Paper short abstract:

This paper will compare the approaches of Indian and Pakistani women's movements to the promotion of women's rights vis-a-vis Islam. It will explore when these movements have chosen to engage proactively with Islamic discourses or taken a more secular or 'human rights' based approach.

Paper long abstract:

Both the Indian and Pakistani women's movements have had a historically troubled relationship with religion, and Islam in particular. In India the Shah Bano case brought the issue of Muslim women's rights to the centre of national attention, and led the women's movement to an impasse on the question of minority women's rights. Since this time, Muslim women have emerged as leaders within the women's movement and have been working through both 'Islamic feminist' and secular approaches. In the Pakistani context, the women's movement was consolidated in response to Zia ul-Haq's aggressive 'Islamisation' programme, which led to a serious regression in women's rights. The women's movement at this time confronted the right of the ulema to interpret Islam by arguing for progressive interpretations of Islam as well as by utilizing the language of human rights. Women's movement activists in Pakistan have since taken both 'Islamic feminist' and secular approaches depending on the issue at hand and the particular individual or group. This paper will highlight when and how women's rights activists in both contexts have chosen to work through an Islamic framework and when they have chosen a secular or human rights based approach. Furthermore, it will explore the debates that have taken place amongst feminists on the question of religion, which have led to sharp splits within both movements. This paper will provide a unique, comparative perspective, hence shedding light on the impact of political and social context on the constraints and strategies of women's movements vis-a-vis Islam.