Project Leader: Sa'diya Shaikh

This empirical research project, comprising both qualitative and quantitative studies, aimed to develop an understanding of attitudes, beliefs and practices of Muslim women within South African communities in relation to marriage, sexuality and gender. The studies also sought to determine how women understand these gendered relationships from within an Islamic perspective. Key questions in these studies centred on gender power relations in Muslim marriages, religious beliefs and sexual dynamics, reproductive choices, socio-cultural perspectives on polygamy and safe sex, attitudes to HIV/AIDS, and an exploration of contextual factors that influence Muslim women’s decision making power in South African contexts.