of Muslim women to eliminate violence against women, as discussed in a report from the international symposium entitled “Leading to Change: Eliminating Violence Against Women in Muslim Societies.” The Symposium was convened in March 2005 by the Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace (WLP).

 

Kazi, Seema. Muslim Women in India. (2005, Oct. 9). Available online at http://www.indianmuslims.info/reports_about_indian_muslims

/muslim_women_in_india_seema_kazi.html.

This text is a summary of a report on the status of Muslim women in India. The full study was sponsored by Minorities Rights Group International and was originally published in 1999.

 

Wikipedia. Islam. Available online at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam.

 

Wikipedia, the online, collaboratively written and edited encyclopedia, has a series of entries on a variety of topics related to Islam. This source should be used with the care that knowing it is an “open” and continually evolving creation would bring, but provides a wealth of ideas and perspectives. Don’t miss the discussion attached to entries. This particular entry was reviewed by the Denver Post on April 30, 2007, which stated, "looks like something that might have been done by a young graduate student, or assistant professor, or two or three"; "clinical and straightforward, but not boring"; "where important translations of Arabic language or fine religious distinctions are required, Wikipedia acquits itself well."

Additional Resources

Wadud, Amina. (1999). Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective. New York: Oxford University Press.

Qu'ran and Woman contributes a gender inclusive reading to one of the most fundamental disciplines in Islamic thought, Qu'ranic exegesis. Wadud breaks down specific texts and key words which have been used to limit women's public and private role, even to justify violence toward Muslim women, revealing that their original meaning and context defy such interpretations. Click here to order through the WOW! Web site and Amazon.com and support our work.

Nasif, Fatima Umar. (1999). Women in Islam: A Discourse in Rights and Obligations. Cairo: International Islamic Committee for Woman & Child.

In this book, the author, who is both a feminist and a Muslim, aims to shed light on the status of women in Islam by examining and reassessing the literary sources as far back as 7th century Islam. She believes that Muslims will eventually feel a pressing need to root their lives in a more liberating memory. Here is a bold reconciliation of feminism with the Prophet's thoughts and beliefs, for all who are concerned with the history and future of the Islamic world (description by Fatima Mernissi). Click here to order through the WOW! Web site and Amazon.com and support our work.

 

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Women in Muslim Communities: An Overview

World Neighbors Work with Muslim Communities

A WOW! e-Brief

Work of Women program @ World Neighbors

September 2007

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