Multiple Realities: Muslim Women, Culture and Rights
Channel: WISCOMP- One World
Date: 2022-10-07

The virtual dialogue, 'Multiple Realities: Muslim Women, Culture and Rights' took place on 30th September 2022 via zoom. The companion text for the dialogue was 'Do Muslim Women Need Saving' by Lila Abu-Lughod. 

The dialogue aspired to unpack the discourse on ‘oppressed Muslim women'. Current debates on hijab/veil raise pertinent questions about 'Muslim Women' in India. When does the Muslim woman become a spectacle – hyper-visible, ‘oppressed object of intervention’? 

Why and how does the veil become a symbol of oppression? How does intersectionality play out in the lives of Muslim women in India? How do we listen to the voices, desires, and aspirations of Muslim women? This discussion aspired to unravel the complexities of recasting ‘Muslim Women’ as agential subjects in the public imagination, bringing their experiences and contextual specificities to the fore.

The format of the discussion involved presentations by young researchers on ideas and insights from their research followed by reflections and comments by the moderator and a discussion with the participants. 

Opening Remarks

Akashleena, Curator, The Book Café WISCOMP

Speakers

Hameeda Syed, Independent Journalist

Sara Ather, Independent Researcher and Architect

Moderator

Ambar Ahmad, Associate Professor, Kamala Nehru College 

The Book Café is a bi-monthly online discussion series that brings together university students, early career researchers, academicians, and grassroots practitioners for dialogue and discussion. Each discussion is an episode that picks up ideas from a chosen text to trigger discussion Yet, it is a continuing conversation that explores possibilities beyond conventional academic tropes.

WISCOMP (Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace) is a pioneering South Asian research and training initiative that foregrounds leadership of women in peace and security and promotes cultures of pluralism and coexistence in the region.

The knowledge generated through research is disseminated by WISCOMP to civil society actors and educational institutions (schools, colleges and universities) through diverse methodologies that include training workshops, symposiums, roundtables, film festivals, installations, exhibitions, public lectures, curricular development and innovative pedagogy. Our channel offers some of these resources. To know more about WISCOMP’s work visit www.wiscomp.org or connect with us at wiscomp2006@gmail.com or +91-11-24648450.