“Schneider’s choices of topics are savvy; she covers the foundations, such as the instructions for women found in the Qur’an, and contemporary Muslim feminist movements, as well as a sampling of narrower topics, like Morocco’s family law reforms or the roles of women in literature. This variety of subjects both showcases the diversity and historical variation of women’s roles in the Islamic world and pushes the discourse about Muslim women away from simplistic clichés. The book is meticulous in the treatment of a very complex subject, and should serve as a valuable and accessible introduction to the topic for both new and more expert readers.”
–– Publishers Weekly
“Irene Schneider, University of Göttingen, is best known for her intelligent scholarly studies in the field of the law and literature of the Arabic and Iranian-Afghan worlds. Within these areas, she brings us nuanced studies of the roles of family, youth, and gender from a historical and contemporary perspective.
“This book is clearly structured and the main topics are carefully selected. Her lively presentations illustrate the multi-layered facets of the book’s theme. The author defends Islam in all its diversity in the areas in which it has been misinterpreted and misunderstood, yet does not hesitate to weigh in with critical remarks that validate feminist points of view.”
— Anthropos