It is difficult to define a distinct urban identity for Muslim women in South Asia. In general, urban women form only a small percentage of the overall population. In some cases, Muslim urban women are an even smaller percentage of that whole, given the small numbers of the overall Muslim population in India, for example. Thus, it is not possible to generalize concerning all urban Muslim women living in the region.

In addition, the social and political contexts in the countries vary considerably, which affects the construction of gender roles and the position of Mu…