Fatima Jinnah

M. Reza Pirbhai has been an Associate Professor of History at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qatar since 2013. His research is focused on Modern South Asia, and his writings on such topics as Islamic thought and institutions, Muslim and Hindu nationalism, British colonialism, and gender in regional focus have appeared in the Oxford Handbook of Islamic Law (2015), Blackwell Companion to Jesus (2010), the Journal of Asian History, Modern Intellectual History, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies and Hawwa. He is also the author of the book titled Reconsidering Islam in a South Asian Context (2009).

• Introduction: separating Fatima from her brother; 1. A tale of three cities (1893–1929); 2. Being Muslim, becoming Pakistani (1929–46); 3. The hope and hardship of Partition (1946–8); 4. Dear Mother (1948–58); 5. Democracy or dictatorship (1958–67); Conclusion: life and legacy.

'The question has always been whether Fatima Jinnah was merely the sister and nurse of a famous man, or whether she played any significant or important role. Pirbhai argues that she did through the mobilization of women and that she was, in fact, one of the 'new women' who have been denigrated by Western feminists. Recommended.' R. D. Long, Choice