This book investigates the status and role in society of Muslim women in India. Based on a survey of nine major Indian cities in different states, it creates a new context in which issues such as education, literacy, social legislation and purdah can be understood.
Shahida Lateed looks at the influence of historical factors on Muslim women's position in Indian society. She considers the social, economic and political changes responsible for a split between the public and private in Islamic practices in India. Original and well researched her book covers Muslim women's education, Muslim attitudes to socual legislation, the participation of Muslim women in women's movements, the issue of purdah, and the evolution of Muslim social and political action in India.
Shahida Lateed was a Fellow of the Indian Council for Social Science Research between 1976 and 1981 and obtained her PhD from Sussex University in 1983. She had contributed extensively to newspapers, journals and books on issues relating to ethnicity and women.