Women and Islam

Indonesia-Women pray in a mosque in Banda Aceh. Recently imposed

Sharia laws require women to wear headscarves, and the province's newly formed Sharia police have carried out arrests of women who are not properly covered up. Religious conservatism is on the rise in Banda Aceh and some larger towns across the province.

Women covered in head scarves and chadors, Islamic divorce rules favoring men, the view that women should be relegated to the private rather than public sphere--these attitudes and practices subjugate women, say critics. Is Islam inherently discriminatory? What is Muslim women's role in the Islamic resurgence? And what does it mean to be a Muslim "feminist?

To read more, check out some excerpts from "Frontline: Muslims". We will be working with this resource in class next week.

In addition, (Christian Science Monitor, March 5, 2008) "Inside Islam, a woman's roar," tells the story of an Afghan Muslim woman, who uses Koranic verses to justify why women should receive an education. Her efforts follow a long tradition of activists, including Martin Luther King, Jr., who use religion as a powerful tool to advance civil rights.