The complexity surrounding Islamic law and gender equality in the MENA region defies simplistic binaries often imposed by external observers. Not only do non-Western commentators contribute to the scholarly discord through their varied perspectives, but so too do Muslim adherents themselves, whose interpretations diverge across the multiple Islamic jurisprudential schools. This internal multiplicity fractures any monolithic understanding of Islamic law, revealing how debates on gender and secularismSecularism unfold simultaneously at national, communal, and individual levels. In public discourse, however, patriarchal readings of Islamic law remain entrenched, sustained by pervasive stereotypes and sweeping generalisations broadcast through diverse media channels. These narratives conflate varied religious and cultural realities into reductive East-versus-West frameworks, obscuring the nuanced ways gender equality intersects with faith and law.