Scholars and practitioners from around the world have endorsed this book. Read what they have to say below.
Dr. Ida Glaser
International Academic Coordinator and Founding fellow of the Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford.
“This book should be compulsory reading for men who want to understand contemporary Islamic cultures. It also contains great riches for women who are part of those cultures or who are relating with people of those cultures. And for people who want to think about the relationship between scripture, faith and culture. And for those who would like some fresh insights into the Bible.”
Professor Peter G Riddell
SOAS University of London
“In her latest book, Dr Moyra Dale opens diverse windows into the world of Muslim women, who “are talked about, rather than listened to.” This important study reminds us that 50% of the world’s Muslims are marginalised in various ways: both socially within their own cultures and in terms of the limited attention received in study programs focusing on Islam. The author achieves a remarkable balance between scholarly rigour and practical relevance. Through the pages of this book, Muslim women gain a voice which is long overdue.”
Dr. Kathryn Kraft
Senior Lecturer in International Development at University of East London
“The author’s many years living in the Middle East and building friendships with Muslim women from around the world, combined with her passion for both anthropological and theoretical research, have culminated in this very unique introduction to Islam and the diversity of Muslim cultures around the world. Reflecting the author’s unique standpoint, this book is unabashedly a feminine reading of Islam for Christian readers, but it is much more than that. It is a tutorial in how to appreciate the diversity of expressions and experiences of a global religion, which serves as an important challenge to the essentialising and ‘othering’ tendency of many Christians, and indeed many people who have not much opportunity to live alongside Muslims. This is an important perspective for people interested in fields such as geopolitics, counterterrorism, multiculturalism and migration.”
Dr Bernie Power
Melbourne School of Theology
“Muslim women are the most neglected demographic in Christian mission. This glaring gap in missiological thinking and practice has been crying out for a book like this. Moyra Dale combines the incisive insights of a serious scholar with the compassionate perspective of a woman practitioner to produce a very well-researched and balanced contribution. This should become the standard textbook in this field.”
Margaret Powell
Practitioner-Trainer, Sydney Anglican Diocese
“I enthusiastically welcome the consolidation of Moyra’s many years of observation, experience and research in Muslim countries and in the West. This book exposes the secret world of Muslim women that the majority of missiological texts are silent on and therefore fail to equip women effectively. As Moyra examines the culture and religion of Muslim women she shows how this impacts their beliefs and practices which in turn enables us to understand and connect effectively with our Muslim friends. This is essential reading for all women seeking to connect with Muslim women and is a helpful text for men as well that they might understand the Muslim world more accurately.”
Rev. Dr. Richard Shumack
Director of the Arthur Jeffrey Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology
“I simply love this profoundly important book. It gives unique voice to Muslim women and shines rare light into their rich, passionate, complex and often fraught lives. Oozing transparent love of neighbour, Dale skilfully weaves sensitive storytelling with expert research and penetrating questioning to produce an outstanding resource for anyone wishing to deeply engage with Muslim women on questions of faith – especially their Messiah.”
Dr Evelyn Hibbert
Founder and Colloquium Chair, Angelina Noble Centre
“This book is essential reading for every Christian who is interacting with Muslim women. Men should read it to appreciate how much Muslim women’s experience of the world differs from that of Muslim men. Distilled from a lifetime’s experience of ministry among Muslim women, Moyra Dale opens our eyes to see the richness and challenges of women’s lives in a distinctly gendered realm, as well as how women breach the boundaries of gender to participate in the world surrounding them.”
Rev. Dr. David Williams
Director of Training and Development, CMS-Australia
“Moyra Dale has invested her whole life in serving the Lord Jesus Christ amongst Muslim women. This book is the distillation of those experiences: she has lived in three different Middle Eastern countries; raised her family alongside Muslim women, their families and communities; completed two doctoral degrees that have included extensive ethnographic research amongst Muslim women; observed and learned from a women’s education and empowerment programme in a Middle Eastern mosque. She has taught Islamic Studies in seminaries and universities in Australia and the United States, articulating the forgotten and unheard perspective of women in Islam. This book is rich in both understanding and experience, presenting a deeply sympathetic portrait of women in the Islamic world. It shatters many stereotypes and brings a vital but neglected perspective to mission studies.”
Miriam Adeney, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Seattle Pacific University: Author, Daughters of Islam: Building Bridges with Muslim Women
“While the everyday life of Muslim women flows through many books, rarely do we hear how these women interpret the Quran. This book captures that elusive reality. Moyra Dale immerses herself in Arab women’s worship groups to explore the vibrant diversity of their prayer and Scripture interpretation. Another treasure trove in this volume is the rich data on women throughout Muslim history. Surprising facts and detailed stories spill from many pages. Finally, feminism appears, with a dizzying variety of social media, ecofeminism, international collaboration, even the justification of prostitution as a choice, evolving in four waves, from 1840 to 2021. Central to it all is Jesus, the core of the cosmos and the souls of Muslim women.”
Trevor Castor, Ph.D.
Managing Director and Professor, Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies, College of Intercultural Studies (CICS), Colombia International University
“Although there are nearly 1 billion Muslim women in the world, their voices often go unheard. This book offers readers the opportunity to hear how various Muslim women across the globe navigate, shape, and perpetuate the sociocultural and religious landscapes in their communities. If we are to begin understanding the Muslim world, we must look beyond religious texts and start listening to the community of women who embody the texts. This book will give you the skills necessary to begin that process.”
Dr Mary Evans
Former vice-principal, London School of Theology
“Dale’s book provides an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to make friends with Muslim neighbours and probably essential reading for those going to live in a Muslim context. It provides not only a huge amount of information about the realities of life and faith for Muslim women but also careful, thoughtful reflection on how this might impact Christian understanding and reaction. The honest portrayal of the author’s experience of life amongst her Muslim friends is a real bonus.”
Jan Pike
Creator of ‘The Prophet’s Stories’, a resource for use with Muslim / Christian women in grass roots dialogue (2017). Co-author of ‘Storying Christian and Muslim Faith Together’, Grove Books (2018). Recipient of the archbishop of Canterbury’s Hubert Walter award (2019).
“This book is a treasure trove of learning for those who are in any way engaged with or seeking to understand the world of Muslim women. Having set the scene by sharing of her wide knowledge of the Qur’an and historical texts which shape the lives of Muslim women, the author goes on to generously share insights gained from her own study and experience of being immersed in Muslim communities and their cultures. Questions inserted in the text encourage and enable reflection from the reader and the excellent appendix will support any practitioner who, inspired by Moyra’s work, seek to become ‘learners of culture and how people live within their culture(s).’ Particularly helpful is the discussion on honour and shame and the ways that shame is embodied by women. The exploration of ritual purity, and the tracing of this concept through the Old Testament to its imperative being fulfilled in Christ is a highlight. Insights gained from rites of passage inform the discipleship needs of believers from a Muslim background as does the discussion on patronage and grace. As one who shares Moyra’s passion for informed cross-cultural living and engagement I am very happy to recommend this book.”
Rev. John L Bales
Past cross-cultural worker in South Asia, visiting lecturer Moore Theological College, Sydney.
“In this book Moyra Dale brings together years of experience with Muslim women, her deep reflections on the text of Scripture, her love for Jesus and desire that people can come to know him. The result is a unique, refreshing and deeply personal account of the lives of Muslim women in the light of Islamic teaching. This is a book I will be recommending to my students and all interested in understanding Muslim women.”
Dr. Karen Shaw
Honorary Researcher, Angelina Noble Center; Author, Wealth and Piety: Middle Eastern Perspectives for Expat Workers.
“Invaluable! Accessible, scholarly, respectful and wise, Islam and Women immerses the reader in the richly textured world of Muslim women. I wish I could have read this decades ago. A must-read for Christians with Muslim friends. Moyra Dale knows Muslim women. Let her introduce you.”
Dr. Stephen Bauer
Associate International Director, Operation Mobilisation
“The Muslim world is largely a gendered society. Our contextual mission thinking and approaches are typically geared towards just one half of that society. Most Christians serving in the Muslim world are women. Most of their leaders and trainers are men. If you, like me, are one of those men, and you are serious about the Great Commission, then you need to read this book. Moyra draws us into a world that so many of us have been so ignorant of for so long.
I have lived in the Muslim world for over 20 years, yet I found new insights on nearly every page of Moyra’s book that I am still meditating on. Moyra writes with a depth of understanding born from a sharp mind, a genuine sensitivity, and deep and genuine friendships with Muslim women. This is not just a book for women though. It is for all of us serving in the Muslim world, and in some ways, especially for us men.”
Dr. Carol Walker
Formerly Tutor for Islamic Studies at All Nations Christian College, Ware, UK.
“What a satisfying read, and what a timely, much needed resource ‘Islam and Women: Hagar’s Heritage’ is. There is nothing quite like it to be found amongst the various accounts and materials now available to those wanting to understand Islam and to access wisdom on relating well to Muslim friends. Moyra Dale writes as a discerning, empathetic intermediary, coaxing Christian readers into recognising their own starting points alongside providing tools to gain deeper insights into the lives of Muslim women. Well chosen personal stories set the scene for exploration of a comprehensive range of topics that take us into what can, otherwise, feel like an alien environment. The book includes super biblical reflection as well as accurate helpful information on the Qur’an. It provides an accessible blend of careful scholarship and familiarity with the everyday concerns we share in common. It should be on the shelves of all Christian colleges and seminaries, and become the ‘go to’ book for men as well as women who want to develop a genuine integrity in their relationship with Muslims. I am so glad it has been written.”
Islam and Women 