Abstract
Contemporary democracies have emphasized the recognition of religious and cultural diversity through policies of multiculturalism that recognize minority rights. In this regard, the status of Muslim women in a democracy with multiple legal systems, such as India, is representative of these new forms of democratic politics. While the Indian constitution guarantees equality to all citizens in the public sphere, in the private sphere of the family, the state enforces explicitly discriminatory personal laws as a demonstration of its commitment to minority rights, posing serious challenges for Muslim women’s equality. In this context, evaluating the success of legal pluralism through the implementation of Muslim personal law cannot ignore the negative impact of this understanding of legal pluralism on gender equality. Against this backdrop, this chapter examines how notions of secularism, religious freedom, and the protection of minority rights mediate the legal status of Muslim women in India.
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