Can Islam Inspire Progressive Change?

No, by that I mean that among Muslims too there are different sects, and different biradaris — they have their own identity, their own internal disputes and so on, and a social hierarchy also exists. The question of women is one of all those things. I mean, it isn't necessary that we think only through the framework of Western modernity. But at the same time, many of the freedoms, the progressive thoughts, don't necessarily have to come only from Western modernity — they can also emerge internally, by referring to Indian, non-Western, or even Islamic history and practice. So what's needed is to use the right word for it — that instead of Western modernity, we associate it with the actual progressive movements that exist, and with the philosophy that has emerged from them, and by engaging seriously with that, an alternative vision can emerge.