CSIDs Eighth Annual Conference
The Rights of Women in Islam andMuslim Societies
Friday, April 27, 2007
Jack Morton Auditorium George Washington University
805 21st Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20052
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro (Orange and Blue Lines)
Final PROGRAM AGENDA
8:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m. Registration
8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks
9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Session 1
Discourses on Women’s and Human Rights
Chair: Tamara Sonn [Bio]
- Women and Judicial Decision-Making: The Status and Role of Women in Judiciary in Iran
Reza Eslami Somea, [Abstract] Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Tehran University, Iran,somea1@yahoo.com
- The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: A Preliminary Assessment of its Positions on Religious Freedom, Women and Religious Minorities
Alejandro Beutel, [Abstract] [Bio] Minaret Freedom Institute, alejandro.beutel@gmail.com
- The Development of Islamic Feminism: Emancipation of Women; Opportunities towards the development of Democracy and Universal Human Rights
Shajeda Dewan , [Abstract] [Bio] UniversityCollegeLondon, shajeda.dewan@hotmail.co.uk
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Session 2
The Rights of Women and Minorities
Chair: Mariam Memarsadeghi [Bio]
- “The Right of Women in Afghanistan”
Belquis Ahmadi, [Abstract] [Bio] Senior Human Rights Advisor, USAID Afghanistan Rule of Law Project, belquis@arolp.org
- Challenges Facing Women Human Rights Defenders
Archana Pyati, [Abstract] [Bio] Senior Associate, Human Rights Defenders Program, Human Rights First, PyatiA@humanrightsfirst.org
- “What Drives Female Circumcision in Majority :Muslim African Societies? African or Islamic Culture?”
Abdul Karim Bangura,[Abstract] [Bio]Professor of International Relations and Islamic Peace Studies, American University, bangura@american.edu
12:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Jumah Prayer and Lunch
2:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Session 3
Islamic Feminisms: Rereading Texts and Tradition
Chair: Margot Badran [Bio]
- Reclaiming their rights through Islam: Islamist feminism in Turkey
Negar Razavi, [Abstract] [Bio] Council on Foreign Relations, nrazavi@cfr.org
- Revolution from Within
Christina Sommers,[Abstract] [Bio] Resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C, Sommers22@aol.com
- “Gender Equality and the Rule of Law: The Role of the Judiciary in Changing Discriminatory Norms – A Case Study with the Iraq High Tribunal”
Olivia Kraus, [Abstract] [Bio]Counsel, Global Justice Center, New York City, okraus@globaljusticecenter.net
- “Culture Clash: Reading the Quran against Customs Stereotypes”
Maryam Knight, [Abstract] [Bio]Visiting Scholar, New York University, mk1153@nyu.edu
4:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Break
4:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Session 4
Women’s Political and Social Empowerment
Chair: Azizah al-Hibri [Bio]
- Spiritual Capital of Politically Engaged Women in Kuwait
Alessandra Gonz√°lez, [Abstract] [Bio] Sociology Graduate Program, Baylor University,Alessandra_Gonzalez@baylor.edu
- Engaging Muslim Women in Civic and Social Change: the Canadian Experience
Nuzhat Jafri [Abstract] [Bio] and Salima Ebrahim [Abstract] [Bio], Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW), nuzhat.jafri@rogers.com and salima.ebrahim-alumni@lse.ac.uk
- How do traditional views on women and gender roles affect women s participation in the political and economic spheres?
Christina Tobias-Nahi, [Abstract] [Bio] Director of Public Affairs, Islamic Relief, cnahi@irw.org
7:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. Annual Banquet Dinner
(Washington Marriott Hotel, 1221 22nd Street)
Banquet Keynote Speakers:
Azizah al-Hibri,[Bio]Professor at the T. C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond .
Margot Badran, [Bio]Senior Fellow at the Center for Muslim Christian Understanding, Georgetown University .
Amina Rasul-Bernardo, [Bio]President of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy.
CSIDs Eighth Annual Conference
The Rights of Women in Islam and Muslim Societies
Registration Form
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Registration includes continental breakfast, banquet dinner, and coffee breaks. Registration includes the Banquet Dinner, but does not include lodging or lunch. Payment must be received by Friday April 19 to qualify for pre-registration rates.
To register online click here: https://secure.entango.com/donate/6gHYxfvsaMJ
Otherwise, please mail registration form with payment to: CSID Conf. Registration- 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Suite 601, Washington, D.C. 20036
For further information, please visit our website www.csid-online.org and contact CSID Conference Coordinator, Sherif Mansour, at: sherif@islam-democracy.org or call (202) 265-1200.
Abstracts
Women and Judicial Decision-Making: The Status and Role of Women in Judiciary in Iran
Reza Eslami-Somea
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Shahid Beheshti University , Tehran , Iran .
This paper argues that womens involvement in governance and in the conduct of public life has a great deal of impact on the improvement of womens social position and the process of their empowerment, especially in countries where human rights are not recognized as individual entitlements and gender equality is yet to be achieved. This paper focuses on the status and the role of women in judiciary in Iran , and considers their access to, and participation, in legal profession.
The paper first reviews the structure and the organization of the judiciary branch of the government as well as its independence within the constitutional framework, and also studies the legal system of the country where all laws and regulations in every field must be in conformity with Sharia (Islamic law).
This study then examines the participation of women in legal profession and their involvement in the judiciary and judicial decision-making, and verifies the number and proportion of women judges and consultants and the types of courts they are involved in. Moreover, womens status in judiciary before and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 as well as the changes with respect to womens access to judiciary in 1990s will also be addressed. It also reviews womens training for legal profession and the association of women judges and lawyers, and conducts interviews with women in this field.
The study also analyzes Iran s legal framework as well as social and cultural patterns that ban women from the profession of judge and restrict their access to legal profession. It identifies discriminatory laws and traditions that hinder womens recruitment and promotion in leadership and decision-making position in judiciary.
This paper finally argues that womens involvement in legal profession and their participation in judiciary, especially in higher courts, result in achieving gender equality in legal system and contribute to having more justice for women. It submits that women judges and lawyers have a positive impact on preventing biases against women and obstructing the application of discriminatory laws, especially family law. The paper suggests that, in Iran s legal system, a fundamental reform in structure and standards is needed to provide an appropriate legal system that enforces the principle of equality and guarantees womens participation in judicial decision-making. It also proposes certain suggestions and recommendations in order to enhance womens access to judiciary in Iran .
The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt : A Preliminary Assessment of its Positions on Religious Freedom, Women and Religious Minorities
Alejandro J. Beutel
Minaret Freedom Institute
This paper is an attempt to provide a preliminary assessment of the Muslim Brotherhoods (MB) positions on freedom of religion and belief and their implications for US policy. In order to do so, I used their public statements on six key issues to measure the MBs commitment to religious freedom. They are: 1) the role of sharia in society; 2) the status of Coptic Orthodox and other Christians; 3) attitudes toward Jews; 4) the public role of women in society and within the Muslim Brotherhood; 5) citizenship and public identity of Bahais; and 6) attitudes towards Shias, non-conforming Muslims and followers other faiths. Overall, the MB has undergone a significant evolution in its thinking, but seem to not yet have accepted international human rights standards. The organization continues to show a strong trend toward greater acceptance of political pluralism and the democratic process. This includes some issues of religious freedom, women and religious minorities, but not all. A pattern seems to exist where the clearer the public statement is on a particular issue, the more pragmatic or liberal leaning its tends to be, while unclear/contradictory statements include intolerant statements from some individual members. However, in some instances the Brotherhood unambiguously takes intolerant positions. Finally I find that religious freedom is not mentioned in any policy statements directly connected to the Brotherhood.
The Development of Islamic Feminism: Emancipation of Women; Opportunities towards the development of Democracy and Universal Human Rights
Shajeda Dewan
University College London
In France and more recently in Britain , there has been both political and social concerns surrounding the political decisions and debates on the Hijab (headscarf) and the Niqab (veil) worn by Muslim women. Views are held that such observations can be a threat to democratic rights of women and hinder social integration; a rising concern since events of 9/11. However, in a much wider context, Islamic social systems both culturally and politically is experienced by many as oppressive towards women, and viewed at a much global level as incompatible with values of western democracy.
This paper attempts to raise academic enquires into the question Is there a necessity to develop Islamic Feminism, and what theoretical underpinnings should be considered for such a discourse?. It is further argued that Islamic Feminism is important, in the endeavor to understand both the conception and evolution of Shariah and developments of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh); and essential to the development and realization of democracy in Islamic societies. To illustrate, Cultural and religious aspects of both theory and lived experiences will be analyzed to deconstruct the symbolic and religious aspects of the hijab and the niqab, to distinguish whether aspects of this phenomenon is socially constructed. Parallel to this process, what evidence enables the seeking to question Shariah ?, in order to understand the philosophy of Quranic injunctions and hadith. Would it further empower the understandings of Islam, and would it be a positive tool for developing and disseminating the notion that Islam is embedded on values of democracy?
Theoretical approaches from the discourses of Islamic rationalism, Islamic ethics; Cultural Psychology, Anthropology and primary sources of Islamic Knowledge: the Quran and hadith will be applied to understand the issues raised, in particular as to whether the formations and interpretations of Shariah and hadith is value free from a cultural perspective. The implications of such interpretations, on societies and broader Islamic values are also discussed. The paper concludes that the development of Islamic Feminism is crucial to deconstructing traditional views of Islam and essential to developing and contributing to universal values of humanity, justice; in addition to the equality and empowerment of women in all social arenas, both in Islamic and non Islamic societies.
The Rights of Women and Minorities in Islam and the Muslim World: Challenges Facing Women Human Rights Defenders
Archana Pyati
Senior Associate, Human Rights Defenders Program, Human Rights First
Women human rights defenders are critical actors in the global fight to end gender discrimination. Many advocate for the rights of women as social workers, lawyers, journalists, teachers, doctors, counselors, and grassroots activists. Their work is vital as they challenge inequality and repression on the local and national levels from within their societies. Functioning in societies that discriminate against women and are unfavorable to their participation in public and political life, they are subject to a range of attacks because they are women and because they are human rights defenders.
In the Muslim world, female activists who engage in public and political life challenge traditional views on womens roles in society. Because the changing role of women is highly contested within Muslim societies, when women take action to defend human rights they may be perceived as a threat to social stability and the status quo. As a result, women human rights defenders face particular abuses of their freedom of expression, assembly, and association when compared with their male colleagues. They endure threats, harassment, discrimination, and even violence on account of their work.
In Muslim societies, perpetrators of attacks against women defenders are often non-state actors, such as religious groups, community leaders, political groups, and family members. The state does not react adequately to protect women activists, however. This has created a climate wherein women who speak out against human rights violations do so with an understanding that if they fall victim to threats or a physical attack they cannot count on the protection of the state.
This paper would present a typology of the forms of gender-specific persecution faced by women defenders in Muslim societies, specifically in the Middle East and Southeast Asia . The paper would ask and answer the question: what makes an attack against a woman defender gender-specific in Muslim societies, especially in countries where criticism of the government by any member of society is not welcomed?
An analysis of gender-specific persecution faced by women human rights defenders in Muslim societies can lead to a discussion of possible strategies to better protect the rights of those women who choose to speak out about human rights. On a day to day basis, many women are choosing to confront discrimination despite dangerous environments and to fight for their rights. Debate about womens roles in Muslim societies should include the reaction to those women who aim to bring about positive change.
What Drives Female Circumcision in Majority Muslim African Societies? African or Islamic Culture?
Abdul Karim Bangura
Professor of International Relations and Islamic Peace Studies, American University
(). The practice of female circumcision, also referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) in the West, has been a controversial issue of international debate, and its presence in majority Muslim African societies has contributed to misleading perceptions of Islam as a perpetuator of human rights abuses. As nations become more involved with one another, a greater amount of judgment falls on cultural differences. As a practice dating back to the earliest of ancestors, many members of African societies that perform female circumcision argue that it is a large part of their cultural values and that it symbolizes a necessary stage in a girls life. Yet many others argue that it is a very clear and harmful infringement on these individuals rights. Activists, political leaders and scholars on the subject claim that the girls involved become prisoners of the ritual, that it is immoral, and that it must be stopped. First, however, the proposed connection between Islam and female circumcision must be questioned, as there are no teachings in the Quran that condone such practices on women, who are supposed to be treated as equals. Second, since female circumcision is practiced by both Muslim and non-Muslim Africans, it could be deemed more of cultural, rather than religious, importance. What this essay seeks to do is to discuss the idea of universal human rights, if there is such a thing, and why many individuals use female circumcision as a reasonable excuse to condemn the traditions of another group. A basic understanding of circumcision along with the cultural and health implications is included in order to test the first hypothesis of this essay that humans cannot evaluate others customs without being influenced by their own cultural biases. When analyzing this issue, it is also important to keep in mind the theory of cultural relativism, which states that an individuals beliefs and actions should be interpreted within the framework of his/her culture. This paper examines the balance between this idea of cultural relativism and the need to safeguard basic human rights. Since it is hard to objectively define or reach a conclusion on this issue from either side, the second hypothesis tested is that whether or not female circumcision is considered a human rights violation (which is largely based on the degree of cultural relativism practiced), the more important issue is that changing the practice must come from within the cultures themselves, based on analyzing the history of failed international efforts and national laws banning it. These changes will only be met with resistance when enforced through international mandate, which can be viewed as a threat to the cultural identity of those who practice female circumcision. Secondary data for this study were collected from books, articles and Internet sources by employing the document analysis technique. Primary data were derived from the Quran and personal interviews. After a few interviews and readings, it became clear that the subject demanded both philosophical and anthropological literary works. Video-recordings were also used to document case studies and research that had already been done on the issue. It is through these means that the actual practice of female circumcision and the views of its supporters and critics alike are qualitatively analyzed.
Gender Equality and the Rule of Law: The Role of the Judiciary in Changing Discriminatory Norms – A Case Study with the Iraq High Tribunal.
Olivia Kraus,
Counsel, Global Justice Center, New York City,
okraus@globaljusticecenter.net
One of the most crucial yet overlooked areas in ensuring real and sustainable equality for women is that of the rule of law and womens role in the judiciary. This paper will focus on a case study of how the judiciary can be a mechanism for changing discriminatory norms, including a cursory overview of womens status in the judiciary in the Middle East and North Africa region and the applicable international legal standards. The case study will review a recent training on sexual violence and international law, including honor killings as an impediment to womens access to justice, as given to judges of the Iraq High Tribunal as well as Iraqi Civil Society and Government leaders. Due to historic interpretations or misinterpretations of Islam, women in the Muslim world face stiffer resistance to their participation as judges as opposed to other government positions. This is due to the general perception that it is contrary to Sharia for women to hold judicial posts. Where they are not banned completely, women can face numerous restrictions on their judicial capacity and are shut out of prominent and key positions in their nations higher courts. The lack of female presence in the courts undermines the rule of law as well as implementation of reforms. This is especially relevant to issues that relate directly to womens lives, such as family and personal laws and honor crimes. Human rights instruments and agreements around womens role in governance, such as the application of CEDAW, have stressed quotas in legislatures or constitution drafting, but little attention has been paid to womens role, or lack thereof, in the judiciary. The judiciary must be included in these discussions as a potential source for ensuring implementation of equality provisions, overturning discriminatory laws and advancing protections for women. We will look at a recent training session for Iraqi judges and activists that brought together judges, prosecutors and civil society leaders to learn about gender-based crimes and emphasized the influential role of judges in changing discriminatory norms. The judges interaction with women civil society leaders provided them with a new understanding of the impact of discriminatory laws on womens lives and showed them how they can use their positions of power to ensure womens access to justice.
“Culture Clash: Reading the Quran against Customs Stereotypes”
Maryam Knight
Visiting Scholar, New York University,
Customs and inherited bias against women has undermined in many instances a clear understanding of passages relating to women and females. Although the Arabic of the Quran is clear and stylistically perfect (as it represents the best of both deen and adab), Muslims frequently ignore its inherent, inimitable wisdom, instead relying on translations and customs to inform them of its meaning. This paper will survey how custom has viewed a variety of Quranic passages (and what the Quran really says) regarding women and the female more generally, including her supposed second-class status from birth (37:153; 81:8-9, etc.). Is the girl really unable to grow beyond trinkets and frivolities (43:16-19), a captive of lust (24:31; 12:24)? or does the context suggest more potent implications for all of humanity? The story of two particular model women described in the Quran will be examined in detail: the queen of Saba (27:22-44) and Maryam, the mother of Isa (19:16-35, etc.).
Reclaiming their rights through Islam: Islamist feminism in Turkey
Negar Razavi
Council on Foreign Relations
According to the official narrative in Turkey , womens empowerment has always been directly tied to secularism. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk liberated women from the repressive chains of Islam and integrated them into a progressive European system. Physical appearance was of central importance for Ataturk, who discouraged the wearing of the Islamic veil and sought to make women the symbols of his new Turkey unveiled, Western-dressed, and educated. This narrative continues to hold great weight in Turkish society. Many condemn Islamic influence in the public sphere, and view the veil as the greatest symbol of womens oppression.
Despite the strength and popularity of this view towards womens right in Turkey , today many women are ironically turning to moderate Islamist movements as a means of empowering themselves, and in turn adding a gender dimension to an already difficult debate in Turkish society regarding religion, secularity and democracy. As Turkey struggles to maintain its secular identity despite the growing demands of its Islamist citizens, women supporters of the growing Islamist movement will play a very central role, both as symbols and as active participants in this debate. Given their unique position within Turkish society, these women will be forced to simultaneously challenge the misogyny apparent within the Islamist groups, the orthodox secularism of the Kemalist establishment, and the persisting patriarchy of their society in order to advance their rights.
Ultimately, this analysis will focus on the struggle of Islamist women in Turkey , and the states reaction to their growing involvement the movement. The effect these women will have on their society is larger dependant on how the government treats them, particularly with the highly polemical issue of the veil. If the government supports these women, they will have a moderating effect on the larger Islamist movement. However, they can also have a radicalizing effect if their concerns are not met by the state. My research will incorporate interviews with various individuals and organizations in Turkey , and will also include an in-depth analysis of research done on this issue by leading Turkish scholars.
Revolution from Within
Christina Hoff Sommers
Resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington , D.C
The history of American feminism has some surprising lessons to impart to those who are working for womens rights in the developing world. In its early stages, the American suffrage movement was radical, marginal and largely confined to a small number of wealthy, educated women. That changed in the late 19th Century when conservative women such as Frances Willard (president of Womens Temperance Union) and Carrie Chapman Catt (founder of the League of Women Voters) took the helm. Unlike earlier suffragists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Victoria Woodhull, Chapman and Catt did not disparage traditional religion; they did not attack the idea that the sexes were different. Instead, they argued that empowering women would improve the religious and moral character of the national life. They turned womens suffrage movement into a mass movement by making it attractive to conventionally religious women and men.
I will argue that the reform movement for Islamic women should take this moderate path. The American experience suggests that effective and lasting change can come from reformers who find ways to harness the power of tradition rather than work against it. There are already several groups in the Muslim world who have adopted this faith-based model. ( Malaysia s Sisters in Islam, lead Zainah Anwar, is one outstanding example.)
I will also suggest that the contemporary American feminist establishment (groups like NOW, Fund for the Feminist Majority, and the Ms. Foundation as well as most womens studies departments) may not have a lot to offer womens rights activists in the Muslim world at this time. These contemporary groups are very much dominated by the Stanton/Woodhull style of feminism that is hostile to religion, to traditional families and to sex roles. Liberation movements in the Muslim world may wish to look back to and draw on the experiences of an earlier and very effective stage of the American womens movement for inspiration.
Spiritual Capital of Politically Engaged Women in Kuwait
Alessandra L. Gonzlez
Sociology Graduate Program, Baylor University
Alessandra_Gonzalez@baylor.edu
Combining effectual rational-choice and feminist theory to form an empowerment definition of spiritual capital, I will theorize on how women in the Arab Gulf Region have and will continue to expand their limited choices in the cultural marketplace using their spiritual resources. As their socio-political framework broadens with increased access to areas of power in their culture, women will become increasingly important catalysts for political change. I will look at the situation of female elites in Kuwait to illustrate my theory.
This study has two aims: First, to broaden our analytical possibilities for the empowerment theory of spiritual capital, up to now the most hopeful tool to study the social and political effects of traditionally marginalized groups as they use religious organization, knowledge, and experience to motivate their entry and subsequent shaping of their larger political, social, and religious environment. Second, this study aims to study a time-sensitive and historically monumental window of opportunity in the population of politically engaged women in Kuwait . No moment in global history has been as ripe to benefit from this practical assessment of the motivations behind womens empowerment in a budding democracy of an Islamic state.
In my research, I consider the religious motivations for empowerment of women who are politically engaged. By politically engaged I mean that they draw from their religious faith an empowerment to mobilize support for female candidates, increase voter turnout, and even choose to run for public office. In my analysis I will draw from the opinions of a variety of leading Islamic scholars on the position of women in political Islam, as well as analyzing public opinion data about attitudes and perceptions of the relationship of religious practice and political attitudes about womens rights in the Gulf Region.
The implications of this project not only have ramifications across academic areas, but also apply to re-shaping policy and international agency cooperation thought on how to tap into natural sources for empowerment of marginalized populations: by drawing on their religious faith, convictions, and traditions to reinterpret their political and social roles. It has obvious implications on the role of moderate Islamist movements that promote an elevation of womens role in society and equality in political rights. This study sheds light on how to harness from among a wide spectrum of positions within political Islam a coalition that furthers womens social, political, and legal rights, particularly as it regards issues of family policy. This illustration from Kuwait gives insight not only into the Gulf Region, but to the ever-mutating public and private boundaries for women across the Middle East .
Engaging Muslim Women in Civic and Social Change: the Canadian Experience
Nuzhat Jafri and Salima Ebrahim
Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW)
nuzhat.jafri@rogers.com and salima.ebrahim-alumni@lse.ac.uk
The issues of women, minority rights and democratization are by no means new; however, Muslim womens involvement in the political process in a North American setting is something that has not been studied at great length, despite the challenges they face living in a western economy. This issue is particularly pertinent in relation to this conference as it provides a snapshot of Muslim women, many of whom immigrated from Muslim societies, and how they exercise their rights after moving to a democratic society. Moreover, this has had an effect on their daughters, many of whom as first generation Canadians are passionate about seeing reforms in Muslim majority countries – often their mothers and grandmothers countries of origin. In a global context these first and second-generation Muslim women are often choosing global civic engagement over involvement in the civic and political life of their western homeland.
The Canadian Council of Muslim Women recently undertook a study of Canadian Muslim womens political and socio-economic participation. The ensuing report entitled, Engaging Muslim Women: Issues and Needs, focuses on three important aspects: political participation, economic integration, and social engagement.
The results paint a bleak picture of Muslim womens labour force participation despite high levels of education, a lack of civic and political participation, and experiences of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and religion. According to the report, while most Muslim women embrace Canada as their home and admire its multicultural values, many tend to be disengaged from the civic and political life of the country. They tend to be more socially engaged within Muslim communities and less so in broader Canadian society. Reasons given by the participants for this disengagement range from apathy towards politics, growing experiences of discrimination and prejudice against Muslims and Islam, and a trend towards a more traditional interpretation of Islam among some Muslims.
This paper will present the results of work undertaken by CCMW on Canadian Muslim Womens political participation, economic integration and social engagement in Canada and young Muslim womens quest to engage in civic, political and social change in their parents countries of origin.
How do traditional views on women and gender roles affect women s participation in the political and economic spheres?
Christina Tobias-Nahi, M.A.I.R., Ed.M.
Director of Public Affairs, Islamic Relief
My area of interest is Western women specifically that have converted to Islam, i.e. American of any descent. As children following the feminist movement many of us have been encouraged to pursue academics and careers. I have an interest in exploring how becoming Muslim might create a new glass ceiling in hiring or promotion for both those women that cover or not. I designed a survey post 9/11 (fall 2003) that was distributed through multiple channels nationally to explore these issues. It also looked at race, age, SES, education, and professional experience as other issues factoring in to discrimination or lack thereof. Finally, I engendered to see if perceived discrimination is pushing Muslimah women out of mainstream into more Islamic work environments (Islamically-owned, faith-based, etc.) and if that is a conscious choice by some, thus the title of the first paper on this subject, Isolation or Insulation (Pluralism Project, Harvard University). The purpose of this second follow-up paper would be to recontact some of these initial respondents, as well as add new ones, to see in the ensuing years what choices and outcomes these women may have had in their professional lives and look to see if reclaiming their rights to participate in the economic sphere is done using Islamic or Western discourse and legal paradigms, or both. For those that have made significant contributions or attained positions of relative power within their field, what do they see as their roles vis–vis their understanding of their faith – both towards their community and the larger American society?
Further, with the recent election of Keith Ellison as the first Muslim in Congress and with Senator Hilary Clinton running for President, and the controversies that follow both around religion and gender, is it conceivable for an American Muslimah to be found running for and winning any high office in America ? What would be the challenges both from an Islamic perspective and within the realities of American history and society? How can the choices women are making now forge that path?
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Biographical Profiles for Speakers
Antony Sullivan is a distinguished senior scholar who holds an honorary position as an Associate at the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan. Before his retirement in 2000, Dr. Sullivan was affiliated for 30 years with Earhart Foundation (Ann Arbor, Michigan), most recently as Director of Program and Corporate Secretary. From 1962-1967 Dr. Sullivan taught at International College (Beirut, Lebanon). Dr. Sullivan received his BA from Yale (1960), his MA from Columbia (1961), and his Ph.D from the University of Michigan (1976) in European history and Middle Eastern Studies. He has written two books and some 80 articles and reviews, and has lectured widely at universities in the United States and abroad. Over the past three decades he has traveled frequently to the Middle East in connection with his professional responsibilities and research interests.
Radwan A. Masmoudi is the Founder and President of the Center of the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID), a Washington-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting freedom, democracy, and good governance in the Arab/Muslim world. He has also been the Editor-in-Chief of the Centers quarterly publication, Muslim Democrat. Radwan has written and published several papers on the subject of democracy, diversity, human rights, and tolerance in Islam. In recent years, Radwan has visited, organized events, and spoken at major international conferences in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Sudan, Nigeria, the Philippines/Mindanao, Germany, South Africa, Lebanon, and Tunisia. Radwan has a Masters and a Ph.D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In Nov. 1998, Radwan founded and incorporated the Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID), becoming its first executive director. In 2002, Radwan left his engineering career to become a full-time president of CSID. Under his leadership, CSID grew from a small organization into a major institution based in Washington DC, with programs and activities in over 20 countries, an annual budget of almost $1.5 Million, 58 Founding Members, and over 600 regular and associate members. Radwan has written and published several articles on Islam, democracy, freedom, and human rights in the Muslim world. He has also appeared on several TV networks including CNN, Al-Jazeera, Fox News, Algerian TV, and MBC.Radwan is married and has four children.
Tamara Sonn is the Kenan Professor of Religion and Professor of Humanities at the College of William and Mary. She has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Santa Clara, an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Her areas of specialization are Islamic intellectual history and Islam in the contemporary world. Professor Sonn’s books include Between Qur’an and Crown: The Challenge of Political Legitimacy in the Arab World (Westview, 1990), Interpreting Islam: Bandali Jawzi’s Islamic Intellectual History (Oxford, 1996), Islam and the Question of Minorities (Scholars Press, 1996), and Comparing Religions through Law: Judaism and Islam (with J. Neusner; Routledge, 1999), and Judaism and Islam in Practice (with J. Neusner and J. Brockopp; Routledge, 2000). She has contributed chapters and articles to numerous books and journals, as well as the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World and Colliers Encyclopedia. Dr. Sonn has lectured in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. She has received grants from the United States Institute of Peace and the American Council of Learned Societies, among others.
Alejandro J. Beutel is a Program Assistant at the Minaret of Freedom Institute, a Muslim think tank which seeks to educate Muslims on the importance of liberty and free markets to a good society, while also educating non-Muslims in the West about the beliefs and contributions of Islam. Alejandro recently finished his Bachelors of Science in International Relations and Diplomacy from Seton Hall University . His research interests include international religious freedom, democratization, and security studies.
Shajeda Dewan is a Professional Social Worker in the Children and Families Division, for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and currently a MSc student at University College London at the centre for Behavioural and Social Sciences in Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Anthropology. She has extensive experience of working with Ethnic Minorities in Social Work, Health Promotion, Community Development, and related research. Her current and future academic interests are in discourses in Islam, Cultural Psychology, Anthropology, and Social Work Policy issues related to Ethnic Minorities. She has further research interests in Evolutionary processes of Religion related to Judaism, Christianity, in relation to its Historical Development; and hopes to undertake research which contributes to the deconstruction of Culture within Muslim Societies and to the development of Critical Perspectives in Islam. Her research paper “Islam and Jihad: The Associations with Violence and Martyrdom, History and Contributory Factors to Global Terrorism” was presented at the Northeast Region Conference on Christianity and Literature in New York . The paper identified cross disciplinary factors in relation to Terrorism, discovered distinct meanings of hadith not previously established and recommended directions to address the concerns of Global Terrorism in light of its findings.
Mariam Memarsadeghi, (memarsadeghi@freedomhouse.org) Senior Program Manager for the Middle East and North Africa Region at Freedom House. Ms. Memarsadeghi has studied and worked in the fields of democracy and governance, Islam and womens rights, conflict mitigation, and humanitarian assistance. Prior to working at Freedom House, Ms. Memarsadeghi worked in the Balkan region for the International Rescue Committee and the International Organization for Migration. In addition to her direct experience working with civil society and human rights groups in Kosovo and Macedonia, Ms. Memarsadeghi is familiar with the politics of the MENA region, particularly in Iran. She has studied political theory, with a focus on liberalism and totalitarian regimes. She travels regularly to Iran and has written on womens rights and democratization issues there. Ms. Memarsadeghi has a BA and MA in political science from Dickinson College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, respectively. She was born in Iran and emigrated to the US at the age of seven. She is fluent in Persian and proficient in French, German and Italian.
Belquis Ahmadi, has more than 15 years of experience in womens rights and rule of law fields. She is currently the Senior Human Rights Advisor with USAIDs Afghanistan Rule of Law Project, heading the Womens Rights under Islam component. Her responsibilities include promoting Afghan womens rights through the use of progressive interpretation of Islamic Laws in consultation with a 45-member group of Religious Scholars, Researchers, Mullahs, Legal Professionals and Civil Society Representatives. Ms. Ahmadi was appointed to participate in Afghanistan ‘s emergency Loya Jirga in 2003, convened to determine the new government. She was also closely involved in the Bonn process following the fall of the Taliban. Prior to joining USAIDs Rule of Law Project, Ms. Ahmadi, worked as a Senior Advisor and Political Analyst for the Afghan Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. She has also worked as Civil Society & Gender Advisor for the Iraqi Out of Country Elections. Her professional experience includes working with The Asia Foundation ( Kabul ), International Organization for Migration ( Jordan and Pakistan ), Global Rights Partners for Justice ( Washington DC and Afghanistan ), the International Committee of the Red Cross ( Kabul ), CARE-International ( Kabul ) and the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief ( Pakistan ). Ms. Ahmadi earned her internationally-focused LLM in Women’s Human Rights from Georgetown University and her LLB from Kabul University . She has written extensively on the rights of Afghan women and has raised the issue of violence against Afghan women at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and before other international policy fora.
Archana Pyati is a Senior Associate in the Human Rights Defenders program. Archana conducts defender campaigns that include overseas missions, diplomatic advocacy, advocacy with the U.S. government, including delivery of Congressional testimony, public education, and grassroots lobbying. She previously focused her work on Russia and Central Asia , and is now developing a program focus on new strategies for the protection of women human rights defenders. Before joining the Human Rights Defenders program, Archana was an Equal Justice Works Fellow with the Asylum Program of Human Rights First. She provided legal counseling and rights information to detained asylum seekers. As part of advocacy efforts against the detention of asylum seekers, she also engaged in public education and outreach, worked closely with attorneys around the country, monitored changes in US policy, liaised with government officials, and supported media efforts. Archana earned her B.A. in Religious Studies from Brown University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Abdul Karim Bangura is Professor of International Relations and Islamic Peace Studies and Researcher-In-Residence at the Center for Global Peace in the School of International Service at American University. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science, a Ph.D. in Development Economics, a Ph.D. in Linguistics, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. He is the author of 53 books and more than 400 scholarly articles. A recipient of numerous teaching and other scholarly and community service awards, Bangura is fluent in 12 African and six European languages and studying to strengthen his fluency in Arabic and Hebrew.
Olivia Kraus joined the Global Justice Center as an attorney in March 2006. At the Global Justice Center she has been an active working with the Iraq High Tribunal and traveled to Jordan in November, 2006 to participate in the training of 20 judges and 15 civil society members on sexual violence and International Law. Ms. Kraus received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in January 2006 with a concentration in International Law. While at Cardozo, Ms. Kraus was one of 21 students selected annually to work at The Innocence Project with Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. At the Innocence Project she represented six prison inmates who sought DNA testing of biological evidence to prove their innocence. In 2001, she received her M.A. in Peace and Conflict Research from Uppsala University in Sweden , where she also studied as an undergraduate. Her masters thesis addressed corporate liability for war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law, with a focus on the diamond and oil industries. In 1999 Ms. Kraus graduated cum laude from Barnard College in New York City where she was a Political Science major.
Mary Knight is currently a Visiting Scholar at New York University in the Department of Classics. Her previous appointment was at the American University in Cairo (1999-02), during which time she completed a study of the practice of female genital mutilation in antiquity. In 2003 she returned to Egypt, which she first visited as a Fulbright scholar in 1994-95, to investigate youth opinion for an article published in the May 2004 issue of Natural History magazine.
Negar Razavi a native of Iran , is currently a Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she works with Dr. Isobel Coleman on issues of development and gender in the Middle East . Her areas of study include women’s rights, identity politics and development in Central Asia and the Middle East . Ms. Razavi has conducted field research on women’s rights in Palestine , Egypt , Iran and Turkey , and has published her research in various publications. She is also involved with a number of non-governmental organizations and projects in the Middle East and the U.S, and is the cofounder of the Iran Dialogue Initiative, a student research group that organized and led the first official university student exchange with Iranian universities since the revolution in 1979. Ms. Razavi holds a B.A from Tufts University in history and peace and justice studies.
Christina Sommers is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington , D.C. She has been a professor of philosophy at Clark University since 1981 and is currently an Affiliate Professor. She specializes in ethics and contemporary moral theory and has published many scholarly articles in such journals as the Journal of Philosophy and the New England Journal of Medicine. Sommers is editor of Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life — one of the most popular ethics textbooks in the country. She became known to the wider public as the author of Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women. Her book The War Against Boys received widespread attention and praise and was excerpted for a cover story in the Atlantic Monthly. It was included in the New York Times “Notable Books of the Year.” Her most recent book is One Nation Under Therapy, with Dr. Sally Satel, has received a great deal of attention and critical acclaim. Her articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Time, Washington Post, Boston Globe, USA Today, the National Review, the New Republic , and the Weekly Standard. Sommers has appeared on programs such as Nightline, ABC Evening News, the Oprah Winfrey Show and twice on Comedy Centrals The Daily Show. During her appearances she discussed such topics such as moral education, the strengths and weaknesses of the womens movement, and the plight of boys in the nations schools, and one nation under therapy. Profiles of her have appeared in the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the London Times.
Alessandra L. Gonzlez, is a Presidential Scholar and Sociology Masters/Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Baylor University with a Specialization in Religion and World Affairs. Her current research interests include the role of Religion on the Womens Movement in the Arab Gulf Region. She has substantive work experience in international policy organizations, including professional experience with the U.S. Embassy in Brazil and with the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy at the Organization of American States in Washington , D.C. She is the recipient of many awards including an Honors Fellowship to Oxford University with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and the Benjamin Franklin Award at the U.S. Department of State. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, has a working knowledge of French, and is currently studying Chinese and Arabic.
Nuzhat Jafri is a member of the National Board of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) and has led various CCMW projects. She has held leadership and management positions in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. She is the President and owner of RealDifference, a management consulting practice providing advice and counsel to clients in the areas of change management and organizational development, business improvement, strategic and business planning, education and training, diversity, human rights and employment equity. She has held several leadership positions in the diversity and employment equity area, including Director of Corporate Affairs at the Ontario Employment Equity Commission and she led the diversity and employment equity function at Scotiabank and previously at Bank of Montreal. She continues to be active in a volunteer capacity with various community organizations.
Salima Ebrahim is currently pursuing her post graduate diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance and received her Master of Science in Public Policy and Administration at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She recently completed a fellowship at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights where she looked at the state of Muslim women in Canada . She currently works for the federal government and is a National Board Member with the Canadian Council of Muslim Women. Salima is the co-author of In My Own Skin: Canadian Muslim Women Creating Our Own Identity, a publication discussing identity, relationships and family dynamics, racism and discrimination, gender issues, and violence against women, and was invited to speak at the UN Conference on Racism and Discrimination in 2001. She speaks English and French, and is learning Arabic.
Christina Tobias-Nahi is Director of Public Affairs for Islamic Relief in Washington , D.C. Before moving to the Capitol, she participated in setting up an interfaith youth program at Tufts University , where she also co-taught two seminars on comparative religion and religion & politics. She worked for nearly a decade at Harvard University with both The Civil Rights Project doing education research and policy and the Islamic Legal Studies Program. Mrs. Tobias-Nahi received a M.A. in International Relations from the Boston University – Paris Overseas Graduate Center and later a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She conducted a national study on Muslim women converts funded by the Harvard Pluralism Project, wrote a personal essay in the days after 9/11 for the Boston Sunday Globe, and co-authored a chapter “An Islamic School Responds to September 11” in Invisible Children in the Society and Its Schools (2003, 2007). Another co-authored chapter, “Authentic Interaction: Eliminating the Anonymity of Otherness” is under publication (Yvonne Haddad, Ed.) Teacher certified, she also helped found an Islamic school in the Boston area and for many years administrated a weekend school and worked with immigrant parents.
Azizah al-Hibri is a professor at the T. C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond . She is a former professor of Philosophy, founding editor of Hypatia: a Journal of Feminist Philosophy, and founder and president of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. A Fulbright scholar, she has written extensively on issues of Islam and democracy, Muslim womens rights, and human rights in Islam. She guest-edited a special volume on Islam for the Journal of Law and Religion. Her recent articles include An Islamic Perspective on Domestic Violence (Fordham International Law Journal, December 2003) and Redefining Muslim Womens Roles in the Next Century (Democracy and the Rule of Law, Congressional Quarterly, 2001). She is currently completing a book on the Islamic marriage contract in American courts. Dr. al-Hibri is a member of the advisory board of various organizations, including the PEW Forum on Religion in Public Life, the Pluralism Project ( Harvard University ), and Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly (PBS).”
Margot Badran is a historian of the Middle East and Islamic societies and specialist in gender studies, is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Muslim Christian Understanding, Georgetown University . She is currently Edith Kreeger Wolf Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Religion and Preceptor at the Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought at Northwestern University . She has a diploma in Arabic and Islamic religious studies at Al Azhar University in Cairo in addition to M.A. in Middle East Studies from Harvard University and a D. Phil. in Middle East history from Oxford University . She calls both the United States and Egypt home. She is author of Feminists, Islam and Nation: Gender and the Making of Modern Egypt, co-editor of Opening the Gates: A Century of Arab Feminist Writing (appearing in a new expanded edition in April 2004), and translator, editor and introducer of Harem Years: the Memoirs of an Egyptian Feminist, Huda Shaarawi. Her writings on secular and Islamic feminisms have been translated into Arabic and several other languages. She is now finalizing a book on comparative Islamic feminisms. She also writes on feminism and gender for Al Ahram Weekly in Cairo .
Amina Rasul-Bernardo is the lead convenor of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy. She is a senior research fellow with the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center . She was a member of the Philippine Cabinet under former President Fidel V. Ramos, as presidential advisor on youth affairs. Appointed concurrently as the first chair of the National Youth Commission, she was responsible for organizing the new agency and for the formulation and implementation of the Philippine Medium-Term Youth Development Plan. Ms. Rasul-Bernardo has a distinguished record in the field of business and finance. She was Director of the Philippine National Oil Corporation, the Development Bank of the Philippines , and Founding Director of the Local Government Guarantee Corporation. She has served as an education advisor to the Growth with Equity in Mindanao Program 2, a five-year development-assistance project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She also served as a consultant to the World Bank, Arthur-Andersen – Philippines , ILO, among others. She was the first Filipino invited as senior fellow (2001 2002) at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Washington , DC . She is a founding member of Bantay Dagat (Watch the Seas) Movement, an NGO which supports protection of the seas and coastal resource management. She has been responsible for the production of a 30-minute cartoon designed to teach young people about the symbiosis between the health of the seas and productivity of fish industry. She has served on the board of the National Greening Movement. She is also a founding member of the Muslim Professional and Business Women Association of the Philippines . She has worked to develop mutual-guarantee associations among Muslim and indigenous women to finance cottage enterprises and small businesses. A founding member of the Magbassa Kita Foundation, Ms. Rasul-Bernardo served as the first chief operating officer, responsible for raising $2 million to support the foundation’s literacy program for Muslim and indigenous communities. The recipient of numerous awards for her public service accomplishments and peace-building efforts, she earned a Masters degree in business management from the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines and a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University .
