Women in Tunisia, Egypt and Lybia are facing a dangerous moment, says Mahnaz Afkhami. Those who have networks, resources, and a clear, concise and appealing public message are the conservative and conservative-religious forces.
It is a moment of urgency for women to be able to catch up in time while the fundamental structures underlying these countries’ democratic development are being put in place.
Unfortunately, women are not present in these consults: they have not been included in these consults in most places.
Mahnaz Afkhami knows how tenuous women’s rights can be and how fragile gains in status too often are. “Women’s rights and democracy activists are seriously concerned that the [Ennahda] party will act differently once in power.”
She saw a generation of advances rolled back in a short time in Iran, and testified this week about the role and potential of women in the Arab spring before a Senate Foreign Affairs subcommittee on democracy, human rights and women’s issues.
“Egypt and Tunisia are prime examples of countries where progress towards women’s equality may be undone without America’s firm and increased commitment,” Afkhami told the senators.
“The grim truth is that women who are struggling to advance human rights and create secular, pluralistic, democratic societies, face grave challenges rooted in tradition and history. Traditional social and cultural norms have relegated Middle Eastern women and girls to a private space, and they often lack the social, economic, and political power they need to overcome antagonistic groups and regressive policy,” Afkhami stated as a witness testifying at the hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operation and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues and Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Central Asia Affairs spotlighting Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
“New media” has overtaken the international pages of daily newspapers. Twitter is now a portal not only to the latest from publications in Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine, Libya, and Brazil – it is the opening to the latest from NGOs, activists, financial institutions, and other actors. Rather than waiting for hours for a US publication to [...]
Mahnaz Afkhami spoke on Revolutionary Game-Changers: The Middle East at the Fortune Summit. The Summit is the world’s premiere gathering of women leaders in business, government, academia, philanthropy, and the arts. Each fall, a select group comes together to exchange big ideas and learn. The program — no speeches! — is diverse and designed to [...]
Mahnaz Afkhami noted that women have largely been left out of the post-demonstration process despite playing a large role in the protests. She drew on lessons garnered from the Iranian Revolution in 1979 by noting that rhetoric of new leaders can quickly change, and that Arab societies must be prepared for such actions.
allAfrica.com
Mahnaz Afkhami stressed the importance of distinguishing the “revolutionary moment” from the slow process of building a democracy.
The founder and president of Women’s Learning Partnership, which sponsored the event, recalled the promises made to women in the Iranian revolution of 1979.
“Khomeini said women were free in everything, including clothing,” she said. Following the revolution, those supporting women’s rights were declared enemies of Islam. “Beware of people who want to put off addressing the situation of women,” Afkhami warned women in countries transitioning to democracy.
An Interview with Mahnaz Afkhami, Minister of Women Affairs in Pahlavi-era Iran
BBC Persian News – by Maryam Ghanbarzadeh
Women’s organizations in Iran were commonplace in the period before the Islamic Revolution and largely run by women volunteers who served in the early fifties [text continues in Persian]….
The Current – CBC Radio/ By Anna Maria Tremonti
Listen to the Interview (Streaming)
Women have often played leading roles in pushing for change in the Arab and Muslim worlds. But when the dust settles, the gains they think they have made are often elusive. For their thoughts on why that is and whether things may be different this time … we were joined by three women who have spent decades trying to improve the position of women in their societies.
Before the Iranian revolution, Mahnaz Afkhami was Iran’s Minister for Women’s Affairs….
Over the past two months protest movements have transformed the face of governments across the Middle East and North Africa. As the upheaval continues, we examine the role of women in these demonstrations, and how new regimes will affect women’s rights throughout the region. Will they bring greater freedoms, or impose further constraints?
NPR KQED Radio / By Michael Krasny / Listen
Friday, November 4, 2011