ABSTRACT
This paper provides a critical examination of the intersectional challenges faced by Muslim women in France and India, highlighting the lasting influence of colonial histories and secular frameworks on their rights and social realities. It investigates how colonial discourses portrayed Muslim women as victims in need of “saving”, effectively stripping them of agency and denying them full citizenship. These colonial legacies continue to shape contemporary policies in both countries, where Muslim women are marginalised under the guise of emancipation, yet their fundamental freedoms are often undermined. The paper explores how colonial constructions of subalternity, alongside the tension between secularism and gender equality, inform both policy and public discourse regarding Muslim women's rights in these contexts. It also argues that applying intersectionality in non-Western settings, particularly in India, demands a deeper engagement with local historical and cultural nuances. While intersectionality offers significant insights, its application requires contextual awareness of how religion, colonial histories, and gender intersect in France and India—dynamics that differ from the Western frameworks from which intersectionality emerges. Ultimately, the paper advocates for a decolonial, intersectional approach to Muslim women's rights, one that prioritises their agency while critically assessing the limitations of intersectionality in non-Western contexts.
