ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses three themes. First, it describes briefly the arguments behind classical gender ideologies in Islam and outlines the progressive Muslims' alternative conceptualizations of the same. Then the chapter focuses onto the debates among progressive Muslims scholars surrounding the viability of (re) emergence of a religiously indigenous Islamic feminism as a way of bringing about gender justice in Islam. Finally, the chapter explains two examples of grassroots gender-justice 'social hermeneutics' engagement by progressive Muslim scholars; it describe Ziba Mir-Hosseini's involvement with Musawah, the global movement for equality in Muslim family law, and Farid Esack's work with Positive Muslims, an NGO that provides counselling and support for Muslims infected with HIV/AIDS. Most of the gender-based assumptions can be traced back to the classical Muslim scholars' subscription to the theory known in the relevant literature as 'gender complementarity' which is referred as 'gender oppositionality'.
