Through the program,

thousands of imams

and madrassa leaders

were trained.

Advancing Women’s Rights within anIslamic Framework in Bangladesh

The Asia Foundation’s program on women’s rights within Islam aims to promote national and regional networks of Muslim leaders who will continue to advance women’s rights in theirsocieties and to foster communication and coop-eration among Muslim leaders. The program was designed and implemented in Bangladesh in coordination with institutions in Afghanistanand Pakistan.

A key component of this program is a strong connection with local partners. Partners in eachcountry helped to develop a country-specifictraining curriculum on women’s rights withinIslam. The Asia Foundation collaborated with the Islamic Foundation in Bangladesh; with theMinistry of Hajj and Awqaaf in Afghanistan; andwith the International Islamic University inPakistan. From August 2008 to December 2011,each partner developed a draft curriculum withintheir county through collaboration with eminentreligious leaders and education specialists. Thesecurricula were then refined through collaborationwith their colleagues in the other two countries.

The output was three strong, locally contextual-ized curricula which served as the basis for the program.

In 2008, a program on “Advancing HumanRights and Women’s Rights within an IslamicFramework across South Asia” was launched usingthis curriculum as its foundation. The program’saim was to increase understanding and supportfor human and women’s rights among Muslimleaders and within local Muslim communitiesthrough outlining the compatibility of women’srights and Islamic teachings. The program washighly successful in increasing awareness ofwomen’s rights in Bangladesh largely due to itsability to engage highly respected, local leaders.Through the program, thousands of imams andmadrassa leaders were trained, who in turn uti-lized the curriculum in different capacities includ-ing training workshops and dissemination withintheir networks. Such activities garnered wide-spread support among imams, who shared curriculum themes with influential leaders and within communities across the country.

Since 2002, The Asia Foundation has supported a pioneering effort to promote social justice for womenwithin an Islamic framework in South Asia. Designed and implemented by Muslim scholars and activists,this program has helped communities to understand women’s rights within Islam. Program activities havebeen led by highly respected religious leaders and local institutions and have helped to foster a networkof influential religious leaders, scholars, and advocates – both men and women – who are committed toadvancing women’s rights across the region.

ing that they and other community leaders have a critical role to play to stop violence againstwomen. Many have made action plans in theirlocal communities which include, for example,sermons that raise public awareness about thesepractices that are counter to Islamic teachings.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATIONThe curriculum content highlights that Islamallows women to play an active role in publicdecision-making as leaders, voters, and citizens to promote effective public policies that benefitall citizens. Imams were encouraged to raise support in their local communities for the greaterparticipation of women in local and nationaldecision-making.

SUCCESS STORIES

The Women’s Rights and Social Justice in Islamcurriculum has had significant impact on individ-uals and, ultimately, communities. The followingare some of the personal stories that were sharedby imams and madrassa leaders in Bangladeshwho were trained in the curriculum:

• One participant’s father was opposed to hiselder daughter getting an education. The par-ticipant convinced his father that the sisterdeserved an education, citing references fromthe Quran on women’s right to educationhighlighted in the curriculum. His sister isnow studying accounting at DhakaUniversity.

• A woman lecturer who attended the curricu-lum training was forbidden by her in-laws towork. Through citing the curriculum’slessons, she convinced her in-laws to let herwork as a lecturer.

• One master trainer shared that with the helpof this curriculum, he was able to tackle casesof abuse against women in garment factories.

• One man who did not give his sister her dueshare in inheritance was convinced by animam to do so after the imam cited referencesfrom the Quran from the curriculum.

• Young men in a focus group described howthe imam is a mentor and guide to them.They expressed their growing awareness ofwomen’s rights in Islam because of thisconnection with the imam. One young manin the focus group said that if he were toever have a daughter, he would educate herand would like her to become a doctor oran engineer.

• After attending the training, a principal of amadrassa in Chittagong started two-hourafternoon classes for 30 girls in the commu-nity. These classes provide computer educa-tion and education on women’s rights withinIslam, using the curriculum and handbookas a guide.

HEADQUARTERS465 California Street, 9th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94104 USATel: (415) 982-4640Fax: (415) 392-8863info@asiafound.org

WASHINGTON, DC1779 Massachusetts Ave., NWSuite 815Washington, D.C. 20036 USATel: (202) 588-9420Fax: (202) 588-9409info@asiafound-dc.org

BANGLADESHHouse #5, Road #8Baridhara, Dhaka-1212BangladeshTel: + 880 (2) 882-6941Email: : tafbg@asiafound.org

www.asiafoundation.org05/2012

In 2008, the program,

Advancing Human

Rights and Women’s

Rights within an Islamic

Framework, was

launched across South

Asia with the aim to

increase understanding

and support for human

and women’s rights

among Muslim leaders

and within local Muslim

communities.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• A female madrassa teacher who participated in the curriculum training used lessons learned tostop the marriage of one of her young students. The student approached the teacher and asked,“Apa didn’t you teach that I have the right to make decisions that affect my life? Did not you tellme I have the right to get an education?” The teacher was able to stop the marriage and subse-quently became a community example, for a female madrassa teacher who can be “progressive”and “assertive” in the fight for women’s and girl’s rights.

• Maulana Abdul Matin is an imam at one of the biggest mosques in Naryanganj, a district nearDhaka. Not only did the trainings prepare him to conduct programs on women’s rights in his com-munity, but Maulana also incorporated the lessons into his personal life. Following the training,Maulana realized that his mother had not been accorded the inheritance rights she was owedupon her husband’s death. He shared the relevant Islamic laws with his siblings and ultimatelythe land was transferred to his mother’s name.

BANGLADESH

The Asia Foundation

is a nonprofit international

development organization

committed to improving

lives across a dynamic

and developing Asia.

Headquartered in San

Francisco, The Asia

Foundation works through

a network of offices in

17 Asian countries and in

Washington, DC. Working

with public and private

partners, the Foundation

receives funding from

a diverse group of

bilateral and multilateral

development agencies,

foundations, corporations,

and individuals.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN

ISLAM CURRICULUM WIDELY ACCEPTED BY

RELIGIOUS LEADERS

The authority that imams have in communities allowedthem to serve as an appropriate channel of communica-tion to convey messages on women’s rights within Islam.Because this curriculum was developed through the par-ticipation of these respected imams and was utilized bythem in trainings and workshops, the curriculum gainedcredibility in local communities. Focus groups withcommunity members highlighted that imams’ interven-tions in areas related to women’s rights had the followingresults: divorce was prevented, daughters received theirrightful inheritance of property from their families, girlsgained opportunities to go to school, and women gainedconsent more often from their families to work outsidethe home (often as madrassa teachers). Additionally,imams reported heightened credibility and respect intheir communities due to the roles they were able to play

through curriculum trainings as arbiters in resolvinglocal legal disputes. Many community members reportedthat the intervention of local imams in settling their family disputes, especially around inheritance and bridemoney, enabled them not to be “sinners.”

CURRICULUM ADDRESSES CURRENT ISSUESIn recent years, Bangladesh has been undergoing rapidtransformation in its social, economic, and politicalmilieu. Curriculum topics address some of the currentsocial and economic challenges arising from thesechanges in the larger community including discussionon women’s education, empowerment, employment, andinheritance. Building conversation around these issuesencourages imams and other religious leaders to act asagents of change in their communities.

CURRICULUM IS RELEVANT AND ACCESSIBLE TO THECOMMUNITY AT LARGEThe curriculum’s design and development resulted in a tool that was both approachable and relevant totrainees. Communities were highly receptive to the curriculum’s content because it was developed by wellknown Islamic scholars and religious leaders and itsmodules were written in simple language so as to beaccessible to participants. Training participants reportedthat the curriculum’s structure and content was relevant,simple to understand, and easy to internalize.

A handbook covering curriculum content was printedand widely distributed as a quick reference for follow-updiscussions. After the trainings, many imams continuedto use the handbook and curriculum lessons in commu-nity interactions related to women’s rights. Many of theparticipants trained in the curriculum, including reli-gious leaders, madrassa educators, master trainers, andworkshop trainees, have incorporated these methods intheir own classes, both at madrassas and at universities.Many imams, for example, reported that the curriculumprovided access to practical information to use in Fridaysermons compared to the more philosophical teachingsused before.

Additionally, the discussion and interest on women’srights within Islam which grew from curriculum trainingand use has led to broadened regional national networksof leaders engaged in advancing women’s rights withinIslam. An extension of the program, for example,enabled collaboration across borders in South Asia.Scholars from Bangladesh had the opportunity to inter-act with their Afghan and Pakistani colleagues to sharesimilarities and differences related to the protection ofwomen’s rights and human rights in their respectivecountries.

INCREASED PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENTWITH WOMEN’S RIGHTSInformation received and shared from the training madea significant impact on the lives of community mem-bers. One of the curriculum trainees explained thatlessons from the curriculum were relevant to both edu-cated and non-educated people who visit the mosquewhere he works. Several imams explained that they hadshared this curriculum with their wives and reportedthat their wives were able to utilize these lessons toresolve disputes for other women in their communityand also educate women about their rights.

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS

WOMEN AND FAMILYThe curriculum introduces the crucial roles that womenplay in families as mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives,noting that the importance of women’s roles is recog-nized in the Holy Quran and Hadith. In-laws areencouraged to respect the rights of wives during familydisputes and men are reminded of their duty underIslam to properly take care of their wives.

EDUCATION RIGHTS The curriculum emphasizes that Islam entitleswomen and men to the same rights to education.Training programs encourage discussion on thevalue of girls’ education and highlight that edu-cating girls contributes to a better educated fami-ly in the future. Following the training, partici-pating imams and madrassa teachers reported thatthey were more able to take a proactive role instopping early marriage in their local communi-ties and in advising parents to let their daughtersstay in school. Imams cited these practices as themost Islamic thing to do. Many imams alsoshared that they had delivered sermons to theircommunities in support of education for women.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENTThe curriculum identifies the economic rightsgranted to women in Islam, teaching thatwomen are as qualified and able as men toengage in financial transactions and propertyownership. According to Islamic law, womencan own, buy, sell and undertake any financialdeal without the help of a guardian and with-out any restrictions or limitations. Imamsreported that they carried these lessons to theircommunities, speaking more openly in protestof economic discrimination against women.They spoke on the need for women’s economicempowerment not only to improve women’s

lives, but also for society’s overall poverty alleviation andlong-term development.

INHERITANCE RIGHTS Curriculum trainings have provided imams with a plat-form to engage in discussion and strategize on ways tobuild public support for fair inheritance rights ofwomen. The training program gave many imams themoral courage to take action to stop cultural practicesthat deny inheritance rights to women – a right cited asgiven under Islam. Many participants reported that theyhave shared these related training experiences with theirfamily members, friends, colleagues, and local communitymembers.

WOMEN’S SECURITYThe curriculum facilitate discussion on women’s securityand violence against women in relation to Islam. Oftencultural traditions enable the perpetuation of socialproblems such as domestic violence, gender discrimina-tion, harassment, and abuse. Curriculum modules notethat while some cultural traditions and religious customsallow men to exercise undue dominance on women,these are not approved in Islam. Imams reported realiz-