They advocate the establishment of Islamic states, with some version of Islamic law in place. A controversial issue is the status of women. Liberal Muslims advocate equality of the sexes, sometimes arguing that just as the provisions in the Qur'an concerning slavery need to be reinterpreted in support of abolition, so the teaching about women needs to be reassessed. Fundamentalists agree with conservatives that there is spiritual equality between the sexes, but say that this should not be translated into social equality. The roles assigned to the sexes are different, they claim, and it is part of the role assigned to men that they should exercise overall authority in society.
Contention also surrounds the use of violence and the right to freedom of religion.
Muhammad used force, and holy war is a legitimate concept in Islam. In traditional Islamic law it is forbidden to renounce one's faith on pain of death. Apostasy invites the death penalty and is a crucial element in the Salman Rushdie affair. Clearly this view is incompatible with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which liberal Muslims would uphold and fundamentalists reject. The division between Shi'ite Muslims and the majority Sunni Muslims has been brought into prominence by events in Iran and Lebanon.