UN
Ulemas vow to raise public awareness on women’s rights
5 March 2010 - On the eve of International Women’s Day on 8 March, religious scholars or “Ulemas” in the east of Afghanistan have vowed to raise public awareness about Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) against women through their mosque teachings.
Speaking at a meeting called by the Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Jalalabad to start a campaign protecting women’s rights, 15 Ulemas from Nangarhar province unanimously vowed to start raising awareness against HTPs immediately.
UNAMA launched the campaign in all four eastern provinces – Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and Nuristan – in coordination with the Department of Women’s Affairs (DoWA), Provincial Councils and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)
“We will start awareness of condemning HTPs in view of Islam through mosques from today, and as well as will continue this in the future,” said Maulavi Mohamamd Muther, one of the Ulemas, during the meeting.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.”
The campaign against HTPs will continue until the end of April, and will see stage dramas, publicizing through banners, meetings with tribal elders, Government authorities and women’s shuras.
Opening the meeting in Jalalabad, Human Rights Officer Anthony Nwapa of UNAMA told participants that women’s rights are not alien to Islam. “Women’s rights existed within Islam for 1,400 years before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into effect in 1948,” Mr Nwapa told the Ulemas and other participants.
Mr Nwapa added that the campaign was launched to frankly discuss what Islam says about women’s rights. “It’s the responsibility and duty to disseminate viewpoints about women’s rights to the communities,” he said.
Honour killings and exchange marriages are some of the harmful practices existing in eastern Afghanistan.
Sajudullah Sajid, head of the Department of Religious Affairs in Nangarhar, said the practice of exchange marriage has created problems in society.
On the other hand, Rafiullah Baidar, head of the AIHRC eastern regional office, said honour killing has been one of the main concerns with regards to protecting women’s rights. “It is the responsibility of everyone, especially the Ulemas, to give awareness to the community on the people’s rights with special focus on women’s rights and explain HTPs prohibition in view of Islam,” he added.
According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, most of the 5,000 honour killings that happen every year around the world do not make the news, nor do the other myriad forms of violence inflicted on women and girls by husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and other male – and sometimes even female – family members.
By Tilak Pokharel, UNAMA
