As the Independence Day celebrations draw near, it’s time to talk (once again) about the role of women in American Islam.

Yes, this blog (despite digressions abroad) centers on Muslims in the United States. Women here are regarded differently than they are in Muslim-majority countries. In many ways, American Muslim women are forging a new identity within Islam.

This recent article reminds us of the differences between American Islam — where all strains of Islamic belief coexist in community — and the nation- or tribal-centric Islams of Qatar or Iran, for example.

Quran Recitation Apps That Don’t Include Female Voices. This headline was startling on two levels: first because “of course” only men could recite the Qu’ran, and second, because — wait a minute — why not include women’s voices reciting the key text of Islam?

Check out some opinions here, in an article by Miriam Krule: The Latest Battle for Religious Women: Quran Recitation Apps That Don’t Include Female Voices