Community Event: Women Push Back- Efforts to Enhance Women's Access to the Public and Political Spaces in the Muslim World

Women’s rights activists across the Muslim world, often in solidarity with one another, have sought to push back against patriarchal and male dominated institutional structures that limit their political and social influence. The speakers of this panel will shed light onto some of those tactics. Homa Hoodfar will briefly comment on the significance of transnational action to address women’s intentional marginalization from public and political spaces. Amna Nasir will discuss the ways in which Pakistan’s Aurat March, that feminists launched in response to gender-based violence and harassment, aims to reclaim their access to public spaces. Azam Khatam critically studies the efforts of women who are elected to their local councils in Iran as they aim to address various social and spatial disparities faced by women. Lastly, Mahboubeh Abosgholizadeh will discuss the strategies used by ordinary Iranian women to utilize the #metoo movement to bring about a public discussion around violence against women in a theocracy.