Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World

x, 351 pp. "Goodwin set out to investigate the status of women in 10 Islamic countries after being shocked and appalled at the brutal treatment of a nine-year-old girl she befriended while living in Peshawar, a frontier town on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Her findings are profoundly disturbing and center on the enormous influence of radical Islamic fundamentalists, who have created a system of "gender apartheid" that has turned women into virtual prisoners. After providing deft descriptions of the current atmosphere in each country, she relates shocking stories of restriction, cruelty, abuse, and violence. Most Islamic women now live severely circumscribed lives. They are forbidden to go out without male chaperons and face harsh jail terms, or even death, for such "crimes" as failing to be fully concealed in a chador or other heavy, dark garments. Worse, of course, are the frequent beatings and rapes, many committed by the police. Men can divorce their wives secretly and are free to have several wives, while women are kept cloistered at home, suffering from depression and a host of ailments associated with lack of sunshine and exercise. This tragic state of affairs is all the more maddening given the fact than none of the more flagrant abuses have any basis in the Koran, which teaches respect for women as equal and invaluable partners in Muslim society. Goodwin takes pains to present balanced and well-documented information, making her revelations all the more alarming."