[fund] promotion and application of religious laws

Saudi authorities have arrested an activist who launched a campaign to challenge a ban on women driving in the conservative kingdom and posted a video on the internet of her behind the wheel, activists said. The YouTube video, posted on Thursday, has attracted more than 500,000 views and shows Manal Alsharif, who learned to drive in the US,driving her car in Khobar in the oil-producing Eastern Province.

Thank you Mr. President. I am delivering this statement on behalf of Shirkat Gah - Pakistan, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights –Nigeria, IWRAW Asia Pacific, Partners for Law in Development – India, and the Violence is Not our Culture campaign. The Vienna Declaration and Program of Action affirms that “the human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights”. It prioritises the full and equal participation of women in all dimensions of their lives. It calls for the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex as a priority objective of the international community.  It considers that acts of gender-based violence, including those resulting from cultural prejudice, are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person, and must be eliminated. Coupled with the fact that 186 members States of the UN have also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, States are legally obligated to ensure that the social causes of inequality and discrimination against women are eliminated, including those based on social and cultural patterns of conduct that are premised on the inferior or subordinate status of women in family and in public life.

Ce document par Ziba Mir-Hosseini fait partie d’une étude transnationale sur les lois relatives à l’adultère, commanditée par Femmes sous lois musulmanes (WLUML). La tradition juridique islamique traite tout rapport sexuel hors mariage comme un crime. La principale catégorie de crimes de ce type est la zina, qui s’entend de tout rapport sexuel illicite entre un homme et une femme. 

A recent hate campaign has been waged against the London-based academic and imam, Dr Usama Hasan. He has been victimised, accused of apostasy and has received death threats for his comments on evolution and the woman's right to choose whether or not to wear hijab. The Board of the Muslim Women’s Network-UK (http://www.mwnuk.co.uk/) strongly condemns the bullying and harassment of Dr Hasan. 

This report is based on a Musawah research project on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (‘CEDAW’ or ‘the Convention’) that examined States parties’ justifications for their failure to implement CEDAW with regard to family laws and practices that discriminate against Muslim women. 

The Gender Justice Uncovered 2010 Awards ask us to "Seek to identify the best and worst decisions or statements related to gender made in English, Spanish or Portuguese within a judicial process. A jury, made up of three renowned figures will choose the “Gavel” and the “Bludgeon” decisions. The three most sexist decisions will receive bronze, silver and gold Bludgeons and the three decisions that best promote gender equality will receive bronze, silver and gold Gavels. The People’s Choice Awards will be given based on the votes from the public. Those who nominate the winners of the People's Choice Awards will be invited to attend the Awards ceremony in Madrid. Deadline to nominate: April 4, 2011; Deadline to vote: April 25, 2011; The winners will be announced on June 2, 2011 at a very special ceremony!” Justice For Iran has nominated Ayatollah Mohseni Ejei, Iran’s general prosecutor and the majority of Iranian Supreme Court because of their recent unfair and discriminatory decision which discredit women’s right for divorce based on the marriage contract’s conditions. 

طبيبة وجراحة سعودية ناجحة تعمل في الإمارات العربية المتحدة كانت تقطن فيها مع زوجها، العاطل عن العمل، وابنتيها الصغيرتين حتى العام الماضي عندما قام بخداعها وخطف طفلتيها والهرب بهما إلى السعودية ثم طلقها بعد زواج دام أربعة عشر عاماً ومنعها من رؤيتهما منذ ذاك وقام الزوج السابق في المحكمة بتشويه سمعة طليقته وأم ابنتيه بكل ما أوتي من وسع، وبناء على أقواله فقط قررت المحكمة تسليمه حضانة ابنتيهما (تسع وسبع سنوات آنذاك).

 استغل عدد من عضوات مجلس الشعب عن مقاعد الكوتة الحلقة النقاشية، التى عقدها المجلس القومى للمرأة السبت، حول نظم وأساليب العمل البرلمانى، لطرح ما يجول بخاطرهن حول كيفية القيام بدورهن، والمشاكل التى يعانين منها. سألت الكاتبة الصحفية أمينة شفيق، العضوة المعينة فى المجلس: «هل من الضرورى أن تتفرغ عضوة مجلس الشعب للعمل البرلمانى، وهل يسمح لها بالمشاركة فى المظاهرات والوقفات الاحتجاجية، لاسيما إن كان عملها هو الصحافة»، وأجاب عن السؤال المستشار سامى مهران، أمين عام مجلس الشعب، الذى حضر الحلقة بقوله: «الصحفى غير معنى بالتفرغ للعمل البرلمانى، ومن حقه الالتحام بالشعب ما لم يكن عملاً يعاقب عليه القانون».

Other nations and the UN should speak out against a wave of executions in Iran, the Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi and six human rights organizations said today. Shirin Ebadi and the human rights groups called on the Iranian Judiciary and Parliament to institute an immediate moratorium on all executions. At least 86 people have been executed since the start of 2011, according to information received by the six organizations. The groups are Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters without Borders, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the International Federation for Human Rights, and its affiliate, the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights. At least eight of those executed in January were political prisoners, convicted of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) for participating in demonstrations, or for their alleged links to opposition groups.

The Somali Media Women’s Association is a grassroots NGO in Somalia dedicated to increasing the presence of women in the media. They also organize capacity building and empowerment projects.  The founder, Marian Zeila, is currently based in London and leads the organization from abroad.  

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