While demanding the human, political, and social rights that vast numbers of women lack in many Muslim countries, these heroic women expose political Islam, characterized by a malevolent intent toward progressive Muslim states and the West that manifests itself in violence, misogyny, and theocratic ambition. Many who have fled oppressive societies in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan alert the West to the gathering dangers of this ideology, yet their stories stilll offer hope and guidance for a better future so long as the struglle for equality persists.

This wide-ranging survey of Muslim women reformers not only concentrates on the Middle East but also on Europe and North America, and author Ida Lichter uncovers some significant emerging trends. For example, she notes that the majority of Muslim feminists would like to see reform contained within Islam. Many criticize their patriarchal culture for suppressing egalitarian views they believe the Koran expresses, and in rallies and even on government-policed Internet blogs, they advocate for a reinterpretation of the holy text. Some demand changes to insidious shari'ah-based laws. Others say that women will never achieve equal treatment under religiously inspired authoritarian ordinances and so they campaign openly for major political and educational reforms.

Extensively documented and deeply absorbing, this vibrant collection of inspiring women demonstrates a groundswell of grassroots change bubbling up from every corner of the Muslim world with the potential to bring even the most conservative sectors of Islam into the twenty-first century.