Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East

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Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 138 ratings · 32 reviews

Over the centuries and throughout the world, women have struggled for equality and basic rights. Their challenge in the Middle East has been intensified by the rise of a political Islam that too often condemns women’s empowerment as Western cultural imperialism or, worse, anti-Islamic. In Paradise Beneath Her Feet, Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are fighting...more Over the centuries and throughout the world, women have struggled for equality and basic rights. Their challenge in the Middle East has been intensified by the rise of a political Islam that too often condemns women’s empowerment as Western cultural imperialism or, worse, anti-Islamic. In Paradise Beneath Her Feet, Isobel Coleman shows how Muslim women and men are fighting back with progressive interpretations of Islam to support women’s rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism.

In this timely book, Coleman journeys through the strategic crescent of the greater Middle East—Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan—to reveal how activists are working within the tenets of Islam to create economic, political, and educational opportunities for women. Coleman argues that these efforts are critical to bridging the conflict between those championing reform and those seeking to oppress women in the name of religious tradition. Success will bring greater stability and prosperity to the Middle East and stands to transform the region.

Coleman highlights a number of Muslim men and women who are among the most influential Islamic feminist thinkers, and brilliantly illuminates the on-the-ground experiences of women who are driving change: Sakena Yacoobi, an Afghan educator, runs more than forty women’s centers across Afghanistan, providing hundreds of thousands of women with literacy and health classes and teaching them about their rights within Islam. Madawi al-Hassoon, a successful businesswoman, is challenging conservative conventions to break new ground for Saudi professional women. Salama al-Khafaji, a devout dentist-turned-politician, relies on moderate interpretations of Islam to promote opportunities for women in Iraq’s religiously charged environment. These quiet revolutionaries are using Islamic feminism to change the terms of religious debate, to fight for women’s rights within Islam instead of against it.

There is no mistaking that women and women’s issues are very much on the front lines of a war that is taking place between advocates of innovation, tolerance, and plurality and those who use violence to reject modernity in Muslim communities around the world. Ultimately, Paradise Beneath Her Feet offers a message of hope: Change is happening—and more often than not, it is being led by women.(less)

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published April 27th 2010 by Random House (first published 2010)

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May 14, 2010 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Julie by: Jeanette

Shelves: social-political-commentary, middle-east-theme-setting, best-of-2010, read-2010

"A mother is a school. Empower her and you empower a great nation." -Hafez Ibrahim, Egyptian poet (1872-1932).

This quote opens Paradise Beneath Her Feet and serves as a guiding theme throughout this extraordinary book. With a simple statement, an Arab poet from a previous century contradicts the outsider's view of Muslim women as victims of an authoritarian, patriarchal religion.

Isobel Coleman, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, takes us on a journey t...more "A mother is a school. Empower her and you empower a great nation." -Hafez Ibrahim, Egyptian poet (1872-1932).

This quote opens Paradise Beneath Her Feet and serves as a guiding theme throughout this extraordinary book. With a simple statement, an Arab poet from a previous century contradicts the outsider's view of Muslim women as victims of an authoritarian, patriarchal religion.

Isobel Coleman, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, takes us on a journey through the greater Middle East to demonstrate the brave and selfless activism that is occurring in the name of human rights and within the tenets of Islam. We meet the women (and not an insignificant number of men) of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq who are advocates of girls' education and of the full participation of women in their countries' economic and social development.

Part I lays a foundation of historical context of Islamic feminism (doesn't that appear oxymoronic? Read this and have your stereotypes shattered!)and of research on the role of women's rights in the developing world. "Why Women Matter" is an armchair development studies scholar's dream. Coleman synthesizes decades of research that demonstrates over and over again one simple fact of enormous consequence: when you empower women, you change the world.

In Part II we meet the scholars, journalists, business leaders, lawmakers who by chance or by design are leading their nations, step-by-step, toward fundamental change. The enormity of the struggle for Islamic feminists is overshadowed only by the enormity of their vision and dedication. In societies where rape victims are imprisoned or murdered for the crime of adultery, where girls risk their lives every time they cross the threshold of an illegal school, where women remain trapped in a burning building because they are not dressed appropriately to be seen by male firefighters, it seems hopelessly quixotic to even dream of a time when these women could vote, own a business, chose their own husband or even drive a car. Yet, the intellectual and social revolution underway in the Middle East shows that even two steps forward and one step back is steady and lasting progress.

The central theme of this book is that effective and sustainable reform in the Muslim world means working within Islam, not against it. Nearly all of these women are devout Muslims who believe that theirs is a religion of justice and equality. Many have become passionate scholars of the Quran in order to show their leaders and fellow citizens the true nature of Islam and to fight against the political and social corruption that has held women throughout the Muslim world in a stranglehold of oppression and despair. Even those activists who are believe in a secular society realize that change must come from within the scope of a religion that dictates the region's legal, economic and political structure.

The point of Coleman's book is not to justify or explain Islam- even with her decades of research and reporting on women throughout the Muslim world, she is not a scholar of Islam or an interpreter of Muslim society. She allows the women in this book to speak for their own beliefs.

Much like Half the Sky, the intention of this book is to reveal to the Western world, through the stories of women who are right at this moment blogging, writing, teaching, and fighting, that women's rights are human rights and therefore of critical importance to global political and economic stability and security.(less)

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Jun 07, 2010 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cultural-and-social-commentary, four-star-nonfiction, history, middle-east, nonfiction, philosophy-theology, politricks

Isobel Coleman is senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations (an independent, non-partisan organization not affiliated with the U.S. Govt.). This book is the result of nearly a decade of travel, study, interviews, and writing about women in the Middle East.

Paradise Beneath Her Feet is an overview of both the history and current state of affairs with regard to women's rights in the Middle East. Each chapter is devoted to one of the major Middle Eastern nations. Iss...more

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May 28, 2010 Vika Gardner rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Based on a pre-publication version)

This work examines "Islamic feminism" in several countries: Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The sections on each country vary in length. The approach is largely anecdotal: Coleman uses the lens of individuals to examine and complicate ideas of what a feminist might be in the context of Islamist and politically complex arenas.

The section on Iran is the longest, and it is a credit to the author and publishers that it focuses on the time duri...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, iran, iraq, saudi-arabia, women-and-religion, women-writers, non-fiction, religion, religion-and-politics, politics, pakistan, middle-east, afghanistan, muslim, islam, women, women-s-rights

I originally checked this book out so I could suggest it to my book group. We didn't pick it, but I decided to read it on my own. It is an excellent overview of what is going on with women, politics and religion in the Middle East at this point in time.

This book showed me gaps in my education about so many things. I don't have a firm grasp on the history of the area, on the Islamic religion or even what women go through in that part of the world. There is so much to know in the world and none of...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Luna Selene rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book, but this book seemed to have even higher hopes for itself.

First, I would use the term "Middle East" lightly with this book. I think MENASA (Middle East, Northern Africa, Southeast Asia) would be more appropriate, kind of, minus the Northern Africa bit in a large part. Even then, Somalia is not a MENASA country, so the Somalian stories are inappropriate examples, so maybe she means Muslim-majority countries? I know that sounds like nit-picking, but really, someone...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Joseph rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: political-science

I lived in Saudia Arabia in 1984 and 1985 and recognized the two part system. In public women were treated one way and in private they were treat much more as equals. Visit any Saudi friend and in the privacy of his home you would think you were in any westerners home. Relaxed atmosphere. Wife not only uncovered, but in the current western fashions –Jordache at the time. What happens in public and private are two very different things. Through my graduate school education, the Middle East was vi...more I lived in Saudia Arabia in 1984 and 1985 and recognized the two part system. In public women were treated one way and in private they were treat much more as equals. Visit any Saudi friend and in the privacy of his home you would think you were in any westerners home. Relaxed atmosphere. Wife not only uncovered, but in the current western fashions –Jordache at the time. What happens in public and private are two very different things. Through my graduate school education, the Middle East was views were very polarized (even in pre 9/11 era) between the Liberal theory and a professor whose brother was killed by Gaddafi; there was no non-extreme view. I recently finished Karen Elliot House's “On Saudi Arabia” and was very surprised at the progress that women and society have made in what is considered and oppressive environment. Maybe the problem in the West is how we look at women's rights in the Middle East.

Isobel Coleman author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet; How Women are Transforming the Middle East, is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. That alone speaks volumes of her expertise and experience above her degrees from Oxford and Princeton.

Perhaps the most important point repeated throughout the book is something that most Westerners view symbolism over substance (my words not Coleman's). We in the West look at repression as having to wear a head covering or abaya as repression (symbolism) rather than the real picture. It turns out that even when the head scarf was banned, women still insisted on wearing them. The key factor in women rights is education. We view Iran as repressive, but more women graduate college in Iran than men. Saudi Arabia has a large population of highly educated women. Women's groups around Middle East work for literacy and educating women.

Women rights groups in the Middle East also work with Islam rather than seeing it as a repressive force. Islam is a religion that does offer equal rights and one just needs to become familiar with the Koran to understand this. The problem is literacy. Illiteracy is a major stumbling block. Once the population can read and understand, questions are asked and when answered, questioned again. Women's groups have turned to working with clerics to make their point and it is working. Women gain more working with Islam than against it (like early women's groups). Working inside the system has allowed women like Benazir Bhutto to become Prime Minister in Pakistan and Megawati Sukarnoputri to become president of Indonesia.

If the West really wants to help women's rights it needs to focus more on education and literacy than on head scarfs. Once women and those who support women's rights, read and understand the Koran they can fight for their rights that are allowed by their religion, a religion they also dearly believe in. Many educated Muslim women believe that Islam is for equal rights and can quote the Koran supporting that fact. They system is not perfect, but then, no one's is. We in America think of equal rights, but in my home state of Texas it was illegal for a married woman to buy property, take out a loan, or start a business without her husbands approval all the way up to 1977.

A very worthwhile read whether your interest is women's rights, the Middle East or current world affairs. I will admit that after reading the section on Pakistan I ordered Benazir Bhutto's autobiography and her book on Islam .
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Feb 27, 2013 Brandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, first-reads-giveaways, books-i-own

I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway! (Thank you!)

I wanted so badly to love this book. It's an incredibly important topic and a sad majority of
Americans seem to be woefully ignorant about the Quran and are far too quick to blame any problems in the Middle East on religion. And it that way, this is a great book that I would recommend to anyone interested.

My complaint is this: The entirety of the book only touches as recently as 2009. While the histories of the differe...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Josephine rated it 3 of 5 stars

While reading Isobel Coleman’s “Paradise Beneath Her Feet,” I couldn’t help but think about the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests known as the Arab Spring that started in December of last year and has carried on through the bulk of 2011.

In its wake, we’re seeing the rise of Islamic political parties — and you can’t help but wonder how it will all play out for women, in general.

While women all over the world have, for centuries, fought for equality and basic rights, the fight stil...more While reading Isobel Coleman’s “Paradise Beneath Her Feet,” I couldn’t help but think about the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests known as the Arab Spring that started in December of last year and has carried on through the bulk of 2011.

In its wake, we’re seeing the rise of Islamic political parties — and you can’t help but wonder how it will all play out for women, in general.

While women all over the world have, for centuries, fought for equality and basic rights, the fight still goes on today in the Middle East, where the rise of political Islam has meant the condemnation of women’s empowerment as “anti-Islamic.”

In her introduction, Coleman writes:

“…across the Islamic world, women’s rights are one of the most contentious political and ideological issues. Attitudes towards women heave helped to define and set apart the broader worldviews of conservative and progressive Muslims. Conservatives link women’s piety to the purity and Islamic authenticity of their societies. They use religious justifications to enforce that piety through a limited public role for women, gender segregation, and harsh punishments for any perceived transgressions. Assertions of women’s rights are often portrayed as anti-Islamic. For decades, powerful Islamists have successfully smeared women’s groups as being slavish followers of an illegitimate, neo-colonialist Western agenda.” (p.xvii)

One particularly stunning story Coleman used to illustrate this was the example of Saudi Arabia’s dreaded religious police, the mutawa, who actually forced girls from a burning high school building to go back inside, while preventing firefighters from entering the building or rushing to the girls’ aid because it was “sinful to approach them.”

Some of these mutawa even went so far as to force some of the girls who escaped the burning building to go back inside because they weren’t “appropriately covered.”

Fifteen school children ultimately suffocated or burned to death while more than 40 were injured in this 2002 incident.

While Coleman certainly could have peppered her book with horror stories, the main focus was on the Muslim women — and a few men — who are attempting to drive change in the Middle East.

She writes about Sakena Yacoobi, an Afghan teacher, who runs more than 40 women’s centres across Afghanistan, teaching women about their rights within Islam. Then, there’s also Salama al-Khafaji, a devout dentist-turned-politician, who relies on moderate interpretations of Islam to promote opportunities for women.

It’s clear that these Islamic feminists are quiet revolutionaries who are fighting for women’s rights within Islam instead of against it.

It’s a fascinating and timely read — and similar in vein to Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s “Half the Sky.” (less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Scott Haraburda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book.

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In a world where a male-dominated powerful society routinely ignores and persecutes half of its people, there is hope for a positive transformation. That is the message that Isobel Coleman offers its readers in her 2013 edition of Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East . Her book helps us understand the cultural and religious aspects of Islam. Using several short sketches of a handful of accomp...more Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book.

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In a world where a male-dominated powerful society routinely ignores and persecutes half of its people, there is hope for a positive transformation. That is the message that Isobel Coleman offers its readers in her 2013 edition of Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East . Her book helps us understand the cultural and religious aspects of Islam. Using several short sketches of a handful of accomplishments, she provides us a glimmer of hope for the improvement of women’s rights.

The author repeatedly reminds us that the Quran, the fundamental basis of the Islam religion, forbids the mistreatment of everyone, including women. Unfortunately, the powerful men throughout the Middle East ignore this and continue to prohibit women basic rights in education, marriage, and divorce. Women are frequently raped, beaten, and abused. For example, instead of comfort, women tormented with rape are further punished with imprisonment and lashes for having sex outside of a marriage. They can be forced into child marriage at a young age of nine, and be forced to be one of many wives in a polygamous marriage. To remove any form of sexual pleasure, it is common for women to undergo painful female genital mutilation. “Honor killings”, murdering females to restore family honor, is also common since women are considered the property of male relatives.

Throughout this book, Coleman provides us her personal observations from her extensive travels throughout the Middle East in her ten years as the director of the Council on Foreign Relation’s Women and Foreign Policy program. In addition to her observations and historical research, she includes stories of Islamic and secular feminists who use the tenets of Islam to promote both equality and justice for women. Her stories focused primarily in five countries: Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.

What makes these stories hopeful and powerful is that they occur in an environment involving injustice, oppression and violence towards women. Coleman uses these stories to break down the stereotype of Islamic women as helpless victims oppressed by a violent religion. These women are active change agents, not passive victims. Unfortunately, some of them have failed, being killed or forced into exile. Yet, that doesn’t stop others from pursuing change.

Her book is not only informative, but inspirational. Compared to a decade or more ago, women today there have greater access to education. Also, the Middle East has become an increasingly global area where everyone is affected by what happens there. Besides the terrorist attacks of 2001 in the US, many of these countries have recently partnered with American and European universities, allowing them to expand their higher education opportunities and improve their primary and secondary education systems. Otherwise, keeping women down will keep the society down.

Although I recently spent a year in the Middle East, primarily in Kuwait with short visits to Qatar and Iraq, I learned much from Coleman’s book. My narrow view, as an outsider, of Muslim women involved seeing half of the population hidden from view. Most of them wore the Niqab, a black cloth that covered their faces. Many people confuse this with the Burqa, which covers the entire body from the top of the head to the ground. Islamic support of this requirement comes from a very conservative interpretation of Quran 33:59, even though it doesn’t mention the face. Some religious and secular leaders in the area call the full-face veiling a cultural custom and not religious requirement. Yet, most women in the Middle East are hidden from observation under their clothing. Punishment for showing one’s face places women at risk of punishment, ranging from lashings, “virginity tests”, and acid attacks. This book provided me with a better understanding of the routine abuses of women and the risks they take in trying to improve their society.

This book is a must read for anyone wanting a broader view of the culture, history, and religion in this region of the world.
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Apr 23, 2012 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Mar 01, 2011 Ginny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: women

So far I was particularly impressed by the story on pages 4-6 about Dhabo Issa and other Somali women's creative efforts during the 1991 civil war to get food to the hungry and bypass looting by having the Red Cross bring the food in small shipments by donkey to communal kitchens in neighborhoods across the area rather than using big central supply stations that were more vulnerable to looting. I thought that was a great idea. Also the way they used some of the food aid to keep schools running....more

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Jul 06, 2010 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sara by: Monitor

Shelves: 2010, non-fiction, religion

This book is such a fascinating look at feminism and Islam, and I'd highly recommend to to everyone (especially females). Broken into two parts, this narrative lays the case for how women are gradually changing the way females are treated under Islamic law and how trailblazing women are using their religion to improve the plight of women.

Part 1 explains how females have been treated in Islam and how women got to the place they are today. This is quite a well-researched section, giving plenty of...more This book is such a fascinating look at feminism and Islam, and I'd highly recommend to to everyone (especially females). Broken into two parts, this narrative lays the case for how women are gradually changing the way females are treated under Islamic law and how trailblazing women are using their religion to improve the plight of women.

Part 1 explains how females have been treated in Islam and how women got to the place they are today. This is quite a well-researched section, giving plenty of background so the reader can understand why Islam is such a powerful force and how the religion has changed (or at least the way the religion has been interpreted has changed) over time, rolling back and pushing forward women's rights.

Part 2 of the book is broken into sections where the author details progress made by women in a number of different countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Various women are profiled in this section, explaining what they're doing to push forward change and how their actions have helped shape the way Muslim females are viewed and treated by their country's laws and citizens.

I was blown away by how passionate some of these women are and the guts they have to continue their work despite threats to their lives and sacrifices they've had to make. It was shocking (and disheartening) to read about the problems women have faced and continue to face today despite pushes for reform. At many points, I felt extremely frustrated reading about the religious interpretations and excuses people made (either out of ignorance or blind devotion) for affording women so few rights. It was amazing to hear stories of women working for change - and not in a secular way but actually using their religion to make the case for change! What a great thought, that the religion that is such a powerful force in these countries can be used as a tool for positive change instead of simply a cultural excuse for keeping women as second-class citizens.

The book was very inspiring and really made me thankful for all the rights I enjoy in this country and the women who, in the past, have fought for the freedoms I have today. I can only hope that the women profiled in this book continue to make progress in their own quests for change. (less)

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Oct 12, 2010 itpdx rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This is a wonderful, hopeful, and seemingly realistic look at women's movements in Islamic countries. Coleman starts with an overview of Islamic feminism, which includes studying the Quran and hadithas to try to separate what Islam says about women from the paternalistic cultures that dominate many of the Islamic areas. She details the leaders, movements, different circumstances and histories in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. These women and groups are working from within fo...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Doug rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting stories of women struggling for equality throughout the middle east. The author seems overly optimistic, in my opinion, that the efforts of the many she has interviewed constitute a wide-ranging movement that will change culture. The book is full of anecdotal experiences but provides little demographic data on societal trends in the nations of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. It did provide interesting insights into the harsh conditions that women face under shari...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Kirsten Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story details the rise of Islamic Feminism in the Middle East. Islamic Feminism seeks equality between men and women while working with the framework of Islam. The goal is to demonstrate that the discriminatory practices against women in the name of Islam are actually the result of tradition (which are obviously wrong) or the patriarchal nature of societies where Muslim women live.

Using the foundational texts of the Islamic faith, Islamic feminists (or what ever they call themselves) creat...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Aayeshanatasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really great read. I helped me get a good background on the condition for women in different countries in the middle east and that progress or lack there of, in getting more equal rights for women. That being said it was a bit tough to get through because it was very heavy content, written like a scholarly paper. Not a quick read. There was also a bit of unnecessary repetition, but as there were so many different people, places and concepts mentioned, I understand her desire to furthe...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Ruby rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is why women are so awesome! Read Paradise Beneath Her Feet if you're interested in learning about the Middle East and/or Islam in general. It's totally true - the way to resolve conflict is investing in women. Thanks for writing such an excellent book, Isobel Coleman!

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May 20, 2013 Erica Aisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminism-women-women-s-biographi, history, religious-books, urban-planning-and-development

I would recommend any article or book by Isobel Coleman. She is well informed, well traveled and a fabulous, although slightly academic author. She reviews different countries and the changes for lives of women there, as well as history.

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Mar 14, 2012 cassandramonds rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was my favorite book of 2011. I read it during the Arab spring and wish there was a follow up to the role of women in bringing about the recnet monumental changes in North Africa and the Middle East.

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Jan 24, 2013 Annie Hubbard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Coleman offers a perspective on relations in the Middle East that centers on human rights. I really enjoyed the accounts of the many courageous women who are fighting for a change.

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May 21, 2013 Shakera rated it 5 of 5 stars

Brilliantly written. It was critical, honest, respectful and sensitive. I really could tell the author appreciated Islam and the people of Muslim majority countries. I learned so much.

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May 02, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: can-read-over-and-over, favorites, religion, txtbook

It is highly unusual that I like a book I am reading for one of my classes, but this book was pretty amazing. Coleman is a truly great storyteller and made this book flow so well that I had difficulty putting it down.
I recommend it to everyone. Especially people who are interested in the feminist movements within the Middle East. However, I was disappointed that she didn't include Egypt, my home country, in the book. With everything that is going on there now it would make for an interesting pi...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Miranda Root rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great overview of how women are taking back their religion and using it to prove their worth and equality. The strategy of using religious arguments when speaking to people who claim religion as their motivation. For example, in this country people claim to be devout Christians but at the same time say hateful things and don't take care of the poor. To really help them see the importance of taking care of and loving all people, you have to prove to them it is...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Nicki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Isobel Coleman is a wonderful writer. She kept me engaged all while I learned sound information about Islamic feminism. Each chapter was focused on a different Middle Eastern country. I really enjoyed this. I recommend it to any foreign relations student.

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Mar 16, 2013 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Timely, informative, and well written. Paradise Beneath Her Feet is an introduction to the history of Islamic Feminism as well as a look at current events in the Middle East from women's point of view. Coleman does an excellent job of showing Western readers that Islam is not fundamentally opposed freedoms for women and when not politicized is very supportive of women's rights.

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Aug 02, 2010 Barry added it

Shelves: public-affairs

Stories of the work of Islamic Feminists in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

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Jul 21, 2010 Melissa Cavanaugh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Insightful and well-written. Would have liked to see more about women in business instead of just government and NGOs.

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Jun 03, 2013 Naomi King rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ethics, current-events, islam

I read the most recent edition of this important, realist, and hopeful book. Coleman's interviews and research weave together a difficult, but ultimately encouraging, tapestry of resistance, faith, and social change.

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Apr 05, 2011 Roxanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a gender-related development specialist with an interest in the Middle East, I did not find much of the information in this book new. However, Ms. Coleman has a wonderful way of weaving together the laws that govern the lives of women in the Middle East with profiles of female leaders and stories of strategies to effect social change. The book is also a useful primer on the now oft-talked about Islamic feminism.

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Oct 25, 2011 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm in awe of the women I read about in this book. They have the patience, perseverance and intelligence to unrelentingly seek justice and equality for women in the Middle East. Despite numerous setbacks, they continue to press on for change in a difficult environment. Recommend highly

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