This blog highlights how women are especially vulnerable for FoRB violations, both because of their gender and their beliefs.
In many parts of Africa and across the Global South, long before formal courts became prevalent, disputes often were first taken to chiefs’ palaces, elders’ councils, or customary and religious authorities. These systems were not only mechanisms of dispute resolution but also spaces where social norms, including religious beliefs, were interpreted and enforced. As such,…
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What is it about the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini that continues to spark unprecedented rage? The truth is that this rage has existed for the 43 years of the Islamic Republic’s reign in Iran, but Mahsa’s murder was the kindling that ignited the largest mass demonstrations, led by women, that have taken place in…
As the persecution worldwide of individuals of all faiths and none continues to worsen, advocating for real change requires the joint effort of individuals from civil society and government from all political and faith perspectives. Luckily, even in the current polarizing political environment in the United States, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) remains a…
Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right of everyone, everywhere. However, state and non-state actors worldwide daily violate this essential right. Women and girls often are the most adversely affected due their gender, ethnicity, faith, challenging economic status, and often restrictive cultural norms. Such is the case in Nigeria, where I live…
Anti-Muslim hysteria is raging across India, swiftly pushing the country on a path to replace secular India with a theocratic Hindu nation (Hindu Rashtra), thereby disavowing the country’s history as the world’s most populous democracy. Abuses each day seek to criminalize, demonize, and marginalize 200 million Indian Muslims (about 14% of the population). Right-wing politicians…
In this video, Emir Kovacevic, former member of the OSCE/ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief, explains that the right to freedom of religion or belief applies to men and women equally. But in practice, many women in the OSCE region face major difficulties in accessing this right. Many harmful practices against…
A lot can happen in eight years. Children learn to walk and talk, tie shoes, and read. Young people come of age, fall in love, get married. Old people turn gray, grow a little wiser, move a little slower. Eight years is enough time to master a skill, build a career, fulfill a dream. On…
Ten years ago, I left a 30-year career with BBC News because I felt that the story of what was happening to, particularly, women who faced the triple vulnerability of their poverty, their sex and their faith (i.e., belonging to the ‘wrong’ faith) was not reported enough (at all?) in our global media. I was…
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde In the name of religion one in four girls are married off as child brides. In NE Nigeria polygamy is rampant and thriving. Honor killings and forced conversions claim about 1000 lives…
Her name was Deborah Yakubu. She was 19 years old, the second of seven children, and a 2nd-year student of economics at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State, northwestern Nigeria. She was a Christian in a part of Nigeria where most identify as Muslim. And now she is dead. On May 12, 2022,…
The plight of a 15-year-old Roman Catholic girl, Saba Masih, abducted by a 45-year-old Muslim man and forced to marry him in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, highlights the threat of forced conversions faced by Pakistan’s religious minorities. Older well-to-do men have been known to coerce poor Christian and Hindu underage girls into marrying them and…
Across many Muslim-majority countries, religion often is invoked to justify discrimination against women and girls. From unequal divorce rights to limited economic protections, these legal frameworks frequently are framed as religiously mandated, and therefore, resistant to reform. However, that is only part of the story. Increasingly, advocates in Muslim-majority countries also are drawing on religious…
Where do you feel safest? Safe enough to share, to express yourself without being judged, erased, or doxed? Why do you feel safe there? What makes it safe for you? Well, in the world we live in today, it is not easy to find spaces where we can be our real selves. The political climate,…
What does it mean to protect women’s religious freedom? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights designates freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) as an individual right, guaranteed alone or in community with others. It is non-derogable, meaning it cannot be restricted on national security or other grounds. Each category of protected FoRB activity – teaching, practice, worship and observance – reflects a person’s ability to exercise agency. Religious freedom for women…
Across continents, Uyghur women are carrying the weight of survival, advocacy, and hope in the face of the Chinese government’s campaign of persecution and repression. They are scholars, organizers, mothers, and leaders who have turned personal loss and exile into collective strength. Two such voices—Rizwangul NurMuhammad and Dr. Dilnur Reyhan—offer a window into how Uyghur…
Turkey, with its iconic sites like the Hagia Sofia museum-mosque and Ottoman palaces, its famous cuisine, fascinating bazaars and Greek, Roman and Byzantine ruins has become one of the top tourist destinations in the world. But at the same time, Turkey is turning into a global travel hub, it has become increasingly repressive under the…
A Gendered Approach to Remedies and Reparations for Yezidi Women August 3rd marks a tragic day for the Yezidi community. On that day in 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) launched one of the most brutal crimes of the 21st century, the genocidal campaign against the Yezidi community in Sinjar, Iraq. While thousands of Yezidi men…
Kunika Kashyap, a 25-year-old Christian tribal woman from Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, was brutally attacked this past January on her way back from visiting an ailing relative. Her assailant was the sarpanch (a constitutionally elected village-level head). Kunika’s family was one of only five Christian families in her village. The assault left her severely injured, and…
While Vietnamese women play essential roles in family, society, and religious life, their contributions remain underrecognized as they face challenges in education, employment, and decision-making as well as intimate partner violence and human trafficking. Yet, there is room for faith-based communities to offer support. An understanding of the factors that shape the status of women…
I was born into peace. My childhood in a village in Jonglei State, South Sudan, was filled with the sounds of birds, laughter, and the rustling of my grandmother Kokok’s cowhide skirt. Life was vibrant and living was communal. I remember following Kokok around, listening to the coins she’d sewn onto her skirt rattle like…
Is working in support of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) incompatible with women’s rights? Or is the opposite the case? That one right strengthens and reinforces the other? I raise these questions about two sets of rights as both a women’s rights and FoRB advocate in Latin America. In recent years, significant positive changes have…
It is risky for organizations largely or solely to depend on one income source. A financially secure organization should have multiple sources of income, including, for example, from income-generating activities, foundation and government grants, and individual donations. An NGO that focuses on women’s empowerment, for example, may generate income by selling handmade crafts their clients…
America’s international religious engagement sought to advance religious freedom abroad and combat religious extremism. The government took on this engagement in two waves. The first was in the 90s when liberals and conservatives united in a common cause on issues such as freedom for Tibetans and protection for religious minorities in Iran. Adapting to this…
In 2009 former President Jimmy Carter delivered a speech via remote video at the 2009 Melbourne Parliament of World Religions with a call to action on women, religion, violence, and power. Five years later President Carter made an important contribution with the publication of his book by the same title, A Call to Action: Women,…
The ancient art of storytelling beguiles. Its importance and impact cannot be overstated. More than mere facts or data, stories convey the essence of our shared humanity, the raw emotions of daily living such as grief, hope, trust, loneliness, and love. A well-crafted story allows us to connect deeply with others, to find meaning, to…
Mapping the unique experiences of women and religious persecution What do these individuals have in common? Gulmira Amin. Wife and moderator of a Uyghur news and cultural website who is imprisoned for her ethnoreligious identity and protesting against the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs. She is serving a 20-year sentence in the Xinjiang Women’s Prison. Mahsa Amini.…
My name is Kimneijou Rosy Lotjem, and I live in Manipur, a state in northeast India. Manipur means land of gems, but these days, we are known more for intense ethnic conflict. Throughout my district of Kangpokpi, thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) find shelter but little hope in overcrowded relief centers. The troubles here…
As a Sikh, I am constantly reminded of how our Sikh Gurus, Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadhur and Guru Gobind Singh, made sacrifices to protect freedom of religion or belief. These spiritual masters of Sikhism helped establish the religion over about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. Defending human rights, but especially…
Under the Taliban, women in Afghanistan face unprecedented threats. According to UN experts, women there face gender apartheid: “Taliban edicts policies and practices” constitute “an institutionalized system of discrimination, oppression and domination of women and girls.” Since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed more than 70 edicts, orders, and decrees…
Russia justifies its vicious and illegal war on Ukraine at home and abroad in religious terms, alleging that it is fighting for the “Russian World” (Russkiye Mir) in a God-ordained “Holy War.” The goal of this war, which began in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea, is that Ukraine, Belarus, and other countries with Russian-speaking…
Despite great advances in gender inclusion over the past fifty years, women are still woefully underrepresented in decision-making across the world. Even worse, Georgetown University’s Women, Peace and Security Index[1] finds that the implementation of gender equality laws has slowed in recent years as the world grapples with ‘compounding and multilayered crises that undermine the…
The Yazidis, an ethno-religious minority, have faced immense persecution. Almost ten years ago, in August 2014 the community was attacked by ISIS. A visit to Iraq in October 2023 revealed harrowing stories of survival and resilience, including this survivor’s account: A Survivor’s Story “I remember dressing Adel in light clothing because of the suffocating heat…
Irene Ibrahim Shehata lives in Egypt. She is a 21-year-old Coptic Christian and was, until recently, a medical student. On January 22, 2024, she was ‘disappeared’ between mid-term exams at Assiut National University. Her stunned family lodged complaints, but the police were hostile and even gave them false leads, wasting precious time and resources. Irene…
The Chinese Communist government’s occupation in 1949 of my homeland East Turkistan, known by the occupiers as Xinjiang – meaning “New Frontier,” marked the beginning of my people’s nightmare and the onset of a dark chapter in human history: the most intricate and technologically advanced model of genocide in our times. Under the guise of…
Women too often are treated as second-class citizens, especially when they assert themselves as men’s equals. In India, women are portrayed as goddesses, but the reality is vastly different. They often are treated as less than human beings, with violence against them on the increase. According to Frontline Magazine, the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) annual report…
Just as women face unique challenges in freedom of religion and belief (FoRB), the projects that seek to address those challenges also face obstacles, not least of which is having sufficient funding to operate. These funding obstacles include: Funding institutions often are siloed across the overlapping issues central to women and FoRB and may…
I don’t know how I got into multi-faith peacebuilding, but what I do know is that it chose me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be working in a field where my faith would be front and center. This journey has been extremely rewarding and life-altering for me. When I was…
Since women account for over half of the world’s population, activists, NGOs, and governments must incorporate gender perspectives when addressing religious freedom violations. Women and girls worldwide face violations of their religious freedom or belief (FoRB). They confront these violations as mothers, wives, family members, workers, organizational leaders, civic leaders, advocates, and volunteers who serve…
FoRB Women’s Alliance will note the publication of books from time to time that focus on issues relevant to women and FoRB. Tears of Gold by Hannah Rose Thomas, a British artist and human rights activist, will be published in February 2024 with publisher profits donated to relevant charities. Tears of Gold features Thomas’ portraits…
In September 2023, Iran’s parliament (majlis) passed the Bill to Protect the Family by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab. This new law gives Iran’s government greater legal authority for its repression by expanding the scope of explicitly forbidden religious practice and expression. As a result of this new law, Iranians – particularly women…
In September 2022, Muhammad Naeem Chatta Qadri urged a raucous crowd gathered in a small town in Punjab, Pakistan to kill all pregnant Ahmadi Muslim women and make sure that no new Ahmadis are born. Qadri, who belongs to the far-right extremist political party Tehreek-e-Labaik, also had proclaimed that any newborn Ahmadi “insolents” would not…
Only a few years ago, little information was available about how freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and women’s equality relate to each other. Many assumed that the two rights were contradictory, if not antagonistic. The information about their intersection that did exist largely was found in academic and policy publications and usually focused on…
For over 30 years, Artsakh women have survived fierce territorial wars for the right to self-determination and to maintain their Christian and Armenian identities. With husbands and sons defending their territory amidst the first Artsakh war, a shift in traditional gender identity began, making women household heads, breadwinners, caretakers of families, and property defenders. With…
The indigenous Christian Armenian population cherishes the small South Caucasus enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh which they know as Artsakh. Because Armenians were the first nation to accept Christianity as their state religion in 301 AD, Artsakh’s picturesque, rugged terrain of mountains, rich natural beauty, and breathtaking valleys are dotted with centuries-old Christian Armenian cathedrals and monasteries. Since last…
Although Turkish women come from different walks of life – religiously observant to secular, traditional to modern, conservative to progressive – they increasingly feel the need to join forces to confront misogyny and the pervasive inequality that characterizes Turkey’s deepening patriarchy. Under the two-decade rule of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP), women’s rights…
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights addresses, not “FoRB” (the abbreviation of Freedom of Religion or Belief), but Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion/Belief. Article 18 holds that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his [sic] religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or…
Men dominate most positions of power in Nigeria. Conservative and patriarchal religious beliefs and practices in both Islam and Christianity, that often are more about culture than religion, normalize women assuming few, if any, positions of power and authority in the country. Religious leadership, including in religion, is firmly in men’s hands. Many Nigerians learn…
Social enterprises–organizations and businesses tackling social problems with a mission to uplift and improve people, the environment, or their community–can be both for-profit or non-profit. Socially responsible enterprises, whether non-profits, civil society groups, or NGOs, use creative, sustainable business strategies to meet and achieve social change. Socially responsible enterprises are one of the “largest movements…
This June marks the 40th anniversary of the Iranian government’s execution of 10 Baha’i women. Their murder underscores the importance of efforts to advance freedom of conscience and gender equality. This campaign for justice touches on many aspects of women’s lives, from the workplace to religious centers to society and the home. Women unfortunately experience…
Amidst a deteriorating economy, political uncertainty and regional challenges in Lebanon, I learned more about the status of women during a recent trip there: while the Lebanese government officially recognizes 18 religious groups, each of these groups has its own laws on “family matters.”[1] Lebanese citizens and legal residents are subject to these “personal status…
With every terror attack, I became more vocal. That was when the debates and writings became more critical. What finally made me come out as atheist was a video of a beheading of a female Christian back in 2013 by boys around my age, speaking my language. It hit me that the time for silence…
The author, a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan, asks why the countries women and girls should be forced to choose between their basic fundamental rights and exile… April 21, 2023 Reprinted with permission from Jurist.org The International Criminal Court (ICC) is tasked with investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for the gravest of crimes — genocide,…
FoRB Women’s Alliance recently released the first global multi-faith analysis of women and FoRB. As a human rights accelerator working at the intersection of women’s rights and freedom of religion or belief, we undertook this research initiative to explore new ways to support and improve collaboration across multiple sectors and frame a narrative that…
Watching or reading the news today is a sobering experience. Yet, even amid a steady stream of tragic events, there are still moments that stop you in your tracks – news that grips your heart, consumes your mind, unsteadies your step. Just days before Christmas, I received word that a Baptist woman in Mexico was…
When I think of the women I know who are defending freedom of religion or belief, I think of the mother raising children, pursuing a PhD, all the while working to strengthen legal efforts to protect religious liberty. I think of the human rights advocate who manages to support efforts in Parliament while directing civil…
My sorrow and frustration were palpable as I read the news that the Taliban has instituted a total ban on girls’ and women’s education, their latest devastating blow targeting women in Afghanistan. Adding their horrific situation to the news of executions imprisonments and protests in Iran, precipitated by the government killing Masha Amini for alleged…
Over three months ago a revolution began in Iran. This revolution was sparked by the death of a 22-year-old young woman, Mahsa Amini. The Iranian authorities killed her. Her “crime” was that she did not wear her hijab in accordance with government standards that mandate that every strand of hair must be covered. We admire the…
What is advocacy? Advocacy is working in support of something (an idea or an issue, for example) with the goal of influencing decisions. Effective advocacy involves understanding what you are working on, whom you are working with, and who is opposing you; crafting appropriate “messages;” and knowing your targeted audience(s). Below are “ten steps to…
Women and girls too often live challenging lives. In some cases, religion can help enhance and enrich their lives. In other cases, religion adds another layer of complexity and danger to their agency: they are considered acceptable targets of violence and other forms of abuse, with religion used to justify these violations. Schoolgirls being kidnapped…
For years, we have read startling stories about the injustices committed against women and girls for their religious beliefs or being members of a marginalized religious communities. From the Uyghur genocide in China where woman undergo forced sterilizations to abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria, there seems to be no shortage of horrific acts that target women…
What is it about the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini that continues to spark unprecedented rage? The truth is that this rage has existed for the 43 years of the Islamic Republic’s reign in Iran, but Mahsa’s murder was the kindling that ignited the largest mass demonstrations, led by women, that have taken place in…
As the persecution worldwide of individuals of all faiths and none continues to worsen, advocating for real change requires the joint effort of individuals from civil society and government from all political and faith perspectives. Luckily, even in the current polarizing political environment in the United States, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) remains a…
Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right of everyone, everywhere. However, state and non-state actors worldwide daily violate this essential right. Women and girls often are the most adversely affected due their gender, ethnicity, faith, challenging economic status, and often restrictive cultural norms. Such is the case in Nigeria, where I live…
Anti-Muslim hysteria is raging across India, swiftly pushing the country on a path to replace secular India with a theocratic Hindu nation (Hindu Rashtra), thereby disavowing the country’s history as the world’s most populous democracy. Abuses each day seek to criminalize, demonize, and marginalize 200 million Indian Muslims (about 14% of the population). Right-wing politicians…
In this video, Emir Kovacevic, former member of the OSCE/ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief, explains that the right to freedom of religion or belief applies to men and women equally. But in practice, many women in the OSCE region face major difficulties in accessing this right. Many harmful practices against…
A lot can happen in eight years. Children learn to walk and talk, tie shoes, and read. Young people come of age, fall in love, get married. Old people turn gray, grow a little wiser, move a little slower. Eight years is enough time to master a skill, build a career, fulfill a dream. On…
Ten years ago, I left a 30-year career with BBC News because I felt that the story of what was happening to, particularly, women who faced the triple vulnerability of their poverty, their sex and their faith (i.e., belonging to the ‘wrong’ faith) was not reported enough (at all?) in our global media. I was…
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde In the name of religion one in four girls are married off as child brides. In NE Nigeria polygamy is rampant and thriving. Honor killings and forced conversions claim about 1000 lives…
Her name was Deborah Yakubu. She was 19 years old, the second of seven children, and a 2nd-year student of economics at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State, northwestern Nigeria. She was a Christian in a part of Nigeria where most identify as Muslim. And now she is dead. On May 12, 2022,…
The plight of a 15-year-old Roman Catholic girl, Saba Masih, abducted by a 45-year-old Muslim man and forced to marry him in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, highlights the threat of forced conversions faced by Pakistan’s religious minorities. Older well-to-do men have been known to coerce poor Christian and Hindu underage girls into marrying them and…
Mission: To encourage active participation and impact that advances freedom of religion or belief for women Why a FoRB Alliance Fellows Program? Alliance fellowships are designed to support and enhance the unique positions and capacities of women and their roles championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) by accelerating the work of select FoRB…
Violations abroad of religious freedom or belief (FoRB) impact all aspects of the lives of women (and girls), including their human rights. Women and girls experience similar kinds of violations as do men: governments harass and imprison them, and state and non-state actors commit physical violence against them. But they also confront distinctive violations because…