Women, Islam and Pakistan : A Comparative Approach to Understand the Contemporary Women Rights Debates in Pakista

Abstract

This paper puts forward the problems faced by women based on ecclesiastical laws specifically in Pakistan and aims to shed light on the contemporary debate between feminism and Islam. As we have entered the 21st century where women have accomplished a lot in every field, the women in the Muslim world continue to struggle for an autonomous identity. The root of this denounced status of women is seemingly found in the basic teachings of Islam. However, this paper argues that the subjugation of women could be a result of patriarchal interpretations of the Islamic teachings and not Islam itself. Moreover, this paper tries to bridge the gap between general principles of feminism and Islamic rights of women by providing an introduction to the contemporary debate between western feminism and Islamic feminism and taking in account the detailed status of women in Pakistan, historically and contemporarily.