Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML)

Abstract

This article discusses the issue of women’s empowerment using the network of „Women Living under Muslim Laws“ (WLUML) as a case study.² It tries to link the historical manifestations of religion to women’s situation living under Muslim laws and discusses resistance from the women’s movement. I do not want to suggest here that the low status of women in Muslim communities has resulted from misinterpretations of Islam alone. On the contrary, I explore some other factors influencing women’s status as well. The factors that influence women’s lives can be summarised as a rigid interpretation of Islam, the structure of the society, national identity vis-à-vis culture, the economic crisis, state policies and, finally, the dominant patriarchal ideology. Scholars of Islam have shown that history has influenced the situation of women on two levels: One level is the level of Islam and its historical context, while the other one deals with the socioeconomic and political conditions of Muslim communities.

An earlier version of this paper with the title “International Women’s Solidarity: Case Study WLUML” was presented at the ifu, Project Area Migration, in Hanover, Germany on the 4th of August, 2000.