Dear friends,

The Global Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.  One of their major concerns is about women.

 
The Elders are Martti Ahtisaari, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Brundtland, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Jimmy Carter, Graça Machel, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu (Chair). Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi are honorary Elders
  
    
One of their projects aims at challenging faith communities about traditional practices that harm girls and women.  In a July 2009 statement, they observed:

Religion and tradition are a great force for peace and progress around the world. However, as Elders, we believe that the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a higher authority, is unacceptable. We believe that women and girls share equal rights with men and boys in all aspects of life. We call upon all leaders to promote and protect equal rights for women and girls. 

The Elders, 2 July 2009

Their position statement continues:

The dignity of all, regardless of gender or background, is a common thread in our great faiths and cultures. This powerful concept also provided the foundation for the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Religious values and teachings, along with traditional customs, have provided comfort to hundreds of millions of people, stability for societies and have been a major force for good in our world and in our history. 

Sadly, they have also been used throughout the centuries to justify and entrench inequality and discrimination against women and girls. These teachings and practices have been abused by men to give them power over the female members of their families and women across their communities. As a result, women have lost control of their bodies and their lives. In many societies, women only gain freedom from the wishes of their fathers when power over them is handed to their husbands.

Over the next pages, we chart how this deep-rooted belief that women are worth less than men has infected every aspect of our societies. It has led to women suffering brutal violence and mistreatment. It has denied girls and women fair access to education, health, employment, property and influence within their own communities. It is not just women who are paying an enormous price for this cultural and religious prejudice. We all suffer when women and girls are abused and their needs are neglected. By denying them security and opportunity, we embed unfairness in our societies and fail to make the most of the talents of half the population. 

But there are, too, signs of hope. We want to point to the progress that is being made to lift this inequality and the impressive results such action brings. During the lifetimes of the Elders, in almost every society and in every area, women are breaking down the barriers which have held them and their daughters back for so long. 

There remains, however, a long way to go until we reach true equality of opportunity. And this is not a fight which should be left to women and girls alone. It is up to all our leaders, particularly male political, religious and civil leaders, to challenge and change those practices and attitudes, however long-established, which allow and foster discrimination and unfair treatment. 

 
We also call on all men and boys to throw their weight behind the campaign for equality and to challenge those who oppose women's rights and equality. The complementary skills and qualities of both men and women are needed to tackle the enormous challenges we face. This will not be easy. Men and boys will have to change their behaviour and thinking. Some women will too. But we will all gain from such changes. Societies with greater equality between men and women, girls and boys, are healthier, safer and more prosperous. 

Husbands should join with their wives, brothers with their sisters and sons with their mothers. We know what needs to be done. There is widespread agreement on the steps which must be taken. We now have to show the courage and determination to root out discrimination and change our world for the better. 

Giving thanks for the Elders!
with love and blessings,

~Sophie~

The Words of God Do Not Justify Cruelty to Women
The Observer
July 12, 2009

 

Discrimination and abuse wrongly backed by doctrine are damaging society, argues the former US president. 


"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status ..." (Article 2, Universal Declaration of Human Rights)  

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)  

I have been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world.  

So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service. This was in conflict with my belief - confirmed in the holy scriptures - that we are all equal in the eyes of God.  

This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. It is widespread. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths.  

Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries. The male interpretations of religious texts and the way they interact with, and reinforce, traditional practices justify some of the most pervasive, persistent, flagrant and damaging examples of human rights abuses.  

At their most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.
The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.  

In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.  

The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in Britain and the United States. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for everyone in society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family.  

It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and out-dated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom. 

 
I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive area to challenge.  

But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy - and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it.  

The Elders have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights. We have recently published a statement that declares: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."  

We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share.  

Although not having training in religion or theology, I understand that the carefully selected verses found in the holy scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place - and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence - than eternal truths. Similar Biblical excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers.  

At the same time, I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted holy scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.  

I know, too, that Billy Graham, one of the most widely respected and revered Christians during my lifetime, did not understand why women were prevented from being priests and preachers. He said: "Women preach all over the world. It doesn't bother me from my study of the scriptures."  

The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter.  

Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views. 

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Jimmy Carter was US president from 1977-81. The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. 

 
This news appeared in:  The Observer  

http://www.theelders.org/...-justify-cruelty-women

Click here to see Video: Jimmy Carter: Religion is one of the 'basic causes' of violations of women's rights 

Jimmy Carter on the impact of religion and tradition on the lives of women and girls

From: theeldersorg 

Martti Ahtisaari calls for dialogue between religions
The University of Helskinki
February 18, 2010

President Martti Ahtisaari believes that religions play a major role not only in the creation of conflicts, but also in their resolution.

Ahtisaari, who is well known for his role in leading difficult peace processes, gave a lecture at the University of Helsinki on 18 February on the European Union’s members states and Churches as peacemakers.


President Martti Ahtisaari: The position of women is an issue that Ahtisaari believes should be addressed. If the notion that women are inferior is maintained under the guise of religion, it will similarly create the impression that wives can be abused and women raped in wars. "It is not my intention to attack religions but to highlight the things carried out under the cloak of religion," says Ahtisaari.

In Ahtisaari’s opinion, the fear of Islam has its roots in poor integration policy.

At one time, Germany’s Turkish immigrants were considered to be a visiting labour force and no attempt was made to integrate them into the country. Nowadays, the situation is completely different: immigrants are taught the language and the culture.

The acceptance of Turkey as a candidate country for EU membership in 1999 created opposition as a result of the country's human rights situation and the fear of Islam by Western countries.

Ahtisaari believes that aiming for EU membership will strengthen the country’s democratic development.

"Turkey today is not ready, but if it is not accepted as a member, we will communicate to the world that the EU does not want Muslims".

Furthermore, the position of women is an issue that Ahtisaari believes should be addressed. If the notion that women are inferior is maintained under the guise of religion, it will similarly create the impression that wives can be abused and women raped in wars.

"It is not my intention to attack religions but to highlight the things carried out under the cloak of religion," says Ahtisaari.

He points out that churches in Africa have played an important role in the emancipation of women.

Ahtisaari believes it is for the universities to create opportunities for multicultural dialogue. He refers to the concept of a global ethic put forth by the theologian Hans Küng; its purpose is not to create a single religion but to achieve peace between the different groups.

"Kofi Annan has said that the problem is not the Koran, the Torah or the Bible, but how people behave towards each other," says Ahtisaari.

Ahtisaari’s lecture was part of the State and Religion in the European Union teaching event of the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Theology.

This news appeared in:  The University of Helsinki

http://www.theelders.org/...ogue-between-religions

Empower Them Through Work
Ela Bhatt
Outlook India
March 8, 2010 

'Our country rightly is proud of its democracy and its diversity. We must make sure that everyone has the chance to succeed, whatever their caste, gender or background.'



Ela Bhatt: In every continent, girls and women face barriers in their daily lives which simply don’t exist for men. Tradition, culture and religion are often the underlying justification for this discrimination. This is not just unfair but stifles our future prosperity.

 
India is undergoing enormous change. In a very short time, many Indians have become much richer, and our country is now often described as a “world player” economically and politically. Despite this transformation, our rich history, culture and traditions rightly remain important. Indeed, our success rests on this potent combination of the old and the new. 

We have, however, to be realistic. These traditions are also used to justify out-dated and unfair practices which feed inequality and trap many millions in poverty. Women and girls in particular find themselves excluded from opportunities, with the poorest terribly vulnerable to exploitation, neglect and abuse. Women’s work is denied recognition or proper pay. They face enormous obstacles in having their voices heard and in claiming rights and freedoms that are enshrined in our constitution and laws but denied in practice. 

In some cases, this prejudice is open but in many cases it is subtle - although no less damaging. What it means, however, is that Gandhi’s plea for equality between women and men is being ignored at great cost. Any girl denied the chance to fulfil her potential and any woman exploited and repressed by unscrupulous moneylenders, landlords, traders or even their families is a loss to our country. 

Inequality between the sexes occurs not just here in India but all around the world. In every continent, girls and women face barriers in their daily lives which simply don’t exist for men. Tradition, culture and religion are often the underlying justification for this discrimination. This is not just unfair but stifles our future prosperity. 

This is why The Elders, a group of leaders from around the world, brought together by Nelson Mandela, have called for community and religious leaders to join them in speaking out against prejudice. I am honoured to have been asked to join their number and want to share some experiences from my own country. 

These are things I have learned from three decades of struggle with SEWA, the Self-Employed Women’s Association in India – a labour union for women workers in the informal sector. These millions of women earn meagre incomes producing goods in their homes, picking and recycling rubbish, working as agricultural labourers, small farmers, construction workers, street vendors and hawkers. Bereft of a voice, they have remained invisible to most of my middle class compatriots and are vulnerable to exploitation and neglect. It is sadly clear how bigotry, dressed up as culture or tradition, helps maintain this unfairness. But it is clear as well the enormous benefits to entire families and communities when women are helped to exercise their skills and talents fairly. 

In 30 years with SEWA, I have seen again and again the extraordinary qualities and resilience of these women, whose labour sustains us all. They work incredibly hard. They are as clever and quick as any man in business, dealing with money and making each paise and rupee count. 

SEWA has played its role in helping to empower them through work. From tiny beginnings, organizing women workers into a union, SEWA has grown into an organisation of 1.2 million members in nine states across India with an impact both at community and national level. By banding together, millions of poor Indian women have managed to improve their bargaining power, produce and market their goods collectively and get access to credit at fairer rates.
 
For the first time, they have the chance to put money aside, invest in their business, better housing and education for their children. But the impact of financial independence goes far beyond putting more food on the table or securing shelter at night. I have watched them also nurture their communities, stand together in a crisis and learn to speak with confidence. They say their husbands value them more and no longer treat them as inferior. Violence in the family decreases. Decisions are shared and women’s influence rises, not only in the family but through the community. Mothers can insist their daughters receive the education they were denied and they actively take part in helping their own communities reach the right decisions on the future because they, at last, have a voice. 

None of this would have surprised Gandhi. He strongly believed in women’s equality and saw women as natural leaders in the fight for justice and equitable social change. He would have approved of the way women in India are coming together to lift the barriers blocking their progress in a determined but non-violent way. 

But as long as women’s status is lower than men’s and boys are valued above girls, poverty will remain a reality in our country and across the world. We have to rid our society of the view that to be female is to be a second-class citizen, no matter how deep the roots of this belief.

 
Many of our politicians would still rather ignore the informal sector and the women who form its backbone. They do so at our peril. India’s population is young and their aspirations are high. Making the most of all the talent in this country is essential if we are to satisfy the hopes needs of this growing, young population. 

Today, we come together to celebrate the special contribution that women make to our world. This 35th anniversary of the first International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on women’s progress and the obstacles that remain to equality. Our country rightly is proud of its democracy and its diversity. We must make sure that everyone has the chance to succeed, whatever their caste, gender or background. It is the only way to fulfil our ambitions and Gandhi’s vision for our country and our world. 

http://www.theelders.org/...ower-them-through-work

Religion and Women
Nicholas Kristof
The New York Times
January 10, 2010 

Religions derive their power and popularity in part from the ethical compass they offer. So why do so many faiths help perpetuate something that most of us regard as profoundly unethical: the oppression of women?  

 
It is not that warlords in Congo cite Scripture to justify their mass rapes (although the last warlord I met there called himself a pastor and wore a button reading “rebels for Christ”). It’s not that brides are burned in India as part of a Hindu ritual. And there’s no verse in the Koran that instructs Afghan thugs to throw acid in the faces of girls who dare to go to school. 

Yet these kinds of abuses — along with more banal injustices, like slapping a girlfriend or paying women less for their work — arise out of a social context in which women are, often, second-class citizens. That’s a context that religions have helped shape, and not pushed hard to change. 

“Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths, creating an environment in which violations against women are justified,” former President Jimmy Carter noted in a speech last month to the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Australia. 

“The belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God,” Mr. Carter continued, “gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo.” 

Mr. Carter, who sees religion as one of the “basic causes of the violation of women’s rights,” is a member of The Elders, a small council of retired leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela. The Elders are focusing on the role of religion in oppressing women, and they have issued a joint statement calling on religious leaders to “change all discriminatory practices within their own religions and traditions.” 

The Elders are neither irreligious nor rabble-rousers. They include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and they begin their meetings with a moment for silent prayer. 

“The Elders are not attacking religion as such,” noted Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and United Nations high commissioner for human rights. But she added, “We all recognized that if there’s one overarching issue for women it’s the way that religion can be manipulated to subjugate women.” 

There is of course plenty of fodder, in both the Koran and the Bible, for those who seek a theology of discrimination. 

The New Testament quotes St. Paul (I Timothy 2) as saying that women “must be silent.” Deuteronomy declares that if a woman does not bleed on her wedding night, “the men of her town shall stone her to death.” An Orthodox Jewish prayer thanks God, “who hast not made me a woman.” The Koran stipulates that a woman shall inherit less than a man, and that a woman’s testimony counts for half a man’s. 

In fairness, many scholars believe that Paul did not in fact write the passages calling on women to be silent. And Islam started out as socially progressive for women — banning female infanticide and limiting polygamy — but did not continue to advance. 

But religious leaders sanctified existing social structures, instead of pushing for justice. In Africa, it would help enormously if religious figures spoke up for widows disenfranchised by unjust inheritance traditions — or for rape victims, or for schoolgirls facing sexual demands from their teachers. Instead, in Uganda, the influence of conservative Christians is found in a grotesque push to execute gays. 

Yet paradoxically, the churches in Africa that have done the most to empower women have been conservative ones led by evangelicals and especially Pentecostals. In particular, Pentecostals encourage women to take leadership roles, and for many women this is the first time they have been trusted with authority and found their opinions respected. In rural Africa, Pentecostal churches are becoming a significant force to emancipate women. 

That’s a glimmer of hope that reminds us that while religion is part of the problem, it can also be part of the solution. The Dalai Lama has taken that step and calls himself a feminist. 

Another excellent precedent is slavery. Each of the Abrahamic faiths accepted slavery. Muhammad owned slaves, and St. Paul seems to have condoned slavery. Yet the pioneers of the abolitionist movement were Quakers and evangelicals like William Wilberforce. People of faith ultimately worked ferociously to overthrow an oppressive institution that churches had previously condoned. 

Today, when religious institutions exclude women from their hierarchies and rituals, the inevitable implication is that females are inferior. The Elders are right that religious groups should stand up for a simple ethical principle: any person’s human rights should be sacred, and not depend on something as earthly as their genitals. 

This news appeared in:  The New York Times


http://www.theelders.org/...ews/religion-and-women

"Tradition has developed a sort of hierarchy in the relationship between men and women and that leads to discrimination." 

Global Elder, Graça Machel 

  http://www.theelders.org/...ligious-discrimination

For too long, tradition and the distortion of religious values have been used as an excuse to mistreat, and discriminate against, women and girls across the world.  They bestow false legitimacy on claims that women are inferior and second-class citizens and are abused to give men control over women and their bodies. 

Yet the world's major faiths and cultures stress the ideals of peace, equality and the dignity of all. 

The failure to root out prejudice against women and girls is one of the major barriers to progress and prosperity.   

Religious and community leaders, men as well as women, need to show courage in challenging harmful religious and traditional practices and teaching, no matter how ingrained, and draw out positive messages from  our great faiths and the history of our societies to promote equality. 

-The Global Elders   

http://www.theelders.org/...ligious-discrimination

Graça Machel: Traditional practices put women in positions of inferiority 
 


Video: Graça Machel: Traditional practices put women in positions of inferiority 


Graça Machel argues that traditional practices put women in positions of inferiority; this is detrimental to womens rights.

From: theeldersorg

Listen to Mr. Carter's Address to the Parliament of World Religions on video: http://www.theelders.org/media/news/jimmy-carter-addresses-2009-parliament-worlds-religions

The 2009 Parliament of World's Religions was held in Melbourne in early December. Jimmy Carter addressed the conference via video message on the 'Religious Imperative for the Equality of Women and Girls'.

Quoting The Elders' statement on discriminatory religious and traditional practices, he reiterated his desire that the "leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share."

First held in Chicago in 1893, the Parliament of the World’s Religions brings together the world’s religious and spiritual communities, their leaders and their followers to a gathering where peace, diversity and sustainability are discussed and explored in the context of interreligious understanding and cooperation

http://www.theelders.org/...ament-worlds-religions

A transcript of the Speech by Jimmy Carter to the Parliament  of the World's Religions
(see video above) 
Melbourne, Australia 
Dec. 3, 2009 
  
Delivered via remote video from Atlanta, Ga., as part of The Elders project.  First, I want to thank Executive Director Dirk Ficca for making it possible for me to join you, even though remotely. I occupy a privileged position these days, best explained by a cartoon in New Yorker magazine. (President Carter explains cartoon about a boy who says "When I grow up, I want to be an ex-president.")  


  
Listen to Mr. Carter's Address to the Parliament of World Religions on video: [link=http://www.theelders.org/media/news/jimmy-carter-addresses-2009-parliament-worlds-religions]http://www.theelders.org/...ament-worlds-religions[/link]  

No longer in public office, I am able to receive exciting invitations like this, and also to speak without restraint on somewhat controversial subjects.  

I am pleased to address the Parliament of World Religions about the vital role of religion in providing a foundation for – or correcting – the global scourge of discrimination and violence against women. As will be seen, my remarks represent the personal views of a Christian layman and a former political leader.  

There are international agreements as well as our own Holy Scriptures that guide us:  

Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, origin ... or other status ..."  

The Holy Bible tells us that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)  

Every generic religious text encourages believers to respect essential human dignity, yet some selected scriptures are interpreted to justify the derogation or inferiority of women and girls, our fellow human beings.  

All of us have a responsibility to acknowledge and address the gross acts of discrimination and violence against women that occur every day. Here are some well-known examples:   

• Globally, at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. (U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, February, 2000) 
• Our Carter Center has been deeply involved in the Republic of Congo. In war zones where order has broken down, horrific and sometimes lethal rape has become a tactic of warfare practiced by all sides. 
• In a study in 2000, the U.N. estimated that at least 60 million girls who should be alive are "missing" from various populations, mostly in Asia, as a result of sex-selective abortions, infanticide or neglect. 
• According to UNICEF, an estimated one million children, mostly girls, enter the sex trade each year and the U.N. estimates that 4 million women and girls are trafficked annually. 
• In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime. 
• The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and explains why so few women hold political office, even in most Western democracies.  You are all familiar with these facts, and I know you are considering the causes and possible solutions to this serious global problem. There are clear indications that progress is being made in the secular world. We have seen women chosen as leaders in nations as diverse as India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Israel, Great Britain, Ireland, Chile, Germany, the Philippines, and Nicaragua. Their support came from citizens who are predominantly Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, and Christian, and include two of the three largest democracies on earth.   

It is ironic that women are now welcomed into all major professions and other positions of authority, but are branded as inferior and deprived of the equal right to serve God in positions of religious leadership. The plight of abused women is made more acceptable by the mandated subservience of women by religious leaders.  

Most Bible scholars acknowledge that the Holy Scriptures were written when male dominance prevailed in every aspect of life. Men could have multiple sex partners (King Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines), but adulterous behavior by a woman could be punished by stoning to death -  then, in the time of Christ and, in some societies, 2009 years later.  

I realize that devout Christians can find adequate scripture to justify either side in this debate, but there is one incontrovertible fact concerning the relationship between Jesus Christ and women: he never condoned sexual discrimination or the implied subservience of women. The exaltation and later reverence for Mary, as Jesus' mother, is an even more vivid indication of the special status of women in Christian theology.  

I have taught Bible lessons for more than 65 years, and I know that Paul forbade women to worship with their heads covered, to braid their hair, or to wear rings, jewelry, or expensive clothes. It is obvious to most modern day Christians that Paul was not mandating permanent or generic theological policies.  

In a letter to Timothy, Paul also expresses a prohibition against women's teaching men, but we know – and he knew – that Timothy himself was instructed by his mother and grandmother.  

At the same time, in Paul's letter to the Romans, he listed and thanked twenty-eight outstanding leaders of the early churches, at least ten of whom were women. "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church … greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus … greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you… greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was … greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them."  

It is clear that during the early Christian era women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers, and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.  

My own Southern Baptist Convention leaders ordained in recent years that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors, chaplains in the military service, or teachers of men. They based this on a few carefully selected quotations from Saint Paul and also Genesis, claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin. This was in conflict with my belief that we are all equal in the eyes of God. The Roman Catholic Church and many others revere the Virgin Mary but consider women unqualified to serve as priests.  

This view that the Almighty considers women to be inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or tradition. Its influence does not stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue, or temple. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths, creating an environment in which violations against women are justified.  

The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter.  

Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views and set a new course that demands equal rights for women and men, girls and boys.  

At their most repugnant, the belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo. It also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair and equal access to education, health care, employment, and influence within their own communities.  

Recently I presented my concerns to a group of fellow leaders known as The Elders, who represent practicing Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, and Hindus. We are no longer active in politics and are free to express our honest opinions. We decided to draw particular attention to the role of religious and traditional leaders in obstructing the campaign for equality and human rights, and promulgated a statement that declares: "the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."  

Having served as local, state, national, and world leaders, we understand why many public officials can be reluctant to question ancient religious and traditional premises – an arena of great power and sensitivity. Despite this, we are calling on all those with influence to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices – in religious and secular life– that justify discrimination against women and to acknowledge and emphasize the positive messages of equality and human dignity.   

http://www.cartercenter.o...-religions-120309.html 

The Global Elders 

'It is up all of us, religious and political leaders, men and women, to challenge these distortions and to emphasise the positive messages of equality from faith, history and tradition.'  

No society can yet claim to have removed discrimination against women. It is found, in different ways and to different degrees, in every country.  

This prejudice and inequality is a major brake on our collective ambitions for our world. We can't build healthy, stable and successful societies if the talents and views of half our population are ignored.     

The roots of this inequality often rest on harmful traditional practices and the interpretation by religious leaders - usually male - of the values of the great faiths.  

These customs and practices affect every aspect of our societies.  They deny wives, sisters and daughters the rights, freedoms and choices that men take for granted.  

They are used to justify violence against women. They hand control over women's lives and bodies to fathers and husbands. They prevent women owning property or having an equal voice in their communities. They are the reason why more boys than girls are sent to school. They are used to justify child marriage, even when it is against the law.      


These customs, and their impact, are not restricted to the developing world. They help explain why women are still paid less than men for equal work and to justify hours and work practices which put women at a disadvantage.   So ingrained are many of these attitudes in our societies, that their roots are often forgotten. But the abuse of culture and religion to subjugate women and to protect power and influence must be exposed and challenged.  

When this happens, attitudes can be changed.  In Rwanda, traditional proverbs and stories about the protection of women were used to undermine claims that gender equality and action to reduce rape and assaults were somehow imported western ideas.  

We must follow this example. Prejudice and harmful traditional practices are in breach of international human rights agreements and, often, domestic laws. They badly damage the health, strength and prosperity of societies.  

And in the view of many respected religious leaders, they distort the values of our great faiths and cultures which are each based on the idea of peace, equality and dignity for all.  

It is up all of us, religious and political leaders, men and women, to challenge these distortions and to emphasise the positive messages of equality from faith, history and tradition.

http://www.theelders.org/...ligious-discrimination

Global Elder Mary Robinson

Watch Video of Global Elder Mary Robinson: Catholicism and tradition subjugate women to 'second class' status   

 
Mary Robinson speaks out against the religious framing of harmful traditional practices that subjugate women. She argues that Catholicism and tradition subjugate women to 'second class' status. 

From: theeldersorg

The book Sahih Bukhari is a collectors' item that rerdcos a collection of sayings of the prophet. It is hadith which in arabic language means discussion. It is different from collection of other books which are memoirs of stories and in our times guide to science and technology that is how to use technology. Guide books are respected as worthwhile investments in view of the benefits that can be derived from them.The sayings of the holy prophet (peace be upon him) are very valuable to us, the Muslims. We believe it is important to act upon the hadith and that is what the Muslim women are doing. The veil is to do with faith and belief in Islam. It is not in conflict with Christianity in any way. There is no need for the french public to get upset when they see Muslim women in veil driving their cars, walking on streets, doing shopping, at work in the shops, offices, schools and colleges. The ban and the resultant harrassment and fines are waste of time and money. It is only a pride of the French who think they are rich and wealthy but really the world is in economic and financial crisis and consequently they are poor not rich. It is a false pride, a waste of time and vain talk. Maybe they just enjoy doing this kind of thing. On our part, we enjoy living with faith and belief in Islam. We will always be different to what they want us to be. We will be what God wants us to be.