Women’s rights advocacy is as multifaceted and as intricate as women’s position in society. Their fundamental human rights are frequently challenged in the name of religion and culture. In this paper I explore how women’s rights advocates are seeking to find footing between endorsing sovereignty and religious rights within today’s multicultural societies within the theories of universalism and cultural relativism. For many, it is out of the question to separate religious- and women’s rights, therefore navigating between the two, and hence, the two theoretical standpoints become a fundamental principle for those who work within that space. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, this thesis analyses the main navigational strategies and negotiations of the global movement Musawah to further explore the tensions of the two theories and ways in which to work within them. Musawah is a global movement for justice and peace initiated by the Malaysian based organization Sisters in Islam (SIS). It aims to promote an egalitarian Islam, with a focus on women’s rights within the Global South, by reforming Muslim family law and advocating for Islamic feminist voices. This research paper identifies the challenges and navigational strategies of Musawah’s advocacy within both a Muslim and non- Muslim context. It also aims to pinpoint the theories’ main influence within the challenges and strategies of Musawah’s work. I conclude that their advocacy is influenced by both theories as their knowledge-building is founded on a universalist standpoint, and its distribution is based on a cultural relativist stance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-69225 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Jóhönnudóttir, Stefanía Sigurdís |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för globala politiska studier (GPS) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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