Academic Analyses

Role of Man

The Role of Men in Islamic States

Excerpt: Men need to be held accountable so that their actions and attitudes are examined also in the light of social and cultural norms, policies and practices, and not just biology. Norms, policies and practices can and do change; Women and men need to work together for greater gender equality and not merely blame each other for the inequalities and inequities. This means that men's awareness needs to be raised concerning the causes and results  of their attitudes and actions on the … [Read More...]

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Case of Gulnaz: A Legal Analysis

  When 5000 signatures promulgated a presidential decree from Karzai to release Gulnaz, women's organizations were shocked at the generous options that given to Gulnaz by justice officials: either remain in prison or marry her rapist. The choices presented were shamelessly justified and draped with sympathy that in a country like Afghanistan, those were Gulnaz's best options. The crime of rape, is one that remains under-reported and often when reported, wrongly conflated with zina … [Read More...]

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Petition to Stop Stoning in Afghanistan

Click on the link below to access a legal analysis of this issue: Stop Stoning, Islamic Legal Analysis Background and Key Points KEY POINTS 1. Running away is not the equivalent of zina, nor can it be regarded as proof of zina. According to the Quran, zina is proved through the unequivocal testimonies of 4 male, credible Muslim witnesses to the actual act of penetration. Moreover, the testimonies must corroborate with each other as to the actual act, taking place at the same location … [Read More...]

Pakistan Domestic Violence

Toolkit: Re-reading Quran 4:34, on wife beating

Background Tawhid is a concept that establishes the pre-eminence of God. This is the foundational principle of Islam; no one person is superior over another and God is superior over all. Therefore, the dominance of men over women is based on a very arbitrary hierarchy that is contrary to the concept of Tawhid. Male authority and female servility diminishes the absoluteness of God’s Sovereignty and it also contradicts the Qur’an’s repeated depiction of the ideal marital relationship as … [Read More...]

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What does women’s empowerment really mean?

When women resist, this is an indication that the relationships between them and those who dominate them,are shifting and changing. But sometimes, their resistance is not just a reaction against those who dominate them. We should not always think of women’s resistance as an opposition against men. Sometimes their resistance is an attempt to participate in the market (being able to buy products and services as a way of improving their lives) or participate in the activities of the middle … [Read More...]

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