Summary of the Issue

Alexandria, Egypt. 2005. Woman voting in elections. Photo Credit: John Smock/AP Images.

In both historic and contemporary times Muslim women have taken on many roles in politics, leadership, and community advocacy. The Quran encourages involvement in social justice: "O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both."¹

Muslim women have a strong history of political leadership. During the time of the Prophet, his wife Aisha bint Abu Bakr served as a religious and civic leader to both men and women and later led armed resistance against the Fourth Caliph, marking one of the first political interventions by a woman in early Islamic history.² Today, in many Muslim-majority countries women are gaining greater positions in political office. For example, in Egypt, a recent law mandates that newly-created 64 seats in Parliament must go to women, marking a 1500% increase in women’s political representation.³ In countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Senegal, Kosovo, and Turkey, Muslim women have risen to president or prime minister.

Muslim women have raised and continue to raise their voices through collective action. In the 20th century, Muslim women participated in nationalist movements across the Muslim world, demonstrating against colonial powers. In 2011 during the Arab Spring, the string of democratic uprisings that has swept across the Middle East and North Africa, women across the social and cultural spectrum have united together to advance justice and human rights. In Cairo, women were vital in transforming Tahrir Square into the center of public protest by organizing food deliveries, blankets and medical assistance, and in Bahrain, women led initial demonstrations in Pearl Square.⁴ The Arab Spring also highlighted the impact of the Internet. Women are taking advantage of digital media to create new channels for political and civic involvement across the Arab world and beyond.

Ranging from poor access to education, health, or economic opportunities, Muslim women continue to face a diversity of challenges in exercising political power. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2010 Gender Gap Index, which ranks women’s participation in society, 20 of the 25 lowest-ranking countries are Muslim-majority countries. The exclusion of Muslim women from political and civic participation in some countries is also influenced by patriarchal interpretations of Islamic text that favors women’s subordination to male authority. Greater demand for reinterpreting Islamic sources is important in expanding the participation of Muslim women in political and civic roles.

[1] [An-Nisa 4:35]
[2] Denise Spellberg, “Political Action and Public Example, “In Women in Middle Eastern history: shifting boundaries in sex and gender, ed. Nikki R. Keddie, Beth Baron, New York: Yale University Press, 1993.
[3] Evan Hill, “Women make leap in Egypt parliament,” Al-Jazeera November 29, 2010.
[4] Ibid.