This issue examines the complex relationship between faith, religious observance, gender, and development from both the personal and the institutional angles in faith-based communities. With the following articles: 'The challenges of incorporating Muslim women's views into development policy: analysis of a Dutch action research project in Yemen' by Brenda Bartelink and Marjo Buitelaar : 'Tackling HIV and AIDS with faith-based communities: learning from attitudes on gender relations and sexual rights within local evangelical churches in Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, and South Africa' by Mandy Marshall and Nigel Taylor : 'Faith, work, and women in a changing world: the influence of religion in the lives of beedi rollers in West Bengal' by Anchita Ghatak : 'The Thai bhikkhuni movement and women's empowerment ' by Emma Tomalin : 'For God's sake not for sale: trafficking and the church in Europe' by Carrie Pemberton : 'Faith, gender and development agendas in Nigeria: conflicts, challenges, and opportunities' by Oluwafunmilayo Josephine Para-Mallam : and 'Reflecting on gender equality in Muslim contexts in Oxfam GB' by Adrienne Hopkins and Kirit Patel.