Issue Two of Women in Islam includes investigations of social issues, profiles of inspiring women, book and film reviews, poetry, and opinion pieces. The theme of the dossier, The Female Body: A Contested Land, focuses on womens bodies, including articles on FGM, sexual harassment, and how art can challenge repressive social norms. Another section focuses on masculinity and the ways men can support women in the struggle for equality. Other highlights include profiles of Somali singer and politician Saado Ali Warsame, an analysis of Sudans discriminatory legal system, and a portrait of a Muslim society in Sumatra where religion and matriarchal traditions coexist.

Women in Islam explores the complexities of gender relations in Muslim communities in the Horn of Africa and beyond, engaging critically with the social, political and cultural challenges associated with the intersection of Islam and gender. With an eclectic selection of essays, academic papers, opinion pieces and personal narratives punctuated with poetry and art, the journal seeks to spark creative and forward-looking discussions on how to effectively improve the status of women in Muslim societies. Women in Islam is published annually by SIHA, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa. The fourth issue of Women in Islam is filled with critical analysis, personal stories, and cultural highlights from the Muslim world. The theme of the dossier is womens sexuality, one of the greatest social taboos: articles in this section uncover the complex web of obsession and repression that surrounds female sexuality in Muslim cultures. Further articles address social injustice and legal reform around the world, while others highlight inspiring stories - a womens cycling club in Sudan, and how a young Somali woman followed her dream of becoming a mechanic. With poetry, reviews, and stunning artwork throughout, Women in Islam 4 is essential reading.

Women in Islam explores the complexities of gender relations in Muslim communities in the Horn of Africa and beyond, engaging critically with the social, political and cultural challenges associated with the intersection of Islam and gender. With an eclectic selection of essays, academic papers, opinion pieces and personal narratives punctuated with poetry and art, the journal seeks to spark creative and forward-looking discussions on how to effectively improve the status of women in Muslim societies. Women in Islam is published annually by SIHA, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa. Issue One of Women in Islam includes investigations of social issues, profiles of inspiring women, book and film reviews, and opinion pieces. The theme of the dossier, Unveiling Hijab, includes a selection of in-depth articles on the hijab and the practice of veiling. Highlights include an introduction to the life and work of Amina Wadud, a discussion of masculinity and fatherhood in a Muslim context, and reflections on what it means to be a moderate Muslim today.

Women in Islam explores the complexities of gender relations in Muslim communities in the Horn of Africa and beyond, engaging critically with the social, political and cultural challenges associated with the intersection of Islam and gender. With an eclectic selection of essays, academic papers, opinion pieces and personal narratives punctuated with poetry and art, the journal seeks to spark creative and forward-looking discussions on how to effectively improve the status of women in Muslim societies. Women in Islam is published annually by SIHA, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa. Issue Three of Women in Islam includes investigations of social issues, profiles of inspiring women, book and film reviews, poetry, and opinion pieces. The dossier on Living With Religious Militancy explores womens experiences in contexts of conflict and extremism, with articles on the dilemma of female political Islamists, a gender-segregated community in Eastern Sudan, and women of Boko Haram. Other articles include stories of Sufi women, the experience of female convert to Islam, Ziba Mir-Hosseinis quest for equality in Islamic law, and reviews of Wadjda and Timbuktu.

Women in Islam explores the complexities of gender relations in Muslim communities in the Horn of Africa and beyond, engaging critically with the social, political and cultural challenges associated with the intersection of Islam and gender. With an eclectic selection of essays, academic papers, opinion pieces and personal narratives punctuated with poetry and art, the journal seeks to spark creative and forward-looking discussions on how to effectively improve the status of women in Muslim societies. Women in Islam is published annually by SIHA, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa. Issue Two of Women in Islam includes investigations of social issues, profiles of inspiring women, book and film reviews, poetry, and opinion pieces. The theme of the dossier, 'The Female Body: A Contested Land', focuses on women's bodies, including articles on FGM, sexual harassment, and how art can challenge repressive social norms. Another section focuses on masculinity and the ways men can support women in the struggle for equality. Other highlights include profiles of Somali singer and politician Saado Ali Warsame, an analysis of Sudan's discriminatory legal system, and a portrait of a Muslim society in Sumatra where religion and matriarchal traditions coexist.

This report presents elements of the development of Sudanese women’s political participation through time. It highlights several political routes from their early days until the contemporary era. The study is based on an analysis of secondary sources alongside empirical data derived from four states within Sudan, namely: Blue Nile, Central Darfur, Kassala and River Nile. Different themes are explored and they include: the meanings of political participation, women’s leadership roles, identifying structural limitations that hinder the participation of women in politics, possible avenues for women’s participation, the presence of women in politics, variations in religious interpretations and their impact on political participation, the status of the Sudanese constitution and the views of women and men on the extent that women might advance in the next elections. The report also address how the December revolution of 2018 might improve the situation for women’s political participation, since it marks a break from the earlier practices of the Islamist regime that had a severe negative impact on the freedoms of Sudanese women and their ability to engage in political activities. Political parties are considered gatekeepers for women’s access to political positions of power as they play an important role in institutionalizing women’s inclusion in politics. Ensuring that political parties in Sudan play an active role in the advancement of gender equality and the enhancement of women’s political participation is particularly important as Sudan prepares for its transition to democracy.

This collection of essays and articles captures the beginning of the Muslim women’s movement in India in the last two decades. Written at different points during the journey, these pieces provide a glimpse into the collective tumultuous journey of women demanding reform in Muslim family law in India and for equal citizenship without discrimination. This journey was undertaken by ordinary women under their own leadership. This collection highlights the challenges faced by women. It also celebrates successes such as the organization of women into groups, abolition of triple talaq and women’s entry into the mazar of Haji Ali Dargah. This book is a collection of articles written by authors, individually and jointly in various newspapers, magazines, journals and other publications. It challenges the misogynist regressive norms for women in family set by patriarchal religious groups. It calls for state accountability in providing safety, security and equality to Muslim citizens. Based on experiences and insights from grounded struggle of ordinary women, these essays give hope and provide strength in addressing discrimination through shared vision and collective democratic action. It calls out the failure of conservative religious leadership as well as elected representatives in providing an enabling environment to the community and particularly, women. It calls out certain feminists for their dual standards and for unsuccessful attempts to weaken the movement for reform in family law led by ordinary Muslim women.

Essential reading for scholars of gender and sexuality and anyone interested in Asia.

This book brings together conceptual debates on the impact of youth-hood and gender on state building in Africa. It offers contemporary and interdisciplinary analyses on the role of protests as an alternative route for citizens to challenge the ballot box as the only legitimate means of ensuring freedom. Drawing on case studies from seven African countries, the contributors focus on specific political moments in their respective countries to offer insights into how the state/society social contract is contested through informal channels, and how political power functions to counteract citizen’s voices. These contributions offer a different way of thinking about state-building and structural change that goes beyond the system-based approaches that dominate scholarship on democratization and political structures. In effect, it provides a basis for organizers and social movements to consider how to build solidarity beyond influencing government institutions. Chapters 3, 5, and 6 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Beni-Amer cattle owners in the western part of the Horn of Africa are not only masters in cattle breeding, they are also knowledge sovereign, in terms of owning productive genes of cattle and the cognitive knowledge base crucial to sustainable development. The strong bonds between the Beni-Amer, their animals, and their environment constitute the basis of their ways of knowing, and much of their knowledge system is built on experience and embedded in their cultural practices. In this book, the first to study Beni-Amer practices, Zeremariam Fre argues for the importance of their knowledge, challenging the preconceptions that regard it as untrustworthy when compared to scientific knowledge from more developed regions. Empirical evidence suggests that there is much one could learn from the other, since elements of pastoralist technology, such as those related to animal production and husbandry, make a direct contribution to our knowledge of livestock production. It is this potential for hybridisation, as well as the resilience of the herders, at the core of the indigenous knowledge system. Fre also argues that indigenous knowledge can be viewed as a stand-alone science, and that a community’s rights over ownership should be defended by government officials, development planners and policy makers, making the case for a celebration of the knowledge sovereignty of pastoralist communities Praise for Knowledge Sovereignty Among African Cattle Herders ‘This book greatly contributes to the limited literature on theoretical discourses and practices on indigenous knowledge of livestock herding communities in the Horn of Africa. It discusses knowledge heritage and sovereignty through the presentation of valid empirical evidence, and its subsequent relevance in nurturing sustainability of knowledge systems to enhance lives of pastoralists in Africa and beyond.’ Samuel Tefera PhD, Assistant Professor and Asian Desk Coordinator at the Centre for African and Oriental Studies, Associate Dean for Research and Technology Transfer, College of Social Sciences, Addis Ababa University ‘The author has worked with our Beni-Amer pastoral communities in Eastern Sudan and Western Eritrea for over 30 years and this book is the first of its kind in documenting our practices, knowledge systems, heritage and way of life.’ Mustafa Faid and Mohamed Ali, Leaders of the of the Pastoral and Environmental Association Kassala State (PEAKS) ‘A riveting and rare book! Zeremarian Fre guides you along the sandy [dusty] tracks and grassy pastures that the Beni-Amer and their herds have been softly tracing over time all through the Horn of Africa. One of the virtues of the book is that it illustrates vividly and in clear language how their continuous self-built endogenous knowledge on agro-pastoral life is not only at the core of their survival and the survival of their herds, but more importantly a powerful weapon in facing and resisting multiple aggressions . . . Ground-breaking and a huge achievement.’ Yves Cabannes, Emeritus Professor of Development Planning,, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL ‘The book underlines the importance of enriching and utilizing the unrecognized, yet valuable scientific knowledge and practices that are deeply rooted in pastoral traditional expertise about their own environment and breeding practices. It is an important publication that reflects Dr Fre’s expertise and long term research in the region and thus, it is a significant addition to the African library.’ Hala Alkarib, Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) ‘This fascinating book not only gives a unique insight into the knowledge and practice of pastoralists in the Horn of Africa from the author’s first-hand experience, it also provides an incisive critique of the multiple dimensions of knowledge, paying tribute to the sovereignty of indigenous knowledge. It has a timely relevance for global sustainability that will appeal to a wider readership.’ Nicole Kenton, International Development Consultant, former long serving senior staff member of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) ‘The book covers several intertwined issues relevant to contemporary development policy and practice. It goes beyond the rural-urban and peasant–nomadic livelihoods dichotomy by shedding more light on the inter-linkages within the multiple livelihood systems within the Horn of Africa and globally. A rich evidence-based resource for academics, development partners and social movements for promoting and designing state policies that embrace pastoralist aspirations.’ Bereket Tsegay MA, PhD candidate, Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (PENHA) ‘Dr Zeremariam Fre has done a wonderful job of placing at the centre of this book the Beni-Amer pastoralists, the world they inhabit and the knowledge they use to navigate and thrive in it. The lessons contained in this book go beyond pastoralism; it is a must read for anyone serious about understanding the importance of located knowledge in the innovation and development process.’ Yusuf Dirie, PENHA Research Fellow and PhD researcher at the University of Sussex