Saleha Abedin and her husband Sayed Zainul Abedin, who is of Indian descent, had a keen interest in Islamic matters and had earned PhDs from the American University of Philadelphia. Saleha assumed leadership of the Institute of Muslim Minority Issues in Britain, which her late husband founded, after he passed away in 1993. She is currently the journal’s editor-in-chief.
Social Affairs from Her Islamic Perspective
In her publications, Saleha Abedin addressed social issues from an Islamic viewpoint and within the framework of sharia law. Both the writings she produced herself and the writings she edited demonstrate this.
Her study, “Islam and Muslim Fertility: Sociological Dimensions of a Demographic Dilemma,” was released in 1977 by the University of Pennsylvania and focused on the significance of the demographic component in explaining social phenomena and issues.
This study sought to directly interpret this from a theological standpoint to investigate the causes of Muslims’ comparatively high fertility rate. She centred her work on comparisons between the reproduction rates of Muslims and non-Muslims to give interpretations outside from the religious factor.
Saleha’s later studies on Saudi fertility rates and pregnancy planning showed how much she cared about this issue of fertility in her writings. She wrote a study named “Knowledge and attitudes and practises linked to reproduction and fertility regulation among Saudi women” and it was published in 1995.
Her study found that those under 35 tend to be more knowledgeable about contraceptive techniques, and she linked this to the growth of the Saudi Arabian kingdom, the spread of hospitals and clinics, and the country’s free media.
Her Choice of Interest
Reproduction and fertility are significant women’s issues that have had a significant impact on Islamic movements and the structure of Muslim families.
Saleha continued to be interested in this topic. Birth spacing and its relation to maternal health and the influence of some socioeconomic and demographic factors were the topics of one of the master’s theses she oversaw at the University of King Abdulaziz in 1996 while she was still in Jeddah.
Women in Islam: A Discourse on Rights and Obligations was one of the most significant books that Saleha co-edited with author Fatima Umar Naseef, the sister of Abdullah Naseef, the former secretary-general of the Muslim World League.
More about Saleha’s viewpoints are revealed in this book. The rights and responsibilities of women and children in Islam are discussed in relation to a range of religious and Islamic issues. The marriage of minors, the death penalty, the stoning and whipping of adulterers, the hijab and its restrictions, mixing of men and women, and women’s employment were also discussed.
Saleha’s Daughter
Young Muslim woman Huma Abedin was born in Pakistan to an Indian father and an Indian mother. Her parents both graduated with doctorates from the University of Pennsylvania. Evidently, they had their daughter Huma in 1976 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, while they were pursuing graduate studies in the US.
Conclusion
Promoting women’s empowerment to be against it. Female empowerment, according to Saleha Mahmood Abedin, is not only against Islamic law but also has a negative impact on women’s rights and their relationships with males.
