Muslim Women: Past and Present

Recommend a Muslim Woman

Throughout the ages, from the earliest days of Islam to contemporary times today, Muslim women have been and continue to be active leaders in their communities and countries across the world. This directory is a growing archive of leading Muslim women scholars, activists, writers, politicians, artists, religious and spiritual leaders, civil society leaders and more. Please contribute to this archive by suggesting Muslim women to be featured through our recommendation form.

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Nevin Reda

photo of Nevin Reda Photo Credit: Nora Feller/ASMA

Known For: Shura Council Member
Country: Canada

About

Nevin Reda is an academic, trained in the classical sources of Islam, whose work reaches out to both academic and grassroots circles. Her research focuses on the Quran, often in relation to women or in relation to the Bible. She has a particular interest in Surat al-Baqara, the longest of the Quran’s chapters, on which she wrote her dissertation. Nevin has taught at the University of Toronto and elsewhere, and she has co-lead scripture-based interfaith dialogue seminars. She holds an M. A. in Biblical Hebrew Language and Literature, in addition to her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Toronto.

Nevin’s scholarship connects to the grassroots through dialogue and community activism. Her work in conjunction with the Canadian Council of Muslim Women has helped promote women’s religious leadership, among other things. She has been instrumental in bringing together various conversation partners which have contributed to the Muslim Studies program at Emmanuel College. At the transnational level, her activism is often in connection with the Women’s Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE), particularly with the WISE Shura Council, of which she is a founding member. Her name occasionally appears as Nevin Reda El-Tahry.

Selected Publications

“Holistic Approaches to the Qur’an: A Historical Background” Religion Compass 4, viii (2010), 495-506.
“The Qur’ānic Talut and the Rise of the Ancient Israelite Monarchy: An Intertextual Reading” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS) 25, iii (2008), 31-51.
“Women in the Mosque: Historical Perspectives on Segregation” AJISS 21, ii (2004), 77-97.
“Women Leading Congregational Prayers” http://www.ccmw.com/resources/res_Other_Publication.html

Publications, Forthcoming

“Introduction to the Quran” in Brian Arthur Brown (ed.), Three Testaments: Torah Gospel and Quran (forthcoming in early 2012 from Rowman and Littlefield).
“The Good Muslim, Bad Muslim Puzzle?: On the Assertion of Muslim Women’s Islamic Identity in the Sharia Debates in Canada” in Jennifer Selby and Anna Korteweg (eds), Debating Sharia: Islam, Gender Politics, and Family Law Arbitration (forthcoming in the spring of 2012 from University of Toronto Press).

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This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women alphabetically by their first names. Many Muslim names have alternative spellings once rendered into English so if you cannot find the name you are looking for, please try the general search tab where you can enter keywords of your choice.
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This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women chronologically by the Common Era century. We are actively building the archive of Muslim women leaders from the past, as well as from today, and we would welcome your recommendations of women to feature. Please complete our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.
This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women by their Country. We are actively building the archive of Muslim women leaders from the past, as well as from today, and we would welcome your recommendations of women to feature. Please complete our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.
This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women leaders by entering the keyword(s) of your choice. If you cannot find a particular woman that you are looking for, please let us know by completing our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.