Asma Barlas

b. 1950 · United States (born in Pakistan) · Political scientist and Qur'an interpreter; professor emerita at Ithaca College

Asma Barlas was born in Lahore in 1950 and studied at Kinnaird College and the University of the Punjab before taking a master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Denver. In 1976 she was among the first women admitted to Pakistan’s foreign service, and she received political asylum in the United States in 1983.

She joined the politics department at Ithaca College in 1991 and directed its Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity for twelve years. In 2008 she held the Spinoza Chair in Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam.

Her first book dealt with colonial legacies and militarism in South Asian politics. She is best known for work on Qur’anic interpretation, arguing that the Qur’an itself does not support patriarchal readings and that such readings reflect the habits of interpreters. She prefers not to be described as an Islamic feminist unless that term means a discourse of equality and justice drawn from the Qur’an.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Biography sources: en.wikipedia.org · openlibrary.org

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Archived 23 October 2026 · Sources: the Wikipedia article of each author and the biographies on this site. Whole network

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Works

Books 3

BOOK 1995 · English

Democracy, Nationalism, and Communalism: The Colonial Legacy in South Asia

A study of how British colonial rule shaped nationalism, communal politics and military dominance in South Asia, with particular attention to Pakistan.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Barlas, Asma. Democracy, Nationalism, and Communalism: The Colonial Legacy in South Asia. 1995. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/asma-barlas/#asma-barlas-democracy-nationalism-and-communalism-the-colonial-legacy

No free copy online

BOOK 2002 · English

"Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an

An argument that the Qur'an's teachings are not patriarchal and that sexist interpretations come from the history of its readers.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: Internet Archive (borrowable)

Cite

Barlas, Asma. "Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an. 2002. Internet Archive (borrowable), https://archive.org/details/believingwomenin0000barl. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/asma-barlas/#asma-barlas-believing-women-in-islam-unreading-patriarchal

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COLLECTION 2004 · English

Islam, Muslims, and the US: Essays on Religion and Politics

A collection of essays on religion, politics and the relationship between Muslims and the United States.

Archived 19 October 2026 · Source: openlibrary.org

Cite

Barlas, Asma. Islam, Muslims, and the US: Essays on Religion and Politics. 2004. Archived 19 October 2026 in Islamic Internet Archives: Archive of Modern Islamic Thought. https://islamicarchives.org/authors/asma-barlas/#asma-barlas-islam-muslims-and-the-us-essays-on-religion-and-politics

No free copy online