In the traditional patriarchal Muslim societies of East Africa, the position and status of women is lower than that of their male counterparts. Women in these societies assume marginalized positions in every sphere of life: social, economic, and political. Until marriage, they are under the control of and dependent upon their fathers, and after marriage, their husbands. Within the family, husband and wife have unequal status; the male incontestably commands authority, and the woman defers to him…