Leila Ahmed explore dans ses travaux des questions essentielles de l'histoire islamique, du féminisme musulman et du rôle des femmes au sein de l'Islam. Son écriture puise souvent dans ses expériences personnelles d'une éducation multiculturelle et de la vie en exil, offrant des perspectives distinctes sur la foi islamique. Elle souligne la distinction entre l'Islam 'officiel' et l'expérience personnelle de la foi, analysant les rôles historiques et contemporains des femmes au sein de cette tradition. Ses contributions sont significatives pour la compréhension des intersections complexes entre religion, genre et culture.
Are Islamic societies inherently oppressive to women? This text explores the historical roots concerning the debate about women and Islam, tracing the developments in Islamic discourses on women and gender from ancient world to the 20th century.
From Cairo to America – A Woman's Journey. Readers Guide Inside
An Egyptian woman's reflections on her changing homeland—updated with an afterword on the Arab SpringIn language that vividly evokes the lush summers of Cairo and the stark beauty of the Arabian desert, Leila Ahmed movingly recounts her Egyptian childhood growing up in a rich tradition of Islamic women and describes how she eventually came to terms with her identity as a feminist living in America. As a young woman in Cairo in the forties and fifties, Ahmed witnessed some of the major transformations of this century—the end of British colonialism, the rise of Arab nationalism, and the breakdown of Egypt's once multireligious society. As today's Egypt continues to undergo revolutionary change, Ahmed's inspirational story remains as poignant and relevant as ever.