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What are religious fundamentalisms? How do they impact
women’s rights?
YFA Wire & Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms e-learning
2 Dec. 2011, 10 am – 12 pm EST
Session Outline
1.Introduction (Background, Terminology,
Concepts)- 25 mins
2.Questions and Clarifications - 20 mins
3. Rise and Impacts of Religious Fundamentalisms
- 25 mins
4. Questions and Discussion - 50 mins
Started in 2007, goals of the initiative are to:
• Create new, strategic knowledge and share information
on religious fundamentalisms (RFs)
• Increasing spaces for dialogue and exchange
• Engage in advocacy and support strategies of resistance
against RFs
Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms initiative
Research Sources & AWID’s Resources• Survey (1,600+ responses) & young feminists’ survey from
over 100 countries
• 65+ in-depth interviews
• Strategic dialogues & consultations, Young Women’s Institute
• 18 case studies on feminist strategies from around the world
What do you think of when you think of “Religious Fundamentalisms”?
Type in a few words.
remember: no right or wrong &
no judgements; just the first
thoughts, words or images that come to
mind...
Religious Fundamentalisms Exist:
across regions and in major & minor religions:
Christian fundamentalismsJewish fundamentalismsMuslim fundamentalismsHindu fundamentalismsBuddhist fundamentalismsetc., etc.
Religious fundamentalisms Religion
A Definition Shared Characteristics
Absolutist & Intolerant
Anti-women & Patriarchal
About the Fundamentals of Religion
About Politics & Power
Anti-HR & Freedom
Literalist & Outmoded
Violent
About Culture & Tradition
42%
24%
18%
17%
17%
11%
6%
2%
survey question: “How would you define ‘RFs’?”
• “Dogmatic thinking and action that defends certain religious positions as unique, true and unchangeable.” - Roxana Vazquez Sotelo, Peru
• “RFs are institutions, ideas and cultural practices that, from a single and dogmatic vision of reality, attempt to impose values, behaviours and forms of social organizations and hierarchies, violently excluding and persecuting any differing perspective and practice.” - Daptnhe Cuevas and Marusia López Cruz, Mexico
Some Examples of Definitions - Absolutist and Intolerant
• “... the use of religion (and often, ethnicity and culture as well) to gain and mobilize political power.” Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML)
• "‘fundamentalisms’ is the strategic deployment of monolithic cultural, religious, ethnic or nationalist discourses for the purpose of securing hegemonic political power” - Madhu Mehra, Asia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development (APWLD)
Some Examples of Definitions - About Power and Politics
• “RFs include any set of norms or dictates that restrict the freedom of thought, movement, work, marital status, sexual orientation, political participation and education and the basis of ‘divine law’.” - survey respondent, Israel
Some Examples of Definitions - Opposing Women’s Rights and Human Rights
From the Survey: Usefulness of the Term
2 survey questions: “Do you find the term ‘RFs’ useful in your work?”
Yes 51%
No 25%
Not Sure 24%
“If not, why isn’t the term useful?”Stresses / Reinforces negative stereotypes 28%
Not relevant to my work 15%
Validates RFs’ claims of religious authenticity 10%
Too jargonistic / not clear / not understood 7%
Targets Muslims or Islam 6%
Our strategy is, don’t discuss religion 5%
Religious Fundamentalisms
also relate to “identity politics”:
• Tradition• Culture• Nationalism• Ethnicity
and Power and Politics
• Resources• Neoliberal Capitalism
Questions and Clarifications
Discussion questions:
Does this terminology work for you in your activism?
How do people understand religious fundamentalisms in your context?
In the context of your work
Globally
30%
51%
30%
25%
6%
4%
10%
7%
12%
9%
Increased a lot
Increased somewhat
Cyclic
Decreased
Not sure/Other
Are RFs on the Rise?
survey question: “Over the last 10 years, how has the strength of RFs changed in each of the following contexts?”
Relative Influence of RF Forces
survey question:“Compared to other
political forces in the context of your work, how
much do RFs obstruct women’s rights?”
Much more than other forces Somewhat more
than other forces
About the same as other forces Not sure & Not
applicable (combined)
Somewhat less than other
forcesMuch less than
other forces
44%
25%
15%
8%5%
4%
combined: 69%
Religious leaders
Local / National religious institutions, organizations, groups
International religious institutions, organizations, groups
Militant parties / groups with religious discourse
Religious political parties
Secular political parties whose leaders have fundamentalist links
NGOs / charities with fundamentalist tendencies or links
45%
41%
26%
25%
24%
23%
23%
35%
40%
39%
31%
31%
36%
39% Very influen-tialSomewhat in-fluential
Influence of Diverse RF Actors
survey question: “In your work, how influential are the following fundamentalist actors or forces?”
Most Frequent Targets of RF Violence
survey question: “Thinking about your work over the past 10 years, which of the following groups have been targeted by RFs
for verbal or physical attack?”
% of survey respondents Targets of RF verbal or physical attack
77% Human rights activists
77% Women in general
75% LGBTQI people and groups
75% People who do not match the RFs’ expected norms
Somewhat negative impact
42%
Very negative impact
37%
Not sure8%
Somewhat positive impact
7%
No impact4%
Very positive impact2%
survey question: “In the last 10 years, what would you say has been the overall impact of RFs on women’s rights in the context of your work?”
37% + 42% = 79% Negative
Impacts of RFs on Women’s Rights
Findings: Impacts of RFs Reproductive rights & health LGBTQI rights / Sexual rights Rights for women in family laws Rights for women in the public sphere Rights for women in property & economic sphere Pluralism & tolerance in society
Control of individual, community and public policy choices – in e.g., education, family life & sexuality
Physical & psychological violence against women, individual, family + community/state
Violence and intimidation vs. opponents & dissidents
Leads to Negative impact on pluralism, democracy, human rights, development
Questions and Discussion
Discussion questions:
Do you sense that there is a rise in RFs in your context?
What examples of impacts of RFs have you noticed in your own activism or contexts?
Do you think there is difference in the way that different generations experience RFs?
Keep in Touch!
For any comments, questions or delayed reactions,
or if you want to be added to our e-list so you can receive the
monthly Facing Fundamentalisms newsletter,
please write to: [email protected]