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SDG 5: Gender equality in the the Middle East and North Africa

Publicado el 19 de mayo 2021

As part of the series of conferences on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) organized by Casa Árabe, on the upcoming date of May 19 we will be analyzing Goal 5, which seeks gender equality and the empowerment of women. The debate will be broadcast live for all audiences on our YouTubeand Facebook Live channels. Written in terms of “Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls,” SDG5 is one of the most important for the Middle East and North Africa. The reason is that, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (2021), the region has the largest gender gap in the world (at around 40%), and ten of its countries rank among the bottom 15 on the list. Despite undeniable advancements attained in recent decades, it is impossible to speak of a homogeneous situation either between or within countries. Furthermore, the coexistence of certain factors at the present time cast doubt on these outcomes and highlights their fragility. In particular, the region is suffering from widespread public discontent, the rise of ultra-conservative movements, the spread of armed conflicts and, for more than a year now, COVID-19. All of these circumstances have raised the risks for women, who are more exposed than ever to violence, disease, premature wedlock and, on the whole, to their definitive relegation to the status of second-class citizens. What other challenges will be faced by those who strive for the effective, robust implementation of SDG5? At this event, we will be joined by three speakers who discuss gender issues in the Middle East and North Africa region: Lina Abirafeh, an expert on the prevention of and responses to gender violence in humanitarian and emergency contexts, Sama’a Al-Hamdani founder and executive director of the Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage & Arts, and Asma Khalifa, an activist and researcher in the field of human rights, women and youth empowerment. The session will be moderated by Olivia Orozco, Casa Árabe’s Economics and Training Coordinator. Lina Abirafeh is the Executive Director of the Arab Institute for Women (AiW) at the Lebanese American University (LAU). Lina completed her PhD at the London School of Economics (LSE) and, on the basis of her research, published “Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention.” Abirafeh is a board member at several organizations (SheDecides, Forced Migration Review, Society of Gender Professionals and Greenpeace MENA, as well as others). In 2018, she was one of two Arab women included on the list “Gender Equality Top 100: The Most Influential People in Global Policy,” on which she was named again in 2019. She has recently focused her work on the need for a feminist response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Arab women and girls. Asma Khalifa is a Libyan activist and researcher devoted to creating a structure for civil society and peace building in her country. As a non-Arab, Amazigh Libyan who grew up under Colonel Gaddafi’s rule, she witnessed the negative impact of discrimination and violence against women. In 2016, she was awarded with the Luxembourg Peace Prize and a year later was named one of the “100 Most Influential Young Africans” at the Africa Youth Awards. Khalifa is also a co-founder of the Tamazight Women’s Movement, a group for thought and action which works on gender equality and research about indigenous women in Libya and North Africa. Sama’a Al-Hamdani is the founder and executive director of the Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage & Arts. As an art curator, she has been concerned with recovering the unique art forms and heritage of Yemen. In August 2019, she took part in a pilot program involving women in conflict (Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship), which focused on “The Arts as a Tool for Peacebuilding.” At present, she is a non-resident analyst at the Middle East Institute (MEI), whose main work deals with Yemen’s political dynamics. Prior to joining MEI, she was a visiting researcher at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS), specializing in Transitional Justice, and a researcher at the Yemen-headquartered Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS). She has had articles published by Arab world and Western media and groups of experts, including Al-Monitor, the Lawfare blog, Brookings Institution, The National (UAE), MENAsource (Atlantic Council Blog), Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Fikra Forum, The Middle East Institute Journal, Yemen Observer and the Yemen Times, as well as others. More info: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/sdg-5-gender-equality-in-the-arab-world

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“Madrid with Syria” awareness day (ARABIC)

Representatives of the organizations Cascos Blancos (White Helmets), Sham el Jair and the Association of Support for the Syrian People (AAPS) gave testimonials on the situation in the country. Along with Amer Hijazi, president of the AAPS, testimonials were given by Raed Alsaleh, the director of Cascos Blancos; Ahmad Youssef, a volunteer for Cascos Blancos; Halil Resuloglu, president of the Syrian NGO Sham el Jair; Mohamad Alskaf, manager of humanitarian aid for Sham el Jair, and Ignacio Álvarez Ossorio, a professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Alicante and the Middle East and Maghreb Coordinator for Fundación Alternativas. The event was presented by Karim Hauser, who is responsible for Governability at Casa Árabe. The Association of Support for the Syrian People (AAPS) is the only Spanish NGO that sends humanitarian aid on a regular basis to the interior of Syria, and it works with the cooperation of other NGOs and associations in the field so that the sending of humanitarian aid will be effective and reach those who need it most. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/“madrid-with-syria”-awareness-day

Publicado el 01 de febrero 2017
Humanitarian crisis in the region of Iraqi Kurdistan

The media constantly speak about the operation in Mosul, the war against Daesh (or ISIS, after its acronym in English), but they often leave out the humanitarian consequences. The war has led to the forced displacement of millions of people in Iraq and Syria since 2014. Arab, Christian and Yazidi families have been persecuted, threatened and massacred. Most of those saved have found refuge in the region of Iraqi Kurdistan. There are more than 2 million displaced people, and the number of victims continues to grow each day. The camps are overflowing with people. International humanitarian aid is insufficient and does not even cover the basic needs. This conference invited us to gain first-hand knowledge about the current situation for refugees and the displaced in the region of Kurdistan, to provoke thought with a view to understanding the global consequences of this unprecedented humanitarian crisis and to get a closer look at the charitable initiatives already being implemented in the region.

Publicado el 10 de enero 2017
Mysticism in Islam (In Arabic)

The objective of the conference is to provide an introduction to the history, practices and narratives of Sufism. It will also delve into the topics of spirituality, asceticism and mysticism, and their position within the Islamic world view. Sufism (or tasawwuf in Arabic) is practiced by many Muslims around the world as a personal path towards God. The main Sufi “orders” (tariqa, or in the plural turuq) and the related figures will be explained, as well as discussing whether all of its forms and practices are Islamic per se. Though several Sufi narratives will be covered, a special emphasis will be placed on the life and work of Imam Al-Ghazali. The conference will end with a poetry recitation. The conference, which will be given by Mustafa Abu Sway, a professor of Philosophy and Islamic Studies at Al-Quds University, and will also include interventions by Ricardo Albert, assistant director of the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies and Eastern Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. It will be presented by Karim Hauser, who is responsible for Casa Árabe’s Governance Area.

Publicado el 14 de diciembre 2016
“Their Heart in Your Hands”: The history of Islamic manuscript collections in Europe

Casa Árabe and the Embassy of Slovakia in Madrid have organized, within the framework of the Slovakian Presidency of the European Union Council, a round table discussion titled “Their Heart Is in Your Hands: Collections of Islamic manuscripts in Europe, with the cooperation of Nuria Martínez de Castilla, a specialist in codicology and the history of manuscripts from the Islamic world. This round table discussion will be devoted to discussing the different journeys and adventures which Arabic and Islamic manuscripts went on until coming to form part of today’s collections in European archives and libraries. In particular, it will deal with the histories of three collections, the Bašagić Collection of Islamic Manuscripts at the Bratislava University Library in Slovakia; the Arabic manuscripts at the University of Leiden Library in Holland, and the Arabic manuscript collection at the Monastery of El Escorial in Spain. During the debate, some of the common problems encountered when determining and recording the history of Islamic manuscripts in Europe will be examined, as well. The round table discussion will be opened by Miguel Ángel de Frutos, an ambassador and international advisor of Casa Árabe, Vladimír Grácz, the Ambassador of Slovakia in Madrid, and Silvia Stasselová, the General Director of the University Library in Bratislava. After a brief documentary about the Bašagić Collection of Islamic manuscripts, part of UNESCO’S Memory of the World International Register, that collection’s history will be told, as will those of the collections at the University of Leiden and in El Escorial, with contributions by Klára Meszárosová, of the Bratislava University Library, Arnoud Vrolijk, conservator of the University of Leiden Library, and Nuria Martínez de Castilla, of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, in a round table discussion moderated by Marek Brieska, from the Slovakian Embassy in Spain.

Publicado el 13 de diciembre 2016
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (In Arabic)

“Today, 136 countries recognize the State of Palestine and its flag flies at the United Nations next to those of all Member States. However, these advances are not felt by children in Gaza, or by the residents of Nablus, Hebron and East Jerusalem [...] let us reaffirm our commitment to bring about the just peace that the peoples of Israel and Palestine deserve.” Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations (November 29, 2015). In 1977, the UN General Assembly asked for November 29th to become the annual day of observance for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Thirty years earlier, in 1947, the Assembly had approved Resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine, on the very same day of the year. This commemoration is an act in favor of the rights of Palestinians and an opportunity to make the topic of Palestine and Israeli occupation more visible, now that it is becoming more and more overshadowed by the increasing cacophony of international news about the Middle East. The Palestinian refugees’ situation and the marginalization of Palestinians in Israel in 1948 are just a few of the factors that will be dealt with at this event. The conference was given by Talab al-Sana, president of the Arab Democratic Party. It will include participation by Isaías Barreñada, a professor of International Relations at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. Also taking part are Mahmoud Alwani, top advisor of the Diplomatic Mission of Palestine in Spain. The event was presented by Pedro Villena, the General Director of Casa Árabe.

Publicado el 01 de diciembre 2016