Traditions and Laws

Muslims have become known for some specific actions and attitudes, but Akram broke down the myths about these to point out that many of these are merely traditions that have evolved over hundreds of years. The treatment of women is one of the most important examples of this theme, but Akram made it clear that God never intended for women to be the second-class citizens that some believe they have become.

Akram and Power met when they were working at the Centre for Islamic Studies at Oxford. There, they were mapping the spread of Islam in the centuries of the religion's existence. But Akram had a pet project that he worked on when he had time – the role of women in Islamic history. When he told Power about this project, he said he had expected to find a few women and that he planned to put...