The prevalent Western perception that Muslim women are only passive victims completely lacking agency and having no major influence in their otherwise male-dominated societies also becomes problematic when one looks beyond the Bush administration's rhetoric of oppressed and imprisoned women. In politics, organizations such as Malaysia's Sisters in Islam challenge male privilege, combat discriminatory practices, and present alternative interpretations of Islam that further women's rights and egalitarianism. In recent decades, Muslim women have also served as heads of state, including Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia, and Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh.

XREF: Challenges the passive-victim framing dominant in Western discourse cited in the highlight itself.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 312