Muslim women and the challenge of Islamic extremism

In earlier times, troublesome women, when their arguments became irresistible, were burnt as witches. These days their books are banned. The book Muslim Women and The Challenge of Islamic Extremism, edited by Norani Othman and published in October 2005, is based on a project initiated by Sisters in Islam (SIS) in early 2003. The collection of essays published in the book--describing women's groups' experiences in facing, engaging and challenging Islamic extremism (or, as scholars such as Prof. Bassam Tibi prefer to call it “Islamic fundamentalism”)--were originally “country research papers” prepared for the International Roundtable on Muslim Women and the Challenge of Religious Extremism: Building Bridges between Southeast Asia and the Middle East, held in Bellagio, Italy from 30 Sept. to 2 October, 2003. The papers are the outcome of collaborative research, networking and co-operation among various Muslim women's groups from Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, & Thailand) and the Middle East (Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Turkey, & Saudi Arabia). The task given to the paper contributors was to identify the nature, implications and challenges that ordinary Muslim women, Muslim women's groups and activists constantly face in their project to achieve justice for and promote the rights of women in their respective countries. The paper-writers were also asked to describe the strategies that were adopted by women's groups (in their respective countries) in their efforts to overcome those challenges and the opposition that they faced.