For women, lack of religious freedom is often just one of many human rights challenges

April 25, 2012 – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic…Libna Stevens/IAD/IRLA

For many of the world’s women, lack of religious freedom is just one of many human rights challenges they face. How to address these issues-and whether or not secularism advances the cause of women’s religious liberty around the world-was the focus of discussion among a group of leaders and delegates at the 7th World Congress in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on April 24.

Everyone deserves basic human rights, at the core of which is the right to believe and express your beliefs freely, said Amireh Al-Haddad, North American Religious Liberty Association leader for Southern United States and the discussion leader. She emphasized that regardless of the unique challenges within each culture, raising awareness of rights issues that particularly impact women is key to making small strides.

“The things we take for granted, like driving or going to the store, aren’t allowed [for women] in some societies,” said Al-Haddad. In some countries of Africa, she added, it’s much worse for women. In addition to restrictions on basic freedoms, there is also the practice of female genital mutilation and a high prevalence of domestic violence-although these abuses are often regarded in these societies as protection for women.

“It’s harder to make inroads when it comes to equality between men and women in some cultures,” said Al-Haddad. “It’s not about trying to impose religious liberty on anyone-it’s about being concerned with the basic rights of human beings.”

John Graz, secretary general of International Religious Liberty Association, joined the discussion. He cited the case of a mother (in a country he chose not to name) who converted to Christianity after becoming a regular viewer of a Christian television program. As a direct consequence of her new beliefs, she lost her job, her family, and her home.

Graz also talked about a young mother in Pakistan who was jailed because she spoke to other women about certain topics which were misinterpreted as contravening the countries blasphemy laws.

“These cases clearly demonstrate violence against individual rights,” said Graz. “Every individual is created equal and should be respected. Freedom of expression allows for respectful differences without violating individual rights.”

The discussion also focused on ways that individuals can raise awareness about abuse against women. Suggestions included promoting religious liberty by organizing letter or email campaigns, and alerting human rights lawyers about cases where rights are being infringed.

The bottom line, said Al-Haddad, is that you cannot work out a problem without having a common consensus, getting to know the people and the culture. “It’s important that we recognize these human rights issues when they arise, so we can bring them to the forefront and create awareness.” She said people must be informed, and apply their faith in a conscious way to respect the beliefs of others.

Al-Haddad said where it gets complex is with secularism-the separation of church and state, and how it may go against religious liberty and freedom of consciousness. Secularism could help when it comes to women’s rights but it does not always lend itself to freedom of conscience, she said.

For information on religious liberty issues and resources, visit www.irla.org