MPAC Presents Briefing on 'Abusing Women, Abusing Islam' Paper at State Department
November 19, 2009
Yesterday, MPAC presented an educational briefing at the State Department based on our paper "Abusing Women, Abusing Islam: Re-Examining Sharia Court Rulings in Contemporary Times." The forum was co-sponsored by the Religion & Gobal Affairs Working Group and the Office of Global Women's Issues in the State Department. Over 40 individuals from multiple offices within the State Department and other government agencies joined the one-and-a-half-hour discussion.
Recognizing that violence against women is an international pandemic that plagues all races, nationalities and creeds, the briefing focused on recent rulings pertaining specifically to the application of sharia law. As American Muslims, we recognize the significance of the promising changes that are taking place in international Muslim communities, and seek to offer an authentic Muslim voice that takes on women's issues as our task and problem. It is a situation we are enthusiastically working to improve.
The three main speakers during the program were Haris Tarin, D.C. Office Director, who presented a case study on a Pakistani law which punishes victims of rape; Dina Chehata, past MPAC intern and law student at Georgetown University, who presented a case study in Saudi Arabia involving child marriages; and Aziza Hasan, Southern California Government Relations Director who presented the case of public flogging in the Swat Valley and violence against women.
After our presentations, the MPAC panel opened up for a roundtable of questions concerning the research and recommendations. Many attendees expressed gratitude and continued interest in MPAC's work.
Aziza Hasan and Alejandro Beutel, MPAC Government Liaison, will be meeting with individual legislative offices to present the findings of the paper so that it can serve as a resource to other Congressional committees.
- Aziza Hasan (aziza@mpac.org)
Southern California Government Relations Director
