Islamic feminism

Did anyone ever hear of Islamic Feminism? It's a legitimate movement it seems; They even had their first conference in Spain this week. They say that Islam doesn't justify patriarchy, that a less chauvenistic interpertation of the Koran is necessary and are calling for a "gender Jihad" to struggle against such interpertations. I am not kidding. The first ever international conference on Islamic feminism, held this week in Barcelona, denounced on Sunday what it termed as "male chauvinist" interpretations of the Koran and claimed that Islam could "liberate" women. "Islam can liberate women and change their status," the conference's final statement read. It also called for a more open interpretation of the Muslim holy book to take into account the context of twenty-first century societies. "Islamic feminism is an emerging reality that must be seen as an alternative to the dominant chauvinist readings [of the Koran]," the statement said, adding that the Koran "does not justify patriarchy". The October 27 to 29 conference was organized by the Catalonian Islamic Board, whose secretary Abdennur Prado called for a "gender jihad" to "struggle against male chauvinistic, homophobic or sexist readings of the sacred texts" during her presentation to the 400 delegates. The conference also saw Amina Wadud, a female Islamic studies professor in the United States give the Friday jutba (sermon) and lead prayers in front of a mixed audience. Interesting.... Update: Here is a comprehensive article on the Islamic Feminist movement and its history in case you are interested.