Muslim women’s evolving leadership roles: A case study of women leaders in an immigrant Muslim community in post-9/11 America

Abstract

Based on three years of ethnographic fieldwork in a multi-ethnic immigrant Muslim congregation in a Midwestern city in the United States, this article scrutinizes the intricate process through which women use traditional gender roles and expectations to legitimate and operationalize women’s leadership. This study found that de facto congregationalism has made it possible for Muslim women to translate their ‘traditional’ responsibilities for food preparation and socializing children into greater visibility and voice in both the mosque and broader society. This study provides an in-depth examination of the nuanced processes of women’s empowerment in American Muslim congregations.