International women's activists speak out against religious dogma.

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At a seminar in India, women's activists discussed the impact of strict interpretations of Muslim law on women's lives in South Asia.

They argued that the gender development index (GDI) -- a measurement used by the UN and other organizations -- as well as other indicators of gender empowerment are low in areas with entrenched patriarchal interpretations of Islam.
The indicators commonly used to measure women's welfare are life expectancy, literacy, schooling, participation in the labor force, participation in parliament and other forms of governance, and professional accomplishment.

The situation, she said, has been worsening with the issuance of 41 sharia-inspired bylaws in several regions that discriminate against women and limit their activities. Supporters of the bylaws argue they are designed to protect women and bolster morality.

Indian activist and scholar Haseena Hashia said that while Indian women in general faced many difficulties, Muslim women suffered more. Of India's total population of about 700 million, 13.4 percent are Muslim, making it the second largest religion after Hinduism.

The challenges faced by Indian Muslim women, she said, included very low literacy and education rates, no political participation and no role in policy making, poor health conditions, polygamy and trafficking.

Activists also said that the situation for women in Pakistan is made worse due to the Hudood Ordinances that have been quite the heavy debate as of late.

This is interesting and I take it more seriously as women activists from South Asia are speaking out about issues that affect their own lives. You know as opposed to when George Bush talks about women's right's issues in Muslim territories to justify military aggression.

via Jakarta Post.

Posted by Samhita - September 12, 2006, at 02:37AM | in Activism , International

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