New Age Islam

New dynamic, feminist activist and religiously committed Western women are reinterpreting old texts, including the Qur’an. They are coming up with interpretations that radically challenge old, male-centred interpretations. Many such women, most of whom wear hijab, are very active today in seeking positions of leadership in Muslim organisations, including positions of religious leadership. Some too are rereading old texts on the hijab and, while they remain committed practicing Muslims, they are concluding that hijab is not after all mandatory. Certainly in any case it is clear that for those who do wear hijab, the meanings that hijab has in a Western democratic context where women are free to dress as they wish, are no longer the patriarchal meanings that this dress still has in most Muslim majority societies........

http://newageislam.com/arabic-section/laila-ahmad/rights-of-muslim-women-through-the-prism-of-the-west/d/97876