Interesting websites dealing with similar issues
Women Living Under Muslim Laws is not responsible for
the content of external Internet sites.
Act Together
Act Together is a group of UK-based Iraqi and non-Iraqi women which formed in 2000 to campaign
against the economic sanctions on Iraq and, since late 2001, also campaigned against the US/US
invasion of Iraq. Now its focus is on the occupation and the support of independent grassroots
women’s initiatives in Iraq.
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK)
ASK is a legal aid and human rights resource centre, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. ASK
provides free legal aid to the disenfranchised, and is committed to promoting human rights
within a democratic framework. ASK has worked to ensure state responsibility in
implementing human rights, for law and policy reform and for an effective application of
laws, since 1986.
Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA)
AMwA has UK/Europe programs and Africa programs, and the head office of the organisation
is based in London, UK, while the Africa regional office is in Kampala, Uganda.
AMwA’s work is carried out through advocacy, research, provision of information,
networking and training. AMwA’s programs fall under four key thematic areas:
Community Development; Human Rights; Education and Research and International Development.
Al-Fatiha Foundation
An international organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Muslims,
including those questioning their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, as well as
their friends, families, partners, and allies.
Arab Regional Resource Centre on Violence Against
Women
Sisterhood Is Global Institute Jordan program on combating violence against women.
Arab Women's Court
The Permanent Arab Court To Resist Violence Against Women is a symbolic popular court that
aims at fighting all forms of violence practiced against women in Arab societies.
Association for the Development & Enhancement of Women
ADEW seeks to improve the status of women through economic empowerment by making credit and income
generating opportunities accessible to low-income women, legal empowerment by assisting low-income
women with obtaining identification cards and other legal papers by raising awareness about women’s
legal rights and social empowerment by teaching women literacy.
Bad Jens
Bad Jens is a feminist online magazine which mainly addresses readers outside Iran, a step
towards improving links between activists/academics inside and outside the country.
BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights
The WLUML Africa and Middle East Coordination Office, BAOBAB works to promote and protect women's
human rights principally via improving knowledge, exercise and development of rights under
religious, customary and statutory laws.
Bint el Nas
A website which serves the needs and interests of women who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender, and/or queer (including female-to-male and male-to-female trans* people in any state
of transition), and who are identified ethnically or culturally with the Arab world, regardless
of where they live.
Canadian Council of Muslim Women
Founded in 1982, CCMW is a national organization with Chapters across Canada. The National Board is
involved in furthering our vision and objectives at the national level while the local Chapters take
an active role in their communities. CCMW believes Muslim women must develop their Muslim identity,
make significant contribution to Canadian society, and provide positive role models for Muslim youth.
Catholics for a Free Choice
An independent, not for profit organisation is engaged in research, policy analysis,
education and advocacy on issues of gender equality and reproductive health.
Center of Arab Women for Training and Research - CAWTAR
(CAWTAR) is an international non-governmental institution located in Tunis, Tunisia. It aims to
promote Arab women's participation in development by providing gender training, research, clearing
house services and advisory services.
Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance
An NGO that offers Egyptian women legal support and assistance regarding their rights under the
Egyptian Constitution, Egyptian laws and international conventions.
Center for Reproductive Rights
A non profit organisation dedicated to promoting women's equality worldwide by
guaranteeing reproductive rights as human rights. Reproductive rights, the foundation of
women's self determination over their bodies and sexual lives, are critical to all women's
ability to achieve their full potential.
Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL)
CWGL (Global Center) develops and facilitates women's leadership for women's human rights
and social justice worldwide. The Global Center is dedicated to the enhancement of women's
human rights and emphasize networking as a strategic tool for achieving effective
mobilization and the promotion of women's equality.
Challenging Fundamentalisms
In recent years, it has become clear that more extremist tendencies are dominating all of the world's major religions. They are exerting an increased control over women's lives and appropriating women's public and private spaces as well as influencing public policy. This AWID initiative aims to develop a deeper and more shared understanding amongst women's movements, organizations and their allies of the way fundamentalist projects work, grow and undermine women's human rights. It also aims to build the resources and capacity to implement successful strategies for resisting and challenging fundamentalist politics.
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)
DAWN is a network of women scholars and activists from the economic South who engage in
feminist research and analysis of the global environment and are committed to working for
economic justice, gender justice and democracy. DAWN works globally and regionally in
Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific on the themes of the Political
Economy of Globalisation; Political Restructuring and Social transformation; and Sexual
and Reproductive Health and Rights, in partnership with other global NGOs and networks.
Equality Now
EQUALITY NOW is an international human rights organization
dedicated to action for the civil, political, economic and social rights of girls and
women. Taking advantage of both traditional and "high-tech" action techniques
such as letter-writing and fax campaigns, video witnessing, media events and public
information activities, EQUALITY NOW mobilizes action on behalf of individual women whose
rights are being violated and promotes women's rights at local, national and international
levels.
Feminist Dialogues
The discourse on radical democracy proposes that democracy is not purely a political system. It is deeply connected with values of social justice and gender equality. It is a consciousness and a way of organising social life in all the dimensions in which we experience being human. All existing democratic systems that we know today (whether bourgeois, liberal or neo-liberal, or post-socialist) are devoid of these aspects. As feminists we need to develop a deep and profound critique of democracy that will enable its transformation and radicalization, in collaboration and partnership with other social movements.
Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE)
FIRE disseminates women's voices in all their diversity, so that they can be heard by men
and women around the world, crossing barriers of nationality, culture, race, geography and
language, and contributing to bridge the gender gap. Its programs address diverse themes
from a gender perspective and include neo-liberal policies, women's human rights, the
environment, racism, disabilities, militarism, sexualities, education, arts and culture.
Global Fund For Women
A grantmaking foundation committed to supporting women working to improve their status in
their communities and which aims to reach out to women's groups that use a variety of
approaches to promote women's rights.
Global Rights
A human rights advocacy group that partners with local activists to challenge injustice and
amplify new voices within the global discourse.
Helem, Lebanese Protection for LGBT
Helem (the Arabic acronym of 'Lebanese Protection for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders' -
LGBT), is a non-governmental, non-profit organization which leads a peaceful struggle for the
liberation of the LGBT community in Lebanon from all sorts of legal, social and cultural
discrimination.
International Campaign Against Honour Killings
International Campaign Against Honour Killing (ICAHK) is an international, independent and non-governmental network
which aims to be part of a strong group of all women's rights organisations and individuals, all human rights
activists and everyone who is fighting for equal rights and freedom. ICAHK aims to raise an international awareness
about the issue of violence against women, in particular honour killing; also to build a strong network within women’s
rights movements, organisations and individuals around the world to put an end to "honour" crimes.
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
(IGLHRC)
IGLHRC's mission is to protect and advance the human rights of all people and communities
subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or
HIV status.
International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC)
IWHC works to generate health and population policies, programs, and funding that promote
and protect the rights and health of girls and women worldwide, particularly in Africa,
Asia, Latin America, and countries in post-socialist transition.
International Women's Tribune Center (IWTC)
IWTC is dedicated to achieving women’s full participation in shaping a development
process that is just, peaceful and sustainable. IWTC is an international, activist
organization rooted in the first global non-governmental women’s meeting held in 1975
in Mexico City. For the last 25 years, IWTC has played an important role as a major
information, education, communication, networking, technical assistance and training
resource for women worldwide.
Isis Internacional - Chile /
Isis International - Manila /
Isis WICCE - Uganda
A feminist NGO dedicated to women’s information and communication needs, documenting
ideas and visions, creating channels to communicate, collecting and moving information,
networking and building links. Isis focuses on those advancing women’s rights,
leadership and empowerment in Asia and the Pacific and with connections in over 150
countries, keeps up with changing trends and analysis concerning women worldwide.
Jordanian National Commission for Women
JNCW's mission is to support mainstreaming of a gender-equality perspective in all policy areas and
to narrow the gap between formal acknowledgement of women's rights as detailed by legislation and
actual societal attitudes towards women.
Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women (LCRVAW)
Founded in Beirut in March 1997, the Council was established in response to the alarming rate of
violent acts against women in Lebanon, and the lack of legal and social support for victims of such
crimes.
Latin American and Caribbean Women's
Health Network
The Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network was created in 1984 during the
First Regional Women and Health Meeting, held in Tenza, Colombia. LACWHN is a coordinating
network that links regional organizations active in the women's health movement around
common objectives and strategies of action, promoting women's health, rights and
citizenship and the defense of sexual and reproductive rights as human rights.
Machreq/Maghreb Gender Linking & Information Project - MACMAG GLIP
MacMag GLIP is primarily a forum for debate, learning and exchange on women, gender and development
issues for interested groups in the Middle East and Maghreb region.
Middle East NGOs Gateway Project (MENGOS)
An Internet gateway containing information about non-governmental organizations, funding agencies,
events, projects, success stories of individuals as well as organizations, and other topics
relevant to nongovernmental organizations across the Arab Middle East.
Madre
MADRE works in partnership with community-based women’s organizations in conflict
areas worldwide to address issues of health, education, economic development and other
human rights.
Meydaan-e-Zanan (Women's Field)
Women’s Field is where a group of Iranian feminists organize their protests and campaigns against
gender inequality and challenge the different faces of discrimination.
National Council of Women - Egypt
NCW aims to enhance the status of all Egyptian women and to maximize their contribution to the
growth and development of Egypt. The focus is on narrowing existing socio-economic gender gaps and
addressing women's strategic needs including social, economic and political empowerment.
Nissa Wa Aafaq- Women and Horizons
Nissa wa Aafaq-Women and Horizons is a women's organization that seeks to change the social reality
of Palestinian women inside Israel, from within the socio-cultural context of this community.
Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD)
Grassroots mobilization by addressing women's needs, determining the attitudes towards women's
issues, identifying strategic constituencies, developing effective information, education keys to
community support and involvement, methods for mobilizing and recruiting volunteers, communicating
with women and the public and calls for action.
Queer Jihad
Queer Jihad is the queer Muslim struggle for acceptance: first, the struggle to accept
ourselves as being exactly the way Allah has created us to be; and secondly, the struggle
for acceptance and tolerance among Muslims in general.
Religious Consultation on Population,
Reproductive Health and Ethics
An international, multi-faith network of progressive feminist religious scholars and
leaders who seek out the positive, renewable moral energies of their faith traditions and
direct them to the inter-related issues of population, consumption/ecology, reproductive
health and the empowerment of women.
Reproductive Health Matters
A twice-yearly non-profit international journal published in English with summaries in
French and Spanish. Its aim is to promote laws, policies, research
and services that meet women's reproductive health needs and support women's right to
decide whether, when and how to have children.
Research Action and Information Network for the Bodily
Integrity of Women (Rainbo)
Rainbo works on issues within the intersection between health and human rights of women.
Starting with the issue of female circumcision/female genital mutilation (FC/FGM) Rainbo
explores means of preventing this and other forms of gender-based violence and violations.
Sabrang
"Sabrang" means "all colours" and was started in 1993 to provide
information on, analyse and expose the machinations of communal politics in India, on the
subcontinent and abroad and to publicise the attempt of secular individuals, groups and
organisations engaged in fighting them.
Safra Project
A Resource Project working on issues relating to lesbian, bisexual. trans, queer and
questioning women who identify as Muslim religiously and/or culturally.
Secularism is a Women's Issue
We aim at gathering feminists, individuals and groups, researchers and activists who identify the rise of religious fundamentalism and the erosion of secularism as threats to women’s emancipation, and to reach out to those working on the issue, as widely as possible. We work with all those who - whether atheists or people from religious backgrounds including clerics - support secular principles.
Shirkat Gah Women's Resource Centre
The WLUML Asia Coordination Office, Shirkat Gah was established in 1975 and works towards women's
empowerment for social justice and social justice for women's empowerment.
SG focuses on law and status, and women and sustainable development (including reproductive rights).
Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI)
An international non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to the support and
promotion of women's rights at the local, national, regional, and global levels. With
members in 70 countries, and a network of more than 1300 individuals and organizations
worldwide, SIGI works toward empowering women and developing leadership through human
rights education.
Sisters in Islam (SIS)
A group of Muslim professional women committed to promoting the rights of women within the
framework of Islam. Our efforts to promote the rights of Muslim women are based upon the
principles of equality, justice and freedom enjoined by the Qur'an as made evident during
our study of the Holy text.
South Asia Citizen's Web
An independent space on the net to promote dialogue and information exchange between and
about South Asian citizens located in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and in their
diasporic communities.
Southall Black Sisters
Southall Black Sisters is a not-for-profit organisation, established in 1979 to meet the needs of
black (Asian and African-Caribbean) women. For more than two decades they have been at the forefront
of challenging domestic and gender violence locally and nationally, and campaigning for the
provision of support services to enable women and their children to escape violent relationships.
The Global Campaign Stop Killing and Stoning Women!
The Global Campaign to Stop Killing and Stoning Women! is initiated
by a group of activists, lawyers, journalists, and academics, who are committed to ending the
stoning and killing of women.
University of Minnesota Human Rights Center and Library
One of the largest collections of more than twenty-one thousand core human rights documents, including
several hundred human rights treaties and other primary international human rights instruments. The
site also provides access to more than four thousand links and a unique search device for multiple
human rights sites.
Women Against Fundamentalisms (WAF)
WAF was launched in 1989 to challenge the rise of fundamentalism in all religions. For them,
fundamentalism does not mean religious observance, (which is a matter of individual choice) but
as modern political movements which use religion as a basis for their attempt to win or
consolidate power and extend social control.
Women Against Violence Nazareth
WAV seeks to address the problem of domestic violence and the paucity of support services for abused
Arab women in Israel. We established the first full-service Arabic crisis hotline in Israel, and
Israel’s first shelters and halfway-houses for Arab women and girls. Though based in Nazareth, WAV
works throughout Israel in all areas with high concentrations of Arab women. WAV is an independent
organization and is not related to any political body or movement.
Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), Malaysia
WAO is a non-profit, non-religious and independent organisation that provides counselling
and shelter to women in crisis. They also advocate for reforms in laws and policies that
discriminate against women.
Women's Centre for Change, Penang (Pusat Krisis Wanita)
- formerly Women's Crisis Centre, Penang
A voluntary, non-profit organisation dedicated to enhance women's status in society and to
support women and children in crisis.
Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling
An independent Palestinian organization which aims to contribute to the establishment of a
democratic Palestinian society, based on social justice and equality between women and men. To
achieve this aim, the Centre has developed and is further developing, through its activities, a
new Palestinian feminist discourse.
Women's Forum for Research and Training
An independent organization concerned with the rights of women in Yemen.
Women for Women's Human Rights - New Ways (WWHR)
A non-governmental organization based in Turkey, engages in advocacy and lobbying at national,
regional and international levels for women’s human rights.
Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights
An autonomous network of groups and individuals in every continent who aim to achieve and
support reproductive rights for women. Reproductive rights are a series of rights that enable
all women - without discrimination on the basis of nationality, class, ethnicity, race, age,
religion, disability, sexuality or marital status to decide whether or not to have children.
This includes the right of access to safe, legal abortion.
Women's Human Rights Defenders Network
The world over, against all odds, Women Human Rights Defenders work tirelessly for the protection
and promotion of human rights. Yet, WHRDs have got little attention in the human rights arena and
face gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities in addition to those faced by all human rights defenders.
They are confronted by difficult challenges when they work in male dominated environments, are often
stigmatized and sometimes become victims of gender specific violations that need to be addressed.
Women's Human Rights Network (WHRNet)
A collaborative Information & Communication Technology (ICT) project developed by an
international coalition of women's organizations that aims to strengthen advocacy for
women's human rights through the effective utilization of information and communication
technologies.
Women in Black
An international network of women protesting war which holds silent vigils worldwide.
Their silence also underscores women's historic voicelessness.
Some WiB's around the world include:
Leuven
Serbia and Montenegro
UK
Women in Iran
The English version of the monthly edition of Women in Iran is an abridged version of
Women in Iran in Persian.
Women's Empowerment in Muslim Contexts
The Research Programme Consortium on 'Women's empowerment in Muslim contexts: gender, poverty
and democratisation from the inside out' (WEMC) was formed to address this knowledge gap - that is,
'how to achieve women's empowerment', especially in the face of disempowering forces, old and new.
WEMC defines women's empowerment as an increase in their capacity to make autonomous decisions to
challenge or transform power relations that impede gender equality. It contends that conventional
development interventions ignore power structures standing between women and the state.
Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ)
WIGJ has been established in The Hague to perform the function of a 'gender watch' of the
International Criminal Court.
Women's Learning Partnership (WLP)
WLP for Rights, Development, and Peace
is an international, non-governmental organization working to empower women and girls in
the Global South to re-imagine and re-structure their roles in their families,
communities, and societies. WLP seeks to achieve this goal through leadership training,
capacity building, and helping women generate as well as receive information and
knowledge.
Women's Studies Center - Jerusalem
An independent, Palestinian, non-governmental organization that strives for the realization of the
principle of equality between women and men and seeks to mobilize the efforts of all women who
believe in equality and a commitment to the principle that women's rights are indivisible from human
rights.
YOESUF Foundation
A Dutch organization which provides information about Islam and male and female
(homo)sexuality. The foundation is not bound to any nationality, ethnicity, religious or
political doctrine. YOESUF addresses organizations and individuals, both Muslims and non-Muslims,
facing questions about Islam and (homo)sexuality or wanting to discuss this topic.
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