Feminism, Tradition and Change in Contemporary Islam

‘In this powerful and essential work on Islamic gender ethics, Shehnaz Haqqani skillfully engages both the classical textual tradition and the lived realities of contemporary Muslims. Presenting Islamic tradition as a dynamic process in which everyday Muslims arrive at their own senses of the negotiable and non-negotiable, Haqqani rethinks and retheorises the mechanics of Islamic ethical and legal thought in real Muslim lives. For anyone interested in questions of gender and tradition in Islam, especially at the level of real-life communities, this book is required reading.’ Michael Muhammad Knight, author of The Taqwacores and The Five Percenters

‘Feminism, Tradition and Change in Contemporary Islam is essential reading. With this compelling account of how lay American Muslims make sense of controversial issues from sexual slavery to woman-led prayer, Shehnaz Haqqani shows how what is deemed sacrosanct and immutable, and what is considered amenable to change over time, involves gender and power. By taking ordinary Muslims’ perspectives seriously, she reshapes our ideas of how Islamic tradition is formulated and lived out in and beyond the twenty-first century West.’ Kecia Ali, author of Sexual Ethics and Islam

Dr. Shehnaz Haqqani is an assistant professor at Mercer University and specialises in Islam, with a focus on gender and sexuality. She is a host of the podcast New Books Network.