followed Islamic legal norms, the argument goes,
brides would have full control of the mahariand be
in a better financial position in marriage (Stiles
2002).
Assessing the relationship between Islamic law,
secular law, and social norms in Africa provides an
important opportunity for gauging changes in
women’s status. Muslim women’s movements have
influenced the status of personal status law through-
out Sub-Saharan Africa. The Federation of Muslim
Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN),
established in 1985, has attempted to engage Mus-
lim women in political activity, and in the 1990s
called for the establishment of Islamic courts and
argued that women need to be more active in inter-
preting Islamic law (Callaway and Creevey 1994).
In Niger, the Association of Nigerien Women has
supported similar legal reforms (Dunbar 2000).Bibliography
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