By Nasser Arrabyee, Correspondent
Sana'a: The Yemeni Women's Union has refused to honour a fatwa issued earlier this week banning women from participating in public and political affairs and from running for election under a quota system.
The union, an NGO supported by the government, said the fatwa issued by some religious scholars was aimed at reducing the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society.
The fatwa was circulated within a booklet titled The letter of Yemen's clerics on the women's quota at a conference earlier this week by a group of religious scholars.
The clerics forbade calls for a quota system in elections which aims to help women get into parliament.
The clerics say in their booklet it is haram for women to be members of parliament or hold any other leading position.
The clerics also warned women not to leave their homes.
In reaction to the fatwa, the women's union cited many Quranic verses and hadith (the Prophet's sayings) to contradict the fatwa and prove that women have equal rights in political life to men.
In a strongly worded statement, the women's union accused the authors of the fatwa of defaming women and of offending their honour, dignity and decency.
"Those who persecute or draw into temptation the believers, men and women, and do not turn in repentance, will face the penalty of hell," the statement said, citing from the Quran.
'No superiority'
Everything in this booklet contradicts Islam, which gives women absolute equality with men, said the statement, denying any superiority of men over women.
The statement cited from the Quran, "Mankind, we created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other, verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you and Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted."
The instructions and doctrines of Islam do not differentiate between men and women, said the statement, calling on the clerics to treat women fairly.
"The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another, they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil, they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity and obey Allah and his messenger, on them will Allah pour his mercy for Allah is exalted in power," the statement cited from the Quran.
In reaction to the fatwa, the women's union cited many Quranic verses and hadith [the Prophet's sayings] to contradict the fatwa and prove that women have equal rights in political life to men.
---Gulf News
Showing posts with label unions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unions. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Yemen: Women's union in Yemen slams clerics for issuing 'defamatory decree'
By Nasser Arrabyee, Correspondent
Sana'a: A women's union in Yemen slammed a religious decree issued by a group of clerics earlier in July, 2008, banning female participation in public life.
The Yemeni Women Union, a non-governmental organisation supported by the government, said the decree reduces the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society.
Quoting verses from Quran and Hadiths (the prophet's saying), they refuted the decree and proved that women have all the right to political life.
In a strongly worded statement, the union accused the clerics of defaming women.
---Gulf News
Sana'a: A women's union in Yemen slammed a religious decree issued by a group of clerics earlier in July, 2008, banning female participation in public life.
The Yemeni Women Union, a non-governmental organisation supported by the government, said the decree reduces the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society.
Quoting verses from Quran and Hadiths (the prophet's saying), they refuted the decree and proved that women have all the right to political life.
In a strongly worded statement, the union accused the clerics of defaming women.
---Gulf News
Friday, May 2, 2008
Tunisia: Meeting promotes female journalists in union leadership
A Tunisian journalist gives a presentation at a recent meeting in Tunis organised to advocate women journalists' participation in professional unions.
At a recent meeting in Tunis, women journalists from across the Maghreb announced an upcoming campaign called "Women in Union Leadership". The initiative aims to encourage women to participate in unions and to "promote to decision-making positions inside these unions through training, networking, communication and formation of pressure groups".
The forum, held April 17th-19th, was organised by the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Attendees participated in a series of dialogues in which women journalists representing 14 Arab countries and Iran related their experiences in unions and leadership.
"The message of our meeting is clear – to encourage women journalists in the Arab region to join unions, to take part in their elections, and to run for leadership positions," Algerian Sarah Bouchetob told Magharebia.
Bouchetob, who is responsible for Arab world projects, said that she is already optimistic about developments in Tunisia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. She added that she looks forward to the next elections in Algeria, "so that we may see whether we have advanced in a good way".
At the last conference of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists held in January, three out of nine victors were women. In Morocco last March, five women acceded to the 19-member panel at the head of the journalists' syndicate.
Many attending the conference said, however, that conditions of female journalists are still below expectations in some countries. Journalist Adel Bouhlal said Tunisia has women who "enjoy enough professionalism and competency to lead and make decisions", but there has yet to be a single woman editor-in-chief, in either official or privately-owned newspapers.
Mounia Belafia, Vice-Secretary-General of the Moroccan National Press Syndicate, told Magharebia there are still "pockets of resistance" in Arab society keeping women from these positions of authority. Opponents of gender equality attempt to minimise what they view as risks by ideologically exploiting women, she added.
"There are many calls... to make women wear veils," she said, "but [also] calling for allowing women to take off their clothes in order to exploit them. We find ourselves with a choice of two traps; the first is the veiling and hiding, and the other is pornography and sexuality. Both are different forms of extremism," she said.
The meeting concluded with the identification of a set of goals and principles on which the journalist unions and syndicates will work in co-operation with the FIJ. The most prominent of these goals is "the need to increase the representation of women journalists in leadership positions in the unions and associations, with the adoption of a quota system. This is in addition to the enhancement of abilities of women journalists in unions through training."
Participants in the meeting agreed on the need "to involve male colleagues in all gender-related issues, enhance the union policies and trends in order to guarantee union rights of women journalists, and to protect them against all forms of violence and harassment they face in their work. This is in addition to ensuring the integration of the social gender approach in collective bargaining and common agreements."
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis
At a recent meeting in Tunis, women journalists from across the Maghreb announced an upcoming campaign called "Women in Union Leadership". The initiative aims to encourage women to participate in unions and to "promote to decision-making positions inside these unions through training, networking, communication and formation of pressure groups".
The forum, held April 17th-19th, was organised by the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Attendees participated in a series of dialogues in which women journalists representing 14 Arab countries and Iran related their experiences in unions and leadership.
"The message of our meeting is clear – to encourage women journalists in the Arab region to join unions, to take part in their elections, and to run for leadership positions," Algerian Sarah Bouchetob told Magharebia.
Bouchetob, who is responsible for Arab world projects, said that she is already optimistic about developments in Tunisia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. She added that she looks forward to the next elections in Algeria, "so that we may see whether we have advanced in a good way".
At the last conference of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists held in January, three out of nine victors were women. In Morocco last March, five women acceded to the 19-member panel at the head of the journalists' syndicate.
Many attending the conference said, however, that conditions of female journalists are still below expectations in some countries. Journalist Adel Bouhlal said Tunisia has women who "enjoy enough professionalism and competency to lead and make decisions", but there has yet to be a single woman editor-in-chief, in either official or privately-owned newspapers.
Mounia Belafia, Vice-Secretary-General of the Moroccan National Press Syndicate, told Magharebia there are still "pockets of resistance" in Arab society keeping women from these positions of authority. Opponents of gender equality attempt to minimise what they view as risks by ideologically exploiting women, she added.
"There are many calls... to make women wear veils," she said, "but [also] calling for allowing women to take off their clothes in order to exploit them. We find ourselves with a choice of two traps; the first is the veiling and hiding, and the other is pornography and sexuality. Both are different forms of extremism," she said.
The meeting concluded with the identification of a set of goals and principles on which the journalist unions and syndicates will work in co-operation with the FIJ. The most prominent of these goals is "the need to increase the representation of women journalists in leadership positions in the unions and associations, with the adoption of a quota system. This is in addition to the enhancement of abilities of women journalists in unions through training."
Participants in the meeting agreed on the need "to involve male colleagues in all gender-related issues, enhance the union policies and trends in order to guarantee union rights of women journalists, and to protect them against all forms of violence and harassment they face in their work. This is in addition to ensuring the integration of the social gender approach in collective bargaining and common agreements."
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Middle East: Arab women journalists launch campaign for leadership
During a regional meeting Saturday (April 19th) in Tunis, women journalists from Arab countries and Iran decided to launch a campaign for leadership positions in their countries' journalist unions, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Monday.
According to figures revealed at the event, the share of women in national unions' leadership varies from 0% in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine to 26% in Morocco and 33% in Tunisia.
IFJ Gender Equality Officer Pamela Moriniere was quoted as saying that "journalist unions need to recruit more women, make it easier for women activists to participate in union affairs and generalise gender equality in union policies and actions".
-- Magharebia
According to figures revealed at the event, the share of women in national unions' leadership varies from 0% in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine to 26% in Morocco and 33% in Tunisia.
IFJ Gender Equality Officer Pamela Moriniere was quoted as saying that "journalist unions need to recruit more women, make it easier for women activists to participate in union affairs and generalise gender equality in union policies and actions".
-- Magharebia
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