The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan ★★★

There are three reasons why The Kingdom of Jordan is one of the best practices for women rights in the Islamic world.

First, the King Abdullah II is the 43rd generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammed, like no other Muslim leader. He is promoting true Islam, including women rights.

Second, the parliament has included equal rights for women in the constitution in 2022 and wants to reach gender equality until 2030.

Third, Queen Rania is a charming promoter as a Rose of Islam and as well herself best practice of an emancipated woman in the Muslim world.

United Arab Emirates ★★★

The United Arab Emirates are not a Westminister democracy, but a joint royal kingdom with seven Emirates. But the tolerance towards other religions and races (with 47 Christian churches, two synagogues, one Sikh temple) and the clear emancipation of women in the UAE during the last twenty years are impressive.

In the 2022 cabinet of prime minister Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum nine young female ministers were appointed. In a progressive mix they are responsible for Culture and Youth, Climate Change and Environment, International Cooperation, Youth Affairs, Early Education, Happiness and Wellbeing, and Community Development.

Women can vote. 50 percent are members of the Federal National Council, reaching gender parity in 2019.

There are 104,000 female students (35 percent, 2021). 77 percent of women enroll in higher education in secondary school and make up 70 percent of all university graduates in the United Arab Emirates.

Several female ambassadors serve in foreign countries. Like Lana Nusseibeh, appointed as the UAE’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations, as well elected in 2017 as President of the UN Women Executive Board.

Many female professors teach at the top universities. Women are F-16-jet pilots in the air force. Many have started their own businesses.

Azerbaijan ★★

Since 1919 women may vote in the newly formed Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first Muslim-majority country ever. 17 percent of the members of parliament are women.

According to the Constitution of Azerbaijan, men and women are equal before the law. The constitution prohibits discrimination.

Mehriban Aliyeva, the president’s wife, was appointed Vice President of Azerbaijan in 2017. Sahiba Gafarova became the Speaker of the National Assembly in 2020.

Although this oil- and gas-rich country borders Iran and Turkey and is majority Shiite, women here traditionally do not wear headscarves.

1,000 women are serving in the army.

The 21-article Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan On State Guarantees of Equal Rights for Women and Men, adopted on 10 October 2006, aims to eliminate all forms of gender-based discrimination and ensure gender equality in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres. A law to prevent domestic violence was adopted on 22 June 2010.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ★★

During the de facto rulership of Crown prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) this very conservative Muslim country has changed dramatically since 2017. It opens to the world and wants to attract international investments, sport events and tourists with the Saudi Vision 2030.  MBS wants to reduce the influence of the Saudi Wahhabi clergy.

We visited this Kingdom and talked to several of its representatives and woman activists. The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the imprisonment of feminists have painted a negative picture. Mistakes had been made.

But MBS on the other side promoted women’s rights like never done before. The absurd ban on female drivers was removed in 2018. The male-guardianship systems weakened in 2019. The first public concert of a female singer, the admission of women to a sports stadium, the opening of movie theater or the first female karate school document the rush of Saudi women emancipation. Most important women can work now, visit universities and became an active and more visible part of the modern and young society. Female tourists came and enjoy the beach, like in Dubai.

MBS is turning his country into a copy of the more progressive and successful UAE, which is good for the women.

We should support this historical experiment, which contains the radicals in the Muslim world.

The Kingdom of Morocco ★

Significant progress in gender equality, with a decrease in child marriages and improvements in girl-child education and women’s political leadership, the United Nations confirmed in 2023.

Tunisia ★

Progress in women rights, starting in 2014 with the draft of the constitution after the Arab Spring 2010. Now stopped step by step by Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood, with many women fighting for freedom.