An accumulating network of ignorance and prejudice is being mobilised in the United States against hyperbolised versions of the religion of Islam and its adherents. What are the core elements and ideological underpinnings of this powerful campaign? In a forensic essay first published in TomDispatc
How will the outcome of the South Sudan referendum affect the prospects for women's participation and activism in the North and South?
Although the women’s movement in Turkey has scored major victories in the realm of legal reforms, there is a widening gap between rights in law and realities on the ground. How secure are these gains?
The case of Aasia Bibi, a Christian farmhand who was sentenced to death in Pakistan, teaches us how difficult it is to bring law, democracy and an end to extremism to the country
While packed full of humour and touchy subjects, the Dutch celebration of Saint Nicholas is at once an enduring testimony to the country´s racial imagination and one of the most promising sites of its disruption.
If Prime Minister David Cameron’s 'Big Society' brings religious groups to the fore even more than Tony Blair’s opening of the education system to faith groups, what impact will this have on British society?
Hindu women’s activism in the service of the political goals of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar and the debates around the legal rights of Muslim women illustrate the perils of identity politics in matters of gender equality
Subtle and overt forms of resistance notwithstanding, it is clear that women’s rights advocates need to be vigilant when those who claim to have “divine truth” behind them start asserting their vision of “the good society” from positions of power and authority.
The battle to defeat the Indecent Dressing Bill in Nigeria marks another point in the struggle between feminists and the cultural conservatives and faith based fundamentalists who argue for control over individual behaviour
International human rights law is not a sufficient basis for responding to religious fundamentalism. Fundamentalisms are about power as well as prejudice, Vijay Nagaraj tells Cassandra Balchin.
Faith-based organizations are playing increasingly prominent roles in service delivery. However, the premise that such organisations promote gender equality and the empowerment of women needs critical re-examination.
