Women's Voices |
Speaking Global Feminisms
International Women in Black Conference 2005, Jerusalem and Ramallah:
"Women Resist Occupation and War"
1888: STEPPING BEYOND RHETORIC
Kathambi Kinoti, November 11, 2009
On September 30, 2009 the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on sexual violence in situations of armed conflict. Sam Cook, Project Director of PeaceWomen, a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, spoke with AWID about Resolution 1888 and its implications.
AWID: Why is Resolution 1888 So Important?
STATEMENT BY FEMINIST AND WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS
FROM HONDURAS FOLLOWING COUP D'ETAT
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., June 29, 2009
TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES, HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS AND TO THE STATES OF THE WORLD:
On Sunday, June 28, 2009 the democratically elected President of the Republic of Honduras, José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, was assaulted, abducted and sent to the Republic of Costa Rica in the presidential plane guarded by the military, on the basis that he had violated the Constitution of the Republic by implementing a popular consultation via a public opinion survey.
. . .
Given these egregious series of events, we request the support of international development agencies and the international community to demand the reinstatement of the Rule of Law, to demand an end to the prosecution of the members of the cabinet of President Manuel Zelaya Rosales and leaders of social movements and the media, and an end to all types of brutal violence and to prevent the imposition of fascism in our country.
Most Honduran citizens advocate for peace, solidarity and the respect of human rights. We emphatically denounce the complicity shown in these events by the Human Rights Commissioner of Honduras, Dr. Ramón Custodio, before the regional and international human rights organizations and the international community.
"When your World Speaks to my World," Mehdi Boubiya
I watched Barack Obama's speech "to the Muslim world" with a lot of interest, and I must say that, as a person who comes from that "world", I was very pleasantly surprised. I understand some of my fellow Muslims' dissatisfaction, and tendency to remain skeptical, due in large to decades of bluntly biased, aggressive, and unjust U.S policy towards the Middle East, but I believe that Obama's speech needs, first and foremost, to be seen as it was intended to be, and as it was: The first paragraph of a "potential" new chapter, and a first step to highlight the new U.S administration's willingness to break away from its predecessors' policy towards Muslim countries, in the Middle East particularly.
Yes, the speech was broad. Yes, Obama talked about the Muslim world as if it was one single compact entity (which is a debatable concept even amongst Muslims themselves), but how much more could he possibly say in 55 minutes really? And most importantly: Can you name one single Western head of state, in the last 100 years, who did a better job publicly addressing a Muslim audience? Think about it. So why not, instead, focus on the positive sides of his speech? For example, the change of tone towards Israel, and the absence of the traditional U.S rhetoric of unconditional support to this latter. The use of the meaningful word "Palestine", and the strong condemnation of Israeli occupation. The emphasis (although broad) on education and economic empowerment as means to effectively enhance women's rights in the Muslim world. The sight of a U.S president who actually tries to relate to Muslims, one who did his research about their religion, read one thing or two about the history of the Middle East, and "gives a damn" to actually talk honestly to Muslims and take political risks by doing it. Those are all good points that should not be taken for granted or ignored, considering not only where we come from (yes, eight years of Bush), but also, the general atmosphere of Islamophobia that has been quite widespread around the world for many years now.
So while waiting for more updates, and concrete plans from "Abu Hussein" and his administration: I choose to look at the bright side, and I choose to believe. I really do want our two "worlds" to get along.
Assalamu Alaikum.
Mehdi Boubiya is a Program Associate for the Global Fund
for Women's
Middle East North Africa program.
June 24, 2009, http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/cms/index.php
Cindy Domingo, Co-Director of the US Women and Cuba Collaboration, is a founding sister of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), and is active in many social justice organizations in and around Seattle.
Warrior Prose: NAPAWF Interview with Cindy Domingo, by Callista Bevans
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