ABSTRACT
Literature regarding Muslim states’ participation in the ratification process of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has focused almost entirely on their reservations and assumptions as to why reservations were rendered. This chapter highlights the input of delegates from Muslim states and examines the ‘complex’ and ‘multi-layered’ nature of the participation of Muslim women delegates, challenging the widely held assumption that the Muslim women delegates were ‘weak’ or ‘subservient’ to political and cultural factors. By using a lens of ‘relational autonomy’, the chapter analyses the nature of participation by examining the participants.
