Quote by Leila Ahmed: “The Quran, on the whole, has far more to say about equality than about hierarchy.”

This quote highlights Leila Ahmed's argument that the original Islamic texts emphasize equality more than later cultural interpretations often suggest. It encourages readers to re-examine foundational scriptures for messages of social justice and shared human dignity.

In 1992, conversations about women's rights and religious interpretation were gaining momentum globally, especially in postcolonial contexts. Ahmed's work provided critical historical analysis of Islamic texts during a period of rising Islamic revivalism and feminist discourse.

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.