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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Ziba Mir-Hosseini

[Women] want the same things that everyone wants. They want love, they want happiness, they want to be able to work, to be out in the world. And what's happening is, as more of these women are educating themselves, the sheer groundswell of it coming from below is forcing a change. So it's not a question of the government making concessions to these women -- it's women forcing concessions from below.

Cynthia Joyce, “Marriage Among the Mullahs”, Salon, December 16, 1998

photo of Ziba Mir-Hosseini Photo Credit: Nora Feller/ASMA

Known For: Scholar, Anthropologist, WISE Shura Council Member
Country: United States

About

Ziba Mir-Hosseini is an anthropologist who specializes in Islamic law, gender, and development. She has been a Hauser Global Law Visiting Professor at New York University School of Law since 2002. She has also been a senior research associate at the Middle East Institute and at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL) at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Ziba is currently a member of the Council of Women Living under Muslim Laws and a founding member of Musawa Global Movement for Equality and Justice in the Muslim Family. Her publications include: Marriage on Trial: A Study of Islamic Family Law in Iran and Morocco; Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate in Contemporary Iran; and Islam and Democracy in Iran: Eshkevari and the Quest for Reform. She has also co-directed two award-winning, feature-length documentary films on contemporary issues in Iran: Divorce Iranian Style (1998) and Runaway (2001).  Ziba received a B.A. in sociology from Tehran University and a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge.

Sources

Salzburg Global Seminar, “Profiles: Ziba Mir-Hosseini,”  at: http://www.salzburgseminar.org/2009/includes/FacultyPopUp.cfm?IDSPECIAL_EVENT=1567&IDRecords=126137

Videos

Short Clip of Iran: Divorce Iranian Style (1998) by Ziba Mir-Hosseini, at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx6MOaF_ah4

More Information

Ziba Mir-Hosseini, “Muslim Women’s Quest for Equality: Between Islamic Law and Feminism,” Critical Inquiry 32, no. 4 (2006): 629-645.

Interview with Ziba Mir Hosseini: Understanding Islamic Feminism
Understanding_Islamic_Feminism_-_ZMH_Countercurrent.pdf
Understanding_Islamic_Feminism_-_ZMH_Countercurrent.pdf
Understanding_Islamic_Feminism_-_ZMH_Countercurrent.pdf
ZMH_Criminalizing_Sexuality_-_Zina_Laws_as_Violence_Against_Women_in_Muslim_Contexts.pdf
ZMH_Criminalizing_Sexuality_-_Zina_Laws_as_Violence_Against_Women_in_Muslim_Contexts.pdf

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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.