Dossier 14-15

Your regular Dossiers finally reappear and in a new format. In the meantime, we have devoted our energies to urgent cases requiring urgent actions. We have been producing two Special Dossiers, on “Women in wars and conflict situations - Initiatives in their defence” (one on ex-Yugoslavia and one on Algeria). These publications were linked to broader activities of the WLUML international solidarity network in initiating actions in defence of women in wars and conflict situations; our concern and activities were voiced at a special workshop held during the NGO Forum of the UN Conference on Women in Beijing.

Dossier 14/15 presents articles on Algeria with special reference to women and the state - women who are till today murdered as a preferential target of fundamentalists -, and to intellectuals whose decimation will leave Algeria without their guidance to avoid the traps of nationalism, obsurantism and forced islamization.

Dossier 14/15 also analyzes the legal situation of women in Iran and the proposed amendments in the law in Bangladesh. We have devoted a special publication to the question of fatwas against women in Bangladesh, which is being released now.

The question of blasphemy which has arised in several countries, and very seriously so in Pakistan last year, is here illustrated with a case in Egypt, which our network has closely followed.

Finally we have included a paper on Mauritius, where there is a demand for a separate Personal Law for Muslims.

Readers of the Dossiers who also participate in the WLUML solidarity activities will note that Algeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt and Mauritius which cases are analyzed in this publication are the very countries where Alerts for Action have been launched recently.

In the resource section, we reproduce an Alert for Action in Chad, together with its present outcome.

We have also introduced themes that will be further developped in the coming Dossiers: migrant women (here confronted to cultural relativism in Europe) and the construction of Muslim identity, and, like in ex- Yugoslavia, growing fascisation through nationalism, glorification of motherhood and wars.

Last but not least, a feminist statement from a woman’s court held in Lebanon, to give us hope and inspiration. And most significantly a declaration from the women’s movement in Pakistan.