Muslim women accountants: The unknown feminists

The chapter reflects on my journey of researching and publishing the experiences of Muslim and Arab women accountants. Research on the experiences of professionals of faith is scarce. Narratives around Muslim women in particular are often politically and socially charged, with claims and counter-claims around their oppression or agency. It is, therefore, important to make their voices and experiences centre stage of research concerned with them. The reflective piece provides three insights: (i) religion and religious identity are important aspects shaping the professional identities of many Muslim women accountants (ii) Muslim women accountants engage significantly with Feminist discourses, especially those that are grounded within Islam; (iii) both the researcher and the researched are not immune to uncritical internalisation of dominant discourses, highlighting the importance of reflexivity and critical consciousness by both. The chapter then proceeds to suggest future avenues of research vis-à-vis the working lives of professional women of faith.