|
The Muslim Brotherhood...Returning Egypt to an Age without Law
The Egyptian Center For Women's Rights
Controversial mock presidential elections were held by the youth of the Muslim Brotherhood in order to form an Islamic government that works as a model of administrating the state under a civil Islamic government. The elections became controversial when the idea was raised to nominate a woman for the presidency. Moreover, the administration of the "Muslim Brotherhood's Youth Forum," which was responsible for running the elections, refused the request of the forum's Muslim Sisters’ group to be nominated to the presidency. The website's administration declared its insistence to adhering to Islamic law, which states that women are not allowed to be nominated as presidents of a state.
ECWR completely opposes the group's stance towards women's nomination as presidents of state. It believes that the group's stance is a threat to the ideals of the country‘s laws and to the concept of citizenship. Moreover, it returns Egypt to an era before the law existed, for it contradicts article 40 of the Constitution that states, "All citizens are equal before the law. They have equal public rights and duties without discrimination between them due to race, ethnic origin, language, religion or creed". Moreover, this action also opposes the first article of the Constitution that assures the concept of citizenship and the second article that considers Islamic law as the main source of legislation. This stance of the Muslim Brotherhood does not express Islamic virtues, for Islam honors women and basic to it is equality between men and women in bearing responsibilities and punishments. Depriving women of participating in the society is not acceptable, for the main criterion is the ability to bear responsibilities, regardless of gender or religion.
And this justification is not accepted as there are many Egyptian women who effectively participate in all spheres of life and in all positions that require extraordinary intellectual and physical efforts.
ECWR believes that there is no reason to prevent the application of citizenship standards, or any justifications for any discrimination among Egyptians on the basis of gender, religion, race, color or background.
ECWR also praises the act of the forum's girls whom had been refused to participate in the elections, as "they confirmed that there is no Islamic law that prevents women candidacy, and that the general power cannot be applied in an institutional state like Egypt”. They presented a high level of discussion that referred to their deep thoughts and vision that confirms their right to politically participate with people who encourage political life in Egypt and not just use religion for other purposes.
|
|
Congratulations! Another International Position goes to a Woman
Shaikha Mai bint Mohammad Al Khalifa
The Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has named the new Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee. The Committee nominated Shaikha Mai bint Mohammad Al Khalifa by acclamation. She will chair the Committee up to and including its next session which will be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in June 2011.
The World Heritage Committee, responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, comprises representatives of 21 countries, elected by the States Parties for four years. Each year, the Committee adds new sites to the List and examines reports on the State of Conservation of inscribed sites and asks States Parties to take appropriate conservation and preservation measures when necessary. The Committee supervises the World Heritage Fund, which is used, among other purposes, for emergency action, training of experts and encouraging technical cooperation.
www.unesco.org
|
|
|
The UK Coalition Government’s Education Bill
This bill has roused a good deal of controversy, not least over the speed with which it has been introduced. WWAFE is extremely concerned to ensure that girls and boys:
1. Progress through the same national curriculum and no subjects are eliminated or modified on grounds of the child’s gender.
2. Work together with all children from their community regardless of ethnicity, religion or race, and learn to respect others’ point of view.
3. Learn to consider new ideas but are protected from teaching of extremist or idiosyncratic themes (such as Creationism).
4. Acquire literacy in reading and writing, their legal and human rights, how their bodies work (including reproduction), basic personal finance.
The Government’s new bill is not reassuring on these points.
Academies set up to promote a particular faith and funded by local authorities will have the right to discriminate against both pupils and staff on religious grounds. Any increase in these schools must surely increase religious and social segregation. New Faith Academies, indeed, can take 100% pupils on the basis of religion. Not all religions are committed to universal human rights, especially with regard to the rights of women.
In addition, the new government has announces that it will ensure that schools have greater freedom over the curriculum, and has also announced that it will not be implementing the new primary curriculum proposed by the previous government which, among other things, included evolution for the first time. The British Humanist Association is concerned that this will mean that there will be less evolution taught in schools and a greater risk that some schools, particularly ‘faith schools’, may try to introduce creationism into the science classroom. (BHA ebulletin 10/8/10)
WWAFE is also cautious regarding Secretary of State Michael Gore’s assurance that ‘extremist groups’ will not be allowed to run free schools. How will this be guaranteed? Andrew Copson, Chief Secretary of the British Humanist Association, commented: ‘There is nothing in the Academies Act itself that will prevent children being exposed to religious indoctrination, nor to stop any particular group from applying to run a state-funded free school. We want to see the government introduce robust safeguards, such as legislative change and statutory guidance, to support today’s assurance’.
|
|
|
WWAFE sends hearty congratulations to our volunteer Clemmie Jack, who has gained a First in her finals this summer.
Clemmie read Spanish and Portugese at Kings College, London.
|
|
|
Future of WNC
Uncertain!
The UK Women’s National Commission was founded in 1969 to ‘ensure the informed opinion of women [was] given its due weight in the deliberation of government’. I served as a Commissioner in past decades under splendid women Chairs. Indeed, I went last week to a birthday party for Valerie Evans, the last elected Chair of WNC. We campaigned for equal pay, pensions and perks. We argued for separate taxation for married couples, fair divorce, settlements, help for single parents etc etc. Win some, lose some.
The future of WNC is now in doubt, in view of the UK’s appalling debts. We hope the UK Equality Commission will take up this work.
Elizabeth Sidney
|
|
|
We send affectionate congratulations to Baroness Shirley Williams on her 8oth birthday. Shirley is a former member of the Gang of Four who left the Labour Party to form the Social Democrat Party, which later merged with the Liberals to form the Liberal Democrats.
Shirley’s support for equality for women has never wavered. She has spoken countless times on our equal rights and has campaigned fearlessly against sexism and discrimination. Among many memories of her, one which stands out for me is of her marching through the rain under a seriously decrepit umbrella in 1988 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the granting of the vote to women over 30.
|
|
|
Good news from Palestine is rare these days, so it’s a special pleasure to report the success of three school girls from Nablus. They were chosen to represent Palestine at the International Science and Engineering Fair in California in May.
The girls collected data from organisations that work with visually impaired people to ask them about their basic needs, travelling to Nablus, Toubas and surrounding villages, and even contacted NGOs in the southern area of the West Bank. Then they developed an electronic cane to help visually impaired people get around. The cane has sensors that buzz differently according to the surface ahead and can even indicate when someone is approaching a liquid surface.
The three 14-year-olds are ecstatic to be able to represent Palestine to an American audience.
(www.unrwa.org)
|
|
|
It’s very sad to read about the fate of Amina Muhumed Sirat, working hard at her job as first female Somali district chief in Northeastern Kenya, so much harassed by persistent hostility from the male elders of her community that she had to flee (womensenews 02/08). We salute her, and are sure that in the land of Wangari Maathai she will prevail.
|
|
|
Appeals Court Rules for Iranian Group in Fight with State Department
A federal appeals court in Washington today (16/07/10) ruled that the U.S. State Department must reexamine the government's decision to designate the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran a foreign terrorist group.
The State Department has re-designated the PMOI a foreign terrorist organization several times since 1997, rejecting the group’s repeated assertions that it has disbanded paramilitary activity and disclaimed violence. The department in January 2009 denied the group’s latest petition.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a 22-page judgment today in favor of the PMOI. The court found the State Department did not give the PMOI a fair chance to overturn the listing and had violated due process.
Mrs Maryam Rajavi, President elect of the Iranian Resistance said that the remand to the Secretary of State demonstrates that the terrorist label against the PMOI, and the insistence to continue it, has been merely a political decision in the framework of appeasing the bloodthirsty mullahs. It is based on the illusion of changing the behaviour of the medieval regime ruling Iran.
Mayer Brown partner Andrew Frey, who argued for the PMOI in the appeals court in January, said “The PMOI stands for a democratic, secular, non-nuclear Iran. They stand for everything we’d like to see in Iran.”
|
|
|
Vatican: Female priests as bad as paedophiles
by Jerome Taylor, The Independent, 16/07/10
The Vatican has classified the "attempted ordination" of women as one of the most serious crimes a Catholic priest can commit, putting it on a par with paedophilia, heresy and desecrating the Sacrament.
Anyone found to be ordaining women will be automatically excommunicated under the new rules.
The Vatican also announced new laws to tackle paedophilia, doubling the church's statute of limitations to 20 years and allowing bishops to sack priests without having to resort to a full canonical trial.
|
|
|
On Friday, 2nd July, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to establish
UN Women
a new major unit to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls. This new unit will be headed by an Under Secretary General reporting direct to Ban Ki Moon. It will bring together the diverse UN units concerned with women’s issues:
UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women)
DAW (Division for the Advancement of Women)
INSTRAN (International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women)
OSAGI (Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women)
Bringing these together and coordinating their work more with gender mainstreaming throughout the UN system should the UN and governments to deliver more effectively on their obligations and many commitments to advance gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights.
Particularly notable in the resolution are the paragraphs regarding the importance of civil society participation in the new entity. The body must have increased operational presence at the country level including engagement with women’s groups and other civil society organizations invested in gender equality and the empowerment of women.
As Patricia Licuanan of the Philippines, GEAR focal point in Asia and previous Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women at the time of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing says: “The new gender equality entity will assist countries in their efforts to carry out commitments made in Beijing. Working through the One UN system, we hope to see UN Women taking the lead in engendering the programs of the UN at the country level.”
As the new entity is developed, GEAR supporters will continue to advocate for four major elements critical to its implementation:
• Meaningful, systematic and diverse civil society participation at all levels
• Strong, country-level operational capacity and universal coverage
• Ambitious funding with stable and predictable resources aimed at reaching $1 billion within a few years
• Strong leadership at the top with an Under Secretary-General who combines a global vision with gender equality expertise on the ground.
Background
The GEAR Campaign is a network of over 300 women’s, human rights and social justice groups around the world that have been working for four years to gain UN Member State and UN Secretariat approval for creation of a larger more coherent coordinated UN agency that can advance further the UN’s mandate of working for gender equality as a crucial component of development, human rights, humanitarian concerns, peace and security.
WWAFE rejoices at this huge potential advance in women's human rights worldwide. Hopefully, UN signitory states will speed up implementation of their commitment to CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action and the rights of us all.
To come: Who will lead it?
AND: What will its budget be?
|
|
|
