Morocco's Islamic Feminism: How Social Movements, Political Reform, and Reinterpretations of the Quran Shape Gender Justice in Morocco

Abstract

In the western world, the discourse surrounding Islam is often oversimplified and prejudiced, falsely portraying Muslim women as the symbol of oppression and leading to other damaging consequences. Because of this, it is important to deepen the conversation about feminism and Islam, decentering hegemonic western feminism that excludes those outside of the categories of white, secular, liberal feminists. This thesis seeks to understand why a dominance of western feminism exists, how theories of transnational feminism support the realization of local feminisms, how Islamic feminism functions in the Moroccan context, and what obstacles Islamic feminism faces towards reaching peace and equality between genders in Morocco.