ABSTRACT
The modesty of Muslim women must be protected by the western researcher. After a decade or more of the proliferation of publications, both scholarly and popular, on the subject of Muslim women it is appropriate that the field workers themselves, both Muslim and non-Muslim, take an objective look at what has been produced. The dual enemies of international imperialism and their local collaborates have always been clear in the program of the Sudanese Women’s Union and neither Muslim men nor Islamic society has been singled out as a source of female subjugation. Certain special ethical considerations arise in research associated with the Shari’a and Muslim women. Since Shari’a court cases often deal with highly sensitive family matters and since there is a sense of shame attached to settling a case in court the reporting of such cases must protect the anonymity of the litigants.
