Vision Newsletter September

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and trying to convince them through email to come on board. For that we really relied on the planning committee. They were well established activists with lots of contacts. So they were the ones who actually did much of the outreach work. They kept giving us names, made introductions and we followed-‐up by email and phone calls. We reached out to hundreds of activists in some 50 countries. The response was overwhelming. In the end, we had to cap the number at 250 as we could not manage more. Zainah: We had reached out to 50 countries and at the end, 48 countries were represented, 32 of which are OIC countries, so there was great interest, and we just kept increasing numbers. We had to look for more funding to bring in more people as we had only budgeted for a 100 participants. The Global movement we wanted to create was about bridging the divide which didn’t exist in South East Asia but was very much present in the Arab world. Suri: Musawah in 2009 launched explosive debates for secular and religious feminists. How did that come about and how did you reach a consensus on it? 2009 Musawah Communications Strategy Meeting, Kuala Lumpur Jana: It’s 2008, a planning committee of 12 people had decided that we are going to hold this gigantic global meeting with 250 people. Zainah was managing Sisters in Islam, I was full-time and Rozana comes on board. In that time, the Planning Committee had to write the Framework for Action. We chose every word very carefully. And we needed to translate the document into Arabic and French, the languages we work in, and also into Persian and Bahasa. We published Wanted as well. The book was eight chapters long, and we had to commission the papers, edit them and discuss them internally. All this within a year, then we were planning the meeting for 250 people in Kuala Lumpur. SIS had never planned a meeting that big. So SIS basically decided that all work had to stop from December through February as all its staff had to be involved in running various committees to plan for this big meeting. How can we not engage with religion when it is used to discriminate and oppress us? Zainah: Sisters in Islam had always been a group that bridged the gap between Islam and human rights. We didn’t see any contradictions. We saw the possibility of engaging with religion to push for change. As Muslims living in a country where Islam is a source of law and public policy and practice, how can we not engage with religion when it is used to discriminate and oppress us? How can we just ignore it and leave it to the religious authorities and the Islamists to deJine what Islam is and what it’s not? This global movement we wanted to create then was really about bridging the divide which didn’t exist in Southeast Asia, but was very much present in the Arab world and in South Asia. We wanted to exist because Jirst of all, there is this gap of knowledge, on understanding Islam from a rights’ framework, and second, the gap of knowledge among secular feminists and human rights activists in terms of engaging with religion. We wanted to bridge that binary that we feel is deliberately constructed to keep us – secular and religious feminists -‐ apart instead of bringing us together. 9
Suri: What would you say are the key achievements of Musawah? Rozana: I think we’ve come a long way with very limited resources and with a lot of borrowed time as well. People involved had so many more commitments, yet they gave a lot of themselves to the process, to producing the outputs, to carrying out the work. It is so wonderful to be able to be here today and to see how we can take it forward. Ziba: One main achievement is that we are still here, talking to each other, and growing. I personally think that Musawah has been really a source of inspiration for many people. It is the Jirst group of women that came together both as scholars and activists. Musawah also values the knowledge that is produced by women. Most importantly we developed a methodology. We have a clear idea of where we want to go but at the same time, we are open to change. we’ve come a long way with very limited resources and with a lot of borrowed time as well Musawah has been really a source of inspiration for many people Musawah has been so grounded in values for its whole existence Musawah is not a job, it’s a mission. This is our resistance Jana: I think one of the key achievements in my mind is not necessarily related to outputs or activities or anything, but just the fact that Musawah has been so grounded in values for its whole existence, and that in being a knowledge building movement, we are not prioritizing only the scholars among us, who we respect and are grateful for, but also the knowledge of people and their experiences. Zainah: I am proud of the passion that everybody in Musawah has. I am proud of the alignment in values between what Musawah stands for and the values that our staff holds, because it’s not a job, it’s a mission where you know the risks, the attacks, the fact that you are going to be demonized and yet still be willing to do it. This is our resistance to oppressive patriarchy, misogyny, and the use of God and religion to keep us down. So, no matter what the risks are, something has to happen and we are willing to make it happen. 10
Page 1 and 2: Vision September, 2017 8 YEARS ALR
Page 3 and 4: Editorial SPEAK THE TRUTH..BE ANGRY
Page 5 and 6: An Outreach Strategy Meeting wi
Page 7 and 8: From left to right: Suri Kempe
Page 9: Suri: But why is Musawah a mo
Page 13 and 14: Spotlight Men in Charge? Rethink
Page 15 and 16: Vision Digest In this section, we t

Vision Newsletter September

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