“How do you combat ridiculous gender segregation in your communities?” The female representative of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission asked KARAMAH executive director Aisha Rahman on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014. Ms. Fauzia Nawabi shared that, in her experience living in Afghanistan, batterers wore Armani suits, while politicians wives were constantly regulated with regards to where they could go and how they could dress.
The questions were well-thought out and pressing during a visit from 18 Afghanistan women’s rights leaders. Among the delegation were women and men who are prosecutors, judges, grassroots advocates and community leaders. All of the leaders were working to examine the status of women’s rights in the United States, as well as various approaches to countering gender based violence. The meeting was focused on KARAMAH’s research, outreach and advocacy work to promote human rights and gender equity.
During the meeting, Ms. Rahman spoke about the KARAMAH’s scholarship surrounding the “two women to one man as a witness” claim generally used to prove the lesser nature of women in some communities, including Afghanistan. “In Islam,” she said, “we’re not fighting for equality, but equity. God created us to be different, but we are all created from the same nafs. We are of the same soul, and because because He breathed of His soul into all humans, our value before God is the same..”
She then continued to discuss not only gender differences, but differences of race and ethnicity: “We at KARAMAH govern ourselves from the diversity principle found in the Qur’an. God tells us that humans are made into different nations and tribes so that we may know one another.” The female representatives in the room lit up at such an observation, and it pushed out further questions.
Ms. Rahman also spoke to the state of women’s rights in marriage. “Women are actually given more rights in marriage, and KARAMAH teaches about the marriage contract and rights given to women within marriage at our annual summer program. It is also a focus of our lectures around the world. In Islam, women, not men, are given a gift (mahr) at the beginning the marriage.”
Ms. Rahman then spoke to combatting gender issues within Muslim communities: “We have found that working with imams and speaking on the issues is more effective than attempting to have women’s rights organizations do so. The primary goal is to work with imams to figure out perspectives. A lot of imams and those speaking from community pulpits aren’t the most knowledgeable about Islam, and we have to first teach them, then continue it forward.”
This delegation, just as the ones that come before it, was educating and enlightening for KARAMAH. Speaking with and learning from Muslims all over the world informs our work and ensures that we prioritize our work according to the needs of the community. KARAMAH hopes to continue to expand its network through these meetings.
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