1400 Years Later Muslim Women Are Still Fighting For Their Right to Work

LOS ANGELES - March 8, 2017 - PRLog -- On International Women's Day, a day commemorating the struggle for women's rights. Although the world has changed since 1977 when the United Nations first adopted International Women's Day, the fight for women's social, economic, and human rights continues as the international strives to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. This year's theme for women's day is "Women in the changing world of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030," drawing attention to the fact that women are often excluded from or discriminated against in the workplace.

We are appalled that 1400 years after the inception of Islam, Muslim women are still fighting for the rights given to them in the Quran, and on this International Women's Day context, the right to work outside the home.

As Muslim organizations, we realize that although Islamic scripture supports women's rights, certain misogynistic interpretations of that affirming scripture have become mainstream and engender legal and societal discrimination against and mistreatment of women in Muslim-majority countries and Muslim communities around the world. Our collective work at the international, national, and local levels, are inspiring men and women to comprehend an Islam that affirms human rights, while giving them language tools with which to fight back against human rights abuses.

Our collective goal is to replace the current, dominant, distortive interpretation of Islamic theologies used as a pretext for misogyny and abuse with a more inclusive, yet equally robust, theological justification for gender parity. In a word, we seek to vindicate Islam as a source for human dignity and equality, love and compassion.

We call on religious leaders, Islamic institutions, scholars of Islam to live up to their Islamic duty to justice once and for all. There is no point in calling oneself Muslim if none of one's knowledge, works and responsibilities better the lives of humanity, especially in the Muslim world, which is burdened with tremendous sufferings.

We invite you to read MPV's global initiative #ImamsForShe on our website http://www.mpvusa.org/imamsforshe/ and join us in supporting the other half of humanity.

Signed:

Muslims for Progressive Values - Australia

Muslims for Progressive Values - U.S.A.

Muslims for Progressive Values - The Netherlands

Muslims for Progressive Values - Philippines

Komuniti Muslim Universal (Malaysia)

Coexistence (Tunisia)

AICNDH (Alliance des Imams du Corridor Nord pour le Developpement Humanitaire, Burundi)

The Association of British Muslims