The oppression of women in parts of the Islamic world is a serious human rights problem. This becomes more acute when misogyny gets justified by religious teachings, as seen most severely in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Many Muslims, however, believe in gender equality. That includes “Islamic feminists” who defend this position with fresh interpretations of scripture and tradition, especially through close readings of the Qur’anic text. Prominent among them is Asma Afsaruddin, a contributor to the recent volume, No Compulsion in Religion—No Exceptions: Islamic Arguments for Religious Freedom, edited by Cato’s Mustafa Akyol.

Join us to hear Afsaruddin make the case for gender egalitarianism in Islam. Leena El-Ali, the author of an acclaimed book on the same topic, will provide comments.