A compelling case for recognizing women’s freedom and fulfillment as centerpieces of Islamic values.
Traditional Islamic teachings support a surprisingly progressive stance on women’s rights, according to Khan’s searching brief for a Muslim feminism.
The author, founder of the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, cites verses from the Quran and the Hadith, writings by religious scholars and jurists, and latter-day feminist intellectuals to argue that Islam reserves 30 crucial rights for women that have often been overlooked in Muslim society. These include the right to exercise political leadership (the Quran portrays the Queen of Sheba as the model of a wise ruler, Khan notes); the rights to freedom of speech, a secular education, and a career (the Prophet Muhammad’s first wife, Khadijah, was a merchant trader who used her wealth to support his religious mission); the rights to not be subjected to a forced marriage or child marriage, to divorce, and to have access to contraception and abortion (scriptures permit the termination of pregnancies up to the 17th week of gestation, the author contends); the rights to travel freely without a male escort and to wear—or not wear—a hijab; and the right to protection against sexual assault, domestic violence, genital mutilation, and honor killings. Challenging stereotypes of Islamic social repression and sex-based constraints, Khan depicts the early Muslim world as inquisitive, humane, attuned to female happiness in every respect (“The Prophet counseled men, ‘not to fall upon their wives like beasts, rather to start it with stimuli for both, such as caresses and gentle sayings,’” she observes), and full of strong women like the Prophet’s youngest wife, Aisha, the author of many hadiths and a formidable leader who commanded an army in battle. (The author argues that Aisha was an adult woman when she married the Prophet, not a 9-year-old child bride as tradition holds.) Khan’s prose is lucid, insightful, and viscerally evocative of women’s struggle for equality. (“He threatened to throw acid in my face before others did….It wasn’t just about my hair; it was a fight for my independence.”) The result is a stimulating exploration of Islamic doctrine that will encourage fresh thinking and debate.
A compelling case for recognizing women’s freedom and fulfillment as centerpieces of Islamic values.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781958972335
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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