Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate | 
pickThis is an excellent place to start if you‘re interested in the subject matter of gender roles of women in Islam. It follows the historical evolution of how things changed into a patriarchal society via outside influences. It asks all of the right questions to begin discourse. However, it is a bit outdated w/language & lack of intersectionality, & the author focuses mostly on Egyptian society vs roles of Muslima as a whole, worldwide.
3.5/5
I‘m about 2 chapters in & reading the historical context of how misogyny & sexism was spread into Middle-Eastern countries like Egypt by European colonisers is vastly interesting. Women were awarded quite a decent amount of equality & Egypt was a liberal, egalitarian nation prior to its colonisation & influences via White colonisers, as well as being sexualised by men who looked at women & only saw them as sexual beings fit for reproduction.
An #OwnVoices book that looks at women‘s roles in Islam, examining the myths & facts behind oppression of women. I‘m super excited to read this. As a person who‘s struggled with their Islamic faith since childhood, I‘m eager to educate & enlighten my mind regarding Islam & it‘s gender roles. I want to build a connection to this part of my history & culture, but want do so with knowledge rather than blindly following other ppl‘s interpretations.
My #WWW this week is Leila Ahmed. An Egyptian-American professor of Divinity at Harvard, she writes a lot about women and Islam and provides an insider's look at a culture that is so often portrayed as demeaning and harmful to women. I haven't read all of her books yet, but I read "Women and Gender in Islam" in college and loved it. She does a great job at looking at the impact of colonization on Muslim women and culture. #diversebooks
