This study described a subculture of Muslim women who live and study in Middle Town, Indiana and who actively participate in the religious and social activities conducted by the Middle Town Islamic Center. Acting in response to negative stereotyping of this population, this study shines a light on the lives and learning of female Muslim adults in a small Midwestern city. The results of this particular study promoted understanding about female Muslim learners in the United States. Ethnographic techniques of in-depth, semi-structured interviews and participant observation techniques were used to gather the data, and member checking was also performed to ensure consistency. Doman analysis, as described by Spradley (1979), was the technique used to analyze the data. The data and analysis suggested some fundamental characteristics of this subculture, Middle Town Islamic Ladies. One major finding that could be inferred was the inconsistency between the experiences of the participants with negative stereotyping propagated by some U.S. media and some people in general. Women in this study tended to be very deliberate in defining their status as women and as learners by examining and referring to the most legitimate resources of Islam: The Qur’an and Hadith. The participants also understood that many interpretations of the Qur’an and Hadith about women are influenced by a patriarchal mindset to preserve cultural beliefs that men are superior to women. Such beliefs are inconsistent with what the Qur’an and Hadith prescribe. As most of the informants came from different countries, they reported that their cultural expectations influenced their learning styles and their lives in this city. This expectation generated some problems with their comfort in living and studying. However, their faith, their association with the Middle Town Islamic community, especially the Muslim women, family support (especially from their husbands), and harmonious relationships with professors facilitated smooth adjustments to the challenges. Finally, the findings in this study also introduced teaching strategies and training styles in higher education that would accommodate and emphasize students’ cross-cultural differences / Department of Educational Studies

This thesis explores the thought of a prominent Indian Muslim thinker, Asghar Ali Engineer, on liberation theology and the status of women in Islam. In his elaboration of liberation theology, Engineer demonstrates that from its inception, Islam has sided with the oppressed and the weak. If it is interpreted from its theological as well as sociological context, he argues, Islam makes it clear that it promotes justice and equality. The juxtaposition of theological and sociological perspectives is crucial to any understanding of Engineer's thought on liberation theology. Such perspectives also inform Engineer's view of the status of women in Islam. Our discussion is limited to two of the topics addressed by Engineer: polygamy and the veil. The key to understand these issues, Engineer maintains, is by distinguishing between the 'normative' and 'contextual' statements of the Qur'anic text. The point of this distinction is to differentiate between those principles of the Qur'an which are universal in nature, i.e. values, which transcend beyond time and space, and the contextual ones which are only valid in particular situations and circumstances. / In conclusion, Engineer's thought on liberation theology and women's issues are found to be liberal, critical and emancipative, successfully demonstrating that Islam sides with the weak and promotes justice and equality.

The Islamic dress code has been forcibly imposed on the women in Sudan, since 1983, and many feminists researchers have criticized the practices of the veil as a tool to oppress women. This study aimed to explore a group of Sudanese women, currently living in South Africa, experiences and perceptions of the veil, whether the veil is a religious dress code or a tool that has been used to exercise inequality.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Religion, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-89). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Master of East and Southeast Asian Studies)--Lund University, Sweden, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-52). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-239). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-129).

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2009. / Title from title page (Digital Archive@GSU, viewed July 27, 2010) Amira Jarmakani, committee chair; Layli Phillips, Margaret Mills Harper, committee members. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-99).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2008. / Title from web page (viewed on Mar. 2, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.