--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we think about Islamic feminism, it…" description: "\"When we think about Islamic feminism, it is not just about women's rights. It's about a more progressive and tolerant expression of Islam in the world ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/asra-nomani-33369_challenges_when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it_251761.jpg" --- # When we think about Islamic feminism, it is not just about… ![“When we think about Islamic feminism, it is not just about women's rights. It's about a more progressive and tolerant expression of Islam in the world for all people. Women's rights is one aspect of it, it's not the end-all, but I also think that the women's issue is the strongest entry point that…” quote by Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/asra-nomani-33369_challenges_when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it_251761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/asra-nomani-33369_challenges_when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it_251761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/asra-nomani-33369_challenges_when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it_251761.jpg) > “When we think about Islamic feminism, it is not just about women's rights. It's about a more progressive and tolerant expression of Islam in the world for all people. Women's rights is one aspect of it, it's not the end-all, but I also think that the women's issue is the strongest entry point that we've got to challenging extremism. You raise a woman's issue and you get the backs of the conservatives up against the wall faster than just about any other issue in our community. It's the fastest path that we've got to making change happen.” [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Islamic feminism seeks progressive, tolerant Islam, using women’s rights as a strategic entry to challenge extremism. **In simple terms:** Women’s rights help reform Islam and curb extremism. Key Takeaway Leverage women’s issues for broader reform. Themes feminism religion social change extremism women’s rights Mood determined hopeful Type political activist When to use this quote - community organizing - policy advocacy - education programs - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts intersectionality moderation activism Questions to Reflect On - How can women’s issues be framed to unite rather than divide communities? - What safeguards prevent co‑option of feminist narratives? A Different Perspective Extremist backlash may intensify if reforms are perceived as Western imposition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Extremism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremism/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Making change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-change/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Women rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-rights/) [Women'S Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-s-rights-2/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Emancipation can only come from within; it cannot be dictated by someone else. A law banning the wearing of headscarves changes nothing, except perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/emancipation-can-only-come-from-within-it-cannot-be-dictated-by/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [One of the greatest mistakes the international community can make is to say, "Well, we will get other matters figured out and stabilized, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swanee-hunt/one-of-the-greatest-mistakes-the-international-community-can-make-is/) [Swanee Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swanee-hunt/) > [Here's the broader inconvenient truth for both Clinton and women's rights that Trump is more than willing to tell voters: Islam, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/here-s-the-broader-inconvenient-truth-for-both-clinton-and-women-s/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) > [I'm 100 percent in support of women's rights, the right of a woman to make her own choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-m-100-percent-in-support-of-women-s-rights-the-right-of-a-woman-to/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [Male-female fusion does not create women's rights. It creates a fusion of rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/male-female-fusion-does-not-create-women-s-rights-it-creates-a-fusion/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [The Bible doesn't speak of "women's rights" in the social-political language we're used to hearing today. Still, that doesn't mean the Bible is silent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/the-bible-doesn-t-speak-of-women-s-rights-in-the-social-political/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [As Elders, we are fully committed to the principle that all human beings are of equal worth. You will see that we highlight equality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/as-elders-we-are-fully-committed-to-the-principle-that-all-human/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [You can believe in women's rights without believing that every woman is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/you-can-believe-in-women-s-rights-without-believing-that-every-woman/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [ Let us not forget that among \[women's\] rights is the right to speak freely. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/let-us-not-forget-that-among-women-s-rights-is-the-right-to-speak/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The greatest contribution you can make to women's rights, is to be the absolute ... best at what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-greatest-contribution-you-can-make-to-women-s-rights-is-to-be-the/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > ['The Handmaid's Tale' is a human story, and women's rights are human rights, and it's all about equality, but at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-strahovski/the-handmaid-s-tale-is-a-human-story-and-women-s-rights-are-human/) [Yvonne Strahovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-strahovski/) > [I've often observed that women can be the weakest link in women's rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-sasson/i-ve-often-observed-that-women-can-be-the-weakest-link-in-women-s/) [Jean Sasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-sasson/) > [“All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights the world will be a better place. We are better off when women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/all-men-should-be-feminists-if-men-care-about-women-s-rights-the/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [The strongest statement ever made about women's rights appears on page one of the Bible. God's first words about his daughters established an indestructible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/the-strongest-statement-ever-made-about-women-s-rights-appears-on/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [All men should be feminists. If men cared about women's rights, the world would be a better place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/all-men-should-be-feminists-if-men-cared-about-women-s-rights-the/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) ## More by Asra Nomani > [What we are saying is we have to be smart about the ideology that is putting this idea into the world that a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/what-we-are-saying-is-we-have-to-be-smart-about-the-ideology-that-is/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [Very interestingly in a movement that I call now the hijab lobby, sadly promulgated by women that some of us refer to as Muslim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/very-interestingly-in-a-movement-that-i-call-now-the-hijab-lobby/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [I think that we don't have, here in the Middle East or in Africa, as much threat to our physical and economic livelihood as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/i-think-that-we-don-t-have-here-in-the-middle-east-or-in-africa-as/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [Personally I get so much of my inspiration from women in other countries, so I don't feel like American women are the leaders and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/personally-i-get-so-much-of-my-inspiration-from-women-in-other/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [We don't believe we are too sexy for our hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/we-don-t-believe-we-are-too-sexy-for-our-hair/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [I was born in 1965. When I grew up in India, there was no expectation that a good Muslim woman wore the headscarf. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/i-was-born-in-1965-when-i-grew-up-in-india-there-was-no-expectation/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [Talk to me 20 years ago and I had a complete sense of illegitimacy as an American Muslim. I felt like I wasn't authentic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/talk-to-me-20-years-ago-and-i-had-a-complete-sense-of-illegitimacy-as/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [There is a fundamental flaw in interpretations of sharia that say a woman or man should be punished for sex outside of marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/there-is-a-fundamental-flaw-in-interpretations-of-sharia-that-say-a/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [It's true that in a lot of western feminist movements, you see women working singularly from men. Suffragettes and the women's rights movement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/it-s-true-that-in-a-lot-of-western-feminist-movements-you-see-women/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [You celebrate a person's life by living your life fully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/you-celebrate-a-person-s-life-by-living-your-life-fully/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [The hijab or a variation of the word shows up eight times in the Quran. And it never means headscarf. And so what's happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/the-hijab-or-a-variation-of-the-word-shows-up-eight-times-in-the/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [One of our greatest challenges here in America is that pogressives don't always stand with the progressive Muslims because in the interest of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/one-of-our-greatest-challenges-here-in-america-is-that-pogressives/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [What we argue in the piece is that the headscarf has become a political symbol for an ideology of Islam that is exported to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/what-we-argue-in-the-piece-is-that-the-headscarf-has-become-a/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) > [We're talking about everybody's free right to have choice. And so what we're also getting are interesting messages like you really need to obey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/we-re-talking-about-everybody-s-free-right-to-have-choice-and-so-what/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) [Explore all 15 Asra Nomani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we think about Islamic feminism, it is not just about women's rights. It's about a more progressive and tolerant expression of Islam in the world for all people. Women's rights is one aspect of it, it's not the end-all, but I also think that the women's issue is the strongest entry point that we've got to challenging extremism. You raise a woman's issue and you get the backs of the conservatives up against the wall faster than just about any other issue in our community. It's the fastest path that we've got to making change happen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Asra Nomani" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it-is-not-just-about-women-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Challenges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it-is-not-just-about-women-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/asra-nomani-33369_challenges_when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it_251761.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/asra-nomani-33369_challenges_when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it_251761.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/asra-nomani-33369_challenges_when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it_251761.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we think about Islamic feminism, it is not just about women's rights. It's about a more progressive and…” — Asra Nomani", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Asra Nomani", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When we think about Islamic feminism,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it-is-not-just-about-women-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/when-we-think-about-islamic-feminism-it-is-not-just-about-women-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```