Welcome to MCC 552 Women in Islam, a course taught by Dr. Donna Hardee Krstulovich.
"This course introduces students to the world of Muslim women and equips cross-cultural workers to understand Muslim women in their context and design a culturally sensitive ministry in which to share the gospel of Jesus Christ."
On this page you will find some of the required and recommended books for the course, which are available in the EU Libraries. Consult the syllabus for the full list of course readings. The books, which are not available in the EU Libraries, can be found on the WorldCat.org and requested via an Interlibrary Loan service (ILL). If you prefer to purchase the books, check the list of online bookshops compiled by a librarian, where you can find the best bargain, which in most cases will be cheaper than Amazon. This course page also provides links to OPEN ACCESS (free online) resources (ebooks, articles, media, and more).
Identity Crisis by
This book provides a general overview of the identity crises BMB (believer from Muslim background) women in Jordan go through and reasons for it. Traditionally, persecution from family, community, or the secret police is thought to leave these women with newfound faith. However, even before persecution exposes their new faith, many initial believers give up seeking the new truth and return to their previous phase due to a serious identity crisis. This phenomenon is found to occur particularly often among female BMBs because of their unique circumstances in the religious and sociocultural contexts of Jordan. Through an examination of BMB women's narratives, this book explores how Muslim women form their identities and what they experience in the process of conversion.
Daughters of Islam by
Their clothing is often distinctive. Their values are strongly held. They love their families. They comprise nearly one-tenth of the world's population, and they live everywhere around the globe. These are women of Muslim background. Many still belong to Islam, but some now belong to Christ.In Daughters of Islam Miriam Adeney introduces you to women like Ladan, Khadija and Fatma. You'll learn about their lives, questions and hopes. You'll learn how they are both representative of and unique among their Arab, Iranian, Southeast Asian and African sisters. And you'll discover what has drawn them to Christ.Adeney explores the many interwoven threads that make up daily experience for Ladan, Khadija, Fatma and their sisters, includingsexuality, singleness and marriagechildren and extended familyfinancesreligious tradition and practiceteaching and learning stylesAs you enter into the lives of Ladan, Khadija and Fatma, you'll gain insight into how to relate to other women of Muslim background--and how to introduce them to Christ.
Woman to Woman by
Like many women in the Church, Joy Loewen didn't fully understand Muslim women or their roles in the Muslim culture and religion. In fact, she was afraid of them and not particularly interested in befriending them. But with prayer, wisdom, and a lot of love, Joy overcame these obstacles, found that she actually liked them, and that many of these women are irresistibly attracted to the love of Jesus. For the last thirty years she has used this knowledge to build authentic connections with Muslim women, reaching out to them in a sensitive, effective way. In this practical and very personal book, Joy shares not only her insights into befriending Muslim women, but many helpful stories from her own experiences. Her goal is to help readers "move from fear to love and compassion" so that they, too, can love as Christ does. Woman to Woman is essential reading for Christian leaders, ministries, and any layperson who wants to grow in love for and understanding of Muslims.
Jesus Through the Eyes of Women by 
A Worldview Approach to Ministry among Muslim Women by
Four years in the making, A Worldview Approach to Ministry Among Muslim Women is a ground-breaking exploration into the way culture and worldview affect ministry among Muslim women. Using original field research from eight different language and culture groups, the book explores a variety of ministries among Muslim women and provides tools to analyze their effectiveness. With contributions from scholars, field workers and agency administrators, readers are encouraged in a holistic Muslim ministry perspective through in-depth studies in Muslim beliefs, anthropological tools, worldview analyses, and explorations in strategic issues and discipleship. The book concludes with case studies and discussion questions to provide a comprehensive training manual for workers and students alike.
Identity Crisis by
This book provides a general overview of the identity crises BMB (believer from Muslim background) women in Jordan go through and reasons for it. Traditionally, persecution from family, community, or the secret police is thought to leave these women with newfound faith. However, even before persecution exposes their new faith, many initial believers give up seeking the new truth and return to their previous phase due to a serious identity crisis. This phenomenon is found to occur particularly often among female BMBs because of their unique circumstances in the religious and sociocultural contexts of Jordan. Through an examination of BMB women's narratives, this book explores how Muslim women form their identities and what they experience in the process of conversion.
Women and Gender in Islam by 
A Quiet Revolution by
A probing study of the veil's recent return--from one of the world's foremost authorities on Muslim women--that reaches surprising conclusions about contemporary Islam's place in the West today In Cairo in the 1940s, Leila Ahmed was raised by a generation of women who never dressed in the veils and headscarves their mothers and grandmothers had worn. To them, these coverings seemed irrelevant to both modern life and Islamic piety. Today, however, the majority of Muslim women throughout the Islamic world again wear the veil. Why, Ahmed asks, did this change take root so swiftly, and what does this shift mean for women, Islam, and the West? When she began her study, Ahmed assumed that the veil's return indicated a backward step for Muslim women worldwide. What she discovered, however, in the stories of British colonial officials, young Muslim feminists, Arab nationalists, pious Islamic daughters, American Muslim immigrants, violent jihadists, and peaceful Islamic activists, confounded her expectations. Ahmed observed that Islamism, with its commitments to activism in the service of the poor and in pursuit of social justice, is the strain of Islam most easily and naturally merging with western democracies' own tradition of activism in the cause of justice and social change. It is often Islamists, even more than secular Muslims, who are at the forefront of such contemporary activist struggles as civil rights and women's rights. Ahmed's surprising conclusions represent a near reversal of her thinking on this topic. Richly insightful, intricately drawn, and passionately argued, this absorbing story of the veil's resurgence, from Egypt through Saudi Arabia and into the West, suggests a dramatically new portrait of contemporary Islam.
Voices Behind the Veil by
An unprecedented, sympathetic, and wide-ranging exploration of the mysterious world of Islamic women--the people behind the veils--by female writers and Christian workers.
Covered Glory by
Hiding behind the Muslim woman's veil is a heart longing for honor but often covered in shame. Meeting her will transform us all. Muslim women are coming out of hiding and telling their stories. With courageous voices, they disclose tales of shame and a fierce desire to be valued. We hold our breath as they whisper accounts of Jesus dressed in light, coming to them in dreams, offering honor in the place of shame, freedom instead of oppression. Their tales narrate a secret reality for all of us. We all long to be known, to be valued, to be rescued. We all are in desperate need of a Savior. In Covered Glory, you will meet Muslim women living in a culture with an honor-shame worldview that perpetuates their shame. As you discover how these women find freedom when they uncover their true identity, you will find that shame affects each one of us. Learn that while... shame tells us we are unworthy, truth tells us we were made to be loved shame tells us we are nobody, Jesus tells us, "You are somebody to me" shame tells us we are broken, God's Word tells us healing comes from him It is only when we begin to understand the honor-shame gospel that we are set free. And so is our Muslim neighbor when we learn to tell her of the love of Jesus in a language she understands: the language of honor and shame.
From Fear to Faith by
This book is for those who want to share Christ with Muslim women but are sometimes afraid or unsure of how to go about it. It will also help to explain the fears that Muslim women face as they encounter the truth of God. It is written for those who want to move beyond fear, to faith.
In Search of Islamic Feminism by
"Islamic feminism" would seem a contradiction in terms to most Westerners. We are taught to think of Islam as a culture wherein social code and religious law alike force women to accept male authority and surrender to the veil. How could feminism emerge under such a code, let alone flourish? Now, traveling throughout Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as Islamic communities in the United States, acclaimed Arab Studies scholar and bestselling author Elizabeth Fernea sets out to answer that question. Fernea's dialogue with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances prompts a range of diverse and unpredictable responses, but in every country she visits, women demonstrate they are anything but passive. In Iraq, we see an 85 percent literacy rate among women; in Egypt, we see women owning their own farms; and in Israel, we see women at the very forefront of peacemaking efforts. Poor or rich, educated or illiterate, these women define their own needs, solve their own problems, and determine the boundaries of their own very real, very viable feminism. In Search of Islamic Feminism offers a groundbreaking new interpretation of the status and vision of Muslim women that will open up a new world to its readers, even as it challenges our own sense of what feminism means.
Paul, Women, and Wives by
". . . for those struggling to understand Paul's full purposes for women, in his time and ours, Paul, Women, and Wives will prove to be `must' reading. Keener's comprehensive bibliography and literature review is alone worth the price of the book." -Robert K. Johnston, North Park Seminary"
