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© USIP 2013 • All rights reserved.

“Though Islam is a defining 

characteristic of most spheres of 

interaction in these regions, and 

is sometimes seen as monolithic, 

in reality male religious leaders 

can be engaged in the empowerment of women. The dominant 

dialogue, however, has framed 

the issue as one of “Islamists 

versus Secularists,” making it 

difficult for narratives inclusive of 

both Islam and women to gain 

productive traction. ”

April 26, 2013

Engaging Men in Women’s Rights 

and Empowerment in South Asia 

and the Middle East

Summary

•	 The role of Islam in society must be taken into account and better understood by international

institutions and civilsociety as women’s programming is designed and implemented in the

Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa.

•	 Engaging male leadersincluding Imams on issues of women’srightsis often overlooked but

critical to a long-term strategy.

•	 Broadening the educational discourse around Islam and creating spacesfor female religious

scholarsin male-dominated educational institutionsis a high priority for many Afghan women.

•	 Expanding women’s political involvement must not be solely based on a quota system.

•	 Engaging young people as key resourcesfor the advancement of women’srightsis essential.

•	 Employing media resources as a tool of education on the importance of women’srightsis one of

the areasfor further exploration.

•	 Promoting masculine idealsthat include non-violent approachesto problem solving is a critical

consideration in advancing women’srights.

Introduction

On November 19, 2012, the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and its Center for Gender and Peacebuilding’sWorking Group on Lessons Learned and Best Practices onWomen’s Programming in Afghanistan and Iraq held a roundtable discussion on how best to engage men to support women’srights

and empowerment in South Asia and the Middle East.

The expert panel made up of ImamYahya Hendi of Georgetown University, former Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Samir Sumaida’ie, Ms. Palwasha Kakar of The Asia Foundation, and USIP’s

Dr.Qamar-ul Huda spoke of their professional and personal experiencesin engaging men in these

regions. The panel offered insights on best practicesfor engaging men to support the rights of

women, including engaging male religiousleaders, young people, the media, and the private sector.

The following are some of the highlightsfrom the discussion.

Anne Angarola

E-mail: aangarola@usip.org

Steven E. Steiner

E-mail: ssteiner@usip.org

Shannon Zimmerman

E-mail: szimmerman@usip.org

peaceBrieF145
© USIP 2013 • All rights reserved.

Engaging Men in Women’s Rights 

page 2 • PB 145 • April 26, 2013

The Role of Religion

Islam underpinssocial and culturaltraditionsin SouthAsia and the Middle East, and greatly influences

the perceived and actualroles of women and girlsin these societies. In some regions, narrow interpretations of Islam have been effectively used to silence narrativesthat challenge local norms and advocate

for women’s empowerment.Though Islam is a defining characteristic of mostspheres of interaction in

these regions, and issometimesseen as monolithic, in reality male religiousleaders can be engaged

in the empowerment of women.The dominant dialogue, however, hasframed the issue as one of

“Islamists versus Secularists,”making it difficultfor narrativesinclusive of both Islam and women to gain

productive traction.

Severalwaysof engagingthe religious community inwomen’srights andempowermenthave

beensuggested.Oneway suggestedby thepanelistsistoeducatewomenontheirrights accordingto

Islamic religioustexts.PractitionersonthegroundinAfghanistanhave foundthatwomenseeknotonly

educational inclusionandpoliticalparticipationbut alsoabetterunderstandingofIslam.Thisdesire to

learnmore aboutIslamopensthedoorfor anuancedandexpandeddiscussionofthe roleofwomenin

Islamandtheirrights accordingtotheKoran.The secondistoengage religiousscholarsindialogueon

these issues.This conversationcantakeplacewhentraditionalscholarsplay a role. Includingcrediblemale

religiousleaderswhobelieve inwomen’srole inIslamgreatly reducesthe riskofwomen’s advocatesbeing

dismissedas“reformist”or“liberal.”This approachcouldensure that alternative voices areheardandare

more likely tofindcommongroundwithsupportersofmore restrictive interpretationsofIslam.

Practitionershave emphasizedthe importanceof engagingdirectlywithmale religiousleaders.As a

centralpartofthe culture andcommunity,theyunderstandthe contextwithinwhichwomen’s empowermentwilltakeplace.Due totheirrole inthe community, education, andotherfactors,these leadershave

legitimacywithbothmale andfemale communitymembers at all levels.They are someofthemost

credible resourcesforreachingouttoa larger community.Male religiousleaders act as a locusofinformationand,throughactionsrangingfrompersonal interactionstofatwas andotherproclamations,they are

able toeducate andinfluence significant elementsofthepopulation. Imams andotherleaders couldbe

encouragedtobemore interactive andact as a soundingboardfortheir communities. Informingand

empoweringreligious,tribal andothermale leaderstoconsidergenderinreligious contexts canenable

themtomove forwardwithwomen’s empowermentinculturally appropriate andlastingways.

It isimportant to create a safe space for dialogue for male religiousleaders—both male and female—to discusssensitive issuesin Islam. Additionally,safe spacesshould be created where religious

and secular groups can come together to find shared solutionsto problemsin their communities and

society. The full and active engagement of the religioussphere is a key part of promoting women’s

empowerment.

The Political Sphere

In recent decadesit has been common practice to focus on the numbers of women who hold office

to evaluate the level of women’s political participation.However,the panelists noted that higher

numbers of women in parliaments does not necessarily translate into an increase in their meaningful

participation in these, and other, decision making processes and does not de facto resultin improved

protection of women’srights.Women candidates who gained powerthrough quotasremain subject

to the overarching and dominant views oftheir political parties. Because ofthese dominantstructures,

women are often pressured to vote againsttheir own rightsin orderto maintain party values.This

meansthat, while the number of women in politics may be increasing,theirfull participation isstill

hindered by political and cultural norms.Thus, itis vitalto persuade the larger public the value of

women serving atthe decision-making level. 
© USIP 2013 • All rights reserved.

Engaging Men in Women’s Rights 

page 3 • PB 145 • April 26, 2013

Education as a Tool for Transformation in the Middle East

In many countries, politics and education are closely tied and political decisions dictate the amount

and distribution of educational funding. Inadequate funding weakens a society as a whole, and can

resultin a proliferation of exclusionary socialstructures.Underfunded schools are lesslikely to integrate

women’srightsinto the curriculum,resulting in the perpetuation of entrenched normsthat exclude

women. In situations where accessto education islimited due to funding shortages, itisfar more likely

that male children will be given preference overfemale children.These factorsresultin a limited and

inferior education for young women and girls and are some ofthe main reasonsthey remain disenfranchised and are excluded from the political processes.

Recent history in the Middle East hasseen an observable“branding”of youth along political lines.

This early politicization often takes place in schools, madrassas, and universities—loci of potential

change.The political demarcation includes, and in some casesrevolves around,the exclusion or

marginalization of women’s voices and the distinction between‘boys’and‘girls’rolesin all aspects of

civil, political and social life.

According to the panelists,two issuesshould be addressed to ensure an educationalsystem supportive of women’srights. First, outside scholars and institutionsshould engage with and encourage

local women scholarsto be presentin the classroom and add their voicesto the educational discourse.

The second, and more difficulttask, isto reform current education systems. Core curriculum needs

to address women’srights and present women as active equalsin allspheres. Classroom materials

should encourage women and girls participation outside the home and provide them with the skills

necessary to do so.Women and girls must be physically presentin classrooms,represented equally in

textbooks and fully engaged in the learning process.

Communicating about Women

The role of media, including privately funded media, isincreasingly importantin engaging a wider audience and bringing men into the dialogue on women’srights. Booklets,television,radio and the internet

have all been employed in thistask. Some Imams have posted videos onYouTube and hosted television

and radio shows where they take questionsfrom an audience on women’srights, how to be a good

Muslim man, and othersocial issues. Public service announcements and even soap operas can be used

to promote a dialogue about genderrolesin a Muslim society.These media tools are useful and should

be employed to engage both women and men. Radio can be used to engage with illiterate populations

and increase awareness of women’srightsin rural areas. Social media platforms are an effective way for

reaching much ofthe younger generation.

Variation in Masculinity Norms in Muslim Societies

Although a great deal of effort hasfocused on the formation of female identitiesin Muslim societies,

very little focus has been given to masculine identities.The panelists concurred thatthisis an important conversation to have since these masculinities comprise the status quo and have largely defined

whatfeminine ideals are in these regions.

Masculinity in these regionsissometimes expressed in a hyper-male version, which emanates

from the idea of being a protector, for example, or asthe head of household.This has been used

to encourage male decision-makersto protect women’srights.On the negative side, it has been

expressed through unquestioned dominance and behaviorsuch aslimiting the mobility of female

family members and theirinteraction with others. In the context of violent conflict,the ability to create

nuanced, multi-dimensional identitiesisseverely reduced. 
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promotes stability and professionalizes 

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Engaging Men in Women’s Rights 

page 4 • PB 145 • April 26, 2013

In order to examine these concepts of masculinity, gender identity formation must be examined.

The two main sources of identity formation are families and the educationalsystem.Within families

mothers are frequently cited asthe main disseminators of masculine identity.Within the education

system there is an emphasis on separate identities of girls and boys, which reinforces a narrow range

of masculine identity and behaviors.

To successfully challenge narrow notions of masculinity, alternative non-violent and inclusive

expressions of masculinities must be encouraged. Thisrequires an understanding of how everyday

interactionsshape and reinforce masculine identity. Both fathers and mothers must understand how

masculinity is created and what they can do to generate more nuanced identitiesfor theirsons.On a

largerscale,space must be created for multiple masculine identitiesin society as part of peacebuilding efforts. According to one of the panelists, and taking Afghanistan as a case in point, while the

Taliban propagated a limited sense of masculinity especially lacking in emotion, many Afghan boys

and men are now opening up emotionally due to the influence ofsocietal role models,soap operas

and other media.

Recommendations Moving Forward

•	 Education needsto be a priority and school curricula should include women’srights.

•	 Programsshould reach out to rural areas and engage with the more conservative male religious

leaders.

•	 These programsshould engage the private sector at all levels, including television stations,

radio, online resources, and male and female businessleaders.

•	 Greater understanding is needed of the processesthat cause opposition and retrenchment,

in order to better protect the efforts of both women and men who are working to promote

women’srights.

•	 Dialogue should be established with male religiousleadersto facilitate other interpretations of

societal norms, which include an expanded understanding of women’srights.

•	 Women’s empowerment effortsshould engage allsectors within a society, including political,

educational, and religious, including families and the local civilsociety. Thisisthe best way to

ensure that those advocating for women’srights are effective.

About This Brief

Anne Angarola is a research assistant 

with USIP’s Center for Gender and 

Peacebuilding and has been involved 

in women’s programming in rural 

Tanzania with a small development 

nongovernmental organization since 

2005, Steve Steiner is a gender adviser 

with the USIP Center for 

Gender and Peacebuilding and served 

as a senior adviser in the Department 

of State Office of Global Women’s 

Issues, and Shannon Zimmerman is a 

program specialist with USIP’s Center 

for Gender and Peacebuilding and 

focuses on the nexus of security and 

women’s empowerment. This brief is 

based on a forum held by the Center 

for Gender and Peacebuilding at 

USIP on engaging men in support 

of women’s programming. In expert 

dialogues facilitated by Kathleen 

Kuehnast, director of the center, and 

Ambassador Steven E. Steiner as part 

of a larger project funded by USAID, 

women from Afghanistan and Iraq 

identified the necessity of engaging 

men in support of women’s 

programming in order for that 

programming to be successful. Four 

experts spoke at USIP on November 

19, 2012 about their experience in 

engaging men to support women’s 

rights. This brief details the experiences 

the panelists presented.