Women Living Under Muslim Laws

Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) is an international solidarity network established in 1984. It does academic and advocacy work in the fields of women's rights and secularism, focusing on the impact on women of laws inspired by Muslim religion or customs.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Women Living Under Muslim Laws
AbbreviationWLUML
Formation1984
TypeNon-governmental organization
Legal statusSolidarity network
PurposeResearch and activism
Location
Websitewww.wluml.org
Formerly called
Action Committee of Women Living Under Muslim Laws

Origins

The trigger for the establishment of the network was independent events in various parts of the Muslim world, "in which so-called Islamic laws deprived women of their human rights". Women from Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Iran, Mauritius, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Pakistan founded an action committee in 1980 to support women's struggles for their rights on site. This resulted in the network with coordination offices in London, Dakar and Lahore between 1984 and 1986. It does not represent an ideology or uniform point of view.[7]

The network started out as a loose organization with no fixed membership, where individual and groups assumed responsibility for specific initiatives. It attracted women harmed by Muslim laws, whether they are Muslims or not, bringing together religious believers, human rights advocates, secularists and atheists. Until Marieme Helie Lucas retired as international coordinator in the late 1990s, it remained a fluid organization without clearly defined staff positions.[8]

Research and current work

The network coordinates research exploring the mechanism by which laws affecting women borrow from cultural practices and colonial laws in addition to religious dogma, to eliminate progressive laws and restrict women's freedom. It also facilitates communication between women's groups across Africa and Asia, sharing success stories and helping to coordinate international actions.[8][4] It conducted studies and advocated on issues such as forced marriage of girls and stoning.[9][10] The group's research on the impact of Muslim family law led to the founding of the Musawah campaign in 2009.[11]

Some governments look unfavorably upon the group's work. Collaboration with Women Living Under Muslim Laws was mentioned as a motive for the 2016 arrest of both Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Homa Hoodfar by Iranian authorities.[2][12][13]

See also

References
  1. Nuhiya Ahmed, Tasmiah (February 18, 2018). "How fundamentalists treat women". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  2. Dehghanpisheh, Babak; Torbati, Yegaheh (July 18, 2016). "Arrest of several dual-national Iranians could be politically motivated". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  3. "Sisters in Islam's Zainah Anwar among 10 most influential Muslim women". The Star. December 31, 2013. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  4. "Who we are and our aims". Secularism is a Women’s Issue. March 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  5. "About WLUML". WLUML. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  6. Lucas, Marieme Helie (March 29, 2016). "Femmes sous lois musulmanes : Contre l'intégrisme, les femmes laïques s'organisent dans un réseau non confessionnel". Presse-toi à gauche! (in French). Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  7. "Kultur". www.goethe.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  8. Jacobson, Scott (March 31, 2017). "An Interview with Marieme Helie Lucas – Activist & Founder of Secularism is a Women's Issue". Conatus News. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  9. McCoy, Terrence (May 28, 2014). "In Pakistan, 1,000 women die in 'honor killings' annually. Why is this happening?". Washington Post. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  10. Alexander, Chris (August 31, 2016). "Taking action against forced marriage". National Post. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  11. Balchin, Cassandra (December 18, 2009). "Last but not least: CEDAW and family law". Open Democracy. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  12. Erdbrink, Thomas (June 15, 2019). "Iran Accuses Thomson Reuters Charity Official of Sedition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  13. "Iran. Des défenseurs des droits des femmes traités comme des "ennemis de l'État"". Amnesty International (in French). August 10, 2016. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
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