For the Vikings, the world as they found it was enchanted – that is, they didn’t feel the need to seek salvation from the world, but instead delighted in, and marveled at, “the way things are,” including what we today would call both “nature” and “culture.” Their religion and myths didn’t sugarcoat the sordidness, strife, and unfairness of earthly life, but instead acknowledged it and praised the attempt to master it through the accomplishment of great deeds for the benefit of oneself and one’s people. The adjective high is primarily a locative term: a High God is conceived as being utterly transcendent, removed from the world that he created. However Jainism does believe in God, not as a creator, but as a perfect being. As many Islamic scholars point out, the Qur’an clearly instates the principle of equality among all humans. According to Dr. al-Hibri, the Islamic philosophy of change embraces gradual change, and is linked to the principle of shura where societal affairs are conducted in consultation.

The Islamic philosophy of change is also linked to the important Qur’anic principle of no compulsion in the matters of faith. Today female Muslim scholars are making their voices heard through their re-readings of Islamic text, and their call for the Qur’anic approach in uprooting the patriarchal principles that are very difficult to change. While some may agree with the alternative non-patriarchal interpretations of Islamic text, others may continue to believe in and use the misogynistic prejudiced readings of Islam. However, while some specific verses at face value seems to be promoting male dominance, alternative interpretations are important to consider. While the alternative readings of the Qur’an are particularly important to popularize among men and women of faith and the Islamic approach to change is an essential element in achieving women’s rights, these efforts need to be implemented within a broader approach. While family law and personal status codes in Arab and Muslim countries restrict women’s rights and freedoms (e.g., in choosing a husband, guardianship/ wali, obeying the husband/ ta’ah, initiating divorce, dowry requirement, polygamy, marriage to non-Muslims, etc.), alternative interpretations of the Qur’an dispute these claims of male domination based on religious texts (see al-Hibri7).

These Muslim women, who are also practicing believers, dispute the misogynistic Islamic interpretations that subordinate women in Muslim societies, and demonstrate -in the name of their faith- that the popular prejudiced readings of Islam are not inherent in the text but are products of their time and place. On the other hand, Western islamophobic neo-orientalists use these popular yet traditional misogynistic readings of Islam to support their xenophobic claims against Islam and Muslims. At the same time, they struggle to respond to Western attacks on Islam. Meanwhile, any attempts to discuss women’s rights and freedoms in the Middle East are labeled imperialist colonialist western hegemonic enterprises that corrupt the piety of Islamic moral fabrics and traditions. Genuine attempts to protect Muslim women from discrimination through the international models of gender equality and empowerment programs end up alienating local contexts and will be likely unsuccessful without giving the local communities proactive and independent roles.

Here are some specific recommendations to better promote women’s rights and achieve gender equality in the Middle East. The popularization of these alternative interpretations as well as alternative religious education in the Middle East can provide Muslim men and women the tools to advocate gender equality in Islam and through Islam. The popular interpretation understood in light of patriarchal hierarchal traditions, as al-Hibri demonstrates, can be completely different once patriarchal assumptions are eliminated. A Shi’a at prayer can often be identified by a small tablet of clay from a holy place (often Karbala), on which they place their forehead whilst prostrating. The lack of certainty as to place or time of origin or native habitat in case of indigenous species, leaving all to veriest conjecture, is due no doubt to various causes. However, considering the specific situation of a business transaction and the larger context in which women at the time were not involved or experts in business affairs, this verse should not be taken as evidence that women are not equal to men in Islam. The verse, revealed in a business context, states that “when you enter a transaction involving a debt for a fixed period reduce it to writing and let a scribe write it down between you in fairness …