International

In November/December 2005, the International Coordinating Committee of the International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD-ICC) held an International Consultation to bring together WHRDs from different countries worldwide. Nearly 200 male and female women’s rights and human rights activists from approximately 70 countries worldwide gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka to attend this historic global gathering on women human rights defenders.

Nous sommes très conscientes du fait que toute victoire de forces conservatrices parmi les communautés musulmanes d’Europe et d’Amérique du Nord renforcera automatiquement les groupes fondamentalistes dans des pays musulmans et communautés musulmanes ailleurs, dans le contexte mondialiste actuel. Cela aura des répercussions contre nous, dans des contextes où nous avons obtenu un certain succès pour préserver l’espace réservé aux voix des femmes et
à des voix alternatives.

This guide is organized in two sections. In Part one we present the history of the WLUML Network, and examine and assess various forms and levels of public participation for upholding and expanding social justice. We discuss different levels of public action and give examples from different countries. Part Two reviews several methods used by social activists around the world, outlines basic principles for preparing and publicizing various forms of solidarity action, and evaluates the limitations and effectiveness of each.

Presently, more than one third of the world’s Muslims are living as minorities in non-Muslim countries, a fact which has posed challenges not only for the host countries but also for the Muslims themselves. Most Muslims perceive Muslim minorities as an integral part of the larger Muslim community, umma. Many insist that Muslims must be governed by Islamic law, often that of the country of origin. Home countries are expected to offer human, political, and financial resources in order for the minorities to live Islamically.