Muslim women encounter three fronts simultaneously. First, they represent an Islamic identity that more often than not is in conflict with modern political regimes and state elites. Secondly, they must fight against Islamic fundamentalists, whose ideas, institutions, and goals they vehemently reject. And finally, and just as importantly, they face a mundane confrontation with a prevailing patriarchal culture within which they live. Questions of women's rights are exacerbated by difficulties Muslim women encounter in a patriarchal culture in which women are often characterized by stereotypes. The "borderless solidarity" has led to the promotion of women's rights across and within cultures, but it stands in a problematic relationship to broader, more complex social issues. Although this global solidarity is resisted in many parts of the Muslim world, women's empowerment is seen as the most effective antidote to extremism in the Muslim world. This paper attempts to contextualize gender analysis in the cultural, economic, and political domains, while addressing three questions: (1) why have Muslim women become the agents of change, reform, and democratization in a globalizing world? (2) what impact has globalization on Muslim women and the rise of Islamic feminism? (3) how could Muslim women maintain the integrity of their culture while at the same time remain receptive to universal values, ideas, and institutions?
Islamic Feminism; Patriarchy; Cultural Politics; Textual Reinterpretation