Dr. Ziba Mir-Hosseini is a legal anthropologist

specializing in Islamic law, gender, and development. She is currently

Professorial Research Associate at the Centre for Middle Eastern and

Islamic Law, University of London. In this lecture, Dr. Mir-Hosseini

explores the Islamic feminist movement's potential for changing the

terms of debates over Islam and gender, arguing that the real battle is

between patriarchy and despotism on the one hand, and gender equality

and democracy on the other.