This paper explores the gender policies of the communist governments of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, compares them and situates them in a transnational history perspective. I will analyse how gender policies towards Muslim women and men were utilised to exert influence over Muslim communities for state-building purposes. Soviet models heavily influenced both countries, and I look at how ideas about Muslim women, modernity, and gender relations were adapted in each case, informing aggressive policies. I will then address how Muslim women and their communities reacted and explore the religious authorities' positioning. Finally, I will question the broader consequences of the state's attempt to change cultural norms and gendered social relationships for the daily lives of Muslim women and men.
