DOCSLIB.ORG

A Brief Study on the Positive Attentions to Muslim Women's Rights in Malaysia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Brief Study on the Positive Attentions to Muslim Women's Rights in Malaysia International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology Vol. 2 No. 2; March 2012 A Brief Study on the Positive Attentions to Muslim Women’s Rights in Malaysia Nik Salida Suhaila Nik Saleh Senior Lecturer Faculty of Shariah and Law Islamic Science University of Malaysia Malaysia Abstract This paper examines the debate on the Malaysian laws on Muslim women’s rights with a view to identify whether the principle of gender equality governing the Muslim women’s rights laws are consistent with the global standard of women’s rights underpinned by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Women’s Convention) or not. Generally, Muslim women in Malaysia have been guaranteed legal rights as human, yet their rights are different from men because of gender. These differences have been criticized by international organisation, non-governmental organisations and individual as ‘intentional’ and purposely designed to disempowering women. In this paper, I also examine the influence of feminism in Malaysia which brought about positive attentions to women’s rights written debate in this country.By exploring the existing data of the works of leading scholars, their conceptual implications and reinterpretation, I have found that there has been a prevalent avoidance of the term ‘feminism’ in Malaysia, among others, due to the resistance of Western’s message pertaining to women’s rights issues in this local context. Even though there is a kind of ‘feminist’s phobia’ culturally, however, I argue that it does not affect an effort towards empowering Muslim women by applying the principle of equality informed by the Women’s Convention and the Islamic standard. Key words: Muslim women’s rights, feminism, gender equality, non-discrimination, formal and substantive equality 1.1 Introduction Malaysia1 acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Women’s Convention)2 on 5 July 1995 with reservations3 to Article 2 (f), Article 5 (a), Article 7 (b), Article 9 and Article 16owing to its non-conformity with Shariah4 practiced in Malaysia5 and the Federal Constitution(United Nations Treaty Collection). The original reservations read as follows: ‘The Government of Malaysia declares that Malaysia’s accession is subject to the understanding that the provisions of the Convention do not conflict with the provisions of the Islamic Shariah law and the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. With regards thereto, further, the Government of Malaysia does not consider itself bound by the provisions of Articles 2 (f), 5 (a), 7 (b), 9 and 16 of the aforesaid Convention. In relation to Article 11, Malaysia interprets the provisions of this Article as a reference to the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of equality between men and women only’ (Declarations, Reservations and Objections to CEDAW, Division for the Advancement of Women). 1Malaysia was known as Malaya until 1963 when Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and the Peninsular merged to form a single nation. Singapore left in 1965 2 GA Res. 34/180, 34 UN GAOR Supp. (No. 710.46) at 193, UN Doc. A/34/46 (1979); entered into force on 3 September 1981. See Online:http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/. Retrieved on 12/03/2009 (hereinafter Women’s Convention) 3 Reservations are declarations made by State Parties to a treaty that they do not accept certain provisions as binding on them. Reservations are allowed so long as they are not incompatible with the object and purpose of the treaty. Incompatible reservations may be challenged by other State Parties. See Online: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/reservations.htm. Retrieved on 12/03/2009 4Shariah means ‘way’ or ‘path’, which refers to the sacred law of Islam 5 In Malaysia, the laws are mainly based on the common laws, as a result of the colonisation by Britain. Shariah only plays a small role in the country and has jurisdiction in personal matters which applies to Muslims only 163 © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www.ijbhtnet.com The Convention which was adopted on 18 December 1979 by the United Nations (UN)6 General Assembly7is often described as an international bill of rights for women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination (Division of Advancement of Women). Consisting of a Preamble and 30 Articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men. It targets social and cultural patterns as influential forces shaping gender roles and family relations (Article 5). Even though the Government of Malaysia ratified the Women’s Convention, it has been criticized by local non- governmental organisations, opposition political parties and international organizations as discriminating against Muslim women due to its refusal to accept certain provisions affecting Muslim women as binding on it. Along with this criticism, the primary objective of this paper is to analyse whether the legal protections of Muslim women in Malaysia underpinned by English common laws and Islamic textual sources (Quran and Prophetic traditions) or ijtihad8 of Muslim jurists could be harmonised with the Women’s Convention even though the Government of Malaysia ratified the Women’s Convention with reservations pertaining to personal laws of Muslims, which are rights to enter into marriage, maintenance, guardianship of children, polygamous marriage, dissolution of marriage and rights to choose a family name, a profession and an occupation. Personal laws refer to particular laws which govern people because they belong to a particular religion, race, caste, sect or tribe (Jaising, 1996). 1.2 Positive Attentions to Women’s Rights Debate In Malaysia, feminists’ writings are relevant and applicable (Ahmad and Baljit, 1989 and Stivens, 2003: 128-130). However, even though the idiom ‘feminism9’ is not necessarily synonym with ‘Western Feminism10’, there has been a prevalent avoidance of the term ‘feminism11’ in Malaysia (Mohamad and Koon, 1994). In the study of inter-related historical, legal and practical issues regarding gender and justice from the transmission of Egyptian reformist to Malaysia through the Azharites, no single word of ‘feminism’ being used12. The reason being, the influence of Western Women’s Liberation which was synonym with ‘Western Feminism’ has developed Malaysian women’s movements which carried along similar message and theme of Western’s women’s rights (Abd. Rahim, 2001: 7), which was not totally acceptable in the Malaysian Muslim local context. Stivens (2003: 129) has also found several reasons for this distancing which varied from the avoidance of ‘Western’ agenda to libertarianism. Not only that, feminists’ idea towards gender equality has been mistakenly understood as trying to develop a prejudice among women and men (Abd. Rashid, 1998: 10-11). Ahmad, a Malaysian feminist and a lawyer, has claimed that many Muslims regarded feminist approach as ‘an attempt to discredit and misrepresent Islam or that it stands for enmity between women and men’(Ahmad, 2007: 4). 6 The United Nations (hereinafter UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights and the achieving of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions. See Online:http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/index .html. Retrieved on 12/03/2009 7 UN General Assembly was established in 1945 under the Charter of the UN. It occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN. Comprising all 192 members of the UN, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter. It also plays a significant role in the process of standard-setting and the codification of international law. The Assembly meets in regular session intensively from September to December each year and thereafter as required. See Online: http://www.un.org/en/ga/about/index. html. Retrieved on 12/03/2009 8 Literally, the term ‘ijtihad’implies striving hard or strenuousness, but technically it means exercising independent juristic reasoning to provide answers when the Quran and Prophetic traditionare silent on a particular subject 9‘Feminism’ refers to the struggles of women’s movement in Europe, United States and the colonised countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries. See Ng, Cecilia, Mohammad, Maznah and Hui, Tan Beng. 2006. Feminism and the Women’s Movement in Malaysia: An Unsung (R) evolution. London and New York: Routledge 10 The concept of feminism was neither originated, imported nor imposed from the West into the Third World Countries, as the debates on women’s rights were held as early as 18th century in China and later in India, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Japan as well as Malaysia. See Jayawardeena, Kumari. 1986. Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World. London: Zed Press 11In Malaysia, the term ‘womanism’ is used interchangeably with the word‘feminism’ 12See Noor, Zanariah. 2007. ‘Gender Justice and Islamic Family Law Reform in Malaysia’ in Kajian Malaysia. Jil. XXV. No. 2 164 International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology Vol. 2 No. 2; March 2012 That is why women’s movements in Malaysia comfortably used the word ‘womanism’ instead of feminism. Ng, Mohamad and Hui (2006) have thoroughly studied about women’s movements in Malaysia and explained the reasons of inability of feminism to play a key role in reforming society in Malaysia. According to them, which I found out as one of the reasons of distancing from feminisms, feminists’ movements in Malaysia were not until late 1980s engaged with Islam and Islamic intellectuals regarding women’s rights. Also, feminists’ organisations were not incorporate Islamic paradigm in their early generations.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download This Report in English
    Human Rights Watch July 2004 Vol. 16, No. 9 (B) Help Wanted: Abuses against Female Migrant Domestic Workers in Indonesia and Malaysia Map 1: Map of Southeast Asia...................................................................................................1 Map 2: Migration Flows between Indonesia and Malaysia.................................................... 2 I. Summary.................................................................................................................................... 3 Key Recommendations............................................................................................................7 II. Background............................................................................................................................... 8 Labor Migration in Asia........................................................................................................... 8 Indonesian Migrant Workers in Malaysia............................................................................10 Domestic Work.......................................................................................................................12 Trafficking................................................................................................................................14 Repression of Civil Society in Malaysia: The Irene Fernandez Case ..............................16 The Status of Women and Girls in Indonesia....................................................................17 The Status of Women and Girls in
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution of One-Minute Rain Rate in Malaysia Derived from TRMM Satellite Data
    Ann. Geophys., 31, 2013–2022, 2013 Open Access www.ann-geophys.net/31/2013/2013/ Annales doi:10.5194/angeo-31-2013-2013 © Author(s) 2013. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Geophysicae Distribution of one-minute rain rate in Malaysia derived from TRMM satellite data T. V. Omotosho1,2,3, J. S Mandeep2,3, M. Abdullah2,3, and A. T. Adediji2,4 1Department of Physics, College of Science and Technology Covenant University PMB 1023 Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria 2Institute of Space Science, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi, Malaysia 3Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi, Malaysia 4Department of Physics Federal University of Technology, Akure Ondo State, Nigeria Correspondence to: T. V. Omotosho ([email protected]) Received: 31 January 2013 – Revised: 13 August 2013 – Accepted: 21 October 2013 – Published: 19 November 2013 Abstract. Total rainfall accumulation, as well as convective 1 Introduction and stratiform rainfall rate data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite sensors have been used to derive the thunderstorm ratio and one-minute rainfall rates, There is the need for reliable rainfall rate data for planning and designing of satellite communications systems, manage- R0.01, for 57 stations in Malaysia for exceedance probabili- ties of 0.001–1 % for an average year, for the period 1998– ment of water resources, agricultural purpose, and flooding, 2010. The results of the rain accumulations from the TRMM as well as to assess the impact of climate change. Rain gauge satellite were validated with the data collected from differ- measurement networks are not as dense or evenly spaced in ent ground data sources from the National Oceanic and At- Malaysia as in other countries, such as the USA, Europe, mospheric Administration (NOAA) global summary of the and Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamic Feminism, a Public Lecture By
    SUDANWORKINGPAPER Islamic Feminism, a public lecture by Liv Tønnessen, Regional Institute of Gender, Rights, Peace & Diversity, Ahfad University for Women, Sudan SWP 2014: 1 Islamic Feminism Public lecture by Liv Tønnessen, Ahfad University for Women, Sudan SVP 2014 : 1 CMI SWP ISLAMIC FEMINISM 2014: 1 In the words of Pakistani-American Asma Barlas, “I came to the realization that women and men are equal as a result not of reading feminist texts, but of reading the Quran.”1 This position has come to be known as Islamic feminism. The term has been heatedly debated and both feminists and Muslims have rejected it as two fundamentally incompatible ideas. Secular feminists reject it because they argue religion generally and Islam in particular is oppressive to women2 and many Muslim women reject it because they feel ‘feminism’ is a secular invention imposed on them from outside, from the West. Islamic feminism is indeed highly contested, but it has also been widely embraced by both activists and scholars. As Margot Badran’s article from 2002 asks, What's in a name? What's behind a name? What is Islamic feminism?3 I will in a humble way attempt to address these questions in this talk. Let me first start by saying that this is a research paper on Islamic feminism. I am not a Muslim, but I find myself fascinated and genuinely interested in the question of women and Islam. I do not under any circumstances start my engagement with the topic from a position which neither reduces Islam to be monolithic and anti-women nor a position which states that secularism is the only route to women’s empowerment.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender, the Status of Women, and Family Structure in Malaysia
    Malaysian Journal of EconomicGender, Studies the Status 53(1): of Women,33 - 50, 2016 and Family Structure in Malaysia ISSN 1511-4554 Gender, the Status of Women, and Family Structure in Malaysia Charles Hirschman* University of Washington, Seattle Abstract: This paper addresses the question of whether the relatively high status of women in pre-colonial South-east Asia is still evident among Malay women in twentieth century Peninsular Malaysia. Compared to patterns in East and South Asia, Malay family structure does not follow the typical patriarchal patterns of patrilineal descent, patrilocal residence of newly married couples, and preference for male children. Empirical research, including ethnographic studies of gender roles in rural villages and demographic surveys, shows that women were often economically active in agricultural production and trade, and that men occasionally participated in domestic roles. These findings do not mean a complete absence of patriarchy, but there is evidence of continuity of some aspects of the historical pattern of relative gender equality. The future of gender equality in Malaysia may depend as much on understanding its past as well as drawing lessons from abroad. Keywords: Family, gender, marriage, patriarchy, women JEL classification: I3, J12, J16, N35 1. Introduction In the introduction to her book onWomen, Politics, and Change, Lenore Manderson (1980) said that the inspiration for her study was the comment by a British journalist that the participation of Malay women in rallies, demonstrations, and the nationalist movement during the late 1940s was the most remarkable feature of post-World War II Malayan politics. The British journalist described the role of Malay women in the nationalist movement as “challenging, dominant, and vehement in their emergence from meek, quiet roles in the kampongs, rice fields, the kitchens, and nurseries” (Miller, 1982, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Case Study Women in Politics: Reflections from Malaysia
    International IDEA, 2002, Women in Parliament, Stockholm (http://www.idea.int). This is an English translation of Wan Azizah, “Perempuan dalam Politik: Refleksi dari Malaysia,” in International IDEA, 2002, Perempuan di Parlemen: Bukan Sekedar Jumlah, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 191-202. (This translation may vary slightly from the original text. If there are discrepancies in the meaning, the original Bahasa-Indonesia version is the definitive text). Case Study Women in Politics: Reflections from Malaysia Wan Azizah Women constitute half of humanity, and it follows that any decision-making, whether at the personal, family, societal or public levels, should be mindful of and involve the participation of women in the making of those decisions. Women’s political, social and economic rights are an integral and inseparable part of their human rights. Democracy is an inclusive process, and therefore in a functioning democracy, the points of view of different interest groups must be taken into account in formulating any decision. The interest and opinions of men, women and minorities must be part of that decision-making process. Yet far from being included in the decision-making process, women find themselves under-represented in political institutions. Numerous challenges confront women entering politics. Among them are lack of party support, family support and the "masculine model" of political life. Many feel that Malaysian society is still male dominated, and men are threatened by the idea of women holding senior posts. In the political sphere this is compounded by the high premium placed on political power. This makes some men even less willing to share power with women.
    [Show full text]
  • Transgender Women in Malaysia, in the Context of HIV and Islam: a Qualitative Study of Stakeholders’ Perceptions Sima Barmania1,2,4* and Syed Mohamed Aljunid1,3
    Barmania and Aljunid BMC International Health and Human Rights (2017) 17:30 DOI 10.1186/s12914-017-0138-y RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Transgender women in Malaysia, in the context of HIV and Islam: a qualitative study of stakeholders’ perceptions Sima Barmania1,2,4* and Syed Mohamed Aljunid1,3 Abstract Background: Globally, one of the key groups considered to be at high risk of acquiring HIV are transgender women, often a marginalised group. In the Malaysian context there has been a scarcity of published research relating to transgender women, a sensitive issue in a Muslim majority country, where Islam plays an influential role in society. Furthermore, there has been a paucity of research relating to how such issues relate to HIV prevention in transgender women in Malaysia. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the attitudes of stakeholders involved in HIV prevention policy in Malaysia towards transgender women, given the Islamic context. Methods: In-depth interviews were undertaken with stakeholders involved in HIV prevention, Ministry of Health, Religious Leaders and People Living with HIV, including transgender women. Thirty five participants were recruited using purposive sampling from June to December 2013 within Kuala Lumpur and surrounding vicinities. Interviews were in person, audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and used a framework analysis. Results: Five central themes emerged from the qualitative data; Perceptions of Transgender women and their place in Society; Reaching out to Transgender Women; Islamic doctrine; ‘Cure’, ‘Correction’ and finally, Stigma and Discrimination. Discussion: Islamic rulings about transgenderism were often the justification given by participants chastising transgender women, whilst there were also more progressive attitudes and room for debate.
    [Show full text]
  • A Toolkit for Advocates
    A TOOLKIT FOR ADVOCATES SHARING THE MUSAWAH FRAMEWORK AND KEY MESSAGES 1 A TOOLKIT FOR ADVOCATES : SHARING THE MUSAWAH FRAMEWORK AND KEY MESSAGES © Sisters in Islam, 2013 Published in Malaysia by: Musawah an initiative of Sisters in Islam (SIS Forum Malaysia) 4 Jalan 11/8E, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Tel: +603 7960 5121 Fax: +603 7960 8737 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.musawah.org Developed by: Cassandra Balchin with inputs from Musawah Advocates and the Musawah Secretariat. With thanks to the following for pilot testing and feedback: Anna Turley, Hadil el-Khouly, Imrana Jalal, Jana Rumminger, Johaira Wahab, Layali Eshqaidef, Manal Abdel Halim, Meghana Bahar, Rozana Isa, Zainah Anwar Creative Direction: Meghana Bahar Cover Design: Ezrena Hussain Illustrations: Shieko Reto & Rini Templeton (www.riniart.org) Layout: Ezrena Hussain Any part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means to meet local needs, without permission from Musawah, provided that there is no intention of gaining material profits and that all copies, reproductions, adaptation and translation through mechanical, electrical or electronic means acknowledge Musawah and the authors as the sources. A copy of any reproduction, adaptation or translation should be sent to Musawah at the above address. 2 A TOOLKIT FOR ADVOCATES : SHARING THE MUSAWAH FRAMEWORK AND KEY MESSAGES This Musawah Toolkit is dedicated to the memory of Cassandra Balchin, who researched and wrote this training guide. Cass was a founding member of Musawah and its first Communications Coordinator and a member of the Musawah International Advisory Group.
    [Show full text]
  • An Historical Overview of Conferences on Islamic Feminism: Circulations and New Challenges
    Margot Badran* An historical Overview of Conferences on Islamic Feminism: Circulations and New Challenges Conferences bringing people together in face-to-face encounters form an inte- gral part of the history of Islamic feminism and are intimately involved in the shaping and transmitting of Islamic feminist discourse and activist work. At the same time, conferences help consolidate transnational Islamic feminist networks and cement relationships. They also provide valuable records of the work and serve as markers of the trajectory of Islamic feminism1 The conference on “Islamic feminisms: boundaries and politics” that Stephanie Latte Abdullah organized at the Institute de Recherches et d’Études sur le Monde Arabe et Musulman in Aix-en-Provence in December 2009 occurred at a time when Islamic feminism is moving with increased acceleration from a primary focus on * Senior Fellow, The Reza and Georgeanna Khatib Visiting Chair in Comparative Religion at St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn. 1 On global feminist networking in general see Valentine Moghadam, Globalizing Women: Transnational Feminist Networks (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005). REMMM 128, 33-39 34 / Margot Badran theorization to the stage of social movement organizing. It is also a moment: (1) when expanding numbers of women affiliated with Islamist political parties and movements are gravitating toward the egalitarian model of religion that Islamic feminism explicates, and (2) when moves toward egalitarian Islam are discernable inside highly conservative Muslim majority societies such as Saudi Arabia. These trends may be seen as the new sociological layer in the quest for the implementa- tion of an egalitarian model of Islam as we get insights into from papers presented in the conference.
    [Show full text]
  • Musawah Thematic Report on Article 16: Kuwait and Oman
    Musawah Thematic Report on Article 16: Kuwait and Oman 50th CEDAW Session Geneva, Switzerland October 2011 Musawah c/o Sisters in Islam (SIS Forum Malaysia) No. 7, Jalan 6/10, 46000 Petaling Jaya Selangor, Malaysia Tel: +603 7785 6121 Fax: +603 7785 8737 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.musawah.org Musawah Thematic Report on Article 16: Kuwait and Oman 50th CEDAW Session Geneva, Switzerland October 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction 1 II. The CEDAW Committee and Article 16 3 III. Kuwait 4 IV. Oman 7 V. The Musawah Framework for Action 9 VI. Recommendations and Rights-Based Examples 11 VII. Vision 17 Annexe 1: Glossary of Terms 18 I. Introduction This Musawah report takes a critical look at the status of marriage and family relations, as encapsulated in Article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (‘CEDAW’ or ‘CEDAW Convention’), in Kuwait and Oman, two of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states reporting before the 50th Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (‘CEDAW Committee’). Musawah, the global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, seeks to advance human rights for women in Muslim contexts, in both their public and private lives. Musawah’s objectives are: 1. To build and share knowledge that supports equality and justice in the Muslim family using a holistic approach that combines Islamic teachings, international human rights standards, national laws and constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination, and the lived realities of women and men. 2.
    [Show full text]
  • CEDAW and Muslim Family Laws: in Search of Common Ground 
    The Musawah research project on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) examined States parties’ justifications for their failure to implement CEDAW with regard to family laws and practices that discriminate against Muslim women. The research reviewed documents for 44 Muslim majority and minority countries that reported to the CEDAW Committee from 2005-2010. This report documents the trends identified in the review, and presents Musawah’s responses to these justifications based on its holistic Framework for Action. It includes recommendations to the CEDAW Committee for a deeper engagement and more meaningful dialogue on the connections between Muslim family laws and practices and international human rights standards. Musawah is a global movement of women and men who believe that equality and justice in the Muslim family are necessary and possible. In the 21st century there cannot be justice without equality; the time for equality and justice is now! Equality in the family is the foundation for equality in society. Families in all their multiple forms are central to our lives, and should be a safe and happy space, equally empowering for all. Musawah builds on centuries of effort to promote and protect equality and justice in the family and in society. Musawah is led by Muslim women who seek to publicly reclaim Islam’s spirit of justice for all. CEDAW and Musawah acts together with individuals and groups to grow the movement, build knowledge and advocate for change on multiple levels. MUSLIM FAMILY LAWS Musawah uses a holistic framework that integrates Islamic teachings, universal human rights, national constitutional guarantees of equality, and the lived realities In Search of Common Ground of women and men.
    [Show full text]
  • Home Truths: a Global Report on Equality in the Muslim Family
    Musawah (‘Equality’ in Arabic) is a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family. Musawah builds on decades of effort to reform Muslim family laws that discriminate against women and to resist regressive amendments demanded by conservative groups within society. Musawah was initiated by Sisters in Islam (Malaysia) and a planning committee of Muslim activists and academics from eleven countries. Musawah is pluralistic and inclusive, bringing together NGOs, activists, scholars, practitioners, policy makers and grassroots women and men from around the world. Participation is based on proven commitment to promoting rights in Muslim families, whether from religious, secular or other perspectives. Compiled from reports submitted by national level organisations and activists in 30 countries, Home Truths provides background information about the family laws and practices in these countries, including details of why equality in the family is necessary and the opportunities available that make equality in the family possible. Musawah calls for equality, non-discrimination, justice and dignity as the basis of all human relations; full and equal citizenship for every individual; and marriage and family relations based on principles of equality and justice, with men and women sharing equal rights and responsibilities. The time for realising these principles in our laws and in our daily lives is now. Home Truths: A Global Report on Equality in the Muslim Family c/o Sisters in Islam (SIS Forum Malaysia) 7 Jalan 6/10, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MALAYSIA Tel : +603 7785 6121 Fax : +603 7785 8737 Email: [email protected] Web : www.musawah.org Home Truths: A Global Report on Equality in the Muslim Family Home Truths Introduction ...............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Democratic Breakthrough in Malaysia – Political Opportunities and the Role of Bersih, In: Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 37, 3, 109–137
    Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs Special Issue: The 2018 Malaysian General Elections Chan, Tsu Chong (2018), Democratic Breakthrough in Malaysia – Political Opportunities and the Role of Bersih, in: Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 37, 3, 109–137. URN: http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:18-4-11502 ISSN: 1868-4882 (online), ISSN: 1868-1034 (print) The online version of this article can be found at: <www.CurrentSoutheastAsianAffairs.org> Published by GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Institute of Asian Studies and Hamburg University Press. The Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs is an Open Access publication. It may be read, copied and distributed free of charge according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. To subscribe to the print edition: <[email protected]> For an e-mail alert please register at: <www.CurrentSoutheastAsianAffairs.org> The Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs is part of the GIGA Journal Family, which also includes Africa Spectrum, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs and Journal of Politics in Latin America: <www.giga-journal-family.org>. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs 3/2018: 109–137 'HPRFUDWLF%UHDNWKURXJKLQ0DOD\VLD± 3ROLWLFDO2SSRUWXQLWLHVDQGWKH5ROHRI %HUVLK &KDQ7VX&KRQJ Abstract: The 14th general election (GE14) in Malaysia saw a democratic breakthrough as the Barisan Nasional’s uninterrupted rule since independ- ence finally came to an end. This article seeks to analyse the role and im- pact of the Bersih movement in GE14 by examining the political context of GE14 via three key political opportunities: the 1MDB scandal; electoral fraud and manipulation; and the re-delineation of electoral boundaries.
    [Show full text]