Setting the record straight on feminism in Muslim countries.

Great Ancestors: Women Asserting Rights in Muslim Contexts Farida Shaheed with Aisha Lee-Shaheed (Women Living under Muslim Laws, 2005, 2 vols., Training Manual: 133pp; Narratives: 193pp), $15.00 (Global South); $30.00 (Global North)

GREAT ANCESTORS HIGHLIGHTS the lives and deeds of women from diverse Muslim countries and communities who have, in the past, engaged in the struggle for gender equality. It provides dozens of examples of women's rights advocates ranging from the eighth century through the 1950s and encompasses regions as varied as the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Muslim Spain, India, Pakistan, Algeria, Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, Nigeria and Indonesia. Great Ancestors aims to reclaim women's rights activism as grounded in Muslim societies, by connecting "the contemporary struggle for women's rights [with our] historical past."

The work challenges the misconception that feminism is a project that originated comparatively recently in the West, an idea systematically spread by politico-religious forces ("fundamentalists") who denounce feminism as a foreign discourse and practice and aim to de-legitimize feminists as "Westernized" women who betray their culture or religion. In doing so, Great Ancestors demonstrates that the efforts undertaken by women toward achieving gender equality in Muslim contexts have been ongoing for centuries. In the process, it "explodes the myth that struggles for women's rights are alien to societies that embraced Islam."

The wealth of illustrations--from portraits to covers of 19th century women's magazines to often exquisite reproductions of early miniatures--also goes a long way in making this statement not only politically valuable but also enjoyable to the eye.

While previous efforts to uncover an "indigenous" feminism within the Muslim world were primarily aimed at academics, Great Ancestors is a two-volume information and training pack seeking to inspire younger generations of activists. It also differs from earlier work at other levels. The Narratives section is organized chronologically from the eighth century to the present. The Training Manual contains a script for teachers and trainers designed to last a one-hour training session, with illustrations and a pronunciation guide.

The scope of women's activities is an eye-opener--reminding us that a number of issues (such as polygamy, divorce rights, child custody etc.) remain sites of struggle to this day. Three "strands" of struggle are identified: "women asserting control over their personal lives, especially sexuality, and rights within the family;" "women's solidarity actions" and "efforts to improve their societies." Specific areas of activism that are dealt with include ensuring access to education (for the women themselves and for others) and the fight to secure rights within marriage--or to refuse marriage altogether. Collective solidarity projects are also highlighted, including anticolonial struggles or early forms of transnational feminist networking.

THE RANGE OF WOMEN INVOLVED IS similarly impressive. Some of them were famous, others not, and by no means all were "Muslim"--in order to acknowledge that there were, and are, non-Muslim women who live and struggle in Muslim contexts. To dispel another myth about Muslim societies--that they were always inherently misogynistic--examples of Muslim men who struggled for women's emancipation are included.

A limitation of Great Ancestors, acknowledged by the authors, is linked to the fact that the research relied primarily on information available in English or Urdu--leaving unexplored large sections of the Muslim world, including Chinese, Indonesian Muslims or communities from sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.

In this endeavor, access to relevant sources can also prove problematic: in the early (eighth and ninth century) days of Islam, the 4,250 names entered in the earliest Tabaqat al-kubra (the "First Generations"--a record of important figures) includes about 15 percent women. But, from the 15th century onward "women mysteriously disappear." The reasons for this are not entirely clear, and more research is needed.

Despite these shortcomings, Great Ancestors proves to be an exciting, well researched and attractively illustrated book. Hopefully, it will encourage groups with access to local data to undertake further research in other countries. Reclaiming history is an endeavor in which most oppressed constituencies--from indigenous to women, from gays and lesbians to disabled people--are engaged. By documenting their own great ancestors, such groups are able to trace the roots of their activism and sustain contemporary struggles. Similarly, a large-scale history of feminism in the Muslim world can go a long way in confronting the challenges posed to women by foreign intervention, the failure of nation states to provide for citizens' basic needs or the rise of the Muslim religious right.

This publication can be ordered from Shirkat Gah, [e-mail], or WLUML, [e-mail].

ANISSA HELIE is a feminist historian by training and an activist by choice. In 2005, she was a recipient of a research/teaching Ford Foundation Fellowship at the Five Colleges, Inc. in Amherst, Mass. She has worked with a wide range of women's groups and human rights groups in various countries, including Women Living under Muslim Laws, focusing on issues of sexuality, fundamentalisms and reproductive rights.