At a conference entitled “Breaking Barriers: What will it take to achieve security, justice, and peace,” Manhaz Afkhami highlighted the threat of fundamentalism to human rights, peace, and women’s rights. “The characteristics of fundamentalism – fear of rapid change, modernity, an individual’s place in society, science, evolution, and all of the ramifications of those new…
Tag: United Nations
What Will Uprisings Mean For Women's Rights In The Arab World?
NPR News speaks with Mahnaz Afkhami and Lina Abou-Habib on the role of women in the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring. Afkhami speaks about democracy-building, family laws, and making space for inclusive civil society.
A Woman in Exile
At the time of the revolution, Mahnaz was in New York negotiating the terms of the contract for the establishment of United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) in Iran. The revolutionary government confiscated her house, her papers, her pictures, mementos—all signs of her personal history and her individual experience.…