Muslim Women: Past and Present

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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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Tahira Khan

Known For: Tahira Khan is an academic researcher and women’s advocate.
Country: Pakistan

About

Born and raised in Pakistan, Tahira Khan has written extensively on gender and Islam, gender and politics, and violence against women.1 Tahira earned a Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Denver and an MA in political science from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She has led several workshops on gender studies and held numerous lectures on feminist theory and human rights approaches.

Tahira is known for her book, Beyond Honour: A Historical Materialist Explanation of Honour-related Violence, which considers honor killings from a Marxist Historical Materialist perspective. Her work attempts to explain the presence, or absence, of honor killings in Muslim societies as motivated by socio-cultural factors other than the cultural notion of honor.2  Published in 2006, the book presents a broad overview of honor killings from ancient civilizations to contemporary societies and pays particular attention to Pakistan.3 The study blends academic research with the narratives of the victims of gender related violence and Tahira’s own stories as well. 

In addition to her academic work, Tahira integrates her research with feminist activism. She has worked with the Asian Pacific Women, Law and Development Forum (APWLD), Chiangmai since 1997, and she is also the Convener of the Women’s Participation in Political Processes (WPPP). In 2003, she was elected vice president of the Irteqa Institute of Social Sciences, Karachi.4

[1] http://www.naropa.edu/ebadi/bios.cfm“Biographies,” Naropa University.
[2] “Tahira S. Khan: Beyond honour: A Historical Materialist Explanation of Honour-related Violence,” Global Sisterhood Network. 
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Biographies,” Naropa University. 

Sources

“Biographies,” Naropa University.
“Tahira S. Khan: Beyond honour: A Historical Materialist Explanation of Honour-related Violence,” Global Sisterhood Network. 

More Information

USAID article on Khan’s role in girl’s education in Pakistan.

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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.