The Evolving Status of Women in the Arab World:
Culture, Faith, and Law
"Role of Women in Islam in the 20th Century"
Dr. Yvonne Haddad’s areas of expertise include twentieth century Islam; intellectual, social and political history in the Arab World; and Islam in North America and the West. Educated at the Lebanese American University, Boston University, the University of Wisconsin, and with a Ph.D. in History of Religions and Islam from Hartford Seminary, she is the author of 18 books on Islam in the modern world, women, and Muslims in America. Dr. Haddad is a former President of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and the American Academy of Religion, Northeast Region. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Middle East Policy Council, and the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies.
"Political Leadership and Women"
Heba F. El-Shazli is the deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI). She previously served as NDI’s resident representative in Beirut, where she implemented programs to help develop and empower civil society organizations in Lebanon and the region. El-Shazli has 20 years experience with organizing, political advocacy and labor education. An Egyptian-born, naturalized American citizen, El-Shazli was educated in Egypt, England and the United States. Married and the mother of four, El-Shazli holds a Masters of Arts degree in International Relations from Georgetown University. "Women and Legal Rights in Islam"
Dr. Azizah Y. Al-Hibri teaches corporate law and Islamic jurisprudence at the T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond. She is a former professor of Philosophy, founding editor and current president of "KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights," and member of the Advisory Board of the Public Religion Project (University of Chicago), the Pluralism Project (Harvard University) and Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly (PBS). Al-Hibri has authored, edited and contributed to several books, including Deontic Logic (1978), Women and Islam (1981), and Religious and Ethical Perspectives on Population Issues, (1993). She practiced law on Wall Street for many years before her return to teaching.
