Muslim citizens for women's rights
Since the early twentieth century, March the 8th is dedicated to the advancement of women's rights and the notion of equality.
This March 8th, 2011, from France, citizens of faith, culture or Islamic heritage contribute to the struggle for equal citizenship and against sexism.
We believe that this struggle concerns the whole society and that, in the same spirit, all its components and features must be mobilized.
We say loud and clear that nothing in our belief, our practice or our Islamic heritage could justify discriminations against someone because of her gender.
And we condemn all forms of discrimination, including those for employment and wages, toward women. We denounce all forms of violence against women, whether physical or moral. A violence that concerns all social and cultural backgrounds.
We believe that equal access to all forms of knowledge is one of the primary conditions of equality. Any questioning is unacceptable.
We declare that nobody has the monopoly of the struggle for women's rights that concerns each and everyone.
We observe that sexism is not specific to certain populations and that the popular neighborhoods do not have a monopoly, contrary to what has been affirmed by many ambient speeches which imprison Muslim men in macho caricature, and which designate Muslim women as victims of these exclusive behaviors.
Definitely, we want to get out of this paradigm and its logic of confrontation. We affirm here that the divorce and contraception are rights. Just as the choice of spouse. And more generally, we declare that individual lifestyle choices should be respected. We denounce the amalgam which, through ignorance or manipulation, is made between some traditions and our Islamic heritage. We strongly condemn the practice of female circumcision which is, in no way, a religious requirement and call to fight that practice back.
We affirm the equality and equal dignity of all human beings, whatever their gender, origin, religion or lifestyle. It is the spirit that animates us.
