FEMINISTS CALL FOR CHANGE IN THE CULTURE OF PATRIARCHY

“In order to ensure freedom of religion, freedom of lifestyle, and freedom of choice based on international human rights law, we must fight for secular, democratic, inclusive societies, where women of all orientations-- and men for that matter—can have the right to interpret their religion, can have the right to claim their religion as they see it. Otherwise, someone will always be defining religion for us.”

These were the remarks of Yakin Ertürk, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, speaking at a symposium on eliminating violence against women in Muslim societies held on March 1, 2005 in New York, NY, USA. The symposium was organised by Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace, an organisation based in Maryland, USA with networks in many Muslim countries.

The symposium gathered together Islamic women working within their own societies marked by the dominance of one religion, as well as those working withing the United Nations system. All acknowledged however, that interpretations of that religion varied from country to country, to the detriment or gain of the women living in these societies. It was held in time for the review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action during the 49th session of the Commission of the Status of Women from 28 February to 11 March 2005.

“The problem is, yes, we have all these cultural and traditional obstacles, but there are things that can be done straightaway which aren't being done, and we have to lobby for that” said Ayesha Imam,Chief of Culture, Gender and Human Rights Branch, United Nations Population Fund.

Sakena Yacoobi, founder and president, Afghan Institute of Learning, stressed the importance of education in making people informed of their rights and empowering them to ask for change. “If women always question and know about our rights, the state has to do something about it.”

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, United Nations Development Fund for Women said that women should be able to use to their advantage the information and communication technologies to build networks and to create 'communities of change'. She cited how women lobbying for the passage of legislation on domestic violence law in Turkey was helped by experience shared by Malaysian activists on how they had their own domestic violence law passed.

The speakers stressed the importance of countering and transforming the culture of patriarchy, whether in Islam or in any other religion or cultural tradition.

“Since the invention of “gender,” [the analysis of] patriarchy went out of the window...We lost a great deal of what gender relationships are all about. We started to talk about 'gender' without knowing what we were talking about. And now today we are again trying to understand that unequal relationship: the definition of masculinity and femininities within a patriarchal ideology which is entrenched in our psyche, in our consciousness, in our institutions in, our whole world view,” remarked Ertürk.

Yacoobi, on being asked about how traditional Islamic law, known commonly as Sharia, should be interpreted, recommended that women should have to find Islamic scholars who can interpret the law in a way that acknowledges the rights of women.

Nevertheless, Imam said, “it doesn't matter in whose name injustice is being done, we have to be able to fight it.”