Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

conflicts between religious freedom and human rights, both within religious traditions, andbetween religious motives and civil law, given that these conflicts may impede human rights,especially the rights of women. Finally, I argue that a global human rights agenda is logicallyand morally necessary and that religious freedom should be exercised within such a vision andnot in competition to it.Veiled Muslim Women: From Cause to EnemyZahra N. Jamal, University of Chicago (znjamal@uchicago.edu)Post-9/11 laws and policies established in the name of national security in the United States havechanged significantly charitable practices among American Muslims. This in turn has hadnegative effects for veiled American Muslim women who have gone from being a “cause” ofAmericans to their enemy. As Muslim Americans have increasingly put monetary and humanresources into addressing mosque defacement, hate crimes, No Fly lists, racial and religiousprofiling, law enforcement campaigns that signal entrapment, and other human and civil rightschallenges that have been defined by a predominantly male Muslim religious leadership, therights and needs of Muslim women – whose mental and physical health have been particularlytargeted in the American context – are marginalized and overlooked. These women faceincreased need for mental health, anti-bullying, and civil liberties support. With a dearth oforganizations to serve their needs, though, this group remains underserved and at risk. There areopportunities for organizational development and collaborative partnership building to servetheir needs. This talk unpacks these important recent shifts and highlights opportunities toaddress the acute needs of American Muslim women.Educating the Next GenerationJigna Shah, University of Chicago (jigna@uchicago.edu)Today's young people have grown up in a world in which technology, travel, and mass migrationhave reshaped global human religious and cultural encounters as never before. The education ofthis new generation with regard to intersections of religious freedom, human rights, and mentalhealth (of women and/or of others denied basic dignity and bodily integrity) presents particularchallenges. In some contexts this challenge is linked to the widespread removal of religion frompublic discussion (or privatization of religion), resulting in a sometimes surprising "religiousilliteracy" among the young, who prize a sense of themselves as spiritual but care little for whatthey perceive as inherently flawed institutionalized religion. In other contexts it is related to aresurgence of fundamentalisms that stifle rigor in inquiry and that re-erect barriers betweenself/group and diverse others. In both cases, there exists a "disconnect" or fragmentation ofunderstanding with regard to issues related to tensions between the common good, the impositionof religious values, and the recognition of universal human rights, including the mental health184