Fundamentalisms
are on the rise around the world with negative consequences for women’s rights.
In a broad sense fundamentalism can be understood as a selective and rigid
interpretation, and imposition, of religious laws and sacred texts as a basis
for ordering a society and political control. However religious fundamentalism
is not a monolithic entity – there are a wide range of fundamentalisms around
the world, covering different religions, each drawing on specific ‘traditional’
cultural ideologies and practices in order to uphold a moral or political
agenda.
There have recently been a number of shocking attacks on women given high
profile in the international news – including the abduction of nearly 300 girls
in Nigeria by Boko Haram, a Sudanese woman given the death sentence for
refusing to renounce Christianity and a very visible ‘honour killing’ of a
woman on the steps of the Lahore High Court. Violence Against Women, and a
general lack of respect for the principles of human rights, is a common feature
of fundamentalisms. The issue of women – especially imposing control around
their roles, movements and bodies – is one of the central focuses of all
fundamentalist discourses.
This guide features a handful of excellent resources on this difficult and
broad issue including: practical guidance on fundamentalisms for human rights
activists; regional studies into Christian and Islamic fundamentalist
discourses around sexual and reproductive health and rights; recommendations on
broadening understanding and developing more nuanced approaches to tackling
fundamentalisms; an overview of women’s rights in the Middle East and North
Africa region.
Understanding
Religious Fundamentalisms for Activists
Association for Women's Rights in Development, 2014
This user-friendly resource manual was created for rights
activists facing religious fundamentalist opposition to their work. It brings
together the innovative research and analysis produced by the Association for
Women In Development...
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, 2013
The year 2014 was meant to be the year that ended the
Program of Action adopted by the Cairo Conference for Population and
Development (ICPD) in 1994. The document was a paradigm shift in understanding
and framing reproductive health ...
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Under the Veil: Women and Muslim Fundamentalism in MENA
S. Greiff 2014
This short document provides a general picture of the
situation of Muslim fundamentalisms and women in the Middle East and North
Africa. Even though similarities can be drawn between different movements all
over the region, in truth, ...
Not
As Simple As ABC: Christian Fundamentalisms and HIV and AIDS Responses in
Africa
J. Horn / Association for Women's Rights in Development,
2012
HIV and AIDS remains a starkly gendered epidemic in the
African region. Sub-Saharan Africans represent 68 percent of HIV+ people
globally, with an average of 13 women infected for every 10 men. While men as a
group have lower prevalen...
Extremism
As Mainstream: Implications For Women, Development & Security In The MENA /
Asia Region
Association for Women's Rights in Development, 2014
Religious extremism is spreading throughout the Middle East
and Muslim majority contexts, with profound consequences for social, regional
and global security. The response by many countries has been primarily
militarised. There has be...
The
Holy See at the United Nations: Church or State?
Catholics for Choice, 2013
This three-minute video explains what the Holy See—the
government of the Catholic church and the representative of a mere 600 Vatican
residents—does with its position as the only religion with the privileges of a
state at th...
Two
Website Links Above Provide Additional Resources.