Abstract

The literature on the place and role of Muslim women in Islam and society has been evolving since the 1970’s. But recently, more women have taken up the challenge of looking at how Muslim women are treated in their societies and the place of religion and culture globally. Scholars such as Fatima Mernissi and Leila Ahmed have sought to challenge the segregation of women, the wearing of the religious head covering known as hijab, and certain laws. While they and other scholars believe Islam to be inherently egalitarian, they argue that society and culture have impacted the interpretation of the Qur’an, hadith, qiyas, and i’jma that make up Islamic law. There have been those who agree with their analyses and others who hold that the work of Islamic scholars cannot be dismissed so simply. The books considered in this article argue that the laws of nations are often intertwined with cultural traditions and differ from the laws of Islam as described by the Prophet Muhammad. Important points about tradition, culture, religion, and their relationship are examined in relevant works published between 1975 and the twenty-first century.