In Search of Islamic Feminism

To most Americans, the very idea of “Islamic feminism” would seem a contradiction in terms. We are taught to think of Islam as a culture wherein social code and religious law alike force Muslim women to accept male authority unconditionally. In In Search of Islamic Feminism, Elizabeth Fernea—acclaimed scholar, author of Guests of the Sheik, and co-author of The Arab World—offers a bold interpretation of the status and vision of Muslim women that will open up a new world to American students, even as it challenges students’ own notions of what feminism means. Based on interviews with Muslim women throughout the Islamic world (including Islamic communities in the United States), the book shows that whether poor or rich, educated or illiterate, Muslim women define their own needs, solve their own problems, and determine the boundaries of their own very real, very viable brand of feminism.