ABSTRACT
This chapter locates research within the broader literature on women's movements, the struggle of Muslim women in Muslim societies. At the heart of the discussion on women in Muslim societies is sharia and ideas of Islamic law. It also shows that the emergence of Islamic feminism in Muslim societies is a response to three interrelated sets of domestic, national and global pressures. The chapter provides a comparative analysis on the experience of women mobilizing into NGOs and creates movements in Muslim countries to challenge the move towards pushing back women from public life. The common assumption is that women in Muslim societies continue to face obstacles in exercising their freedom and having their rights respected. At the heart of the discussion on women in Muslim societies is sharia and ideas of Islamic law. In looking at Muslim women's experiences in Muslim societies, there is a need to assess if inequality and discrimination are in fact generated from sharia.
