International: Muslim scholars and activists launch a global initiative on gender equality
Source:
Musawah A call for equality and justice "in the Muslim family" is being launched by a group of Muslim scholars and activists who insist that in the 21st century "there cannot be justice without equality" between men and women.
The global movement, Musawah (meaning ‘equality' in Arabic), is being officially launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 13-17 February 2009. The launch includes the public presentation of the Musawah Framework for Action, two years in the drafting, with input from activists and scholars from over 20 countries around the Muslim world.
Approximately 250 scholars and activists from 48 countries are gathered in Kuala Lumpur for the meeting, which features UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women Yakin Ertürk as a keynote speaker.
Musawah's declarations on the necessity and possibility of equality:
"Musawah declares that equality in the family is necessary because many aspects of our family laws are neither tenable in contemporary circumstances nor defensible on Islamic grounds. Not only do they fail to fulfil the Shari‘ah requirement of justice, they also do not respond to the lives and experiences of Muslim families and are now being used to deny women and men dignified choices in life. Even laws that are more equitable are under threat.
"Musawah declares that equality in the family is possible through a framework that is consistent with Islamic teachings, universal human rights principles, fundamental rights guarantees, and the lived realities of women and men. Muslim laws and practices must reflect justice, which is the indisputable objective of the Shari‘ah. They must also uphold equality, which is an essential part of today’s understanding of justice. Today’s Muslim family laws are human interpretations of the Shari‘ah, based on juristic theories and assumptions. Therefore, they can change in accordance with the changing realities of time and place and contemporary notions of justice."
For more information on Musawah, and to access resource books and kits, visit their website: http://www.musawah.org/
