Muslim Women in the United Kingdom and Beyond: Experiences and Images

by Haifaa A. Jawad (Editor), Tansin Benn (Editor), Irene Donohoue Clyne (Contributor)

The book explores ways in which Muslim women are portrayed, alongside their experiences of being Muslim and part of a predominantly western culture. It engages with Muslim women living predominantly in the United Kingdom, with contributions from other countries such as Australia, America and Sweden. Religious prejudice is a major theme that permeates the book, providing empirical evidence of ways in which islamophobia and visible symbols, such as the hijab, influence life experiences and perceptions of Muslim women negatively. Accounts of the impact of discrimination on life chances and opportunities are vivid. The book recounts ways in which the women cope in challenging diasporic contexts and concludes with recommendations for positive change. The text will be particularly valuable to anyone interested in issues of gender, religion and ethnicity, including students, employers, politicians and professionals.

180 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 2002

About the author

HAIFAA A. JAWAD is Senior Lecturer in Middle East and Islamic Studies at Westhill College, Birmingham. She previously taught politics and international relations at Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, and New England College, Arundel. Born in Baghdad, Dr Jawad gained her PhD from Exeter University in 1989. She has specialised on Euro-Arab relations, the socio-political study of Islam, Islam and the west and women's issues in Islam. Among her most recent publications is The Middle East in the New World Order (1997). Currently she is on secondment at the Religious Department of Lancaster University.