In 1993, concerned over growing communalism and the need to redefine the concept of secularism for a cohesive society, a group of eminent academics, social activists and prominent citizens mobilised and formed the CSSS.
Few developments in the post-Cold
War era have captured public attention, stirred primal fears, stoked the fires
of racism, and stymied critical thinking quite so thoroughly as the rise of
fundamentalism. Although it is a force to be reckoned with in virtually every
area of public endeavour, the rise of fundamentalism presents a very specific,
and somewhat unique, challenge to the emerging field of reproductive health and
rights.
Today, in Algeria, the execution
and murder of women, foreigners and intellectuals by Muslim extremists have
become systematic. Such typically fascist acts have given rise to feelings of
outrage. Logically, therefore, one would expect that the most lucid would rally
around a struggle against such a political vision or, at the very least, in
defense of the memory of the victims.
Over 70,000 women, men, youth and children marched through the streets of Porto Alegre on Thursday for peace and to oppose war and neo-liberal economic policies.
