Across more than 45 countries, Muslim family laws continue to govern the most intimate aspects of women’s lives — marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance, and the right to live free from violence. In many of these legal systems, discriminatory interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence have been used not to protect women, but to limit them. The consequences are profound. Globally, nearly one in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. In the Middle East and North Africa, nearly 2 of every 5 partnered women are subjected to domestic violence in their lifetimes . In many Muslim-majority countries, those women face additional barriers when they try to seek help: laws that do not protect them, institutions that do not believe them, and communities that tell them their faith requires their silence.
For Every Woman Cofounder and Deputy Director of the Global Coalition Zainab Ali Khan, this is not an abstract statistic. Zainab has worked on women’s rights for more than 20 years, including conducting research on honour crimes in Pakistan through the lens of Islamic jurisprudence, reviewing Pakistan’s Domestic Violence legislation during its drafting phases, contributing to gender-based violence indicators for the National Commission on the Status of Women in Pakistan, and participating in peaceful protests advocating for stronger legal protections against violence against women and girls.
“Patriarchal interpretations, rather than the core teachings of Islam, have often been used to justify inequality,” she says. “Throughout Islamic history, women have been scholars, leaders, and influential voices who challenged injustice. Their contributions have always been part of Islamic civilisation.”
As part of our work to strengthen the movement, Every Woman recently hosted a webinar with the NGO Musawah, led by Fer Ghanaa Ansari, Musawah’s Senior Programme Officer for International Advocacy and an international human rights lawyer specialising in gender equality and family law reform; Monami Fariha, Musawah’s Capacity Building Programme Officer; and Maddie Naisbitt, a legal intern supporting policy research and drafting.
The session was a deep dive into a key area of ending violence against women and girls on the intersection of faith and gender justice, a chance for us to learn from each other and deepen our understanding of the work necessary to end all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls.
Musawah — which means “equality” in Arabic — champions legal reform by drawing on progressive interpretations of Islamic teachings, international human rights principles, and the lived experiences of women. Since its launch in 2009, Musawah has been building a movement to advance equality and justice within Muslim families through Islamic teachings.
Through extensive research, it has mapped Muslim family laws across more than 33 countries, identifying 12 principal areas of concern in Muslim family laws globally from the lived realities of millions of women and girls across more than 45 countries:
- Unequal divorce rights: In many Muslim family law systems, men can divorce unilaterally, while women must go through lengthy, costly, and often hostile court processes to obtain divorce — leaving them trapped in abusive marriages. Bahrain, Philippines, and Singapore
- Child and forced marriages: Child marriage remains prevalent across multiple Muslim-majority countries, driven by poverty, conflict, and patriarchal interpretations of religious law. In conflict-affected areas of the Arab region and West Africa, child marriage rates are rising as families use marriage as a coping mechanism. Iraq, Mauritania.
- Polygamy without consent: In many jurisdictions, Muslim men can take multiple wives, 4, with minimal legal accountability, despite Qur’anic teachings that set strict conditions on the practice.
- Custody and guardianship discrimination: Women in many Muslim family law contexts are denied equal custody and guardianship rights over their children, particularly after remarriage.
- Inheritance inequality: Women in several jurisdictions inherit at half the rate of men, with few legal mechanisms to challenge this.
The session introduced coalition members to Musawah’s approach of combining Islamic scholarship, international human rights standards, and the lived realities of women to drive change across the Muslim region. The session also created a platform for coalition members working in similar spaces to reflect on how a faith-based lens might strengthen their own advocacy.
Musawah’s Approach
Patriarchal interpretations, rather than the core teachings of Islam, have often been used to justify inequality. The core teachings of the faith, on justice, dignity, and equality, have always supported women’s rights. The work of Musawah is to ensure those teachings are reflected in laws and in lives.
The session highlighted three core lessons for coalition members:
- Gender justice and faith are not in conflict. Musawah demonstrates how Islamic teachings can actively support equality and challenge the discriminatory interpretations that have long been used to silence women.
- Knowledge must lead to action. Research, training, and international advocacy are not separate tracks. They reinforce each other. Reform requires all three.
- Collaboration is essential. Sharing experiences across countries helps advocates learn from successful reforms, avoid repeating what has not worked, and build stronger strategies for change.
A Personal Commitment to Change
For Zainab, the connection between faith, law, and lived experience is not theoretical. As a Pakistani woman and global activist, she has watched legal systems and social norms shape women’s experiences of marriage, divorce, and personal autonomy up close. She recently welcomed the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s ruling affirming that marital gifts given to a woman at the time of her marriage remain hers alone, as a step toward protecting women’s economic rights and autonomy.
“A feminist interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence is not a rejection of Islam; it is a return to principles of justice, equality, and dignity,” she says. “Islam recognised women’s rights to own and inherit property, retain wealth, consent to marriage, seek divorce, and participate in society. These values are not new to Islam — they are deeply rooted in its foundations.”
Her perspective reflects a broader truth that Musawah’s work embodies: the struggle for gender justice within Muslim communities is not an external imposition, but an internal reclamation, led by Muslim women themselves.
The session sparked reflection across the coalition not only for the knowledge it offered, but for the permission it gave them to approach their own work differently.
“It was useful to learn more details on how faith-based reasons are used to defend unacceptable practices for violence against women.” — Farwa Zafar, Pakistan
“I learned the importance of employing religious values that support justice and human dignity to promote gender equality, and I will apply this in awareness-raising and women’s empowerment activities within the community.” — Mariam Al Fartosy, Iraq
“Transformative learning experiences. It was insightful to learn from their stories, the work they are doing in capacity building women, and the strategy to achieve a conducive environment for women was remarkable.” — Georgina Mabezere, Zambia
For coalition members navigating similar terrain in their own communities, Musawah’s example offers both a model and an invitation: to ground advocacy in the values of equality and dignity that have always been part of the faith and build the movement from there.
Learn more about Musawah’s work at musawah.org
Learn more about the Resilient Collective https://everywoman.org/the-resilient-collective/
