Series on women in the Middle East published in five languages

Al-Monitor’s monthlong series on women in the Middle East has highlighted the many and diverse roles that women are playing in shaping the future of the region. A recurring theme in our coverage has been the long-standing and ongoing struggle to reconcile the constraints of religious orthodoxy with the struggle for women’s rights. Women across the region are using whatever resources available to them to work within the system to strengthen their rights and achieve equality.

Leila Alikarami wrote earlier this month that some Iranian women have sought alternative interpretations of Islamic law from Reformist scholars on the right to inherit property and seek a divorce, which have historically favored men. Turkish theologian and self-described Islamist feminist Hidayet Tuksal told Al-Monitor’s Sibel Hurtas that she “began to see that religious doctrine had developed largely on the basis of human interpretations.” Tuksal found that interpreting religious doctrine for herself meant embracing her own freedoms. Madawi Al-Rasheed explained how Islamic feminists across the Middle East are shaping the region, including within Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Ennahda and even Hamas. In Israel, Ben Caspit introduced us to one young ultra-Orthodox woman who took on not just the electorate but also the rabbinical establishment in her quest for a seat in the Knesset. 

The stories told by our authors, as well as the profiles of Al-Monitor’s own female journalists, show that there is no single image of a Middle Eastern woman, a sentiment echoed by Jordan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Dina Kawar. The region’s women share a common goal to make their voices heard in the manner that works best for them.