Women in Islam: From Medieval to Modern Times

Women were militant partners with their men in the time of Muhammed and the early Khalifat but later veiled and segregated in the tradition of Ancient Near East cultures and societies. "Respectable" women were soon closed off from any public or social life outside their own families, while other women filled the roles assigned to them by men. All come to life in these pages: passionate fighters and defenders of the faith, ardent lovers, behind-the-scenes politicians, gifted poets, submissiv...