Women's Organisations Seeking Gender Justice in the Sudan 1964–1985
In: Review of African political economy, Band 36, Heft 121
ISSN: 1740-1720
The Sudan had a multiple legal system governing various aspects of its people's lives, however Shar`ia has been applied consistently to family law. Shar`ia, Muslim's interpretation of religious norms expressed in the Qura'n and Sunna, differed according to the time and place of application. This article compares two women's groups, the Sudanese Women's Union and the Republican Sisters, discussing the factors that shaped their methods and conceptualisation of their quest to seek gender justice without losing religious legitimacy. The Republican Sisters proved that a reinterpretation of Islamic norms can be advocated by a religious group, and not just by secular ones. The political and social climate had, and continues to have, a significant effect on the laws and the ways women react to their suppression in the name of religion.
