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´This book, a revised version of the author´s doctoral thesis, submitted to the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World, Leiden, The Netherlands, is probably the first published work on girls´ madrasas in India. In contrast to most other writings on madrasa education, the book is a detailed, empirically grounded study of a single madrasa, providing interesting ethnographic details and insights that are often missing in generalized accounts of madrasas. (...) This pioneering work on girls´ madrasas is a welcome addition to the growing literature on madrasas in South Asia. The sense of balance and empathy that is evident throughout the text is remarkable, as the author seeks to provide an insight into the ways in which those associated with the madrasa themselves imagine their world.´ Yoginder Sikand, Economic and Political Weekly, 2 September 2006

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The author received her MA in Theology (Kampen, Netherlands) in 1999. She then investigated the early history of Muslim women´s education in India and obtained her Mphil (Leiden, Netherlands) in 2000. Her interest in Islam in India and women´s education formed the basis for her PhD research between 2001 and 2005.

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