The Practice of Two Danish Female Islamic Authorities Facilitating Divorce

What is it about?

Research on Muslim divorce practices in Europe often focus exclusively on male Islamic authority, neglecting women’s role. This article compares the Islamic divorce practice of two female Islamic authorities with that of nineteen male Islamic authorities to demonstrate that women play important roles in relation to Islamic divorce. The article, furthermore, analyze how the two Danish female informants, Zaynab and Aisha, function as highly specialized unpaid social workers, referring Muslim women to shelters and guide them through their Islamic divorce. Thus, the article points out a vacuum in the services provided by the Danish state – the lack of knowledge about conflicts relating to Islamic divorce – which render paid social workers a less relevant option for Muslim women experiencing nikah-captivity (marital captivity within an Islamic symbolic frame of reference).

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