Islam, Women and Family Planning: A Primer

The events of September 11 have focused attention on just how bad things can be for women living under the rule of Islamic extremists. The Taliban’s inhumane treatment of women in Afghanistan has led many in the West to conclude that Islam itself defines a subordinate role for women that is incompatible with reproductive choice. In reality, however, Islamic thought is flexible on reproductive matters, and political interpretations of Muslim law are as varied as the countries that make up the Muslim world. By and large, however, Islam is permissive of family planning, and many Muslim countries have active population and family planning programs.