Rights of Women and Muslim Societies

Abstract

This comment engages with the gap between the Qur'anic pronouncements and Shari'ah requirements pertaining to the treatment of women under Islam. The author historically traces this development from 7th century Arabia till present and examines issues such as wife beating, the capacity of women as half-witnesses, inheritance, marriage and divorce. In doing so, the comment seeks to dispel the myth that Shari'ah laws are divine and hence immutable. It concludes with an examination of the socio-political context of the codification of personal laws and women’s status in contemporary Muslim world today.