1. Western image of women in Islam is frequently distorted image of a complex situation relating more to issue of theory vs. practice

2. Qur’an and Islamic law assume patriarchal society with clearly defined gender roles: male as breadwinner, female as nurturer of children Modern pressures and women’s aspirations require women to be active in public sphere Muslim feminists seek solution to dilemma in Islam, rather than rejecting it N.B. Making general comments here!

3. Traditionally... Women discouraged from attending prayers at mosque, expected to pray at home... So women active in non-traditional/non-gender- reserved forms of worship e.g. Sufism Women also “net-working” in other ways

4. Veiling and Seclusion (Hijab/Purdah) Seclusion rarely practiced Qur’an says to dress modestly Veil as: control on behaviour, statement of ID or way to avoid unwelcome attention?

5. Other issues in Qur’an Woman’s testimony worth half that of man Women get smaller shares of inheritance Men can divorce more easily Religion of family dictated by husband - women cannot marry non-Muslims Concern for paternity and purity of family line

6. Frequent rationalisation is complementary relationship - men and women with different roles - but difficult to maintain in face of modern life Seeming assumption in Qur’an and other sources that women need to be controlled - seen by feminists as expression of male insecurity

7. Feminists maintaining that Islam is not the problem; the problem is the interpretation of it by (usually male) authorities. Therefore scriptures need to be re-assessed Equality = equal access to opportunities, not simply equal treatment that does not pay attention to physical differences

8. Status of women before appearance of Islam is debatable, but is it relevant? Debates about women’s rights are primarily urban phenomenon. Women often enjoy greater rights in rural communities, though problems (honour killings, domestic violence) do arise. However, restriction of women’s rights more frequent in urban settings Remember, talking in general terms, and many of issues at hand occur in non-Muslim societies