WISE Honors the 100th International Women's DayWISE was proud to honor the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8, 2011. WISE recognizes the many women, past and present, who have worked to overcome injustice in order to pursue their aspirations and pave the way for other women and men to do the same. Please read WISE's statement on International Women's Day here. |
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WISE and YOUR stories In honor of International Women's Day, WISE solicited stories offering insight into the variety of experiences shared by Muslim women. WISE also partnered with the Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) and other organizations for an event on March 29 entitled "HERstory Month: Stories of the Forgotten," which featured stories from women whose voices are not often heard. Below is an excerpt from a story by Kameeza Nizam-Chattoo featured in AAFSC's Stories of the Forgotten collection. To read more stories gathered by WISE and AAFSC, please click here. I was only 8 years old when my mother and father made the decision that my mother would make the journey to the U.S. to work and hopefully afterward, sponsor our family to come to America ... She called every week to speak with us and ask[ed] how we were. "Are you eating enough?" "Why do you look like you lost weight?" "Are you using lotion? Your skin looks dry." On and on the questions went about our well being. Not once did my mother mention how she was suffering, how lonely she was, and how she went without food so that she could save money to send for us. Toward the end of each conversation we would say, "Bye, I love you," drop the phone and run back to play cricket with our neighbors, oblivious to the fact that on another continent, my mother’s heart was breaking. |
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Calls to ActionAround the world many women endure the unjust hardship of gender inequality that often gives way to human rights abuses. Join WISE in not only raising awareness on such cases but ensuring these women are afforded justice and dignity. Please kindly send us YOUR suggestions for Calls to Action to be included in our newsletters. LIBYA: Safety of Iman Al-Obeidi On March 26 Libyan lawyer Iman Al-Obeidi burst into a hotel in Tripoli, where international media outlets were gathered, and began to express her account of being held prisoner and gang raped by 15 members of Moammar Qaddafi's armed forces. Iman was swiftly taken away and confined until April 4. Iman claims her safety is continuously threatened by the government. TAKE ACTION and sign a petition to call for the Turkish government, which has successfully negotiated with Libya for the release of foreign journalists, to ensure Iman's safety and return to her family as well as for an investigation into her alleged rape and abuse. Source: Avaaz.org AFGHANISTAN: Independence of Women's Shelters The Ministry of Justice in Afghanistan has drafted a regulation that would give the government control of women's shelters. Government representatives would determine who is eligible to enter the shelters and prohibit women and girls from leaving the centers without government permission. In addition, women and girls will be forced to take mandatory medical exams to detect sexual activity. TAKE ACTION and ensure Afghan women's shelters are kept independent from government and in the best interest of women and girls. Source: Amnesty International NIGERIA: Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Institutions In the Delta State of Nigeria sexual harassment in higher education institutions is rampant. According to a petition sponsored by the Nigerian women's empowerment organization Delta Women, 80 percent of female students are at one point harassed by either fellow male classmates or lecturers in the Nigerian Delta State. Due to cultural attitudes, many women and girls are reluctant to speak out about the abuse as they are often viewed as the guilty party. TAKE ACTION and call on authorities to pass laws and university policies to protect female students from sexual harassment. Source: Care2.com |
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Other WISE News ASMA Executive Director Daisy Khan was honored at a "Noisemaker" luncheon on March 29 by More, a US-based women's magazine, which profiled Daisy in its February issue. Daisy spoke on women's activism in the current uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa. WISE woman Nadia Al-Sakkaf, recently visited ASMA's office in New York. Nadia spoke at a March 28th event organized by the Overseas Press Club of America and co-sponsored by the Newswomen's Club of New York on the recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa with a focus on press freedom and women's rights as well as the prospects of democracy in the region. Nadia is Editor-in-Chief of Yemen Times, the first and most-widely read English-language newspaper in Yemen. The OIC (Organization of the Islamic Congress) Journal published an article about WISE's collaboration with the Noor Educational Community and Development Organization (NECDO) to train and mobilize imams, or religious leaders, on women's rights in Afghanistan. The article can be found in the online version of the OIC Journal: (on page 53). |
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From the WISE NetworkEach month WISE honors the accomplishments of WISE women, whose talents take shape in many forms, and celebrates the successes and activities of women's groups that continue to empower women. Please kindly send us updates on YOUR achievements to be included in our newsletters.
WISE women Bilkisu Yusuf, from Nigeria, and Leila Asadi, from Iran, participated in the United Nations' 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Every year representatives of UN member states meet to review women's social and economic progress and establish steps for furthering women's advancement. On February 26 WISE women Thoraya Obaid and Wajeeha Al-Baharna participated in a celebration of UN Women, a new United Nations body dedicated to addressing women's issues. The event, co-sponsored by the Women's Learning Partnership and the New School's Center for Public Scholarship and Gender Studies program hosted a panel of women's rights leaders and activists who shared their views on women's challenges in the field and the future of the new UN initiative. |
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