Islam and Gender Egalitarianism in Theory and Practice

In this presentation, Dr al-Sharmani will explore selected debates and efforts (collective and individual) around Islamic marriage. The actors partaking in these debates and efforts are diverse and located in different contexts: Muslim women scholars from different countries producing knowledge to make the case for gender equality and justice from within Islamic textual tradition and not shying away from their faith-based position; women’s rights activists in Muslim majority contexts advocating for gender-sensitive reform of family laws; mosque imams in Finland seeking the wellbeing of Muslim families by revisiting spousal and parental roles and relations in marriage; and lay Muslim women in Egypt and Finland navigating marriage and family life as they seek religious knowledge and to live an ethical Muslim life.

‍

Dr Mulki Al-Sharmani is Associate Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at University of Helsinki. She is also a member of the knowledge building working group of the global movement Musawah.