Women Living Under Muslim Laws Newsletter

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Women Living Under Muslim Laws is currently inviting short, personal reflective articles for our forthcoming newsletter. Submissions are welcome from all activists and researchers, especially from newer networkers and emerging activists.

Articles should be submitted by 3 July 2007 on one of the following topics:

(1) How do you, in the course of activism and research in your respective contexts, deal with charges of ‘disloyalty’ to your country, religion, government and/or culture when criticising or questioning specific aspects of prevailing laws and practices? While we do not anticipate this being the experience of all networkers and activists, some may find that they frequently have to justify themselves against allegations that they are being disloyal by exposing human rights violations where they see them. This may be particularly pertinent in situations where, for example, activists defend the rights of religious minorities in their country against attacks or intimidation. Others may find they are accused of playing into the hands of ‘outsiders’ and ‘Islamophobes’. What have your experiences been?

(2) How we clothe ourselves each day depends on many factors including: personal choice, familial expectations, occupation, state regulations, religious denomination, prevailing customs, age, gender and marital status. Currently, the issue of headscarves and face veils have been hotly debated in courts, in the media, and amongst individuals. To what extent do you see the politics of clothing impacting upon your daily life? How do issues of dress and veiling affect your activism?

(3) Reflecting on the first half of 2007, what would you say have been the most pressing issues facing women in your community, city, country, or region? How have you responded to the challenges faced and what are the major obstacles or successes you have encountered?

* Each short piece should be maximum 400 words in length (about 1 page single-spaced).

* Entries must be submitted by 3 July 2007 to pubs@wluml.org. The subject line should read: REFLECTIONS

* Any photographs of yourself, for example at recent events or conferences, are also welcome though not required.

* You might begin the piece with a brief introduction about yourself and your work. Use a few specific examples to illustrate your point.

* This is a personal reflection not a report, so the language can be relatively informal and can edited for grammar.