A challenging new book that reviews the ethics at the heart of the Islamic legal system, and suggests that these laws have often been misinterpreted by authoritarian readings of the sources, resulting in the repression of Muslim women. Using both religious and secular sources, the author proposes a new approach that returns to the original spirit of the Muslim legal system in a provocative and thoughtful book that should be required reading for all those interested in Islam, law or women's rights.

Khaled Abou El Fadl studied Islamic Law in Egypt and Kuwait, and has degrees from Pennsylvania, Yale and Princeton. Currently teaching Law at UCLA, he has served on a variety of committees for Human Rights, and has published several books and numerous articles.