The Women of Islam

The Women of Islam (1893) is based on Aliye’s personal experience with Western travellers and their wives in late 19th century Istanbul, and aims to defend Ottoman society’s traditions and Islamic principles by demonstrating their rationality. Aliye challenges the misinformation and misconceptions she observes among Western visitors to the Empire. The book is organized around hypothetical conversations that Fatma Aliye has with Western women who visit her home. Aliye invites them over so that they can observe a real Muslim household, rather than relying on their observations in non-Muslim districts of Istanbul such as Beyoğlu. The Western women ask Aliye several questions, ranging from the lives of bondmaids in the empire to polygamy and arranged marriages. At times, Aliye draws comparisons between Christianity and Islam in order to dispel the misconceptions and stereotypes that Western women bring to bear when they think of Ottoman women.