Muslim Women of Power

Women and their status in Islam has been a subject of contention for a long time, and has been making repeated headlines in the media, whether regarding gender violence, fatwas against women or their role in public life. The media has helped reinforce the stereotypical image about Muslim women being oppressed souls with no freedom of choice, and Islam being the source of their oppression and misery.

The present book under review tries to shatter all these myths about the oppression of women by Islam. The author, who is a non-Muslim scholar, objectively chooses to case study the political career of five women from four countries as heads of state, and the influence of their rule on political culture, gender and women in particular. The book is divided into six chapters, with a lucid introduction and a scholarly conclusion.