Unexpected lives: the intersection of Islam and Arab women’s entrepreneurship
Tlaiss, Hayfaa A. and McAdam, MauraORCID: 0000-0003-2203-5485
(2020)
Unexpected lives: the intersection of Islam and Arab women’s entrepreneurship.
Journal of Business Ethics, 171
.
pp. 253-272.
ISSN 0167-4544
This paper explores how Islam is understood by Muslim women entrepreneurs and considers its influence on their entrepreneurial experiences in the country-specific context of Lebanon. In so doing, we adopt a qualitative interpretative approach, drawing upon 21
in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs. Accordingly, we present empirical evidence detailing how Muslim women entrepreneurs utilise various aspects and teachings of Islam to make sense of their entrepreneurial decisions within the context of
restrictive social and cultural practices. We thus provide insight into how women’s entrepreneurship interlocks with Islamic teachings and the restrictions imposed by patriarchal sociocultural values within the country-specific context of Lebanon. This paper advances entrepreneurship research by demonstrating how Islam unfolds as a source of
inspiration and resilience for women entrepreneurs, if and when equipped with an Islamic feminist interpretation.