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Feature: The Life and Work of Fatema Mernissi

Fatema Mernissi, the noted Moroccan sociologist and Islamic feminist, died of cancer on in Rabat. Mernissi is known globally for her numerous publications on Islamic feminism, politics, human rights, and her personal experiences, including “.” She was a faculty member for decades at Mohammed V University in Rabat, where she also completed some of her education. She received a from Brandeis University in 1973.

“Fatema Mernissi’s work is pioneering in understanding the relationship between women’s issues and the state in the Arab-Islamic countries, as well as the relationship between these issues and West,” wrote Wilson Center Fellow Fatima Sadiqi. “She was a genuine visionary in predicting that no headway could be achieved on the road of democracy without involving women as agents in decision-making. She used her vast knowledge of Islam to show that the problem is not Islam but the way this religion is instrumentalized by rulers and patriarchs. As such her legacy is transnational. Mernissi was an inspiration for me not only with regard to women’s issues but also with regard to identity and Berber issues. I know I lost a unique mentor and a special friend.”

Human Rights

Numerous articles from the last few months highlighted the prevalence of violence against women throughout the MENA region. In Turkey, the in the last decade, and on December 3 three men were who resisted their attempt to rape her. A number of other reports detailed cases of rape and sexual violence: the as a result of laws banning extramarital sex; an Israeli court , prompting outcry from women’s groups; and an NGO documented 20 instances of . Female prisoners in Iran have also been subjected to violence: for murdering her husband and another underwent a due to allegations of “‘illegitimate sexual relations’ for shaking hands with her lawyer.” Some countries are implementing measures to combat violence against women: against violence, and to “serve as an introduction to address violence against women.”

Another notable topic in this quarter related to issues of personal status, family laws, and women’s legal rights. In Morocco, for example, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) called for a review of the country’s family code because of the matters. Lebanese women have protested for the right for women married to foreigners . A Jordanian artist , calling for its elimination. Positive developments related to women’s legal rights include the Tunisian parliament passed new legislation that from the children’s father, and Saudi Arabia will provide .

Despite ongoing concerns regarding violence against women and women’s legal rights, there have been several constructive extra-legal efforts related to improving human rights. In the past quarter, Egypt has launched an , , , and other “.” Turkey introduced . Saudi Arabia provided . An Iranian court issued a single exit visa to football captain Niloufar Ardalan, .

Women in Public Office

Four elections in the MENA region made headlines in the past few months.

Saudi Arabia’s municipal election on December 12, 2015 was particularly notable because it was the first in which Saudi women were . According to Saudi officials, to vote and 979 women ran for office (comparatively to vote and 5,938 men ran for office), and of the throughout the kingdom. Women candidates were professors, , architects, and , including Loujain Hathloul, who was jailed for 10 weeks for driving and was initially banned from running for office.

Women who ran for office in Saudi Arabia faced some challenges during their campaigns. , and had to designate male representatives to campaign in their places. To overcome this obstacle, extensively to connect with their prospective constituents.

The United Arab Emirates also made history when Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi was elected in November , a position equivalent to speaker of parliament. She is the first woman speaker in both .

Egypt’s elections, which took place in two phases during the last quarter, established the first parliament since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi took office in June 2014. , surpassing the of 70 seats. This was an increase from the to Egypt’s parliament in 2012. According to Daily News Egypt, some of the newly elected women legislators are considering to “to support the women’s experience in the parliament.” These parliamentarians have already held four meetings to “empower women” in the Egyptian legislature and discuss issues such as obtaining diplomatic passports for their husbands and accessing stipends for transportation and overnight lodgings.

On November 1 Turkey held parliamentary elections for the second time in 2015. In the June elections, women won 98 of the 550 seats in parliament, . In the November elections, the number of women elected to 82. Some have criticized the gender disparity in the election’s results; Filiz Kerestecioglu, a parliamentarian from the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), , “Although we tried to change the face of the parliament by increasing female representation, sadly we failed as a result of the system’s male-dominated policies.”

Activists have also criticized Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s cabinet for “limited” women’s representation and the subject matter of their portfolios. ministers on the Prime Minister’s cabinet are women—the ministers for Family and Social Policy and Environment and Urban Planning. “Even in politics, women are placed in charge of the ‘private sphere'—i.e., the family, the home, the compassionate side of the state. Women have a voice and ideas beyond the Ministry of Family and Social Policy,” said Şehnaz Kıymaz Bahçeci of the Women for Women's Human Rights-New Ways Association.

Only one woman was elected to Oman’s 85-seat Shura Council in the October 2015 elections. was reelected to her current position and was the only woman who served in the previous Shura Council. , 20 were women.

Iran will hold elections on February 26, 2016 for two representative bodies—the . Currently, lawmakers in the Majles are women. for candidacy for both bodies took place in December; women represent 12 percent of registered candidates for the Majles elections and have also registered for candidacy in the Assembly of Experts elections. The question remains about will pass the extensive vetting process and appear on the ballots in February.

Women in Conflict Situations

Articles about the violence ISIS perpetrates against women in Iraq and Syria continue to dominate news about women in conflict situations. Reports indicate that " while in ISIS captivity; in Mosul, Iraq; and a killed by ISIS was discovered in northern Iraq. ISIS has also so male gynecologists do not treat women, and issued an A number of articles profiled women who escaped ISIS, including a , a , “ that paint a never-before-published account of slavery under ISIS,” and who escaped ISIS.

Because of recent events in Paris and San Bernardino, there were more articles in this quarter examining women’s roles in violent extremism. Many articles detailed , including or succumb to. According to the Tunisian minister for women’s affairs to join ISIS and other extremist groups. on the Internet and to marry extremist militants. for their association with ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Outside Iraq and Syria, women are actively involved in conflict in Yemen, Libya, and the Palestinian territories. Yemeni women, for example, have with a rally in Sana’a, as part of pro-government forces fighting the Houthis, and . Although Yemeni women are actively involved, as the conflict continues, according to the UN Population Fund. A group of Libyan women to ensure gender equality in the constitution, women’s political representation, and laws to protect women’s rights. In the West Bank, by hurling rocks, and .

News from the past few months also includes stories of women working for positive change in conflict areas. Yanar Mohammed operates a secret network of five safe houses for women in Iraq and hopes to open a sixth ; she has also called for Iraqi , which legally can only operate in Iraqi Kurdistan. Two articles detail how Syrian women refugees are and as part of project that supports Syrian refugees. Another underscores how young women and “ As part of a UN initiative, Scotland will host an international women’s summit to .

Women in Business

Women continued to have mixed experiences in business in the MENA region during the past several months. Saudi women have found success in from the ground up and will have the opportunity to work in a variety of fields in that will be built for women only. In November, the Saudi Ministry of Labor removed the clause that it added during its original ratification of the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) labor law that stipulated that women must be protected from “hazardous and dangerous jobs.” However, in December, Saudi Arabian Airlines declared that it “,” but will allow women to work in “female customer service sections in the airline’s reservation offices, commercial or financial sector, or IT departments.”

Women throughout the region—from Iran, , to Egypt, where a and support women’s economic participation, to the UAE, where women —are positioning themselves to be more influential and powerful members of the workforce. The MENA Women Quarterly Report will continue to report on women’s progress in business, and other news stories that affect women in the region, in the months to come.