Quote by Leila Ahmed: “Western feminism often fails to grasp the complexities of women's agency within Islamic contexts.”

This quote criticizes the tendency of some Western feminist perspectives to overlook the diverse ways Muslim women express agency and navigate their lives within their own cultural and religious frameworks. It calls for a more nuanced, less ethnocentric understanding.

As global feminist movements gained traction in the late 20th century, critical self-reflection within feminism emerged, particularly regarding its engagement with non-Western cultures. Ahmed contributed to this vital discourse on cultural sensitivity.

Egyptian-American scholar and the first professor of women's studies in religion at Harvard Divinity School. Her 1992 book Women and Gender in Islam is a foundational academic text examining the history of gender in Islamic thought, and she received the National Book Award for her memoir A Border Passage.