While books on Islamic law abound, there is little information on the legal status of women from a woman’s perspective. Unveiling the Mind is therefore a book about Muslim women written by a Muslim woman, and dedicated to all Muslim women and men, young and old. It is so dedicated because, in order for there to be any real development of women, there has to be the development and commitment of men as well.

The main purpose of this publication is to encourage those women and men, and especially the younger generation, who simply follow what has ‘always’ been thought and taught, to participate in this debate. It is therefore a plea to unveil the Muslim mind. Having access to a readable script will, at the very least, be a step in this direction.

The book investigates the historical origins of Islam and subsequent interpretations by jurists. It also examines the position of Muslim women in the contemporary Islamic world, and considers the dilemmas that Muslim women face.

This is the second edition of the book, which was first published in 2004 by the Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape. The book has been extensively updated, with changes having been made to almost every chapter. The chapter on Muslim Personal Law in South Africa is a completely new one.

• Introductory Perspectives
• Definitions and Terminology
• Setting out the Problem
• ‘Rights’ of Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia
• Early Beginnings of Islam (First and Second Periods)
• The Rights of Women after the Advent of Islam
• Emergence of a Muslim Empire (Third and Fourth Periods)
• Emergence of the Schools of Jurists and the Road to Modernity (Fifth and Sixth Periods)
• Reform and Modernity (Seventh Period: 1800s to date)
• Different Perspectives on Women and Islam
• Equality: Divorce as a Case Study
• Issues and Challenges Emerging from the Overview of the Historical Development of Islamic Law
• A Snapshot of Muslim Personal Law (MPL) in South Africa: Past to Present
• Conclusions

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