The social history of Islamic society

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• The history in general of Islamic society

Claiming independence, asserting personal choice

By Abderrahim Lamchichi, Le Monde diplomatique, July 2003. How did a religion that originally offered women greater freedom than they had known in traditional societies come to be associated with their repression? Muslim feminists are claiming again the independence and respect that was accorded to women during the early centuries of Islam.

Hard-won change in Iran and Morocco

By Wendy Kristianasen, Le Monde diplomatique, April 2004. From Morocco to Iran, women—secular, liberal and Islamist, sometimes alone, sometimes together—are challenging traditions, demanding greater rights, reinterpreting the Koran and Muslim history.