Women Reclaiming and Re-Defining Cultures
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WLUML July 2009 NEWSLETTER Issue 8 News from around the world, WLUML is an international network that provides information, solidarity and support for all women whose lives are shaped, conditioned or governed by laws and customs said to derive from Islam. INSIDE THIS ISSUE WOMEN RECLAIMING AND RE-DEFINING CULTURES PROGRAMME Page: 1. WRRC Programme From October 2008, WLUML and the Institute From May, we have been pleased to welcome of Women’s Empowerment (IWE) jointly Roya Rahmani as the permanent Programme embarked upon a three-year programme Manager of the WRRC Programme. Ms. 2. Editorial & Solidarity entitled “ Women reclaiming and re-defining Rahmani is a WLUML Council member and an cultures: Asserting rights over body, self, and active women’s rights defender in both public spaces ” (WRRC programme). Afghanistan and North America. 3. WHRD & International Supported by the MDG3 Fund, designed to Women’s Day Statement fund work towards attaining the third Millennium Development Goal (namely ‘Gender equality and the empowerment of Recent initiatives have included: Women’s Empowerment women’), the WRRC programme aims to 4. • extending support to ‘sister campaigns’ contribute to the attainment of MDG3 by and Activism in Pakistan working to address so- developing and supporting strategies for called ‘honour crimes’ through art, and women’s empowerment that can effectively in Indonesia to advocate against a counter disempowering forces. These forces 6. News from Networkers regressive Anti-Pornography Bill; often attempt to legitimise themselves by reference to ‘culture’, ‘tradition’ and • supporting Pakistani and Indonesian ‘religion’ , and are increasingly manifested as 8 Reviews activists in their struggle to break the . politico-religious fundamentalisms that silence around sexuality to enable exacerbate the vulnerable positions of women activists to more effectively support by reinforcing existing patriarchal structures people of mixed gender, different 10 . Upcoming Events & and introducing new modes of oppression. Announcements sexual orientations, sex workers and The WRRC Programme maintains that it is women whose human rights are crucial to discredit ‘cultural’ excuses used to violated related to social conceptions of legitimate the disempowerment of women. female sexuality and reproductive roles; Since its inception, the WRRC programme has • supporting Nigerian activists to conduct established a Strategic Task Force as a sensitization trainings with local management and advisory committee, journalists and media practitioners as a comprised of WLUML and IWE means of addressing culturally-justified representatives. In addition, three Working violence against women; Groups have been established to address different but inter-related aspects of women’s • conducting a 4-day workshop on disempowerment justified by cultural relativism: Sexuality, bringing together over 20 Sexuality ; Property, Inheritance and Land activists from the Africa and Middle Rights ; and Violence Against Women . The East in Rabat, Morocco, as trainers and latter Working Group builds upon the Global participants; Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women (www.stop-killing.org ) and seeks to support • arranging translations of key new initiatives and strategies related to publications on women’s human rights culturally-justified violence against women. into other languages. Global in scope, over the coming years the WRRC Programme will focus on the following focal countries: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, In June, the Strategic Task Force and each of Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sri Lanka and the three Working Groups held our first face-to Sudan. -face strategizing meetings held in Dakar, Senegal and London, UK. Until May 2009, WLUML Director Dr. Ayesha Imam has served as the Interim Coordinator of It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that the WRRC Programme and we sincerely thank we look ahead to the coming years of the her for her efforts and initiatives. WRRC Programme. WLUML: PO Box 28445, London, N195NZ, UK. Email: [email protected] Website: www.wluml.org 2 News from around the world, WLUML is an international network that provides information, solidarity and support for all women whose lives are shaped, conditioned or governed by laws and customs said to derive from Islam. EDITORIAL & SOLIDARITY In this issue we are delighted to welcome the IRAN: Women human rights defender, launch of the programme “Women reclaiming and re-defining cultures: Asserting rights over Shadi Sadr, released from jail body, self, and public spaces” a joint venture between WLUML and the Institute of Women’s Women Living Under Muslim Laws is very Empowerment (IWE), which will bring together happy to announce that Shadi Sadr was women from the Muslim world to examine and released from Evin Prison, Tehran, on Tuesday discuss how systems of culture, tradition and 28 July 2009. religion, are used as instruments to legitimise their oppression. WLUML Council member, Ms. Sadr, is a The current debates around the veil as a human rights lawyer feminine symbol of Muslim identity or around who especially defends dress codes are examples of these systems at the rights of women in work. The hushed controversy between the US Iran. She is also part of President Barak Obama and the French the Stop Stoning President Nicolas Sarkozy is symptomatic. On 4 Forever Campaign and June 2009, Obama stated before the Egyptian Meydaan ( http:// Parliament that the “United States government meydaan.com/english ). has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab and to punish those On Friday 17 July 2009, at around 11:30 a.m., who would deny it”. Two days afterwards, while Shadi Sadr was abducted by a group of officers on an official visit to France, Mr. Obama urged in civilian clothes while she was walking on his counterpart to lift the ban on the veil in public Keshavarz Boulevard, Tehran, to a mosque for schools. Mr. Sarkozy retorted: “The full face veil Friday prayers. According to an eye-witness is a sign of women’s subjugation”. A account, her friends tried to pull her away from parliamentary commission composed of diverse her abductors but were unable to do so; Ms. political parties has been established in order to Sadr was "hit badly and dragged so badly that investigate the wearing of the full face veil in her scarf and manteau (overcoat) was removed France, and to prepare repressive measures in from her". She was then forced into a car and line with other European countries. taken away. Her abductors did not show any identity cards, warrants, or a reason for her Such a debate is disturbing on more than one apprehension. Security forces ransacked the level since the true question is: “Why should Sadr home for several hours and in the women wear the veil in order for their Muslim presence of their ten-year-old daughter, taking identity to be recognized?” rather than “Why away some papers, documents, and two should it be banned?” Further to the problematic computer cases that had belonged to Shadi’s issue of the veil, is that of clothes in general for husband and the child. On Sunday 19 July women. In Sudan, women activists have been Security Guards called Ms. Sadr’s family asking taken to court for wearing trousers in public, and them to provide bail. Niachian asked the guards threatened with a public flogging. Similarly, in what would be acceptable for bail and they told Nigeria, the Federal State is trying to legislate him to bring ID card and salary documents. against any (women’s) clothes that it considers However, after waiting outside Evin Prison for indecent; and, in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, five hours, the family returned home without her. restrictive dress codes have been enforced, affecting not only women but also sexual Ms. Sadr has been released on bail of US minorities. The forthcoming book by Ayesha $50,000. The accusations against Ms Sadr are Salma Kariapper on Muslim women’s dress in that she acted against national security by the United Kingdom presents interesting provoking people to act in a disorderly fashion perspectives on the analysis of the situation in and to disobey police orders, despite her non- this country. violent advocacy for the human rights of women. This abduction was a targeted act, However, it is as difficult to accept the unlike other arrests of peaceful women human compulsory wearing of the veil for religious and rights defenders in Iran such as at Disclaimer: The analysis and views cultural reasons as it is to accept a ban by law, demonstrations. expressed in this newsletter do not because both impulses are a product of the necessarily reflect those of any control over women’s body by the State, offices of the Women Living Under SAUDI ARABIA: Imprisonment and Muslim Laws – International religious authorities and society. Recourse to Solidarity Network (WLUML) and the law to safeguard from religiously and culturally Whipping of 75 year-old Woman responsibility for all opinions, views justified dress codes impositions is an attack on and accuracy of information contained in this publication rests basic citizens’ rights. It is, therefore, 30/03/2009: WLUML, and its allies, demand that entirely with individual contributors. fundamental for women and men to distance Saudi Arabia demonstrate its commitment to themselves from the socio-cultural constraints of human rights and release Khamisa Sawadi, previous societies to focus on new debates for Fahd al-Anzi, and Hadiyan bin Zein and revoke the 21st century. the order of deportation.