Researchers studying gender politics in Arab societies have been puzzled by a phenomenon common in many Arab states - while women are granted suffrage rights, they are often discriminated against by the state in their private lives.

This book addresses this phenomenon, maintaining that the Arab state functions according to a certain 'logic' and 'patterns' which have direct consequences on its gender policies, in both the public and private spheres. Using the features of the Arab Authoritarian state as a basis for a theoretical framework of analysis, the author draws on...

Using the features of the Arab authoritarian state as a basis for a theoretical framework of analysis, the author draws on detailed fieldwork and first-hand interviews to study women's rights in three countries - Yemen, Syria, and Kuwait.

Should shari a law be introduced into the British legal system? Elham Manea explores this question by building on her knowledge of legal pluralism in Middle Eastern and Islamic countries and by first-hand analysis of the Islamic shari a councils and Muslim arbitration tribunals in various British cities. Women and Shari a Law traces how support for legal pluralism evolved in the context of widespread racism and anti-immigrant sentiments leading up to the Race Relations Act of 1968. Through its focus on gender equality and women s experiences, the book argues that the desire to resolve...