On Shifting Boundaries: Islamist Women in Palestinian Politics

AbstractIn the summer of 2008 through interviews with Islamist and other women involved in national and local Palestinian politics I was able to learn about the history and rise to political prominence of Hamas women in the West Bank. These women emerged in the context of numerous factors including Hamas' transformation into a nationalist political party and the Palestinian Authority's lack of commitment to gender issues. The prominent women in national and local politics are feisty, well educated Islamist feminists, committed to a Quranic exegesis which challenges outmoded misogynistic interpretations of Islam.