Our Approach

Education – Empowering Muslim women through education, we conduct research and publish reports on pressing societal issues to empower Muslim women to lead the fight for gender equality.

Objective: To establish women’s authority in religious discourse and to offer analysis that is simultaneously faithful to Islamic jurisprudence and a vision of women’s empowerment.

Strategy: WISE Global Muslim women’s Shura Council employs extensive expertise in the Islamic legal traditions, humanities and social science to address the most pressing issues facing Muslim women today and to promote principles of gender equality in Islam.

Results: Published and disseminated position papers on domestic violence, female genital cutting, child marriage, adoption, women’s leadership, and violent extremism that educate Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The Shura Council

The Shura Council, comprised of Muslim women scholars and activists, aims to promote equality for Muslim women by conducting research, providing Islamic positions on relevant issues, and disseminating this information to the media and WISE network. Operating under the framework of social justice, the Shura Council is creating a crucial space for scholarship, dialogue, collaboration and activism that contributes to Muslim women’s struggle for justice, an ethical and egalitarian Islam, and a broad vision of acting in public spaces. Since 2009, the Global Muslim Women Shura Council has released position papers on the following topics – domestic violence, violent extremism, female genital mutilation, child marriage, forced marriage, women’s leadership, and women’s education. If you are interested in obtaining any of these position papers, please contact our office at [email protected].

The Issues

Despite monolithic depictions in both Eastern and Western media, Muslim women represent a diverse and heterogeneous sociological group. While they may confront similar challenges or find common ground in some areas, the lived experiences of Muslim women vary considerably, depending on the socio-historical and political contexts in which they lead their lives. WISE has conducted research on various issues impacting Muslim women across the globe, providing Quranic support for women’s education, access to healthcare, inheritance rights and much more.

 “You and the WISE staff and supporters have done it again! You have provided a cutting edge and empowering opportunity for Women to speak and act from the strongest part of their being: their hearts and minds. I witnessed the transformative power of this conference over the last four days and saw Women who were tentative in some part of their being leave us in full voice. The lessons 52 learned will make WISE wiser, stronger and more powerful and the successes will provide a strong foundation for future vision and accomplishments”

-Ayisha Jeffries, United States