[01] Sophia Francesca DP. Lu, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines.

Some scholars assert that women’s political participation and religion are not associated with each other, and that formal institutions and structures could either facilitate or hamper women’s political participation. However, other scholars posit that Islam is a major factor in influencing the role of women in Islamic societies. The main hypotheses investigated in this study are: 1) The degree of women’s political participation in the Middle East is comparatively lower than in liberal societies; 2) Islam has not singly molded gender relations and gender ideology in certain Muslim countries, but interacted with other factors such as the state, patriarchy, and international politics; and 3) There is a relation between women’s political participation and the variant of Islamism, either moderate or hardline, and the interpretation of the Quran and Shariah law. Some scholars also espouse that Islam is egalitarian in its original text, and it is Hadith (sayings of Muhammad) and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) that endorse gender segregation and patriarchy. In literature, there are accounts and documents as to the type of women’s political participation, the effect of Islam on their political participation, and the major factors that interact with Islam in affecting women’s political participation. The major sources of data in the study are documents and existing records, and key informant interviews—to bridge the gap in the literature and to substantiate further from the expert’s perspective and knowledge the discourse on the relations between Islam and women’s political participation.

Islam and Women, Middle East, Religion, Women’s Political Participation, Women and Politics

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