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Mobilizing Faith for Womenreligious texts are understood is pivotal in shapingthe practices, traditions, and laws of societies aroundthe world. While inspiring altruism and the pursuitof social justice, sacred texts also are used to justifyviolence and discrimination. How can we encourageinclusive scholarship and interpretation that honorthe central message of justice in the world’s majorfaiths and traditional belief cultures? For, as Anwarremarked poignantly, “God is not God, if God isnot just.”“God is not God, ifGod is not just.”— Zainah AnwarText and Love to Share: RereadingSacred Texts for Women’s RightsAnwar founded Sisters in Islam to work for a women’srights framework within Islam in Malaysia by leveragingthe just and empowering messages present inthe sacred text. Musawah, which she co-founded withDr. Ziba Mir-Hosseini, is a global movement seekingto work for equality and to expand this approach toother Muslim contexts. While acknowledging theimportant role for religious leaders in changing socialnorms, she highlighted the prevalence of cases inwhich religious leaders have aided unjust policiesand authoritarian regimes, justifying oppression onreligious grounds. The Qur’an is considered the wordof God, and thus Islamic law is often defended asTom EnglandMona Rishmawi (right) listens to Sister Simone Campbell of NETWORK share the story of the struggle of American Catholicsisters to carve out space for faith-driven social justice activism within their religious context.The Carter Center 25