Organization for Women’s Liberation is organizing a one day conference in commemoration of 8 March, International women’s day on the impact of religion on the situation and status of women. Why is secularism essential? In this conference veteran women’s right activists and scholars are coming together to analyze the devastating effects of rise of religious movements and religion’s influence in the running of state in many countries on the situation of women: the effect of catholic church, orthodox church, Judaism and political Islam will be discussed.
We are pleased to announce that following organisations have supported our conference:
Centre for Inquiry
European Feminist Initiative
International Network against Honour Crimes
Women for Peace (Sweden)
Guest speakers so far confirmed:
Homa Arjomand; coordinator of No Sharia Campaign; Canada/Iran
Soad Baba Aissa; European Feminist Initiative; France/Algeria
Imma Barbarossa; Partito della Rifondazione Communista, Italy
Julie Bindle Journalist; a founder of feminist law reform NGO Justice for Women, and of the Feminist Coalition against Prostitution; England
Malene Busk; women’s right activist, Center for Inquiry; Denmark
Buthina Canaan Khoury; Film maker; Palestine
Beth Ciesielski; Centre for Inquiry, Rumania/USA
Hugo Esterla; Centre for Inquiry, Italy/Argentina
Caroline Fourest; writer; columnist, activist and a Member of Libre Pense; France
Maria Hagberg; MD in social work and chair of Network against Honour Crimes; Sweden
Lilian Halls French; sociologist, President of the European Feminist Initiative; France
Boriana Jonsson; Member of the Coordinating Committee of European Feminist Initiative, Bulgaria/Sweden
Parvin Kaboli; coordinator of White Carnation; Sweden/Iran
Khanum R. Lateef, manager Asuda women’s center Suleimania; Iraq/Kurdistan
Azar Majedi; President of OWL, writer; England/Iran
Azza Kamel Mohamed Abdel Meguid, Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development, ACT, Egypt
Lia Nadaraia; President Feminist Club, Georgia
Layla Naffa Hamarneh; Director of Projects Arab Women Organisation of Jordan
Karim N. Noori; Mäns nätverk mot hedersförtryck, Sweden/Iran
Frances Raday: Chair, Israeli Association for Freedom of Science, Religion and Culture; Israel
Nina Sankari; Polish Rationalist Organisation and EFI Poland
Sabine Salmon; President of Femmes Solidaires; France
Lisa Sorush; women’s right activist; Afghanistan
Susana Tampieri; writer, women’s right activist, Argentina
Nawal Yazeji, researcher and activist on women issues, Syria
Moderator: Maryam Kousha; editor of Women’s Liberation,
We invite all concerned feminists, secularists and human right activists to participate in these events. We need to demonstrate a show of secularist force against religious inroads in the society.
Date: 7 March 2009
Venue: Folkets Hus Göteborg Olof Palmes Plats
Järntorget
Details of the events will be published as soon as they become available.
For more information or to register please write to:
Majedi.azar@gmail.com;
Phone:
Azar Majedi:+44 (0)7886973423
Shahla Nouri: +46(0)737262622
Medusahuset Göteborg
wlmedusahuset@gmail.com
maria.hagberg@minheder.nu
Or visit our website: www.womensliberation.net/
