Muslim women find their voice - by Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
n what many scholars are calling a significant step, more than 100 Muslim women leaders will gather in New York City this month to launch an advisory council--one that could provide alternative opinions and become a voice for women's rights in the traditionally male-dominated field of Islamic law.
The council, which hopes to build consensus on varying issues, comes on the heels of what appears to be a growing movement among Muslim women to seek empowerment.
In Turkey, the Diyanet, or Directorate of Religious Affairs, appointed 200 state-paid female preachers. The Diyanet also announced in June that it would delete from the hadith, or traditional sayings and deeds of Muhammad, passages that discriminated against women or even subordinated them to men.