Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms
About this Initiative
The Nicaraguan Nine march by Gabriela Arguello, courtesy of FIRE
Religious fundamentalisms are on the rise around the world and across religions, with negative consequences for women’s rights. AWID launched the CF initiative in 2007 to strengthen the responses of women’s rights activists to this growing phenomenon.
The CF team conducts innovative research to contribute to greater strategic thinking, dialogue and advocacy on religious fundamentalisms by women’s rights groups. The research has identified the key characteristics of religious fundamentalisms, examined the factors that help them grow, and detailed how they impact women’s rights across regions and religions.
The initiative offers analysis that unmasks and demystifies religious fundamentalisms, and shares strategies that women’s rights activists use to challenge them.
The CF team also supports advocacy, builds alliances with women’s rights, human rights and development organizations and facilitates strategic dialogue on religious fundamentalisms.
In the News
Browse the latest news items on religious fundamentalisms and women’s rights from around the world
- Jordan: Coalition Reaffirms Goal to Ensure Women Can Pass on Nationality to Children
- Islamic states frown on Islam-opposing paragraphs of UNHCR violence against women resolution
- Adoption by the European Parliament of the Recommendation to the Council on the draft EU guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief
- Irish Government Agrees on Abortion Legislation For Women Whose Lives Are at Risk
- Russian Duma passes law banning 'gay propaganda'
- Afghan Police Accused of Violence Against Women
- Should Georgia outlaw Abortions in dealing with its Demographic Crisis?
- Serbian Orthodox Church Assembly calls for abortion ban
- Seimas voted in favour of the abortion ban bill
- Kazakhstan: Parliament Becomes Scene of Homophobic Rants
Urgent Actions and Statements
Browse the latest statements and urgent actions related to women resisting fundamentalisms
- Saudi Arabia: Women human rights defenders sentenced to imprisonment and receive travel bans
- Turkey: End violent repression of protests
- Russia: Petition to Putin on anti-gay crackdown and brutal murders
- Campaign for women's health rights in Saudi Arabia
- Statement from the Brazilian Network of Prostitutes about Censorship and the Federal Government's Intervention and Alteration of the AIDS Prevention Campaign
- Papua New Guinea: Plans for executions (at least 10 prisoners on death row)
- For Peace, Democracy and Freedom in Turkey and Throughout the World
- Women For Women's Human Rights - Press Statement on Gezi Park Resistance
- Zimbabwe – Raid on the offices of LGBTI rights organisation GALZ
- Lithuania: Stop legislation restricting access to abortion
Calls for Participation and Events
Browse the latest calls for participation and events related to religious fundamentalisms and women’s rights from around the world
- Fellowships for Threatened Scholars
- Call for Papers: The Pussy Riot Case
- Competing Visions in the Muslim World
- Call for applications from Egypt and Iraq: Online training programme - minority rights, freedom of religion, and international advocacy
- Call for Applications: 6th CSBR Sexuality Institute, Aug18 – 24, 2013 Kathmandu, Nepal
- Call for Applications - Venice School of Human Rights
- Conference Announcement: Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy, Uppsala, Sweden, 20-22May2013
- Call for Participation: DÖKH's 1st Middle East Women's Conference, Amed (Diyarbakır), Turkey, 31 May-2 June 2013
- Call for Multi-Faith Global Prayer Initiative to Mark IDAHO 2013
- Call for Papers: The 5th Biennial Conference: (Re)Defining Gujarati Identity
Facing Fundamentalisms
Facing Fundamentalisms Newsletters
Here you will find an archive of the Facing Fundamentalisms newsletters, featuring updates, analysis and resources about challenging religious fundamentalisms from around the world.
Analysis and Resources
Browse the latest analysis and resources on religious fundamentalisms and women’s rights
- Afghanistan: Women in parliament receive threats - from fellow lawmakers
- USA: Is Marriage Equality Almost Here? Six Possible Outcomes of the DOMA and Prop 8 Cases
- How the Anti-Prostitution Pledge Hinders AIDS Prevention
- Video: The Secret History of Sex, Choice and Catholics
- The Time Has Come: Première of a new UN documentary
- PNG, Melanesian countries 'failing' to protect women from sorcery-related violence: UN
- Global Muslim Women’s Shura Council Declares Practice of Female Genital Cutting Un-Islamic
- Buy Me Love: Realizing the Economic Potential of Sex Work Decriminalization
- United Nations - Adoption of UPR report of Botswana
- The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Backwards Step on LGBT Rights