The Scimitar and the Veil

"The Scimitar and the Veil is a history and overview of Muslim women and their great accomplishments. It portrays over fifty extraordinary Muslim women, from the birth of Islam in the seventh century CE through the nineteenth century, including the women who played a crucial role in Muhammad's life, as well as scholars of the Hadith, saints and mystics, queens and warriors, rebels and concubines, and outstanding poets, musicians, and storytellers." "Based on sources ranging from Swahili lore to Persian pageant plays to Muslim feminist writings to the explorations of Western scholars of Islam, The Scimitar and the Veil is written in a poetic, energetic, contemporary, and sometimes humorous style that will appeal to a broad range of readers."--Jacket.