International

Towards a Future without Fundamentalisms

Analyzing Religious Fundamentalist Strategies and Feminist Responses by Cassandra Balchin. This publication is one in a series of products based on collaborative research under AWID's multi-year Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms Initiative.

WLUML Bulletin – numéro 10

En Iran, un an après les élections contestées de 2009, le mouvement des femmes est confronté à une répression croissante de la part des autorités. Nous publions un article de Leila Mouri, qui examine l’impact des restrictions gouvernementales sur le statut des femmes et sur leur activisme, aujourd’hui, en Iran. Toujours, à propos de l’Iran, nous faisons le point sur les événements dans l’affaire de Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, dont la condamnation à mort par lapidation, depuis lors ‘commuée’ en condamnation à mort par pendaison, a suscité, le mois dernier, une attention presque sans précédent dans les médias internationaux.

WLUML Bulletin – numéro 9

Dans ce bulletin, il y a des nouvelles sur le 4ème Institut pour le Leadership féministe du réseau Femmes sous lois musulmanes (WLUML), qui s’est tenu du 9 au 20 novembre 2009, à Dakar, Sénégal. La conférence a permis de renforcer les capacités en leadership, tout en encourageant la solidarité globale et la mise en place de réseaux entre femmes de divers contrées et communautés musulmanes.

Feminists on the Frontline: AWID Case Studies of Resisting Fundamentalisms

This collection of case studies is a testament to the women and men around the world who have stood up to reject the imposition of norms and values in the name of religion as well as to expose and challenge the privileged position given to religion in public policies. In 2008 AWID launched a call for proposals to document the strategies of women's rights activists confronting religious fundamentalisms. The final 18 case studies presented here are drawn from a wide range of religious and geographical contexts, and cover various fields of activism.

WLUML Newsletter 10

In the summer issue of the WLUML newsletter, Fatou Sow asks: “To ban or not to ban the burqa?” – that is a question in the European Union; Belgium and France banned it lately, so the debate continues at a high political level amongst many other member states, provoking contradictory responses across the world. Meanwhile in Iran, a year after the disputed elections of 2009, the women’s movement faces growing suppression from the authorities. We feature an article by Leila Mouri, which examines the impact of the government crackdown on the status of women and their activism in Iran today.

WLUML Bulletin – numéro 8

Dans ce numéro, nous sommes heureuses du lancement du programme « Les femmes revendiquent et redéfinissent les cultures : affirmation des droits sur le corps, le soi et les espaces publics », une entreprise menée conjointement par Femmes vivant sous lois musulmanes et l’Institut IWE, qui rassemblera des femmes du monde musulman pour leur permettre d’examiner et de débattre de la façon dont les systèmes culturels, traditionnels et religieux sont utilisés comme instruments de légitimation de l’oppression qu’elles subissent.

United Kingdom: Take Action in Support of Gita Sahgal

The Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) international solidarity network expresses its solidarity with Gita Sahgal, a longstanding ally of the network who is active in various organisations, collectives, and movements committed to upholding universal human rights. WLUML has learned that she has repeatedly raised internal inquiries into Amnesty International’s association with the organisation Cageprisoners, headed by Moazzam Begg, around the Counter Terror with Justice Campaign. On 7 February 2010, Sahgal was suspended from her position as Head of the Gender Unit at Amnesty International. You can take action by signing the Global Petition in support of Gita Sahgal which now has over 1,800 signatories.

SKSW Publications: Policy Briefing Series I

The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women is pleased to announce the publication of their first Policy Briefing Series on culturally-justified violence against women (CVAW). Launched on March 3rd, 2010 at their panel discussion at the 54th UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Series is a valuable resource for those working on issues of CVAW.

WLUML Newsletter 9

The WLUML Newsletter has a new look! Introducing a more contemporary design and reader-friendly format, the Spring 2010 issue has all the same sections as Newsletter 8: Editorial and Solidarity; Campaigns; Women’s Empowerment and Activism; News from Networkers; Reviews; Events and Announcements. On this issue's cover are the objectives and strategies of the 4th WLUML Feminist Leadership Institute that took place in Dakar, Senegal, from 09-20 November, 2009 and on page 5 we hear from one of its participants, May El Sallab.

IWRAW: Equity or Equality for Women? Understanding CEDAW's Equality Principles

This essay argues that CEDAW’s concept of equality is what is needed to end discrimination against women. It first traces the background of the controversy over the use of the terms equity and equality in international human rights law. Finally, to further demonstrate the importance of CEDAW’s principles of equality, and particularly that of substantive equality, it provides some illustrations of the positive impact these principles have had on domestic gender jurisprudence.