ISLAMIC FEMINISM: REVISITING GENDER ROLES AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM SOCIETIES
Brazil 
Afghanistan Afghanistan 
Indonesia 
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Gender Justice, Islamic Feminism, Muslim Societies
Abstract
Islamic feminism has become an important framework for examining the relationship between religious interpretation, gender justice, and women’s rights in contemporary Muslim societies. This study aimed to analyze how Islamic feminist perspectives reinterpret gender roles and evaluate the extent to which these interpretations influence legal recognition, institutional practice, and women’s lived experiences. A qualitative comparative multiple-case design was employed across Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, and Tunisia. Data were collected through forty-eight semi-structured interviews, eight focus group discussions, and analysis of sixty scholarly, legal, religious, policy, and civil society documents. Thematic and cross-case analyses revealed that most participants distinguished Islamic ethical principles from patriarchal customs and supported contextual interpretations grounded in justice, dignity, reciprocity, and shared responsibility. Findings also showed a persistent gap between formal rights and women’s practical ability to exercise them, particularly in relation to family decision-making, employment, leadership, legal remedies, and religious authority. These disparities were shaped by legal literacy, financial resources, institutional access, social class, and cultural expectations. The study concludes that Islamic feminism is most effective when theological reinterpretation is connected with legal reform, institutional accessibility, and women’s social agency.
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