How the infatuated think (Women's jurisprudence in Western Europe)

This book addresses fatwas related to women's issues in Western Europe, issued in recent decades, whether from individual muftis or collective fatwa bodies, most notably the "European Council for Fatwa and Research" in Ireland. Based on questions received from Muslim women there, it reveals the state of confusion and fragmentation that dominates them between two different perspectives on the role and status of women in society: the first sees women as subordinate to men, obliged to obey them, even if both are equal in value but not in rights; the other emphasizes women's rights and equality with men in all aspects of life, influenced by European culture. The author discusses muftis who consider the elements of time and place and their change, and the changing of fatwas accordingly; therefore, they aim to develop an European Islamic jurisprudence that combines Islamic values with the specificity of European society, distancing itself from extremism and rigidity in addressing controversial issues, based on the jurisprudence of minorities that guides many muftis in the European context. The author also makes a systematic comparison between the objectives of Sharia and the "public morals" prevailing in those modern European societies. Lina Larsen: Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Oslo. She converted to Islam several years ago and studied the phenomenon of Norwegians entering Islam. She also collaborated with fatwa centers in Western Europe to understand the nature and role of fatwa there. She has participated in editing several books that present new visions in Islamic thought and issues related to Muslim families.