Islamic women's rights leader Zainah Anwar to visit campus

Project Director for Musawah, a global movement for equality and justice

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Cynthia D Quinn, (808) 956-6545
Dir, Comm & External Rel, William S Richardson School of Law
Posted: Oct 9, 2009

The School of Law's Pacific Asian Legal Studies program, the Muslim Societies in Asia and School of Pacific and Asian Studies at UH Mānoa have partnered in bringing Zainah Anwar, leading Muslim women's rights leader and scholar, to Hawaiʻi.
 
On Tuesday, October 27, 2009, Anwar will provide a public lecture entitled "Islam and Public Policy; Contestations in a Plural Legal System," a dynamic lecture addressing public contestations on constitutionalism and codified law versus divine law.  The lecture will be held at the UH Mānoa Law School, classroom 2, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.  Parking is $4 before 4 p.m. at the Zone 20 Parking Structure. 
 
Anwar is a founding member and former Executive Director of Sisters in Islam, a Malaysian non-governmental organization working on women’s rights within the Islamic framework. The group works in the areas of research, advocacy, public education and legal reform and services to push for a progressive rights-based understanding of Islam. It deals with a wide range of issues, including the Islamic Family Law, Islamic Criminal Law, domestic violence, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, Islam as a source of law and public policy, and Islam and women’s rights. 
 
Anwar is currently the Project Director for Musawah (www.musawah.org), a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family. She also writes a monthly column on politics, religion and women’s rights, called Sharing the Nation, in the Sunday Star, Malaysia.