The focus of this book is Pakistan but I was struck by the similarity of the ideological battles being fought between secular and Islamic feminists in Pakistan and in Britain. Of course, the contexts are very different. Secular spaces are much narrower and more dangerous places to inhabit in Pakistan – as anyone following the … Continue reading
In Pakistan, accusations of blasphemy can lead to death at the hands of the state – or the mob. A few brave lawyers are fighting back. – by Rahila Gupta –TUESDAY, 29TH MAY 2018 This article is a preview from the Summer 2018 edition of New Humanist On 25 November 2017, Pakistani security forces cracked down after two weeks of violent protest … Continue reading
4 October 2017 Pakistani director Sabiha Sumar’s brave new documentary, Azmaish, looks at retreats from liberal democracy on both sides of the border. It’s a curious phenomenon: the further Indian independence from Britain recedes into the past, the more attention it receives. It’s as if the British psyche is in greater need of past … Continue reading
The truism that there cannot be real development without women’s participation needs a caveat: women’s rights cannot be achieved while religious forces are involved in development. Ruth Pearson, Emeritus Professor of International Development at the University of Leeds, one of the speakers at a seminar on Gender, Fundamentalism and Development, recounted how issues on which … Continue reading
