ࡱ> vxu%` 0Ebjbj"x"x <"@@*TTTTTTTTXXX8Y YT9>Y>YTYTYTYZZZ$h[hޏTH\ZZH\H\ޏTTTYTYH^^^H\TTYTTY^H\^^t@TT؍TY2Y GZE[X\p8 09Ô@]dÔp؍؍\ÔT4Z>Z,^[$*[ZZZޏޏ]0ZZZ9H\H\H\H\TTTX$TTTXTTTTTTTTT Race Discrimination Unit Education and Partnership Section Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission GPO Box 528 Sydney NSW 2001 19/9/2008 Dear Commission, I am an ordinary member of the public and would like to put this submission to you in regard to religion, race and gender (Freedom of Religion and belief in the 21st century). I am particularly writing in regard to the intersection between freedom of religion and gender equality. I have grave concerns about the equal human rights for women being 'overriden', if you like, by freedom of religious belief which is inherently incompatible with gender equality. My concern has been raised particularly in the last year or so, by writings in the media about Islam. There has been a call for recognition of shariah law, at least as it applies to so-called private or family matters. Any legal recognition of shariah law, in part or in full, would be by definition incompatible with equal human rights for men and women. I know a number of Moslem people, and have made a point of educating myself (albeit in a small way) about Islam. In my work as a social worker I work with Moslem women and find them delightful. I abhor any sort of discrimination or harassment, and am aware that many Moslems feel isolated and rejected, and I do what I can to address this. However, my Moslem acquaintances and those I correspond with about this issue, make very clear that in marriage and divorce women do not have equal rights with men. It is harder for Moslem women to get a divorce than men, and they are also not equal when it comes to inheritance. They are also under the authority of their husbands, and do not have the freedom of movement or dress that men have, and cannot work without the consent of their husbands. This has been confirmed by the leaders here in the Perth Moslem community, who at talks are quite open about these inequalities and discriminations against women, and in fact see nothing wrong with it. It is part of shariah law, as anyone who cares to read the law can see. They do not seem to understand or be aware that Australian secular law gives equal rights to men and women. The arguments put forward by Moslems (and others) in defence of this gender discrimination and oppression are as follows : that historically Islam gave more rights to women that did the Christian religions; that women are somehow 'special' and so is their role as mothers and wives (the inference being that they can't expect equal legal rights as well!), and that men need to have these rights over women in order to keep 'the family' together!! Of course these types of arguments have been around forever, and have been used just as effectively by Christian religions to justify denying equal rights to women. I am fully aware that the Catholic Church for instance (I was brought up a Catholic) is legally able to deny the job of priest to women, and no-one can do much about it. One can imagine the uproar in society today if the arguments above were used to deny black people equal legal rights with whites, or white people were specifically given more rights than black people in certain circumstances or contexts! Strangely though, there are still many people who don't think the same way about equal rights for men and women. My concern is that currently even many academics, writers, community leaders, and intellectuals seem to think that almost any religious, racial or cultural beliefs can be allowed to take precedence over gender equality; that equal legal rights for women and men is not as important; that matters within families should be exempted from the law; and that almost all religious or cultural practices must be respected and tolerated, no matter how unjust they may be. Legal equal rights is not just for the public sphere - what good is that alone if one doesn't also have equal rights within the family? While privately people will always make their own arrangements within their families, the law itself should never suspend equal human rights between men and women just because of religious or cultural beliefs. Yours truly, Joan Cross      PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 1 B D  !#$&'>?@ACDEh[nh[nmHnHu h_h[njh_h[nUh\?jh\?Uh%ph%pCJOJQJaJh*CJOJQJaJh%ph%pCJH*OJQJaJh%pCJOJQJaJ;gsk l $ % gh "#gdmL 7$8$H$gd%pD#%&BCDE 7$8$H$gd%pgd@0gdqgdmL:&P 1h:pqBP. 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