Voice of Libyan Women

Last updated
The Voice of Libyan Women
AbbreviationVLW
Founder Alaa Murabit
Key people
Alaa Murabit, Kholoud Htewash, Najat Dau, Ahmed AlShaibi, Nadia El Fallah, Sara Barka, Salsabil Zantouti, Khalifa El Sherif, Haneen Khalid.
Volunteers
600
Websitevlwlibya.org | noor.vlwlibya.org

The Voice of Libyan Women (VLW) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in order to advance and protect women's rights in Libya. VLW is headquartered in Tripoli and has branch offices in Zawia and Misrata. [1] VLW is still very much a youth-led organization which continues to advocate for women's development [2] and to challenge the prevailing norms of Libyan society. [3] VLW works to spread information at a national level by creating local teams made up both of individuals and organizations. [4]

Contents

History

The VLW was founded in August 2011 in response to the February 17 Libyan revolution. [2] It was founded in Tripoli by Alaa Murabit, a young doctor and women's rights activist. [5] Murabit was in her last year of medical school and after the revolution, she felt that there was a "window of opportunity for women in Libya." [4] By November, the group had organized the first-ever International Women's Conference in Libya. [6] Also, within a very short amount of time, the VLW had created a women's center in Tripoli and was offering classes. [5]

Murabit shared that VLW attempted to use "proven international models" for their group, but found only closed doors in conservative, largely Sunni Arab populated Libya. [7] By modifying their approach and using peaceful interpretations of Islam in their work, they found a greater voice among both men and women. [7] VLW's approach, using religion to "gain local-level support," has been a unique way to enact change in Libya.

Projects and programs

One Voice

One Voice, which took place November 11–15, 2011 was organized by VLW and was the first International Women's Conference ever held in Libya. [6] The conference included topics on politics, religion, economics and had a final, closed session for women-only on topics such as women's health and gender-based violence. [6]

Project Noor

Project Noor, which also means "light" in Arabic, [8] is a program that seeks to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual abuse of women in Libya. [9] It is a media campaign which uses billboards, radio, television and social media to spread its message. [8] Project Noor is unique in that it seeks to address ideas surrounding these issues by using religious language in a predominantly Muslim country. [9] VLW seeks to reach out to these religious areas in Libya and correct the "misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Islamic teachings" which have eroded women's rights in the Middle East. [9] Project Noor uses Islamic teachings against violence, especially those interpretations of the Quran that emphasized the equality of women to men. [7]

Nadia El-Fallah helped start Project Noor in 2013, and hopes that it can be a "tool for sparking conversations in people's homes, mosques, (and) coffee shops." [9] Palestine and Jordan have both requested VLW to replicate Project Noor in their respective countries. [4]

International Purple Hijab Day

International Purple Hijab Day is an event in where women wear a purple hijab to show a "reminder of Islam's strict stance against domestic violence." [7] Murabit states that "Purple Hijab Day directly contests a Muslim's falsely perceived right to abuse a wife, daughter, mother, or sister." [7] The first Purple Hijab Day in Libya was in 2012 and the 2013 event saw 13,000 Libyans involved. [7] The date of Purple Hijab Day (the second Saturday in February) occurs in order to remember the murder of Aasiya Zubair, who was a female architect found stabbed and beheaded by her abusive husband Muzzammill Hassan. [10] Men and those who do not wear hijabs are encouraged to wear a purple scarf, tie or ribbon on Purple Hijab Day. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libya</span> Country in North Africa

Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. Libya comprises three historical regions: Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica. With an area of almost 1.8 million km2 (700,000 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and the 16th-largest in the world. The country's official religion is Islam, with 96.6% of the Libyan population being Sunni Muslims. The official language of Libya is Arabic, with vernacular Libyan Arabic being spoken most widely. The majority of Libya's population is Arab. The largest city and capital, Tripoli, is located in north-western Libya and contains over a million of Libya's seven million people.

Mass media in Libya describes the overall environment for the radio, television, telephone, Internet, and newspaper markets in Libya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hijab</span> Traditional Islamic head covering or veil for women

In modern usage, hijab generally refers to various head coverings conventionally worn by many Muslim women. While a hijab can come in many forms, it often specifically refers to a headscarf, wrapped around the head, covering the hair, neck and ears, but leaving the face visible. Muslim women are required to observe the hijab in front of any man they could theoretically marry. This means that hijab is not obligatory in front of the father, brothers, grandfathers, uncles or young children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Libya</span>

Libyan culture is a blend of many influences, due to its exposure to many historical eras. It involves roots in Berber, African, Turkish and Arab cultures. Libya was an Italian colony for over four decades, which also had a great impact on the country's culture. Libya has managed to keep its traditional folk customs alive today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in the Maldives</span> Overview of the status of women in the Maldives

The status of Women in the Maldives was traditionally fairly high, as attested to in part by the existence of four Sultanas.

Aqsa "Axa" Parvez was the victim of a murder in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. During the murder trial, Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno acknowledged the slaying as an honour killing, stating, that he found it "profoundly disturbing that a 16-year-old could be murdered by a father and brother for the purpose of saving family pride, for saving them from what they perceived as family embarrassment". Aqsa's brother, Waqas, had strangled her. Aqsa's death was reported internationally and sparked a debate about the status of women in Islam. The Toronto Star stated that the father's perception of himself being unable to influence his daughter's behavior was a major factor in the death, and that "Media in Toronto and around the world immediately reported and continues to report that Aqsa was killed because she refused to wear the hijab. But it was much more complicated than that."

Aasiya Zubair, also known as Aasiya Hassan was married to Muzzammil Hassan, the Pakistani-American founder and owner of Bridges TV, the first American Muslim English-language television network. In February 2009, she was found dead, beheaded, at the Bridges TV station in Orchard Park, New York after her estranged husband turned himself in to a police station and was charged with second-degree murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic veiling practices by country</span> Muslim head coverings for women as worn in different countries

Various styles of head coverings, most notably the hijab, chador, niqab and burqa, are worn by Muslim women around the world, where the practice various from mandatory to optional or restricted in different majority Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan civil war (2011)</span> 2011 armed conflict in the North African country of Libya

The Libyan civil war or the Libyan revolution, also known as the 17 February Revolution was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Zawiya on 8 August 2009 and finally ignited by protests in Benghazi beginning on Tuesday, 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security forces who fired on the crowd. The protests escalated into a rebellion that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing an interim governing body, the National Transitional Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Hijab Day</span> Annual awareness event on 1 February

World Hijab Day is an annual event founded by Nazma Khan in 2013, taking place on 1 February each year in 140 countries worldwide. Its stated purpose is to encourage women of all religions and backgrounds to wear and experience the hijab for a day and to educate and spread awareness on why hijab is worn. Nazma Khan said her goal was also to normalize hijab wearing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in the Arab Spring</span>

Women played a variety of roles in the Arab Spring, but its impact on women and their rights is unclear. The Arab Spring was a series of demonstrations, protests, and civil wars against authoritarian regimes that started in Tunisia and spread to much of the Arab world. The leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen were overthrown; Bahrain has experienced sustained civil disorder, and the protests in Syria have become a civil war. Other Arab countries experienced protests as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan civil war (2014–2020)</span>

The Libyan civil war from 2014 to 2020 was a multilateral civil war in Libya fought between different armed groups, but mainly the House of Representatives (HoR) and the Government of National Accord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadiq Al-Ghariani</span> Grand Mufti of Libya

Al-Sadiq Abd al-Rahman Ali al-Ghariani has been the Grand Mufti of Libya since 2012. He is a Muslim imam of the Maliki school of thought. Academically he is a seated professor in the College of Sharia in the University of Tripoli since 1969 and distinguished contributor the Maliki school of thought with his numerous publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State in Libya</span> Branch of Islamic State in Libya

The Islamic State is a militant Islamist group active in Libya under three branches: Fezzan Province in the desert south, Cyrenaica Province in the east, and Tripolitania Province in the west. The branches were formed on 13 November 2014, following pledges of allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by militants in Libya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaa Murabit</span> Canadian physician; womens rights and youth activist

Alaa Murabit M.D. is a Libyan-Canadian physician, Meritorious Service Cross recipient, one of 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals Advocates appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a UN High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment and Economic growth. In 2019 Murabit was selected as one of the Top 20 of the World's 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy alongside Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Melinda Gates, and Michelle Obama. Murabit is the co-founder of The Omnis Institute, an independent non-profit organization that aims to work on critical global issues through the empowerment of emerging local leaders. She previously founded and spearheaded Voice of Libyan Women at the age of 21.

The Women Under Siege Project is an independent initiative of the Women's Media Center (WMC). The project documents online and through social media how rape and gender-based violence are used as tools in warfare and genocide. The project uses journalism to investigate and bring to light these issues which impact women throughout the world, but especially in areas of conflict. The director of Women Under Siege, Lauren Wolfe, has said that the first step to challenging rape is to stop victim blaming and to focus on the perpetrators and the cultures that produce them.

International Purple Hijab Day is an international day of remembrance for those who have experienced domestic violence. It is observed on the second Saturday each February. It is most often celebrated by Muslims, with women donning a purple hijab, but anyone may participate by wearing a purple item of clothing on the day such as a scarf, tie or kufi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guidance Patrol</span> Islamic religious police in Iran

The Guidance Patrol or morality police is an Islamic religious police force and vice squad in the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Guidance Patrol enforced Sharia—Islamic law—per laws in Iran; this is most often the enforcement of Islamic dress code, such as ensuring women in the country wear hijabs. The Guidance Patrol was formed in 2005 as a successor organisation to the older Islamic Revolution Committees, and reports to the Supreme Leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hijabophobia</span> Fear or hatred against Muslim women who wear hijab

Hijabophobia is a type of religious and cultural discrimination against Muslim women who wear the hijab. The discrimination has had manifestations in public, working and educational places.

References

  1. ↑ "Voice of Libyan Women". Saferworld. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 "The Voice of Libyan Women". Zoom Company Information. July 2015 – via Lexis Nexus.
  3. ↑ Khan, Sheema (27 July 2015). "Getting Past Victimhood Starts With an Honest Look in the Mirror". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Giving a Voice to Women in Libya: Five Minutes with Alaa Murabit". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Violence Against Women Does Not Cease Just Because People Can Vote, Global Fund for Women Says". The Tripoli Post. 12 July 2012 – via Lexis Nexus.
  6. 1 2 3 "Libyan Women Want a Say in Running the New Libya". The Tripoli Post. 19 November 2011 – via Lexis Nexus.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Murabit, Alaa (14 March 2013). "In Libya, Islam - and a Purple Hijab - Help Spurn Domestic Violence Against Women". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Media Campaign Gives Libyan Women a Voic". Al Arabiya. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Finding the Voice of Libyan Women in Islam". Your Middle East. 3 August 2013 – via Lexis Nexus.
  10. ↑ Majeed, Hadayai (12 February 2013). "The Origin of The International Purple Hijab Day". Project Sakinah. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "Libya Herald". Libya Herald. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
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