WNYC New York Public Radio News interviewed Mahnaz Afkhami on the status of women’s rights in the Middle East since uprisings began in 2011. Speaking on the Arab Spring, Afkhami stated: “It has been a revolution for men and women, and in a sense has been a chance for women to bring their revolution to…
Tag: Egypt
Sverige Radio P-1 Morgon: Cold Water Poured on Hopes of Equality After Arab Spring (in Swedish & English)
Swedish Radio P-1 hosted a panel discussion on women’s rights after the Arab Spring. The panel consisted of Mahnaz Afkhami alongside Eva Zillen (Woman to Woman), Asma Khader (member of Jordanian Parliament and CEO of Solidarity is Global Institute/Jordan), and Catherine Harrington (producer of the WLP documentary “Because Our Cause is Just”).
Vibrant Networking Keeps the Door Open for Arab Women
Women in Egypt played an instrumental role in the political uprising and fight for democracy during the Arab Spring. This article highlights the influence and solidarity of women’s networks across the region. “Mahnaz Afkhami, the Iranian-American founder and president of the Women’s Learning Partnership, has a network of contacts in Egypt now following constitutional developments…
Reader's Review: Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
Diane Rehm hosted Mahnaz Afkahmi on her radio show to discuss the book, Woman at Point Zero, by Nawal El Saadawi, a story of a woman in Egypt who is forced into prostitution and later arrested. Afkhami discusses the novel’s contribution to radical feminism in the region, women’s rights and the patriarchy, and the relevance…
Will Washington Push for Women’s Rights?
Despite hope and change in the Middle East following the Arab Spring, many remain cautious regarding progress on women’s rights in the region. In an article with political news journal, Al Majalla, Mahnaz Afkhami stresses the importance of movement building and collaboration between women’s rights activists at the grassroots level.
The Word on Women: MENA region tops agenda at AWID global women's rights forum
The 12th International Forum of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development took place in Istanbul in October, 2012, where Mahnaz Afkhami spoke on conservative religion, political regimes, and women’s rights in the MENA region.
In the New Tunisia, Women's Rights Are in Play
While the status of women in Tunisia has historically been the highest in the Arab world, Mahnaz Afkhami emphasizes the need to ensure that women’s rights are upheld in the new government following the Arab Spring. As stated in this piece in Women’s eNews, Mahnaz Afkhami “knows how tenuous women’s rights can be and how…
Gender Apartheid, Cultural Relativism, and Women’s Human Rights in Muslim Societies
(An earlier version of this article, titled “Gender Apartheid and the Discourse of Relativity of Rights in Muslim Societies” appeared in Courtney W. Howland, ed., Religious Fundamentalisms and the Human Rights of Women (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999)). I. Introduction In modern times, women have moved from the margins to the center of history…