Independent Women's Forum - Research Areas > International Women's Human Rights

Even After Taliban, Violence Against Women Remains

info@iwf.org (Halima Karzai) — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:18:00 EDT

The brutal treatment of Afghan women at the hands of the Taliban became common knowledge in 2001 when the United States removed the brutal regime from power. The Taliban stood out for aggressively and publicly oppressing and abusing women. Yet oppression and violence against Afghan women existed well before the Taliban era and continues to exist today.

After the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, when many internal factions were fighting amongst each other for power, women bore the brunt of sexual, physical, and psychological abuses. The individuals from those factions are today's warlords and in spite of being among the worst human rights violators - they sit in very high level official seats today. They are making decisions that again affect the lives of the poor Afghan grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and sisters who they do not recognize as human beings.

There has been significant progress for Afghan women on many levels since the fall of the Taliban. Yet today over 80 percent of women throughout the country continue to suffer from domestic violence. And the challenge isn't limited to domestic violence, but also societal and state violence.

While laws are in place to protect women, they hardly function in practice. A woman who attempts to escape domestic violence or who is raped often finds herself and her young children sharing a jail cell with food and clothing for only the mother.

Human trafficking is also a problem in Afghanistan. Women and young children are often sold into prostitution or forced labor. Although they have been forcibly trafficked, survivors are often imprisoned for adultery or lewd conduct. If they are children, they are put into orphanages, only to be victimized more. There are no efforts made towards their rehabilitation or reunification with their families.

Unfortunately, this is all too often not the exception but the continuing norm, and constitutes a failure of the justice system in Afghanistan.

There are several national and international laws in place to protect specific rights of Afghan women, but the biggest barrier to the effective implementation of these laws is cultural and tribal traditions that limit women's understanding of and willingness to make use of those laws.

Involving men is an important step to truly empowering Afghan women. Afghanistan is a patriarchal society that will take decades, if not centuries, to change. For the time, due to oppressive social norms, men are often reluctant to allow their wives to leave the home, let alone to explore the possibility of working. However, there are several progressive programs in various provinces run by local civil society organizations that include both women and men. For example, couples can attend literacy classes together. These types of programs help in couples jointly advancing their family and life, and encourage a greater sense of equality.

These civil institutions are the key to long term change. Societal change, as well as a specific commitment to helping Afghan women obtain access to the information, as well as facilities and resources will be necessary to address the problem of domestic violence and other violence against women and to help cultivate a greater respect for women as individuals.

The Afghan government and international community have laid an excellent foundation for the critical work that needs to be done for the advancement of women's socio-political rights, however, much work remains to be done in the recognition and enforcement of human rights laws.

New at IWF: International Women's Day

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:48:00 EDT

Last week, IWF's Halima Karzai visited DePaul University's International Human Rights Law Institute to celebrate International Women's Day. Her remarks are available here.

If you are interested in bringing an IWF scholarto your campus, please email campus [at] iwf [dot] org.

Celebrate International Women's Day!

info@iwf.org (Halima Karzai) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:02:00 EST

On March 5, 2008, Halima Karzai was invited to a luncheon at DePaul University's International Human Rights Law Institute to celebrate International Women's Day. She addressed an audience of 70 students to celebrate women's global achievements and accomplishments, as well as discussing some of the challenges women in the 21^st century still continue to face.

View the video and pictures from IWF event "Securing Afghanistan: The Role of Women."

Remarks of Halima Karzai

Prepared for Delivery

DePaul University's

International Human Rights Law Institute

March 5, 2008

Good afternoon. I am honored to be here with you today and I thank DePaul University's International Human Rights Law Institute and President Cherif Bassiouni for inviting me to celebrate with you International Women's Day, by reflecting on women's global achievements and contributions and also to examine some of the global challenges women continue to face in the 21^st century . While my work at the Independent Women's Forum is focused on international women's issues, where we believe all issues are women's issues and that human rights ARE women's rights, I will explore issues which I speak of regularly and issues that have been of particular concern to IWF.

Historically women have always been an essential to their families, their societies, and to their nations since the beginning of time. However today, now more than ever, women are being recognized on a local and global level for their achievements. Their contributions are invaluable in both the public and private spheres in ways that were unimaginable just a decade ago. Women are and have been contributing from the sciences to the arts, from politics to business, and as mothers and heads of state. They are their nation's reformers. They stand for justice and for the overall empowerment of women and girls, even at the expense of their own personal security. They are the human rights defenders of their nations.

Through my work, travels, and interactions with people of different cultures, faiths, and ethnicities, I have learned how important it is to always listen to different views.

This includes listening to various news outlets, and not only ones that have breaking news is about Britney Spears' latest mental breakdown.

As humans, we may tend to have a view instilled in our mind which will always exclude thoughts contrary to our belief, so when I speak to you about issues today, it's not with the intention to change your mind, but just to have you simply think outside the box and to think creatively about solutions.

A few months ago, an Afghan women from Kandahar province, the most violent province in Afghanistan, was determined to organize a gathering where women took to the streets to hold a prayer for peace. Women not only participated in the peace prayer in Kandahar, but in 6 other provinces in the country. On March 8^th, on International Women's day, let us remember the women of Afghanistan, who will yet again put their lives at risk to stand for peace not only for themselves, but for the men in their lives. They believe only Afghans can stop the violence against other Afghans. They took as their model two ordinary women in Ireland who, in the 1970s, grew angry because Irish were killing Irish. They hope that because their Irish sisters were able to go door to door and convince women to march for peace, their cries for peace can also be heard. Of course we can see this as a significant achievement for Afghan women.

Iraqi women were absent in key decision making roles for over 30 years. In spite of challenges they continue to face, they remain to be more resilient than ever in working for a society that will treat them with equality. Among many other accomplishments, they are making arduous strives to improve their economy, to achieve peace, and towards gaining AND retaining their basic human rights.

Iranian women will again take to the streets on International Women's Day, to peacefully protest the degrading treatment they have been subject to by the Iranian regime. And as they did last year, they will put themselves at the risk of being arrested and brutally beaten to have their voices heard. The regime, who is prosecuting those campaigning for women's rights claims in no other country are women treated better than in Iran. I'm sure this claim falls in line with the fact that there are no homosexuals in Iran. In spite of the threats and backlash Iranian women are facing, they are still advocating to end discriminatory practices against women in Iran.

Although it may be true that we don't hear as much about women's international achievements as we should, I stand before you today to say, we certainly don't hear about the challenges they are silently and continuously facing.

"In this century where man has reached Mars, Afghan women are still striving to establish ourselves as human beings." These are words from a young human rights activist living in Afghanistan, yearning for the international community to hear her pleas not to abandon the women of Afghanistan.

How often do we hear similar pleas from women of other developing nations? Unless they are for politicized reasons, how often do we read or hear about the unnecessary ordeals and hardships women face? Although I can't go into detail about all these challenges, because they are so egregious I will summarize some of the most daunting atrocities women and girls face in the world today.

Women and children are used as weapons to murder themselves and innocent civilians because they are told this is what's right and a path to freedom without even asking "freedom for whom?". In many cases, for example in Afghanistan, handicapped or mentally incapacitated men, women, and children are used as suicide bombers.

In the developing world, domestic violence harms and kills more people than cancer or car accidents. A recent study reported that violence against women causes more deaths and disabilities among women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents or even war.

Women in developing countries who are involved in peace processes continue to face obstacles and challenges as a result of violence against women, poverty, limited access to education, devastated economies, lack of social structures, and other various forms of discrimination and injustices. Just recently, we were witness to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani Prime Minister, whose calls for democracy and change were violently silenced.

Over 130 million women and girls have had their genitalia mutilated. They are convinced it is part of their culture and religion. Female genital mutilation, also called female circumcision is a practice commonly carried out in African countries and parts of Asia and the Middle East. The highest maternal and infant mortality rates are in areas practicing the procedure. In areas where antibiotics are not available, for example in Sudan, 1/3 of the girls undergoing the practice will die. FGM is continued on the basis that it is a "good tradition", a religious requirement, and a necessary rite of passage to womanhood. We have yet to gain knowledge about what our sisters across the world are facing.

Because of poverty, and in many cases tradition and family pressure, children are being married off to men 30 to 40 years their senior. Children are shifted from one life of misery to another and in some countries, half of all girls are married by the age of 18.

If young girls are even given the opportunity to attend school, they tend to be pulled out to soon enter a life of matrimony. They are deprived of their basic rights to education, and because they are so young and married, they face premature pregnancy and run the risk numerous complications, including death. In many developing countries, pregnancy is the leading cause of death for adolescent girls. And those who are fortunate to survive are still vulnerable to HIV, sexual violence and physical exploitation.

In Nicaragua, 16% of girls are married by age 15, and 50% by 18. In the autonomous North Atlantic region, 67% are married by 18. In the Dominican Republic, 11% are married by 15 and 38% by 18.

Such cultural norms lead to a lack of full economic opportunities for women, because they are seen as an unworthy investment and they are devalued.

A 12 year old child bride in Afghanistan, Lila, poured petrol over herself and set herself on fire five months after being married. Luckily she survived. From her hospital bed she whispered that she wanted to kill herself because her 17-year-old husband had constantly beat her.

Self immolation often stems from forced marriages, abusive husbands or in-laws, poverty, shame, ignorance, and little education. Women and girls who immolate themselves are not aware of their rights and feel the only way out of the torture, abuse and unhappiness is through committing suicide through actions like setting fire to themselves or by digesting poison.

According to Medica Mondiale, an international women's rights group, about 85 percent of women who die as a result of their burns perish because they either are not taken to the hospital, or have not been taken fast enough, out of shame. Those who do survive face social exclusion by their communities.

Can you imagine anything worse happening to a woman after she has been subjected to the torture of having her genitalia removed, becoming a bride who hasn't even hit the age of puberty, and then because she is so mentally and physically underdeveloped, she sets herself on fire only to be a disfigured member of a judgmental and unsupportive society who sees her as nothing but an outcast that has brought shame to her family?

Well many women and girls cannot only imagine, but actually become a victim once again -to something worse- this time to an honor killing. Honor killings take place because people think the woman has brought shame to her family by actions she may or may not have taken.

They are called honor killings, but it is no different from a dowry death or a crime of passion all of which have the same dynamic where the woman is killed by a male relative. This crime is carried out by people of all different cultures and religions.

Sadly, it is females in the family-mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters, and cousins- who commonly support the attacks.

Even when laws are created, like for instance in Turkey where honor killings are outlawed, the crime still continues to be carried out. These cultural traditions are deeply imbedded in societies where it will take time and a lot of grassroots work to transform the mentality that it is okay to murder to preserve your honor.

Respected guests, we may feel that these challenges women are facing are far from home, but we are mistaken. The fact of the matter is we may be witness to these crimes against humanity and not even be aware of it. Today, there are more slaves in the world than during any other time in history. Human trafficking, also known as modern day slavery, affects every region of the world. Today, there are over 27 million slaves globally.

I want to share with you a couple of a stories outlined by a student organization at Georgetown University called Students Stopping the Trafficking of People. These stories highlight the extent to which human trafficking occurs, from forced prostitution to forced labor, and to children overpowered to become soldiers.

Sex Trafficking
"Neary grew up in rural Cambodia. Her parents died when she was a child. In an effort to give her a better life, her sister married her off when she was 17. Three months later, her and her husband went to visit a fishing village. Her husband rented a room in what Neary thought was a guest house. But when she woke the next morning, her husband was gone. The owner of the house told her she had been sold by her husband for $300 and that she was in a brothel. For five years, Neary was raped by five to seven men every day. In addition to brutal physical abuse, Neary was infected with HIV and contracted AIDS. The brothel threw her out when she became sick, and she eventually found her way to a local shelter. She died of HIV/AIDS at the age of 23."

Forced Labor
"Serena arrived from the Philippines to work as a housemaid in Saudi Arabia. Upon her arrival, her employer confiscated her passport and, with his wife, began to beat and verbally abuse her. On one occasion, her female employer pushed her down the stairs; another time, her male employer choked her until she passed out. She was not allowed to leave the house. As her passport had been confiscated, she could not flee. Serena was driven to attempt suicide. Once at the hospital, she was able to escape from her captors. She has sought redress through the Saudi court system and is waiting for justice in a shelter."

Child Soldiers
"Michael was 15 when he was kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to serve as a combatant in the Ugandan insurgent force. During his forced service in the LRA, he was made to kill a boy who had tried to escape. He also watched another boy being hacked to death because he did not alert the guards when his friend successfully escaped"

Although human trafficking is not something we hear of often, victims are trafficked right here - to the United States. I would like to echo a powerful story Laura Leederer from the State Department once shared with Massachusetts legislatures, in an effort to pass a state law to end this form of modern day slavery.

So this is the story of Rosa, who was trafficked from Mexico to the United States. She was 13 and waiting tables in a restaurant in a small village near Vera Cruz, Mexico. She was approached by an acquaintance of her family who told her, "You know you can make ten times more money in the U.S. doing what you're doing here. I know someone who can find you a job in Texas-you can send money home to your family, you can have your own life. If you don't like the job we'll get you a new one. If you're homesick, we'll bring you back across the border. You can't lose."

Rosa was young and hopeful. She asked her parents if she could go but they forbid her. But she wanted a better life than what she had, and so, against her parents and friends' warnings, she accepted the offer. She was told to go to the main hotel in town on Friday evening.

When she got there, a car was waiting, with several other young girls in it from other neighboring villages. They drove into the desert as far as they could toward the U.S. border. There, they met up dozens more young women and girls from other towns in Mexico.

On the ground were backpacks and water bottles. They were told to put the backpacks on their backs, and then they began to walk. They walked four days and four nights - through the desert, across the Rio Grande, and into Brownsville, Texas, where they were picked up by a white van and driven across Texas, across Louisiana, and into rural Florida. They were dropped off in a rural town, in front a series of trailers. They were ordered out and the van drove away.

A big, burly looking man came out and told them, "I've just purchased you. Now you work for me." A little later an older woman took them to one of the trailers. She told Rosa that she was in a brothel and that she would have to buy her freedom by sexually servicing men.

Rosa was young. She was a virgin. She was Catholic. She knew what the woman was telling her was bad-a sin. She began to cry and begged to be taken to a restaurant to work. But she was told, "There are no restaurant jobs-only this." When she refused to do what they said, the burly man brought out three other men who took her into one of the trailers and gang-raped her to induct her into the "business." Then they locked her in the trailer without food and water until she succumbed.

For the next six months she was a prisoner. She was forced to service 10 or more men a day. On the weekends it was as many as 20-30 men. The men bought a ticket, which was a condom, for $20. But they often didn't use it.

Twice Rosa was impregnated and twice forced to have an abortion. And twice forced back into the brothel the next day. She was beaten if she refused a customer's demands. She was guarded twenty-four hours a day, even when she went to the bathroom. She was passed around at private parties that the trafficking ring held in the evenings and on weekends.

Once she and several others tried to escape. They were caught and pistol-whipped around the head and face in front of the other girls-to deter them all from trying that. Shortly after the second abortion and this beating, Rosa became sick and felt crazy. In order to keep her functioning in the brothel, the traffickers gave her drugs and alcohol to numb her pain.

She was only "rescued" when one of the young women jumped out of a second story window at one of the private parties and ran to a neighbor's house. The neighbor called the local police. The police called the INS and FBI, and a sting operation was set up. Over 40 young women and girls were rescued and 14 traffickers were arrested.

A medical doctor examined Rosa. She had several STDs; she had broken bones that hadn't healed properly from the beatings; she had pelvic inflammatory disease and scar tissue from the forced abortions. She was addicted to drugs and alcohol, was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, including nightmares, flashbacks, depression, and suicidal tendencies. In short, she was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually broken.

To make matters worse, when Rosa was discovered, the U.S. didn't have a trafficking law. Instead of really rescuing Rosa, the police arrested her and the other young women and children, and locked them up in jail along with the traffickers. We simply didn't have a victim-centered approach to trafficking and did not know how to handle the case.

Later Rosa and the other victims were taken from jail to a battered wives shelter. There they were told not to talk about what had really happened to them, but to pretend they were victims of spousal abuse because that was the shelter's mandate. To make matters worse, Rosa wanted to see a priest, but was instead taken to a psychiatrist because that was the medical model this shelter had for addressing violence against women.

80% of those victims are women and girls who are mostly forced into a sex trade. I can go on and give you hundreds of more stories similar to that of Rosa, Neary, Serena, and Michael. There are stories of everyday all American teenagers who fall victim to trafficking by solicitors in the mall who claim they want to recruit the girls for modeling.

According to a report published by the C.I.A., 45,000-50,000 women and children are brought to the United States as slaves every year and the majority of these victims come from Latin American and Southeast Asia. Keep in mind that these are numbers for those who are accounted for. It's still undetermined how many are trafficked WITHIN national borders annually.

Child predators from the U.S. and around the world can travel to Cambodia and easily have arranged for them a night or even a few days with girls as young as 4 and 5.

So what can we do? If we don't have the means to be on the grounds to help I believe the very least we can do is help in raising awareness about these issues. Write about them, speak about them, and involve your communities so that they can care about them. Everyone would love to live in a world where they don't want to think about the horrible things that go on but what makes us better than those who commit the crimes? If we've got the means to think, learn, listen, teach, and take action, we are just as responsible and should feel compassion to at MINIMUM raise awareness about the challenges women continue to face and to look for solutions.

But women shouldn't be the only ones who feel obligated to help their sisters in desperation. The role of men is also very critical as it is men in most of these cases who subject women to the atrocities they face. They often are just as oblivious on the rights of women as women themselves are.

Some of us may take literacy for granted in a world where 800 million illiterate adults exist. Two thirds of them are women because girls are not seen as worthy to have an education, or have no other way of life other than doing domestic chores. And although women produce half of the world's food, they happen to be 70% of the world's poorest people.

In some of these trials women are facing - it's because they are told this is what their religion mandates. But here is where we must think outside of the box. Is it really what their religion says or are these cruel actions being justified by uncivil as well as civil society, particularly the media, as being a religious practice?

The journey towards obtaining equal rights and equal opportunity has never been an easy one, neither for men or women. But because these challenges continue to exist for the majority of women around the world, we must educate ourselves, raise awareness, and take concrete action to change lives for the better.

We must be aware that women and girls are not suffering from a religion of violence, but a CULTURE of violence.

Even then, what can victims do with laws they don't even know exist, or are not enforced?

Many of you will become attorneys, business executives, politicians, leaders of a non-profit organizations, and members of the media. In an ideal world where rule of law has the potential to positively ensure the human rights of its citizenry, including half of its population - women, you must ensure that these laws not only exist on paper, but they are put into practice. What will your role be to hold those who are accountable for human rights violations and how can you make a difference to the women and girls most in need?

We must not only create solutions to empower women, but we must hold human rights violators accountable, whether they be the village elder who performs a female circumcision, a husband who orders the death of his wife for wanting a divorce, the woman who is selling sex slaves in her home, or the parliamentarian who creates amnesty for war criminals.

How can we expect victims to stand for their rights when their perpetrators roam freely and with impunity?

Enforcing human rights law and putting them into practice is an enormous challenge. However, on a day when there is much information and so many resources at our fingertips, and people like yourselves to fight for such causes, there is no excuse for allowing human rights violations against women and girls to continue as they have on this level. Please remember how hard women themselves all over the world have fought and even died for their rights. Please join them in celebrating their victories.

I hope my being here with you today was successful in helping you to think outside of the box and that you are able to understand how to change rhetoric into action. Thank you.

Video of IWF's Securing Afghanistan Event

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:29:00 EST

In late January, IWF hosted a delegation of senior women leaders from Afghanistan. The forum: "Securing Afghanistan: The Role of Women," addressed what Afghan women can do to promote peace and security in their country.

A video of the event is available here.

IWF Event: Securing Afghanistan

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:01:00 EST

The Independent Women's Forum hosted a delegation of senior women leaders from Afghanistan on Thursday, January 24th at the National Press Club in Washington, DC from 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. The forum: "Securing Afghanistan: The Role of Women," addressed what Afghan women can do to promote peace and security and to nurture civil society amid increasing instability and a renewed insurgency. IWF is honored to give these courageous women who know first hand what challenges women in Afghanistan face, an opportunity to address a Washington audience.

IWF Podcast: Women and Security in Afghanistan

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) info@iwf.org (Anne Trenolone) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:21:00 EST

Allison Kasic and Anne Trenolone discuss the status of women's rights and security in Afghanistan.

Women and Security in Afghanistan

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:37:00 EST

In the latest IWF policy brief, Anne Trenolone addresses issues related to women and security in Afghanistan. Anne makes the case that:

Outside nations can debate troop levels and tactics, but the long-term solution is to train a sustainable domestic force among Afghans themselves.
Women's human rights contribute not only to civil society but to international security as well.
Afghanistan's security issues must be faced but policies must also be framed that keep long-term institution building in mind if the Afghan state is to be truly strengthened.
If progress is to be made and stability, security, and development achieved, Afghanistan must not be relegated to the back burner of international and development policy.

Read the whole report here.

Afghanistan is Still VERY Important

info@iwf.org (Anne Trenolone) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:47:00 EST

Tying-in to the IWF event today here in Washington Securing Afghanistan: The Role of Women, I wanted to highlight an article from the Globe and Mail in Canada, "Being in Afghanistan is Dangerous, not being in Afghanistan is even more Dangerous". It's an Op-ed so it is by no means unbiased, but it illustrates the need for nations such as Canada and the United States and Britain and Norway to not give up on efforts in Afghanistan.

It also illustrates the need for high profile leaders such as the UN Secretary General to call attention to the continuing plights of Afghanistan. It is important to stay engaged in order to help ensure that the same factors that following Soviet withdrawal lead to the creation of the Taliban regime and what became a prime breeding ground for terrorists in central Asia are not repeated. In addition to the event, for those of you not in DC, two new policy briefs on Afghanistan are forthcoming this week.

In shah Allah (God willing), Women Will Drive in Saudi Arabia; Even Little Sisters

info@iwf.org (Anne Trenolone) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:19:00 EST

There may be women out there in my home the United States who I might not enjoy sharing the road with, but I respect their right to be behind the wheel. There are hopeful signs this view may be gaining some traction in Saudi Arabia.

According to this piece by Damien McElroy of The Telegraph across the pond in London, "Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers, " that change may be on the way in the coming year:

Saudi Arabia is to lift its ban on women drivers in an attempt to stem a rising suffragette-style movement in the deeply conservative state.
Government officials have confirmed the landmark decision and plan to issue a decree by the end of the year.

My favorite quote in the piece is this one by Abdulaziz bin Salamah, the Saudi deputy information minister:

"In terms of women driving, we don't have it now because of the reticence of some segments of society," he said. "For example, my mother wouldn't want my sister to drive.
"It's something she cannot grapple with. But there is change on the way. I think the fair view is that one can be against it but one does not have the right to prevent it."

I know of a few mothers, fathers and brothers who just might agree with bin Salamah, right here in the good-ole USA. Personally, there may be a few fingernail marks on the passenger-side armrest of my own vehicle left there by my mother. That being said, she is the one who taught me drive at 15 and I've been driving ever since.

Wait for it: I would hope the indignation and outrage from all sides is right around the corner

info@iwf.org (Anne Trenolone) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:40:00 EST

Charlotte commented on the editorial out in the London Telegraph which was probably drafted before the people of Khartoum took to the streets today calling for the execution of Gibbons, ie the Teddy Bear Teacher. The entire situation has become downright dumbfounding. It also illustrates the malleability of uneducated crowds to the suggestions of hard-line religious leaders which is unfortunate for those Muslims who are working to bring the true teachings of the Quran to light and practice within Islam.

God help us if word gets around Sudan that the Teddy Bear is named after US President Theodore Roosevelt. In the current environment it seems anything is fair game.

But there is more than one story out in the media these days involving what could be termed unjust punishment that is in no way in accordance with the alleged "crimes" that have been committed. The two cases both involve women and actions that would in most cases not even be punishable offences on about half the planet.

The two cases vary greatly in that one involves a violent crime and one could easily be cited as a cultural misunderstanding. However, both cases do involve strict interpretations of Islamic teachings and the enforcement of these interpretations under sovereign law. While these interpretations are not embraced by all Muslim communities or cultures, they are still very much on the books in countries like Saudi Arabia and Sudan, illustrated this week by ongoing coverage in the media of a gang-rape victim and a teddy bear wielding school teacher. The punishment in both cases is unacceptable for a man and it is unacceptable for a woman, especially women without malice of intent.

The first case involves a Saudi woman who was raped in 2006. The unidentified woman's plight has drawn international criticism after an appeal increased her 90-lash sentence to 200 lashes and six months' jail.

The men found guilty of the attack were sentenced to two to nine years in prison. The woman, the victim, was convicted of violating Saudi law by not having a male guardian with her at the mall. The Associated Press explains the situation this way:

Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men other than their male relatives. Also, women in Saudi Arabia are often sentenced to flogging and even death for adultery and other crimes.

The women's husband also a Saudi has been quoted as saying:

"From the outset, my wife was dealt with as a guilty person who committed a crime," said her 24-year-old husband. "She was not given any chance to prove her innocence or describe how she was a victim of multiple brutal rapes."

The Saudi government has sought to distance itself from this case as a product of a judge, the judicial and courts system and not of the ruling government per se. Word now is that the case is going to be reviewed. Let's hope the review goes better than the appeal.

Second out of Sudan and here via Reuters is the Teddy Bear incident:

Gibbons, of the private Unity High School in Khartoum, was arrested Sunday after one of her pupils' parents complained [news reports filed after this one have since revealed that the school's office assistant, Sara Khawad, not a parent, had complained to the education authorities—leading to the teacher's arrest], accusing her of naming the bear after Islam's chief prophet. "Muhammad" is a common name among Muslim men, but connecting the Prophet's name to an animal could be seen as insulting by many Muslims.

If found guilty of inciting hatred and insulting religion Gibbons could face up to 40 lashes and six months in prison.

But here again as in the Saudi husband's defense of his wife; even people in Sudan intimately involved with the incident, see the prosecution of the offense as excessive. As first quoted by Reuters and here from the London Evening Standard a quote from the mother of one of Gibbons' students:

"I'm annoyed ... that this has escalated in this way," his mother said. "If it happened as Mohammad said there is no problem here - it was not intended."

And from The Christian Science Monitor:

"I didn't complain and neither did any of the other parents," said one Sudanese mother whose 7-year-old son had hosted the bear for a weekend. "Anyway, she didn't name the bear - it was the class. Really, we think she is a good teacher."

But the other side says this, according to news reports leaflets distributed in Khartoum read:

"What has been done by this infidel lady is considered a matter of contempt and an insult to Muslims' feelings and also the pollution of children's mentality as an attempt to wipe their identity."

Both cases are being watched closely. The teacher has been sentenced to 15 days in jail and deportation. My opinion is that deporting those who are working toward positive change in Sudan is hardly the right direction for that country.

Many have likened this case to the Muhammad cartoon controversy that erupted international discord. But I was reminded of the case of Micheal Fay. These women's punishments make Michael Fay's four cane lashes after being convicted of vandalism in Singapore in 1994 look like some exotic spa treatment (a link for those who may not remember the Fay-Singapore incident).

In regards to that case:

The official position of the United States government was that while it recognized Singapore's right to try and punish Fay with due process of law, it deemed the punishment of caning to be excessive for a teenager committing a non-violent crime.

Here is what the US has had to say about the two above cases.

Even with the Annapolis conference on the horizon on Monday, White House spokesman Dana Perino condemned the Saudi court action:

I don't think it matters if you're a female or a male. I think that the situation is very discouraging and outrageous. There is an appeals process and we hope that the verdict changes. It is certainly not consistent with the judicial reforms that the Saudis have said that they would undertake.

While the blogosphere and the cable news channels have latched on to both stories, and Ms. Perino commented from the White House, the US State Department has noted the events but not taken any solid stance on either. On the Saudi Case:

We have expressed our astonishment at such a sentence. I think that when you look at the crime and the fact that now the victim is punished, I think that causes a fair degree of surprise and astonishment. But it is within the power of the Saudi Government to take a look at the verdict and change it.

And this as a follow-on, both from State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack:

This is a part of a judicial procedure overseas in the court of a sovereign country. That said, most would find this relatively astonishing that something like this happens.

Regarding the Teddy Bear Incident McCormack had this to say:

We are following the situation of the British teacher closely and with concern.

But official positions of the State Department are not limited to only what Sean McCormack has to say in the daily briefings. Note this excerpt from the State Department's latest country reports on human rights practices:

Saudi Arabia 2006
The following significant human rights problems were reported: no right to peacefully change the government; infliction of severe pain by judicially sanctioned corporal punishments; beatings and other abuses; inadequate prison and detention center conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, sometimes incommunicado; denial of fair public trials; exemption from the rule of law for some individuals and lack of judicial independence; arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, and correspondence; and significant restriction of civil liberties—freedoms of speech and press, including the Internet; assembly; association; and movement.

Under Sudan, following references to the genocide in Darfur, accompanied by the heading "Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment" is this:

Sudan 2006
In accordance with Shari'a (Islamic law), the Criminal Act provides for physical punishments, including flogging, amputation, stoning, and "crucifixion"—the public display of a body after execution. Under the interim constitution, the government officially exempts the 10 southern states from Shari'a law, though some judges in the south reportedly still observed it. Northern courts routinely imposed flogging, especially for production of alcohol.

These reports are required by statute and use internationally recognized human rights as a baseline.

It is well known what is going on in regards to these issues. These two cases have only brought these issues more closely in focus for America and the world. It is unfortunate that those who would seek to live through Islam as a religion of peace are continually hamstrung by unreasonable and irrational responses that only make the divide amongst cultures and peoples broader, deeper and more vehemently held. It would be my hope that a response from those who do seek to live as Muslims in peace join the chorus of outrage and condemn these actions.

IWF Policy Brief #9: Ensuring Women's Rights in Iraq

info@iwf.org (Anne Trenolone) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:23:00 EST

Download the complete Policy Brief below.

Executive Summary

It is essential that Iraqi women continue to play a vital role in their emerging democracy. Through their active participation in their government and civil society they must work to maintain their human rights to be governed by civil-not religious-courts and statutes in matters of family law such as divorce, inheritance, and child custody.

Iraq is nothing without the full integration and participation of half of its society, its women. Women doctors and pharmacists, teachers and scholars, housekeepers, and seamstresses; have struggled through the wars and strife of the past 40 years and have worked to raise children and support families through numerous hardships. Denying them their rightful place in a democratic Iraq would be a catastrophe.

In February of 2004 women successfully secured a retraction of the Iraqi Governing Council's Resolution 137-the resolution would have transferred civil actions in regards to family and personal law including marriage, divorce and inheritance matters, to the jurisdiction of clerics and Shari'ah or Islamic law. However, Iraqi women continue to battle against repeated efforts to dismantle the legal tenets which established civil precedence in Iraqi family law in 1959. The most recent attack on women's rights in these matters is enshrined in Article 41 of the Iraqi constitution. Article 41 is in essence a repackaging of Resolution 137. Many see Article 41 and its call for family law to be governed by various interpretations of Shari'ah determined by sect or tribe as a direct contradiction of Article 14 of the same document which states that "all Iraqis are equal before the law." Analysts claim these differing interpretations could in some communities lead to the legal marriage of girls as young as nine.

Yes, There are Still Women in Afghanistan and Iraq: And They Still Need Our Support

info@iwf.org (Anne Trenolone) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:37:00 EDT

On the international side of things here at IWF we have for quite some time been working on issues related to the rights of women in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Last night on the Fox News Channel, on Hannity & Colmes to be exact, these women and their rights crept slowly and quietly into the 2008 presidential campaign dialog.

During a joint interview with Fred Thompson and Jeri Thompson, she offered these words:

"The one thing that I might express if I have the opportunity and since you are allowing me to do that, is that it does seem surprising to me that there isn't more coverage of women's rights in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Iran."

I would agree it is a topic that has faded into the background a bit. Social and political barriers facing women in Iraq remain today and in many ways are exacerbated by the ongoing conflict surrounding them. Traditional ideas about the role of women in society predominate. An ongoing struggle remains as religious extremists attempt to curtail women's roles and rights in society.

And in Afghanistan even with the legal barriers removed requiring women to wear the Burqa and with young girls attending school, challenges remain. The Taliban and its supporters have focused on the destruction of schools in an effort to deter attendance and push girls back into their homes. Some girls' schools in more dangerous provinces have even gone back underground. But what I would add is that women in Afghanistan are far from being victims. They are a vibrant, reticent group. And while they may still navigate their society with an abundance of caution under the cover of their blue burqas, they are out on the streets, they are working, they are making money and they are striving to improve their lives and the lives of their families. Is this strive to improve their lives the picture of progress we may have envisioned as westerners (particularly western women), where women throw off their burqas, embrace jeans and t-shirts on the streets and defy anyone to get in their way, no...but it is a start. As I have said on this blog before, change will come slowly.

Click here to reach the video link to the second portion of a three part interview posted on foxnews.com and hear these comments first hand or click here for the transcript.

*As a note, I inserted the text marked (inaudible) on the transcript because essentailly, it's easier to transcribe a few sentences than an entire interview :)

Al Kresta in the Afternoon: The Role of Women in Islam

info@iwf.org (Halima Karzai) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:04:00 EDT

IWF Associate Director of Foreign Policy and International Women's Issues Halima Karzai will join Al Kresta today as a guest on the Ave Maria Radio program Al Kresta in the Afternoon.

Halima will help to provide an overview of the role of women in Islam.

Infuriating, yes, but how do we promote change?

info@iwf.org (Anne Trenolone) — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:39:00 EDT

Terrorism, I must say, is an unfortunate word choice for the dilemma the Organization of Islamic States is seeking to address. However, I would ask that folks take a deep breath and move beyond the initial "what the heck?" this statement induces from even me and think as calmly as possible about the real issue the OIC is seeking to address.

We in "the west" worry very much about what the Islamic world thinks of us as a society, why shouldn't the Islamic world in much the same way worry about how we perceive them? Is terrorism the right word to describe what would be better termed anti-Muslim sentiment? NO.

But consider the general idea behind this discussion and be happy that some institutions within the Islamic and Arab world are looking to the tools of discussion and rhetorical persuasion to solve problems in their own backyard and are denouncing violence.

A bit of research into the pronouncement of the OIC conference also reveals this:

[OIC Secretary General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu] also emphasized the OIC's reconciliatory initiatives to bring together political officials and religious leaders of Iraq to agree on the Makkah Document. [Also known as the Mecca Document: an agreement which aims to end sectarian violence in Iraq and calls on all adherents of deviant Islamic ideas to reject their current path and embrace the true Islam.] On the issue of Palestine, he stated that the OIC has been an active party in bringing about reconciliation among sparring Palestinian factions through multiple visits to Palestine and numerous contacts with the Palestinian leaders... Furthermore, he outlined the initiatives of the OIC to find a way out of the issues of Somalia, Afghanistan, Kashmir, southern Philippines, southern Thailand and Cyprus.

This post is not to endorse all actions of the OIC, because the reform many of these leaders speak of in the Arab world and the Organization of Islamic States is still in many cases tied to the use of Sharia (Islamic law) in civil instances such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. Especially for women this kind of "reform" may not be that much of a step forward.

But neither Rome nor Mecca was built in a day. Progress has to start somewhere and dialogue, while in some ways stilted, is still dialogue. It's a start.

Funny thing is as I read this follow-up article on the killing of Du'a Khalil Aswad later in the day; I realized that it is at times a very small start.

Shaika Haya on women and human rights in Middle East

info@iwf.org (Halima Karzai) — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:21:00 EDT

Having more women from the Middle East, such as Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan and Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa from Bahrain speak on women's rights in the Middle East sets an excellent example for Muslim women in the region and abroad and is encouraging for women to be active members of their society.

Shaikha Haya, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, a lawyer and rights advocate, spoke on Wednesday evening at a panel discussion on Women and Human Rights in the Middle East at Rutgers University.

"The concept of human rights is based on the notion that all human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms. Yet, in the Middle East women face multi-layered and multi-dimensional discrimination that is embedded in our culture, government policies, educational systems and the legal framework."

"She said the situation stems in part from the interpretation of Islamic text. 'Women are subject to family laws that are Sharia based which strictly follow the interpretations of Islamic scholars that lived 1000 years ago at the beginning of Islam. These interpretations are applied now without making any allowances to the very different social contexts of today,' she said. The structure has also 'created a mentality that fears the autonomy of women, viewing it as a threat to the centrality of the traditional family, a threat to marital relationships and a catalyst to sexual freedom,' added the President. 'These attitudes which were based on traditions are now associated with religion, making it harder to criticize or change them.'"

"Politically, women remain under-represented in parliaments and at higher government positions."

"Despite these circumstances, women have been active in influencing policy making and public opinion through other means, including the media, in petitions to Members of Parliament and government officials, and through their memberships in unions, political parties and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 'Today, the Middle East is witnessing a proliferation of NGOs, many of which are active in women empowerment issues.'"

Afghanistan's prevalent yet forgotten population

info@iwf.org (Halima Karzai) — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:42:00 EDT

Sadly, in addition to being known as the world�s leading opium producer, Afghanistan is also known as the world's capital of widows.

"There are two million war widows in Afghanistan, and their plight is easy to forget in Hamid Karzai's capital, where Western-style shopping malls, bars and French restaurants are opening up for wealthy foreign aid workers and Afghan expatriates."

"Kabul, it is said, is the widows' capital of the world. As many as 50,000 women ... live in the city, and many make their home in the abandoned buildings that dot the suburbs, often living in horrific conditions. In a nation with a fractured infrastructure and, at £125 a year, one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the world, many widows are left without relatives able to take them in or offer even modest financial support."

Comfort for ex-pats and foreigners is dandy, but when assistance is readily available by the Afghan government for those who struggle day-to-day, success can only then begin to be measured.

The Subjection of Islamic Women

info@iwf.org (Christina Hoff Sommers) — Tue, 15 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

The Weekly Standard

The subjection of women in Muslim societies--especially in Arab nations and in Iran--is today very much in the public eye. Accounts of lashings, stonings, and honor killings are regularly in the news, and searing memoirs by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Azar Nafisi have become major best-sellers. One might expect that by now American feminist groups would be organizing protests against such glaring injustices, joining forces with the valiant Muslim women who are working to change their societies. This is not happening.

If you go to the websites of major women's groups, such as the National Organization for Women, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the National Council for Research on Women, or to women's centers at our major colleges and universities, you'll find them caught up with entirely other issues, seldom mentioning women in Islam. During the 1980s, there were massive demonstrations on American campuses against racial apartheid in South Africa. There is no remotely comparable movement on today's campuses against the gender apartheid prevalent in large parts of the world.

It is not that American feminists are indifferent to the predicament of Muslim women. Nor do they completely ignore it. For a brief period before September 11, 2001, many women's groups protested the brutalities of the Taliban. But they have never organized a full-scale mobilization against gender oppression in the Muslim world. The condition of Muslim women may be the most pressing women's issue of our age, but for many contemporary American feminists it is not a high priority. Why not?

The reasons are rooted in the worldview of the women who shape the concerns and activities of contemporary American feminism. That worldview is--by tendency and sometimes emphatically--antagonistic toward the United States, agnostic about marriage and family, hostile to traditional religion, and wary of femininity. The contrast with Islamic feminism could hardly be greater.

Writing in the New Republic in 1999, philosopher Martha Nussbaum noted with disapproval that "feminist theory pays relatively little attention to the struggles of women outside the United States." Too many fashionable gender theorists, she said, have lost their dedication to the public good. Their "hip quietism . . . collaborates with evil."

This was a frontal assault, and prominent academic feminists chastised Nussbaum in the letters column. Joan Scott of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton pointed out the dangers of Nussbaum's "good versus evil scheme." Wrote Scott, "When Robespierre or the Ayatollahs or Ken Starr seek to impose their vision of the 'good' on the rest of society, reigns of terror follow and democratic politics are undermined." Gayatri Spivak, a professor of comparative literature at Columbia, accused Nussbaum of "flag waving" and of being on a "civilizing mission." None of the letter writers addressed her core complaint: Too few feminist theorists are showing concern for the millions of women trapped in blatantly misogynist cultures outside the United States.

One reason is that many feminists are tied up in knots by multiculturalism and find it very hard to pass judgment on non-Western cultures. They are far more comfortable finding fault with American society for minor inequities (the exclusion of women from the Augusta National Golf Club, the "underrepresentation" of women on faculties of engineering) than criticizing heinous practices beyond our shores. The occasional feminist scholar who takes the women's movement to task for neglecting the plight of foreigners is ignored or ruled out of order.

Take psychology professor Phyllis Chesler. She has been a tireless and eloquent champion of the rights of women for more than four decades. Unlike her tongue-tied colleagues in the academy, she does not hesitate to speak out against Muslim mistreatment of women. In a recent book, The Death of Feminism, she attributes the feminist establishment's unwillingness to take on Islamic sexism to its support of "an isolationist and America-blaming position." She faults it for "embracing an anti-Americanism that is toxic, heartless, mindless and suicidal." The sisterhood has rewarded her with excommunication. A 2006 profile in the Village Voice reports that, among academic feminists, "Chesler arouses the vitriol reserved for traitors."

But Chesler is right. In the literature of women's studies, the United States is routinely portrayed as if it were just as oppressive as any country in the developing world. Here is a typical example of what one finds in popular women's studies textbooks (from Women: A Feminist Perspective, now in its fifth edition):

The word "terrorism" invokes images of furtive organizations. . . . But there is a different kind of terrorism, one that so pervades our culture that we have learned to live with it as though it were the natural order of things. Its target is females--of all ages, races, and classes. It is the common characteristic of rape, wife battery, incest, pornography, harassment. . . . I call it "sexual terrorism."
The primary focus is on the "terror" at home. Katha Pollitt, a columnist at the Nation, talks of "the common thread of misogyny" connecting Christian Evangelicals to the Taliban:

It is important to remember just how barbarous and cruel the Taliban were. Yet it is also important not to use their example to obscure or deny the common thread of misogyny that connects them with Focus on the Family and the Christian Coalition. . . .
In a similar vein, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich characterizes Christian evangelical movements as "Christian Wahhabism," using the name of the sect that is the state religion of Saudi Arabia and the inspiration for Osama bin Laden. Eve Ensler, lionized author of The Vagina Monologues, makes the same point somewhat differently in her popular lecture "Afghanistan is Everywhere":

We all have different forms of enforced burqas. Every culture has it. Whether it's an idea or a fascist tyranny of what women are supposed to look like--so that women go to the extremes of liposuction, anorexia and bulimia to achieve it--or whether it's being covered in a burqa, we all have deep, profound, ongoing daily forms of oppression.

On most American campuses there are small coteries of self-described "vagina warriors" looking for ways to expose and make much of the ravages of patriarchy. Feminists like Pollitt, Ehrenreich, and Ensler can cite several decades of women's studies research supporting the charge that our culture is ruinous for women. Many scholars--including Camille Paglia, Daphne Patai, Noretta Koertge, Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Christine Rosen, and myself--have questioned the quality of the findings and warned that the studies are twisted and unreliable. But academic feminists rarely engage with such criticism. They dismiss it as "backlash."

Soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Katha Pollitt wrote the introduction to a book called Nothing Sacred: Women Respond to Religious Fundamentalism and Terror. It aimed to show that reactionary religious movements everywhere are targeting women. Says Pollitt:

In Bangladesh, Muslim fanatics throw acid in the faces of unveiled women; in Nigeria, newly established shariah courts condemn women to death by stoning for having sex outside of wedlock. . . . In the United States, Protestant evangelicals and fundamentalists have forged a powerful right-wing political movement focused on banning abortion, stigmatizing homosexuality and limiting young people's access to accurate information about sex.

Pollitt casually places "limiting young people's access to accurate information about sex" and opposing abortion on the same plane as throwing acid in women's faces and stoning them to death. Her hostility to the United States renders her incapable of distinguishing between private American groups that stigmatize gays and foreign governments that hang them. She has embraced a feminist philosophy that collapses moral categories in ways that defy logic, common sense, and basic decency.

Eve Ensler takes this line of reasoning to equally ludicrous lengths. In 2003 she gave a lecture at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University in which, like Pollitt, she claimed that women everywhere are oppressed and subordinate:

I think that the oppression of women is universal. I think we are bonded in every single place of the world. I think the conditions are exactly the same [her emphasis]. I think the nature of the oppression--whether it's acid burning in one country, or female genital mutilation in another, or gang rapes in the parking lots in high schools of the suburbs--it's the same idea. . . . The systematic global oppression of women is completely across the globe.

Though Ensler's perspective is warped, her courage and desire to help are commendable. She went to Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban and smuggled out now-famous footage of a terrified woman in a burqa being executed at close range by a man with an AK-47. Ensler has firsthand knowledge of the unique horrors of Islamic gender fascism. But her "feminist theory" obliterates distinctions between what goes on in Afghanistan and what goes on in Beverly Hills:

I went from Beverly Hills where women were getting vaginal laser rejuvenation surgery--paying four thousand dollars to get their labias trimmed to make them symmetrical because they didn't like the imbalance. And I flew to Kenya where [women were working to stop] the practice of female genital mutilation. And I said to myself, "What is wrong with this picture?"

A better question is: What is wrong with Eve Ensler? These two surgical phenomena are completely different in both scale and purpose. The number of American women who undergo "vaginal labial rejuvenation" is minuscule: There were 793 such procedures in 2005, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. By contrast, a World Health Organization 2000 fact sheet reports: "Today, the number of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation is estimated at between 100 and 140 million. It is estimated that each year, a further 2 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM."

The women who elect laser surgery, moreover, are voluntarily seeking relief from physical irregularities that cause them embarrassment or inhibit their sexual enjoyment. The practitioners of genital mutilation, in countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia, believe that removing sensitive parts of the anatomy is the best way to control young women's sexual urges and assure chastity. Genital cutting causes great pain and suffering and often permanently impairs a female's capacity for sexual pleasure. Thus, the intentions of the handful of American adults who choose labial surgery for themselves are exactly the opposite of those of the African parents and elders who insist on cutting the genitals of millions of girls.

Given her capacity for conceptual confusion, it is perhaps not surprising that Ensler cites "gang rape in a suburban high school parking lot" to show how women in America are menaced. Yes, that is an atrocity. But it happens rarely, and America's allegedly "misogynist" culture reacts to it with revulsion and severe punishments.

Happily, not all women's groups follow the lead of the Enslers, the Pollitts, and the women's studies theorists. The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) has been intelligently fighting the mistreatment of women in the Muslim world for several years. In 1997, in a heroic effort to expose the crimes of the Taliban, Eleanor Smeal, the president of FMF, with the help of Mavis and Jay Leno, created a vital national campaign complete with rallies, petitions, and fundraisers. It was a good example of what can be achieved when a women's group seriously seeks to address the mistreatment of women outside the United States. The FMF, working with human rights groups, helped to persuade the United States and the United Nations to deny formal recognition to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. It helped convince the oil company UNOCAL not to build a pipeline across Afghanistan, and it brought the oppression of women living under radical Islamic law into clear relief for all the world to see.

But Smeal and her organization soon found themselves attacked by the same monitors of rectitude who disparaged Martha Nussbaum. Ann Russo, director of women's and gender studies at Chicago's DePaul University (writing in the International Feminist Journal of Politics), accused the FMF of practicing a kind of "imperial feminism." Said Russo:

The FMF's campaign narrative is one of colonialist protection rather than of solidarity. . . . [It] capitalizes on the images of prominent white Western women, like Mavis Leno, Eleanor Smeal and other women politicians and celebrity figures, who construct themselves as "free" and "liberated" and thus in the best position to "save" Afghan women.

Today, the Feminist Majority Foundation continues to support Muslim women around the world, but the effort has lost much of its momentum. Most of the foundation's current work is directed against what it perceives as injustices suffered by women in America.

On February 20, 2007, a Pakistani women's rights activist and provincial minister for social welfare, Zilla Huma Usman, was shot to death by a Muslim fanatic for not wearing a veil. And he had a second reason for killing her: She had encouraged girls in her community to take part in outdoor sports. The plight of women like Usman does not figure in NOW's "Six Priority Items," although Global Feminism is one of the 19 subjects it designates as "Other Important Issues." NOW hardly mentions Muslim women, except in the context of the demand that the U.S. military withdraw from Iraq. So what sort of issue does the flagship feminist organization consider important?

NOW has just launched a 2007 "Love Your Body" calendar as part of its ongoing initiative of the same name. The body calendar warns of an increase in eating disorders and includes a photograph celebrating the shape of pears. There is also an image of the Statue of Liberty with the caption, "Give me your curves, your wrinkles, your natural beauty yearning to breathe free." The calendar bears these inspiring words: "None of us is free until we are all free."

To breathe free, college women are encouraged to organize "Love Your Body" evenings. NOW suggests they host "Indulgence" parties: "Invite friends over and encourage them to wear whatever makes them feel good--sweat suits, flip flops, pajamas--and serve delicious, decadent foods or silly snacks without the guilt. Urge everyone to come prepared to talk about their feelings and experiences."

This is pathetic. To be sure, serious eating disorders afflict a small percentage of women. But much larger numbers suffer because poor eating habits and inactivity render them overweight, even obese. NOW should not be encouraging college girls to indulge themselves in ways detrimental to their well-being. Nor should it be using the language of human rights in discussing the weight problems of American women.

The inability to make simple distinctions shows up everywhere in contemporary feminist thinking. The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World, edited by geographer Joni Seager, is a staple in women's studies classes in universities. It was named "Reference Book of the Year" by the American Library Association and has received other awards. Seager, formerly a professor of women's studies and chair of geography at the University of Vermont, is now dean of environmental studies at York University in Toronto. Her atlas, a series of color-coded maps and charts, documents the status of women, highlighting the countries where women are most at risk for poverty, illiteracy, and oppression.

One map shows how women are kept "in their place" by restrictions on their mobility, dress, and behavior. Somehow the United States comes out looking as bad in this respect as Uganda: Both countries are shaded dark yellow, to signify extremely high levels of restriction. Seager explains that in parts of Uganda, a man can claim an unmarried woman for his wife by raping her. The United States gets the same rating because, Seager says, "state legislators enacted 301 anti-abortion measures between 1995 and 2001." Never mind that the Ugandan practice is barbaric, while the activism surrounding abortion in the United States is a sign of a contentious and free democracy working out its disagreements. Besides which, Seager's categories obscure the fact that in Uganda, abortion is illegal and "unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal mortality" (so states a 2005 report by the Gutt macher Institute), while American abortion law, even after the recent adoption of state regulations, is generally considered among the most liberal of any nation.

On another map the United States gets the same rating for domestic violence as Pakistan. Seager reports that in the United States, "22 percent-35 percent of women who seek emergency medical assistance at hospital are there for reasons of domestic violence." Wrong. She apparently misread a Justice Department study showing that 22 percent-35 percent of women who go to hospitals because of violent attacks are there for reasons of domestic violence. When this correction is made, the figure for domestic-violence victims in emergency rooms drops to a fraction of 1 percent. Why would Seager so uncritically seize on a dubious statistic? Like many academic feminists, she is eager to show that American women live under an intimidating system of "patriarchal authority" that is comparable to those found in many less developed countries. Never mind that this is wildly false.

Hard-line feminists such as Seager, Pollitt, Ensler, the university gender theorists, and the NOW activists represent the views of only a tiny fraction of American women. Even among women who identify themselves as feminists (about 25 percent), they are at the radical extreme. But in the academy and in most of the major women's organizations, the extreme is the mean. The hard-liners set the tone and shape the discussion. This is a sad state of affairs. Muslim women could use moral, intellectual, and material support from the West to improve their situation. But only a rational, reality-based women's movement would be capable of actually helping. Women who think that looking like a pear is an essential human right are not valuable allies.

The good news is that Muslim women are not waiting around for Western feminists to rescue them. "Feminists in the West may fiddle while Muslim women are burning," wrote Manhattan Institute scholar Kay Hymowitz in a prescient 2003 essay, "but in the Muslim world itself there is a burgeoning movement to address the miserable predicament of the second sex." The number of valiant and resourceful Muslim women who are devoting themselves to the cause of greater freedom grows each and every day.

They have a heritage to build on. There have been organized women's movements in countries such as Iran, Lebanon, and Egypt for more than a century. And many women in Turkey, Morocco, and Tunisia already enjoy almost Western levels of freedom. But as radical Islam tightens its grip in places like Iran and rural Pakistan, and as it increasingly threatens Muslim women everywhere, even some devoutly religious women are quietly organizing to resist. Mehrangiz Kar, an Iranian human rights lawyer, now a researcher at Harvard Law School, predicts that "a feminist explosion is well on its way."

Islamic feminists believe that women's rights are compatible with Islam rightly understood. One of their central projects is progressive religious reform. Through careful translation and interpretation of the Koran and other sacred texts, scholars challenge interpretations that have been used to justify sexist customs. They point out that forced veiling, arranged marriages, and genital cutting are rooted in tribal paganism and are nowhere enjoined by the Koran. Where the Koran explicitly permits a practice such as the physical chastisement of wives by husbands, the feminist exegetes try to show that, like slavery, the practice is anachronistic and incompatible with the true spirit of the faith. This kind of interpretation of scripture has been practiced by Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scholars for centuries. Now Islamic women want to play a part in it, and nothing in Islamic law, they believe, prohibits their doing so.

This past November more than 100 Muslim lawyers, scholars, and activists from 25 countries gathered in New York City for the express purpose of supporting the modernization of Islamic jurisprudence and reviving the spirit of ijtihad, a once vibrant Islamic tradition of independent thinking and reasoning about sacred texts. The organizing group, the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity (WISE), plans to launch an international shura, a consultative council of Muslim women leaders who will advise religious and political leaders on women's issues. They are also establishing a scholarship fund for the training of gifted female students to become Koranic scholars, or muftia. These women would be licensed to render fatwas, religious judgments that, while nonbinding, drive custom and practice in Islamic societies.

The WISE participants were a who's who of Muslim women lawyers, writers, and rights advocates. Perhaps the most affecting speaker was Mukhtar Mai. She is the Pakistani woman who, in 2002, was gang-raped by four men because of crimes allegedly committed by her brother. After the rape, which was sanctioned by an all-male village council, Mukhtar Mai was expected to preserve the "honor" of her family by killing herself. Instead, she and her family went to the police, even at the risk of being charged for the "crime" of being raped. A local imam, outraged by her treatment, denounced the attack in his Friday sermon. Reporters soon appeared, and Mukhtar's case became a cause c�l�bre.

The conference participants varied widely in their politics and their relation to Islam. Unlike the present American feminist movement, which has no place for traditionally religious women, Islamic feminism is inclusive. Some of its proponents wear the veil, others oppose it. Some want egalitarian mosques, others don't mind traditional arrangements where men and women are separated. Even a few non-Muslims were present. What unites them in feminism is their commitment to the universal dignity of women. They are all vehemently opposed to such practices as forced marriages, honor killings, genital cutting, child marriage, and wife-beating. They are passionately dedicated to the educational, economic, legal, and political advancement of women.

The feminism that is quietly surging in the Muslim world is quite different from its contemporary counterpart in the United States. Islamic feminism is faith-based, family-centered, and well-disposed towards men. This is feminism in its classic and most effective form, as students of women's emancipation know. American women won the vote in the early 20th century through the combined forces of progressivism and conservatism. Radical thinkers like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Victoria Woodhull, and Alice Paul played an indispensable role, but it was traditionalists like Frances Willard (president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union) and Carrie Chapman Catt (founder of the League of Women Voters) who brought the cause of women's suffrage into the mainstream.

In particular, Frances Willard--today an almost forgotten figure--was beloved and immensely famous at the time of her death in 1898. She had a gift for reaching out to devoutly religious women and showing them how political equality was consistent with piety. This moved men too. She was critical in turning the once elite suffrage movement into a groundswell.

Today's feminists have anathematized Willard because she held two conventional views they find intolerable: She regarded "womanliness" as a virtue and a source of strength, power, and beauty, not as a socially constructed domestic prison; and she advanced women's rights within, not in opposition to, the framework of traditional religion. These two traits are precisely the ones that gave Willard mass appeal in her own day and that make her philosophy relevant to women struggling for their rights inside highly traditional Islamic societies.

In Search of Islamic Feminism, a 1998 book by University of Texas Middle Eastern studies professor Elizabeth Warnock Fernea, offers a rare glimpse of Muslim women activists. In Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, and Iraq, Fernea kept encountering what she calls "family feminism." Several of the women she interviewed reject what they see as divisiveness in today's American feminism. As one Iraqi women's advocate, Haifa Abdul Rahman, told her, "We see feminism in America as dividing women from men, separating women from the family. This is bad for everyone." Fernea was not only struck by the family orientation of the women she encountered, she was also awed by their feminine graciousness. The Italian novelist and essayist Italo Calvino once made a list of requirements for a successful liberation movement. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "There must also be beauty." There is beauty in Islamic feminism.

Islamic feminism has some celebrated adherents, among them the Moroccan sociologist Fatima Mernissi, the Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, and the Canadian journalist and human rights activist Irshad Manji. In her 2004 feminist manifesto, The Trouble with Islam Today, Manji writes, "We Muslims . . . are in crisis and we are dragging the rest of the world with us. If ever there was a moment for an Islamic reformation, it's now."

Manji is right: In particular, a feminist reformation could be as dangerous to the dreams of the jihadists as any military assault by the West. After all, the oppression of women is not an incidental feature of the societies that foster terrorism. It is a linchpin of the system of social control that the jihadists are fighting to impose worldwide. Women's equality is as incompatible with radical Islam's plan for domination and submission as it is with polygamy. Women freely moving about, expressing their opinions, and negotiating their relationships with men from a position of equal dignity rather than servitude are a moderating, civilizing force in any society. Female scholars voicing their opinions without inhibition would certainly puncture some cherished jihadist fantasies.

Is an Islamic feminist reformation a realistic hope? In the last speech of her life, in 1906, American feminist pioneer Susan B. Anthony famously told her audience, "Failure is impossible." Anthony, however, was formed by and worked within a liberal democracy founded on the proposition that all men are created equal. Even when the American women's movement was at its most controversial in the 19th and early 20th centuries, its exponents, with few exceptions, risked only ridicule or shunning. Today's Muslim feminists face imprisonment, lashing, disfigurement, and murder. The leader of the radical wing of the 19th-century American women's movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was a religious skeptic and harshly critical of sexism in the Bible. Her views were met by social antagonism and stern disapproval from more conservative feminists--all of it civil and peaceable. Stanton's present-day counterpart, Somali-born Dutch author Ayaan Hirsi Ali (now my colleague at the American Enterprise Institute), is a religious skeptic who is harshly critical of sexism in the Koran. Her views are met by violence and death threats from Muslim fanatics. She has to be escorted by bodyguards.

Success, then, is not certain. Yet there are many hopeful signs. Experience in Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey is encouraging. Groups like WISE are holding up a new image of female piety that does not require silence, powerlessness, and second-class citizenship. And individual women such as Pakistan's Mukhtar Mai, Morocco's Fatima Mernissi, Iran's Shirin Ebadi, Canada's Irshad Manji, and Holland's Ayaan Hirsi Ali are offering the world profiles in astonishing courage and grace. Their example may prove as infectious as it is inspiring. Radical Islam does indeed pose an extreme challenge to the cause of women's rights--but these wise and brave women pose a devastating and unexpected challenge to radical Islam.

I asked Daisy Kahn, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement and organizer of the WISE conference, how Americans can help. Her answer was simple: "Support us. Embrace our struggle." That is already happening, though mostly outside feminist circles. There are scores of independent organizations--groups like Freedom House, Global Giving, the Independent Women's Forum, Project Ijtihad, Equality Now, and the Initiative for Inclusive Security--that have begun to work in effective ways to support Muslim women. Such groups, both liberal and conservative, may not identify themselves as feminist, but they embody the ideals and principles of the classical, humane feminism of Stanton, Anthony, and Willard.

Those "First Wave" reformers made history. Their classical "equity" feminism was predominant in the United States long before the current band of activists and theorists transformed and debased it beyond recognition. Their understanding of equality was never at war with femininity, never at war with men, or with family, or with logic or common sense. It is alive again in Islamic feminism.

The women who constitute the American feminist establishment today are destined to play little role in the battle for Muslim women's rights. Preoccupied with their own imagined oppression, they can be of little help to others--especially family-centered Islamic feminists. The Katha Pollitts and Eve Enslers, the vagina warriors and university gender theorists--these are women who cannot distinguish between free and unfree societies, between the Taliban and the Promise Keepers, between being forced to wear a veil and being socially pressured to be slender and fit. Their moral obtuseness leads many of them to regard helping Muslim women as "colonialist" or as part of a "hegemonic" "civilizing mission." It disqualifies them as participants in this moral fight.

In reality, of course, it is the Islamic feminists themselves who are on a civilizing mission--one that is vital to their own welfare and to the welfare of an anxious world. A reviewer of Irshad Manji's manifesto celebrating Islamic feminism aptly remarked, "This could be Osama bin Laden's worst nightmare." Ipso facto, it should be our fondest dream. And if, along the way, Islamic feminism were to have a wholesome influence on American feminism, so much the better.

Christina Hoff Sommers, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is the author of The War Against Boys and coauthor of One Nation Under Therapy.

This article was first published in The Weekly Standard.

Let's not mistake culture with religion

info@iwf.org (Halima Karzai) — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:01:00 EDT

At an all-day Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID) conference on April 27th the issue of discussion was one that has been a hot and misunderstood topic for some time now- women in Islam. The conference, "The Rights of Women in Islam and Muslim Societies" featured an array of panelists speaking on topics from women and human rights to women's political and social empowerment. The conference was an excellent awaking on how cultural practices, such as female genital mutilation, confining women to the home, etc., in fact don't cross over from Islam, but come from a lack of knowledge from people in 'Islamic' societies who cover ignorance in the name of religion.

In this article, Radwan Masmoudi, founder and president of CSID, says "he believes the standard of human rights and of women's rights in some Muslim-majority nations is 'unfortunately unacceptable.' In pre-Islamic Arabia of the 7th century, he notes, the teachings of Islam were actually 'revolutionary' with respect to the rights they gave women in comparison with other religions and other civilizations at that time. For example, Dr. Masmoudi says, Islam gave women the right to vote, the right to own property, and the right to study."

"Radwan Masmoudi says that the Qur�an respects men and women equally. But local 'cultural factors'-- rather than Islam-- determine what rights women are believed to have, and religion is 'used to keep the status quo.' He says that, because women are in charge of raising the children, it is especially important for them to be well educated and involved in society."

In another article, Masmoudi is quoted:

"'While Islam gave rights to women that were revolutionary 1400 years ago, compared with other religions and civilizations, ...unfortunately that status was not always maintained.' Now, he said, 'If anything, we are unfortunately behind.'"
"As women are the ones responsible for raising and educating children, he said, 'they determine the future of the Muslim society,' making their treatment as full partners vital to the future of the Muslim world."

This article, focusing on Erica Barks-Ruggles, the U.S. State Department�s deputy assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, mentions:

"...in conference opening remarks that as she has traveled throughout the Middle East, she has been 'very impressed by the strength, the intelligence, the education and the determination of women...to play a strong role in... the future of their societies.'"
"'Their voices are increasingly being heard,' Barks-Ruggles said, adding, 'Sometimes we forget how much has changed in the last several years' in the region. In terms of participation in the political process, she cited advances -- in voting, election to office, or both -- in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco and Jordan, and even in Iran. There, she said, some women now serve in the parliament, and others have been 'demonstrating actively for the last several years' despite government crackdowns and jailings."

"Like Masmoudi, Barks-Ruggles stressed that successful efforts to expand women's rights must be 'driven from within, for the community, from the community,' with outside institutions playing only a supporting role."

Violence Against (Muslim) Women

info@iwf.org (Charlotte Hays) — Tue, 08 May 2007 10:26:00 EDT

The Washington Post had a piece on domestic abuse Muslim-style in today's paper. It stated in part:

"Domestic abuse is hardly unique to Muslim immigrant communities; it is a sad fact of life in families of all backgrounds and origins. Yet, according to social workers, Islamic clerics and women's advocates, women from Muslim-majority cultures face extra pressure to submit to violent husbands and intense social ostracism if they muster the courage to file charges or flee.

"A major obstacle to recognizing and fighting abuse, experts said, can be Islam itself. The religion prizes female modesty and fidelity while allowing men to divorce at will and have several wives at once. Many Muslims also believe that men have the right to beat their wives. An often-quoted verse in the Koran says a husband may chastise a disobedient wife, but the phrasing in Arabic is open to several interpretations."

Quoting the verse in question, Andrew McCarthy (it must be Andrew McCarthy Day on Inkwell!) says that the Post has chosen to gloss over the real implications:

"Many verses in the Koran are very troubling. But we do ourselves and moderate Muslim reformers no favors by pretending those verses are not there, or that they say something different from what they say. Doing that effectively cedes authority to the fundamentalists since only they are willing to abide by what the scriptures actually say. Better to confront the truth and deal with it, not whitewash it. There will be no reformation absent a realistic acknowledgment that reform is needed."

Summertime Crackdown in Iran on Women "Models"

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:06:00 EDT

From the Middle East Times-Egypt:

"Iran [is launching] an annual summer crackdown on women, as well as men, whose dress is deemed to be out of line with its Islamic laws, the media reported Tuesday...
women "dressed up like models" with overly short mantos (coats), tight outer garments, and inadequate headscarves would face being apprehended in the crackdown...
The arrested women will be taken to four centers. They will have to give a written engagement not to repeat the offense and can then leave when their family brings the appropriate clothing"...
Women in Iran are by law obliged to cover their head with the hijab (Islamic head covering) and a full length overcoat that covers all bodily contours. Visiting foreigners and religious minorities are not exempted..."

Summertime? And the living is easy? Not for those living under sharia.

I thought tourists liked museums and cheap trinkets...

info@iwf.org (Allison Kasic) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:30:00 EDT

From Reuters:

"Chinese tourism authorities are seeking investment to build a novel concept attraction -- the world’s first 'women’s town,' where men get punished for disobedience, an official said Thursday.
"The 2.3-square-km Longshuihu village in the Shuangqiao district of Chongqing municipality, also known as 'women’s town,' was based on the local traditional concept of 'women rule and men obey,' a tourism official told Reuters.
"'Traditional women dominate and men have to be obedient in the areas of Sichuan province and Chongqing, and now we are using it as an idea to attract tourists and boost tourism,' the official, surname Li, said by telephone.
"The tourism bureau planned to invest between 200 million yuan ($26 million) and 300 million yuan in infrastructure, roads and buildings, Li said."
..."The motto of the new town would be 'women never make mistakes, and men can never refuse women’s requests,' Chinese media have reported.
"When tour groups enter the town, female tourists would play the dominant role when shopping or choosing a place to stay, and a disobedient man would be punished by 'kneeling on an uneven board' or washing dishes in restaurant, media reports said."

Chesler on Women and Islam

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:31:00 EDT

Speaking recently at U.C.L.A, Brooklyn-born professor Phyllis Chesler recounted her experiences as a married woman living under Islamic law in Afghanistan, addressed topics of female oppression in the Muslim world, and growing anti-Semitism worldwide, including in the academy.

When Bangladesh split from Pakistan in 1971, Chesler appealed to American feminists to airlift women out of the country to protect them from the violence that she had witnessed under similar Afghan laws.

"I knew they would be gang raped, impregnated, then killed by their families, or by themselves," she said.

Upon arrival in Afghanistan, Chesler's American passport was confiscated and she treated "like a slave," until she escaped and returned to the U.S.

She also linked growing anti-Semitism to new communications technologies.

"Today, in my opinion, the danger to the Jews is far graver and more complex than the pagan or medieval world, and graver than it was during World War II. The new anti-Semitism you see in almost every form, in every language, beamed around the world on Youtube," she said.

When It's Okay to Beat Your Wife

info@iwf.org (Charlotte Hays) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:52:00 EDT

"I'm not normally a fan of speedy divorce - or of divorce at all, for that matter," writes Kathryn Jean Lopez. But here, writes Lopez, is a divorce that should have been granted:

"In a German case in which a Muslim, Moroccan-born 26-year-old mother of two was petitioning for an expedited divorce from a man who had beaten her and threatened her life, Judge Christa Datz-Winter denied the woman's request, a woman who already had a restraining order on her husband after police were called last May because he attacked her. The reason for the injudicious divorce denial? The Koran, the judge said, instructs that 'men are in charge of women.' She explained further that the couple hails from a 'Moroccan cultural environment in which it is not uncommon for a man to exert a right of corporal punishment over his wife.'"

Sharia in Germany? Yes, you read that right. KLo adds:

"Clearly, Datz-Winter's was a reprehensible ruling. But it's also one that highlights real problems we face all over the world. It's at the heart of this war we're in. It's at the heart of struggles by so-called moderate Muslims who would never dream of beating their wives or condoning anyone who would engage in or justify such brutality.

"The ruling epitomizes the struggle that nations - East and West - are facing as they weigh issues of multiculturalism and sharia-law (Islamic law) influences. And it shows that some nations have taken multiculturalism too far."

Eye to Eye on Afghanistan

info@iwf.org (Halima Karzai) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:06:00 EDT

Ms. magazine and the Feminist Majority Foundation hosted a forum at the National Press Club today honoring Dr. Sima Samar, chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan. The event shows how liberals and conservatives can see eye to eye on some issues, particularly those relating to Afghanistan.

The forum was geared towards raising and keeping support for the poor impoverished Afghan women who continue to suffer from high mother and infant mortality rates, violence, forced marriages, and a lack of education and proper health care. The event was a great reminder of how we must not let Afghanistan and its women fall from our and the world's priority and that Afghanistan is not just a military operation. The war torn country needs financial assistance geared towards rebuilding infrastructure, schools, shelters, and programs to support the health, well-being and success of women to make Afghanistan into a prosperous nation that the Afghans, the U.S., and the international community can see as a success story.

Braveheart

info@iwf.org (Charlotte Hays) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 13:27:00 EDT

It's so interesting that radical feminists would rather attack the U.S. than defend women's rights in the Middle East. I suspect that the reason is Islamofascists hate the West- just as our own homegrown radicals do deep down. Mona Charen notes that Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who grew up in a Muslim family in Somalia, appreciates the bracing freedom of the West:

"She witnessed the rise of Islamic extremism - Saudi money and influence spread the virus worldwide - and even felt drawn to it herself for a while, shrouding her body in a hijab and trying to pray fervently five times a day.

"But she also read all the Western books, novels mostly, she could cadge in Nairobi, and these planted seeds in her young mind. There could be equality between men and women. Instead of being force-marched into arranged marriages, young women could think of romance and even love.

"Those seeds would sprout later, when she fled an arranged marriage herself and sought refuge in Holland. Far more perceptive than most around her, she could see that Holland's unwillingness to give offense to Muslims was enabling the Muslim minority to continue to persecute its girls and women on European soil.

"She is now in the United States, after a tumultuous time in Holland, and we are the richer for it. This is a brave, humane and fascinating book by an extraordinary woman."