The Politics of Gender and Rights: The Islamic Context

This book offers a nuanced exploration of gender politics, agency, and coercion across two interconnected contexts: Muslim diasporic communities in the UK and Muslim-majority countries, including Morocco, Pakistan, and Iran. It traces issues such as religious arbitration and forced marriage in the UK, legal reforms and women's rights in Morocco, women's political participation in Pakistan, and trans women’s marital lives and feminist resistance in Iran. Chapters highlight the complex, context-specific, and intersectional nature of gender politics, showing how class, immigration status, religion, and legal frameworks shape experiences of agency and constraint. Rejecting simplistic binaries, this book reveals the multiple forms of resistance that challenge patriarchal norms. It adds to vital conversations about justice and rights by sharing the experiences of women and trans individuals in different Muslim settings. This book offers insights that can inform more transformative, inclusive strategies for advancing gender equality. It will be of interest to researchers and students in gender studies, women’s studies, Islamic studies, Middle Eastern studies, diaspora studies, and sociology, as well as politicians, legal practitioners, policymakers, activists, and journalists concerned with women’s rights.

Pardis Asadi Zeidabadi is Researcher and Visiting Lecturer at City St George’s, University of London, UK.

Nadia Aghtaie is Associate Professor in Criminology at Bristol University, UK.