Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices against Oppression »

Ida Lichter, MD (Surry Hills, NSW, Australia), is a psychiatrist who has been an honorary research assistant for the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.

"We are dealing with an influential fundamentalist international that has a clear strategy. In order to secure women's rights, we need a democratic international of women-otherwise we have absolutely no chance of conquering this beast. Not only Algerian, but Sudanese, Iranian, and Afghani women know what I am talking about. They know the horror of 'God's State' all too well. But alone, without your support, without the women's and human rights movement of the countries of the West, we are losing this battle of life and death."-Khalida Messaoudi, Algeria

In a world where the strident demands of Islamic extremists capture the media's attention, the courageous protests of Muslim reformers barely receive any notice. These include a surprising number of women who are prepared to challenge institutionalized persecution, risking derision, arrest, physical harm, and even death.

In this inspiring compilation of Muslim women's stories from around the world, the voices of these long-oppressed women ring loud and clear as they question ideology and culture, patriarchal and religious beliefs, and demand the social and political rights women lack in many Muslim countries. The reformers speak out with passion, humanity, and sometimes humor in these compact and often poignant biographies, bringing alive the harsh realities for women in many parts of the world.

By surveying a wide range of Muslim reformers, not only in the Middle East but also in Europe and North America, author Ida Lichter uncovers some significant emerging trends. For example, she notes that the majority of Muslim feminists would like to see reform contained within Islam. Many criticize their patriarchal culture forsuppressing egalitarian views that they believe the Koran expresses and so they advocate a reinterpretation of the holy text. Some demand changes to discriminatory Sharia-based laws. Others campaign openly for political and educational reforms.

Complete with a glossary and a list of helpful Web sites, this vibrant anthology makes use of reliable translations from original languages to demonstrate the groundswell of grassroots change that promises eventually to bring even the most conservative sectors of Islam into the twenty-first century.

Children's Literature

Books about women who struggle to make the world a better place are necessary and welcome. This one, however, suffers from oversimplification, bias, and notable omissions. The thin introduction addresses the fact of omissions, but does not name, for the sake of balance, any of those who are missing. There is a glossary, but no index, and a list of "Reform Web sites and Conferences." The book is comprised not of original interviews or writings, but of third-person, cut-and-paste profiles organized by country, from Afghanistan to Yemen. A few activist men and transnational rights groups are included. Little distinction is made between repressive regimes, generic "patriarchal Muslim males," and the religion of Islam. The book carries no blurbs from Muslims or scholars of Islam. Instead, glowing endorsements from Daniel Pipes and David Pryce-Jones, extreme Islamophobes, further undermine its credibility and authority. There are myriad hard-striving Muslim reformers worldwide and some listed here are indeed genuine. Nevertheless, this is not a thorough, trustworthy, or comprehensive accounting of Muslim women's courageous exertions for justice. Reviewer: Jennifer Heath

Acknowledgments 15

Introduction 17

1 Afghanistan 21

2 Algeria 65

3 Bahrain 75

4 Bangladesh 83

5 Canada 93

6 Egypt 97

7 France 117

8 Indonesia 125

9 Iran 131

10 Iraq 203

11 Israel and the Palestinian Territories 215

12 Jordan 219

13 Kuwait 225

14 Lebanon 235

15 Malaysia 239

16 Morocco 247

17 Nigeria 253

18 Pakistan 257

19 Qatar 273

20 Saudi Arabia 277

21 Somalia 307

22 Sudan 319

23 Syria 327

24 Tunisia 339

25 Turkey 351

26 United States of America 359

27 Yemen 369

28 Male Muslim Activists 371

29 Transnational Organizations That Support Muslim Women's Rights 389

Appendix Arab Human Development Report: The Plight of Arab Women for Equality 403

Notes 409

Glossary 497

Reform Web Sites and Conferences 501