Analytical Study of Islamic Feminist Discourse and Its Reception Among Muslim Scholars in South West Nigeria

This study analyses the discourse of Islamic feminism and examines how it is received, interpreted, and debated among Muslim scholars in South West Nigeria. Islamic feminism, which seeks gender justice through internal Islamic textual and jurisprudential frameworks, has gained global prominence but its local reception in the Nigerian context is understudied. The study employs a qualitative interpretive design, using in-depth interviews with 30 Islamic scholars, 15 Muslim women academics, and analysis of selected Arabic and English-language fatawa produced by South West Islamic institutions in Lagos, Ogun, and Osun states. Data are analysed using critical discourse analysis and interpretive phenomenological methods. Findings reveal a significant polarisation in scholarly responses. Progressive scholars engage constructively with Islamic feminist arguments on Quranic reinterpretation and women's mosque rights, while traditionalist scholars reject the framework as externally imposed and inauthentic. Gender and generational lines emerge as important predictors of receptivity. The study identifies a nascent but growing body of women-led Islamic scholarly discourse in South West Nigeria that operates within traditional methodological frameworks while advancing gender-equitable interpretations. The study recommends greater scholarly engagement with this corpus, the creation of Islamic gender studies research hubs in South West universities, and inclusive dialogue between progressive and traditionalist Muslim scholars. Keywords: Islamic feminism, gender justice, Muslim scholars, South West Nigeria, Quranic interpretation.