Finding Equality and Justice Through Islam

In the International Herald Tribune, Zainah Anwar highlights the challenges ahead for those wishing to work toward Musawah, “the global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family.” She explains how this movement is unique, and is often met with skepticism, as it seeks justice and equality for women not through a secular, human rights framework but through the lens of religion. Anwar argues that the decision to ignore religion has allowed “the most conservative forces within Islam to define, dominate and set parameters of what Islam is and what it is not.”

The movement’s aim is to “challenge the use of religion and culture to undo advances in human rights and women’s rights.” One such target is Muslim family laws, which are highly discriminatory and reflect a disconnect from reality. Anwar explains that Musawah provides a diverse collection of tools that “makes it possible to read equality and justice in Islam,” which is “a vital contribution at a time when democracy, human rights and women’s rights constitute the modern ehtical paradigm of today’s world.”