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CCMW Report on Karamah, Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, 2nd Summer Leadership Development Program,

July–August 2004, by Noreen Majeed

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 2004 KARAMAH

Report by Noreen Majeed

KARAMAH Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights undertook its second summer Leadership Development program from July 1st to August 10th 2004. KARAMAH is a non-profit nongovernmental organization committed to supporting the human rights of Muslims in the United States of America and internationally through education, grassroots organizing, advocacy, and activism. One of their goals is to ultimately transform the conception of women's status within Islamic communities to both improve the treatment of women and to ensure that women take an active part in governing their lives.

Fifteen women from across North America were accepted into the program. All were highly motivated and dedicated women who possess a commitment to women's issues as well as to the civil rights of ethnic and religious minorities, especially the Muslim community in the United States and in Canada. My attendance was made possible in part by support from the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, the Muslim Women of Quebec and some private donations which offset the high cost of attendance. The institute itself offers no form of financial assistance. The courses were being held at the Karamah office building in Washington, D.C. I drove to Washington and back, and used my car while there, offering car pool to several other delegates who were staying at the American University dorm as well.

I was the only Canadian delegate attending and my presence was greatly appreciated during discussions about the Sharia tribunal and as well, in sharing my experiences living and working in the Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Canada. Dr. al-Hibri, President and Founder of Karamah, was very keen on starting a Canadian branch of Karamah, a project I support and would be interested to spearhead when the opportunity will present itself. In the interim, Karamah was very interested to collaborate with the CCMW in its efforts.

Among the other women present, the majority were young American women averaging 20 years of age who wore the traditional hijab and came from a South Asian background. These young women were new to many of the ideas discussed in the open forum we tried to maintain throughout the program. There were also mature participants, African American, and English backgrounds as well as representation of both of the major denominations of Islam.

The courses were designed to present theory and discuss practical examples from around the world in an open discussion format. A professor was scheduled to present one day a week for five weeks, and interspersed from amongst these sessions would be invited guests to speaker on a variety of topics. During the discussion, participants would share their personal experiences, concerns about their home community and attempt to develop viable solutions. Most often we would engage in group work. Unfortunately, there were regular scheduling changes and some professors were not available. On various occasions, Karamah research director Raja El-Habti substituted, allowing for other topics to be discussed. Participants were required to purchase some course materials as stipulated by some instructors.

Zainab Alwani taught a course entitled ‘Women and family in an Islamic context’, one day a week for four weeks. During the first week, the course looked at the concept of khalifa and the role of humans on earth as vicegerent and role of woman as an individual. The second and third weeks focused more on the Qur’an, reading and interpreting various verses relating to gender, gender roles and relations. A lot of time was devoted to understanding the notion of libaas The final class was a workshop whereby participants created a strategy for raising a family and reconciling the woman’s societal, educational and political roles.

Wissam al Moula was scheduled to give a class Monday and Thursday for four weeks, on the science of Qur’an and Hadith. However, due to participant concerns regarding the teaching style and ideology presented during the first two classes, this section was cancelled. Raja El-Habti stepped in for a few classes presenting a general overview of the Sharia laws practiced in various Muslim countries, delivering an introduction on the science of (ulum al-) hadith methodology and of Quran, asbab al- nuzul (historical context of revelation) of certain Quranic verses and also a few sessions of general questions and answers.

Dr. Azizah al-Hibri returned to Washington during the middle of our program and presented her perspective on the Medina constitution, the Islamic notion of justice and democracy, and aspects of the marriage contract. She also presented her paper on verse 4:34 and concept of kawwaam and the problem of domestic violence. Most of her work is available for download from the Karamah website (http://www.karamah.org/articles.htm).

Aly Abuzaakuk, CSID Program Officer, presented a general talk about justice and introduced the Center for Study of Islam and Democracy (http://www.islam-democracy.org).

Michelle Rahman and some colleagues were invited to discuss college recruitment processes and opportunities in the United States, with a particular emphasis on law school requirements.

During the fifth week, the schedule allowed the participants to have time off and to visit the area. A visit to the White House was scheduled but was unfortunately cancelled at the last moment.

As a group, several participants spent time together exploring the city and networking. I attended the 4th of July fireworks with fellow participants and some interns from the MSN House (Muslim Student Network). I also attended the Muslim Student Network 11th annual appreciation banquet at the Cannon Office Building Caucus Room of the U.S. House of Representatives with invited speaker Adam Ereli, State Department spokesperson. I also participated in the PALC – Pakistani American Liaison Center Rising Leaders dinner with invited speakers Ambassador Ashraf Jehanghir Qazi and former member of U.S. Congress Mr. Charlie Wilson. Unfortunately there were no opportunities for Canadians to be members of the rising leaders program. Lastly, I viewed the Islamic art exhibit at the National Gallery of Art entitled “Palace and Mosque”.

Overall, I believe that there is no substitute for pursuing knowledge and seeking answers to the questions that occupy one’s mind. As one of the participants in the Karamah Leadership development program I had the opportunity to discuss what are normally taboo topics in an open and informed environment. Aside from making new friends, I was introduced to a myriad of opinions, young and old, on timeless questions regarding the role of women in Islam, discrimination of Muslims in today’s world and ideas around an Islamic reform or better yet, revival. I reserve the greatest appreciation for the time spent with Raja El-Habti, a valued source of information as she and I had many informal discussions about the authenticity of Quran and the Hadith and look at some scholarly papers that investigate the validity of some traditions that are taken de facto in the Islamic world. These include the marriage contract, divorce rights, the khimar and sexual ethics. Much of the in class discussion was on a broader level and allowed for various interpretations to be presented, I particularly valued the readings I undertook and one on one exchanges which allowed for no-holds barred conversation. I have my reservations about some of the material presented and continue to actively research the writings on the equality of the sexes and the roles that are seemingly defined in traditional and even contemporary views of Islam. Political leadership is a key issue that is yet underdeveloped.

On a personal note, I left with more questions than I arrived with and indeed, some leads on potential answers. I have noted references to use to further my research and above all to reason some of my own thoughts. I am working on compiling my class notes on similar topics into a comparative paper. Several of the photos I took and some thoughts I had on the program will appear in the Karamah newsletter which remains due for publication.

The 2005 program is ready to receive applications and has the appearance of being better organized and well-prepared. There are a number of challenges that plagued the 2004 program which took away from its effectiveness and caused it to fail to meet certain announced objectives. It did remain at some level very basic in the material presented. I do however maintain it is a worthwhile investment and encourage participation in future programs. Social development, basic knowledge of the methodology of Quran and Hadith studies, and inspiring sermons on the core Islamic values of justice and balance were invaluable.

I would say that CCMW and Karamah are sister organizations working towards common goals and would strongly encourage the development of work plan that would allow for a similar leadership training program in Canada in order to address issues specific to our region and demographic, in addition to building a network with the resource people in Washington.

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