ELORA CHOWDHURY AND LEILA FARSAKH

A legacy of promise for Muslims

 

From the Boston Globe - By Elora Chowdhury and Leila Farsakh  |  September 11, 2007

 

THERE ARE FEW nations without traumas, few people who have not endured a catastrophe so profound that it alters how they think about themselves, or how the rest of the world thinks about them. On this sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, we remember and mourn a tragedy that affected not just the United States, but the world - claiming victims from many nations and faiths.

 

There is certainly a legacy of anger in the aftermath of the attacks. Yet there is also a legacy of promise to be found among the majority of Muslims who are working on redefining their image and their world, and inviting openness of spirit.

 

In this widely practiced religion of more than 1 billion people across the globe, Muslim women, in particular, are at the forefront of effecting change. Women, who have long been used as a barometer of societies' regard for freedom, are actively involved in debating Islam and challenging their societies.

 

They do so in locations as diverse as Bangladesh, Britain, Egypt, India, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, and even in the United States. Their words and actions influence the spheres of sexuality, Islamic law, and economic globalization.

 

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