In predominantly Muslim countries a woman s knowledge and use of contraceptive methods and her marital fertility differ according to whether she lives in a rural or urban area her level of educational attainment and the degree to which she is exposed to the mass media However the effects of these factors vary from country to country Thus according to a study conducted among women in nine Muslim countries there is no pattern of reproductive behavior that can be considered typical of women who practice Islam The study utilized Demographic and Health Survey DHS data to examine the socioeconomic characteristics and the contraceptive and fertility behaviors of women in Bangladesh Egypt Indonesia Jordan Morocco Niger Pakistan Senegal and 1990 1994. Turkey between and Muslims constitute a majority of the population in these countries and recent data on fertility and socioeconomic factors are available Countries also were chosen to ensure that several world regions would be represented.