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Paper short abstract

This ethnographic study explores Muslim women’s divorce experiences in Western Thrace, Greece, focusing on how an atmosphere of political hostility towards Muslim women affect their legal experiences and how women navigate and strategically use religious and state law to reshape life after marriage.

Paper long abstract

Drawing on ethnographic data collected last summer in Thrace, Greece, from Muslim women and lawyers specialising in divorce cases, this presentation explores the limitations of authority and the strategies available to divorced Muslim women in western Greece within the context of politics, religion and gender. It outlines the historical conditions that transformed the Muslims of Western Thrace into a religious minority, ensuring their right to freedom of religion and the application of Sharia law, yet failing to guarantee equal access to education, justice, and employment — especially for women. How does an atmosphere of political hostility towards Muslim women affect their legal experiences? These structural inequalities significantly narrow the range of options available to women who wish to divorce within legal, community and social contexts. However, the paper also highlights how women navigate, negotiate and sometimes strategically utilise religious and legal frameworks to pursue divorce and reshape their lives after marriage.