Marieme Helie Lucas is an Algerian sociologist, activist, founder of ‘Secularism is a Women’s Issue,’ and founder and former International Coordinator of ‘Women Living Under Muslim Laws.’ We discuss religious fundamentalism and women’s rights. Part 3.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What have been the observed, if possible, measured impacts of ‘Secularism is a Women’s Issue’ and ‘Women Living Under Muslim Laws?’
Marieme Helie Lucas: WLUML definitely was instrumental in putting on the agenda, worldwide, the issue of women’s rights in Muslim contexts. It projected not the usual image of the ‘poor oppressed Muslim woman’ (which was instrumental in justifying military occupations and wars), but that of universalist (believers as well as secularists) women human rights defenders.
As for SIAWI, it performs very similar tasks in a new political context where secularists and atheists are more and more endangered while they become more and more vocal especially among the youth. SIAWI takes part in the circulation of information on the struggles of secularists and atheists in Muslim contexts and in the diasporas by maintaining a website (siawi.org). It gives visibility to the new forces for secularism in Muslim contexts and in the diasporas; it supports struggles and endangered individuals; it produces analyses on secularism in the times of rising armed fundamentalism; it participates in secular gathering and conferences; it challenges cultural relativism in Europe and North America and supports women’s local secular demands.
Jacobsen: What are the historical, and ongoing, problems with religious fundamentalism?
Lucas: There always were reactionary forces aiming at governing in the name of god. Secularism, understood as separation, is the best way to keep them at bay, away from directly exercising political power. Historically, progressive religious interpreters and liberation theologians have been defeated within their own religions.
Jacobsen: Who is your favorite philosopher or scientist?
Lucas: he one who will enlighten us tomorrow.
We must not forget that all philosophers and scientists are grounded into their times. The French revolution failed to grant equal rights to women and executed Olympe de Gouges who drafted a constitution that incorporated women’s rights to the social revolution. So did Darwin. Many otherwise progressive thinkers did not see any problem with colonial exploitation of Africans and slavery. We do not need to throw the baby with the bath water but we definitely have to look for thinkers for our times and our future.
Jacobsen: What about activist?
Lucas: What is the question?
Jacobsen: Any recommended reading?
Lucas: I suggested some books and articles in the foot notes. To those who read French, I could suggest, Bas les Voiles by Chaadortt Djavan, any book by Mohamed Sifaoui, Marianne et le Prophète by Soheib Bencheikh, articles and books explaining the concept of secularism by Henri Pena Ruiz.
English-speaking people need to access original literature that makes the difference between separation and equal tolerance by the state… such a source of confusion in any discussion on secularism… Fight for translations into English!
Jacobsen: Any feelings or thoughts in conclusion about our discussion today?
Lucas: Secularism – understood as separation between state and religions – is today’s best response to growing communalism in Europe and North America, as well as to the murderous armed Muslim organisations that want to impose theocracies and eradicate democracies. As imperfect as democracies are in Europe today, we need to fight for their survival in wake of the growing danger of seeing them replaced by theocracies, in the name of religious rights, cultural rights, minority rights, etc…
Confront the erroneous idea of a ‘Muslim world.’ It exists no more than ‘the Christian world’ or ‘the Crusaders’ that Daesh pretends to destroy…
References
1. Knowing Our Rights: Women, family, laws and customs in the Muslim …
www.wluml.org/node/588
2 Dossier 23-24: What is your tribe? Women’s struggles and the …
www.wluml.org/fr/node/343
3 Great Ancestors: Women Claiming Rights in Muslim Contexts | Women …
www.wluml.org/…/great-ancestors-women-claiming-rights-muslim…
4 Dossier 30-31 The struggle for secularism in europe and North America
https://law.ucdavis.edu/faculty/bennoune/files/WLUML-dossier-30-31-v2.pdf
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Original publication in www.conatusnews.com.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
We have to ask, what is it about a religion or culture that makes it go towards this extremist, reactionary, repressive position. Oh yeah, patriarchy. But it’s about more than that too. We only have to look at SJWs or MRAs to see the same kind of behaviour – where thinking is banned, and it’s all someone else’s fault. We have to remember that despite all this, we need to make ourselves happy, and that’s called “winning”. You might be interested to see this new moral philosophy I have come up with, that uses the logic of evolution and natural… Read more »