|
|  |
|
Jean-François Berger
ICRC editor
Jean Milligan
Federation editor
|
 |
 |
Discussions on women in Islam are frequently caught up in
political tugs-of-war and cultural clashes. The difficult
situation of women in Afghanistan is an extreme case, but
it has brought attention to a woman's place in Islam. We set
out to highlight the role that women are playing within National
Societies in Moslem countries, and selected Bangladesh, Iran,
Kuwait, Algeria and Sudan to give as broad a perspective as
possible.
|
|
Some common themes emerged. While
Moslem women may be segregated and some facets of their lives
restricted, in most places possibilities do exist to pursue
careers. The veil is considered by most a mark of respect for
their religion and not, as some in the West perceive it, an
obligation imposed upon them. And more generally, women in
many parts of the world - both inside and outside the Movement
- are still denied access to the 'corridors of power', and
much needs to be done to promote them to leadership positions.
Women also played a vital role in another article. Two female
journalists - one Georgian and the other Abkhaze - co-author a
feature on the 'frozen' conflict in Abkhazia. This is the
first time journalists from the two sides give a common
point-of-view on the situation. Let us hope this initial
attempt to overcome the barriers between these divided
communities does not stop here.
We thought it useful to reflect in this edition on the results
of the 27th International Conference. Five conference
participants offer opinions and open the debate on the
different conference initiatives and attempts to follow them
up. |
Jean-François Berger
ICRC editor
Jean Milligan
Federation editor |
And last but not
least, an electronic version of the magazine now exists on the
Movement's web site. (www.redcross.alertnet.org). We hope this
new technology increases the dialogue between the editors and
readers on issues of concern to the Red Cross Red Crescent. |
 | | |
