ABSTRACT
As discussed in the Introduction and in Chapter 1 of this book, there is a crisis in the general interpretation and representation of Islam leading Muslim women, like the majority of Muslims, to fail to embrace the Islamic principle of Tawhid in practice. The concept of tawhid reminds Muslims of their humanness, that is, their ability to reason; the Quran provides the pedagogical and ethical guidance for the exercise of this ability. To alleviate this general problem of interpretation and representation, each woman needs to self-identify with Islam (Barazangi 1991a, 2000). The Muslim woman must realize three premises: (1) a woman’s primary identity is with Islam as a worldview; (2) as an individual Muslim, she becomes legally bound by the guidance of Islam only after she ethically and consciously chooses its message as her worldview in its totality; (3) finally, she is not necessarily bound by most of the secondary sources beyond the Quran nor by the rules derived by jurors and interpreters throughout the centuries: https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315546971/10c88faa-f7d0-44d9-8e67-b9901c0360bd/content/unfig2_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
And thus have We, by our command, sent inspiration to you: you knew not (before) what revelation was, and what faith was: but We have made the (Quran) a light, wherewith We guide such of our created people as We will; and verily you do guide to the straight path {al Shura 42: 52}.
