Faith, Religion and Population of WOA!! World Population Awareness

Faith, Religion and Population
May 01, 2008

There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"The worst problem is to possess plenty of children with inadequate means."
...The Prophet Muhammad

Planned parenthood is an obligation of those who are Christians. Our church thinks we should use scientific methods that assist in family planning.
Desmond Tutu, Former Anglican Archbishop of CapeTown

"When wisdom dictates that you do not need more children, a vasectomy is permissible."
...Ayatollah Ali Khomenei

"Will our grandchildren praise us for being part of the sustainability transformation? Or will they curse us for clinging to old fashioned habits that used up their heritage?"

"Woe unto them that join house to house, lay field to field, till [there be] no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!"
Isaiah 5:8 - The Unbound Bible

"Almost all the influential figures in the world's religions had small families," observed McGill University's Arvind Sharma at the 1999 Hague Forum. "Rama, the popular God of Hinduism, had two sons; the Bud-dha had one son; Mahavira, the last prophet of Jainism, had one daughter (if that); Confucius had one son; Lao-tzu, the founder of Taoism, none. Abraham had two sons and two daughters; Moses had two sons; Jesus none. The prophet Mohammed was survived by a daughter."

Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and most of Judaism and Christianity see responsible parenthood in marriage, including the use of contraception, as a moral good. Highly respected religious leaders, including two Nobel laureates, have opened the door to admit abortion in some circumstances. Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu supported the South African constitutional provision legalizing abortion. And the Dalai Lama, while generally opposed to abortion, said in a New York Times Sunday Magazine profile, "I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to the circumstances." Indeed, in mainline Christianity, fairly widespread support exists for population stabilization (not a women's-rights issue) and for family planning and even abortion, as necessary, to save the planet. 2000 New York Times*

Religion and Cairo In the original Cairo conference, 170+ countries approved the principals, but objections came from nations with extremist religious factions, including Catholic and Islamic fundamentalists: Argentina, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Vatican; Algeria, Libya, Malta, and Sudan. Specific objections that have been raised include the Commission on Population and Development's recommendations that (a) reproductive health services should include new methods of emergency contraception, (b) abortion be made safe where it is legal, and (c) that young people have full access to sexual and reproductive health education and services.

Islam

The Muslim world has the world's highest population growth rate (3.5%/year) January 2006 Bruce Sandquist

Pakistan;: 800 Religious Scholars to Educate People on Family Planning. The Population Welfare Department has trained 800 religious scholors and khateebs for family planning education. Committees had been set up to raise family planning awareness and about 3,000 male mobilisers had been registered for the purpose. Due to the lack of education people had been considering family planning a taboo, but they were now being activated in this regard. The support of religious leaders, media, poets, and philosophers is needed to overcome the increasing population. People mistreated the family planning workers in the past but this trend is now changing. Doctors have lured to rural areas with Rs 30,000 salary package. The ministry would set up free medical camps in flood-stricken areas. The population in Punjab had exceeded 80 million while the annual birth rate was 1.89%. Rs 6,062 million has been granted for the Family Planning Programme, supported by the UNFPA. About 25,000 vasectomies were registered last year, which is encouraging. Most of the family planning centres have been set up in the rural areas. Efforts are being made to improve the infrastructure and equipment. July 17, 2007 Daily Times

Indonesia;: Muslim Ulemas to Help Govt Steer Family Planning. The National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) is drafting a handbook for Muslims to guide them in disseminating the government's family planning program. The handbook is the result of an international conference of Muslim leaders. The board's guidance is intended to invigorate family planning among Indonesian families and includes healthy timing for pregnancy and intervals between pregnancies, through Islamic teachings and values. In a society dominated by Muslims, ulemas are considered prominent figures whose views and actions are watched and followed. The handbook will cover: Islam and family planning; health for mothers and babies; adolescent reproductive health and HIV/AIDS-free families. It is expected the ulemas can create a conducive environment among Indonesians to implement the family planning program. After the guidance handbook for Muslim ulemas was completed, BKKBN would also take similar steps with leaders from other religious denominations. July 3, 2007 Jakarta Post

The Muslim World's Changing Views Toward Family Planning and Contraception. The Muslim world has the world's highest rate of population growth and is involved in more armed conflicts than any other region of the world. Changes are taking place in the Muslim world in the status of women, and there are other evidence of slower rates of population growth in the decades to come. The extremely high population growth rates are the results of the shortage of financial capital and the degraded state of Middle East lands which causes people to use children as a social security system. The low status of women in fundamentalist-oriented Muslim societies prevent women from obtaining educations and good jobs, increasing their desired family sizes. Many Muslim Mullahs take a dim view of tubal ligation and vasectomy if not other forms of contraception. The total fertility rate in India is 3.6 for Muslims, 2.8 for Hindus, and 2.4 for Christians. The growth of Islamic fundamentalism would suggest that it is not possible. But the Muslim religion is a faith with no central doctrinal authority to serve as the "bridge" between Muslim principles and modern life that are supposed to be issued by religious scholars. In Egypt alone, thousands of fatwas are issued every month. Religious and political leaders in the Muslim world are saying there is a crisis in Islam because too many fatwas are being issued, and many of them reflect ideology more than learning. There has been an explosion of places offering fatwas, from web sites, to satellite television shows that take phone calls, to radical and terrorist organizations. The relationship between the Koran and fatwas is increasingly a matter of dispute. Some Muslim scholars view the Koran's word and ideas as fixed, others see their job as reconciling modern life with the text by bending the text to fit new circumstances. This explains the broad range of views on family planning and contraception coming from Islam's Mullahs. As public opinion shifts fatwas tend to shift accordingly. Muslims can just find a Mullah whose fatwas are more to their liking and achieve the same effect. August 15, 2007 Bruce Sandquist's home page

Family Planning Key to Afghan Maternal Deaths: U.N.. Afghanistan's maternal mortality rate of one dead mother for every 60 births would be brought down if mothers spaced their pregnancies. Afghan women have among the highest deaths from pregnancy and complications. Bringing the toll down means trained birth attendants, emergency hospital care available and family planning. Family planning is not against the rules of Islam. The principle of family planning is enshrined in the Koran which says women should nurse for two years, it was a form of family planning. Spacing allows a mother to regain her health before becoming pregnant again. The right to health, education, income and life, can be achieved by family planning. Maternal mortality rates were improving in Kabul, where some health services are available. People had to understand that violence against women, which is pervasive in Afghanistan, was not proper under Islam where women have a special position. A proper Muslim does not beat his wife. April 30, 2007 Reuters

Jamaat Opposes Sex Education in Schools. In Mumbai, Sex education in schools is under attack. The Jamaat will seek the help of PTAs to plug any move to introduce sex education. The JIH will take the help of city-based anti-obscenity crusader Pratibha Naitthani and is in touch with 22 other organisations. Jamaat representatives demanded that the state government reconsider its decision to make sex education compulsory. The organisation plans to intensify protests by mobilising Muslims organisations. Arjun Singh, indicated that sex education will be crucial to prevent AIDS. A spokesman for the Jamaat, said that his organisation will not let the HRD ministry carry on with its plans. “Uncontrolled sexual anarchy is the reason for AIDS, why should our children be taught about sex?” According to Ghazi, sex education will leave children confused and curious. Schools will teach children everything about sex but will caution them against indulging in sex. We will not allow such moral corruption.
Karen Gaia says: The Jamaat should read the article on Sweden, published on this website just a few days earlier. March 19, 2007 Daily News and Analysis

Pakistan;: Family Planning Key to Better Life, Says Aziz. Prime Minister Aziz contended that economic growth could only make a difference in the quality of life if society adopts promotes reproductive health and small families. "The gains of economic growth are wiped out if population continues to grow unabated." He said that sustainable economic growth was to increase per capita income. The government was accelerating the pace of development with an emphasis on rural areas, where 60% of the population lives. He said the government wanted to empower people, particularly women. If Pakistan's population continues to grow at the current rate of 1.86%, it will double in 38 years, reaching 312 million. With dwindling natural resources and scarce housing, health and education facilities would come under severe pressure from the increase in population. The government envisaged a mutually beneficial partnership between public and private organisations to educate people about reproductive health and family planning, hoping that rising investment in human capital together with a higher rate of literacy will lead us to an even lower rate of population growth. The rate of population increase has slowed but is still too fast. The latest attempt to defuse the population explosion is focused on towns and cities where industries are concentrated, and will involve not the provision of contraceptives and sex education and the appointment of trained medical staff at factories. The aim is to encourage the predominantly male workforce to adopt small family norms. The ministry has also begun educating 12,000 Muslim clerics to use their pulpits to spread the message on the benefits of having smaller families. Pakistan introduced a family planning programme soon after its independence in 1947 but social taboos and opposition from strict Muslim groups limited its success, but now things have changed and the clerics are on board. January 23, 2007 Associated Press of Pakistan

Pakistan Ruling Party Eyes Ban on Forced Marriage. Pakistan's ruling party has introduced a bill outlawing forced marriage and practices which prevent women from inheriting property. President Musharraf has vowed to empower women as part of his vision of enlightened moderation for the Muslim country. The Bill is expected to be debated and voted upon later in the year. The bill seeks to end a centuries-old tradition of marrying women off to settle disputes between families, and marrying women to the Koran, which deprives them of a share of family property. Musharraf promised to push ahead to empower women after parliament adopted a bill curbing the scope of Islamic laws that had made it virtually impossible for women to accuse men of rape. It was passed despite fierce opposition from hardline Islamist groups. Human rights groups said the Islamic laws, introduced by a military dictator in 1979, should have been scrapped all together. Some activists and opposition politicians have accused Musharraf of indirectly promoting conservative religious parties when it has suited him. February 13, 2007 Reuters

Pakistan;: Now, Contraceptives in Mosque!. Pakistan has decided to distribute contraceptives at mosques and involve clerics in spreading family planning awareness. Pakistan Population Planning Minister said that currently Pakistan's birth rate was 1.86%, which his ministry wanted to bring down to 1.3% by 2020. December 19, 2006 Hindustan Times

Islam Thrives as Russia's Population Falls. The Sobornaya Mosque is one of only four in Moscow serving a Muslim population of 2.5 million. It was the only Islamic house of worship during the Soviet period, usually empty due to religious repression. Today, it overflows with worshippers on Fridays and holy days. In the Soviet period, people were forbidden from practising their religions. Now, they are embracing their faith again. Russia is in the midst of transformation. Islamic faith is thriving and if current trends continue, more than half of Russia's population will be Muslim by mid-century. Tensions are already high between the country's ethnic Russian population and the diverse group of nationalities that make up the Muslim community. Attacks on mosques are not uncommon and angry mobs have chased Chechens and other migrants from the Caucasus out of the northwestern town of Kondopoga. Spurring on the mob was Alexander Belov, head of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration, an increasingly powerful lobby group. "Russia is historically a Slavic, Orthodox Christian land and we need to make sure it stays that way," he said. "Muslims, no matter what their citizenship, should be restricted from living in "traditional Russian lands." Many Russians associate Islam with religious extremists from Chechnya. Some are newly arrived immigrants from the former Soviet states of Central Asia; others are from Muslim-majority regions that remained part of Russia. Russia's Muslim communities boast higher birth rates than those of the country's Christian Orthodox, ethnic Slavs with some communities averaging as many as 10 children per woman. Since 1989, Russia's Muslim population has increased by 40% to about 25 million. By 2015, Muslims could make up a majority of Russia's conscript army and one-fifth of the country's population by 2020. If trends continue people of Muslim descent will outnumber ethnic Russians. The country's Muslim leaders look on the population spurt, and media coverage, with apprehension. The image of Muslims presented in the media is very distorted and sensing the nationalist mood, Russian authorities have begun to crack down. Four regions introduced mandatory classes in Orthodox Christianity in all schools. A new law will ban foreigners from working in retails stalls and markets next year. The growing anti-Islamic sentiment threatens to push Russian Muslims further into the arms of radicals. People who know they are Muslims but don't know what that means could be radicalized, especially if they feel excluded from Russian society. At the Sobornaya Mosque, one bearded young man, who refuses to give even his first name, anticipates a day when large chunks of Russia can be broken off into Islamic states. December 05, 2006 The Star Russia

A Bid to Bring the Female Voice to Islamic Law. Meeting in New York, Muslim women from 25 countries began laying groundwork for the first international all-female council formed to issue fatwas, to ensure that women's perspectives on Islamic law become part of religious deliberation. The number of women sanctioned to issue fatwas is tiny. The emergence of such women, known as muftias, usually makes headlines. Governments and schools try to license who can issue fatwas, but Islam stipulates only certain prerequisites, such as knowledge of the Koran and Arabic. As a result, the ranks of unofficial authorities are deeper and the barriers to women surmountable. Advancing the idea of reinterpreting the texts has to be done, but it will be portrayed as part of "a Western cultural invasion,". The group is up against tradition. Throughout history, few Muslim women were jurists, though scholars are uncovering more, including, the prophet Muhammad's wife. Some question whether much is open to reform. Others note that fatwas are nonbinding. In Malaysia, Sisters in Islam used the Koran to rebuff efforts to exclude Muslims from a domestic-abuse law. In Saudi Arabia, an effort to push women further back at a crowded holy site was thwarted with the help of a female Islamic scholar's arguments. In the US the English translation of the Koran by a woman, finds an alternate meaning in a verse widely interpreted to give husbands authority to beat their wives. The New York gathering plans to seat the new council within a year. Drawn from diverse schools within Islam, the members will be versed in Islamic law. Islam is a religion of law, and it is important to express the principles of social justice. Today's global communications are challenging, as more Muslims seek religious opinions far and wide through the Internet. There is a sense among many Muslims that Islamic jurists are out of touch, that their guidance is not adequate to the modern world. The council has a credibility problem. Women should stand up and give their own opinions on women's issues, but American efforts to force change in the Muslim world mean reformers now must avoid links to the US. Conference attendees say a muftia council could prompt wider support for women's struggles. It's empowering for them to know that their desire to not be beaten by their husband can actually be justified in the name of Islam. November 21, 2006 Christian Science Monitor

Pakistan is Divided Over Rape Law Reform. Gen Musharraf announced last week that he would amend the existing laws that place an almost impossible burden of proof on women bringing a case of rape. Thousands of women from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), chanted "death" to leaders of the Islamic Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance. Conservatives have announced a nationwide campaign against the Bill. But the story of Hidayat Bibi's arrest shows why Musharraf has risked taking this step. Hidayat, 45, was arrested under the Hudood ordinance after being accused of adultery by her former husband with whom she had a bitter financial dispute. The husband claimed that the couple had not divorced, and the man who leased her a house had "developed illicit relations with my wife, which is something immoral and un-Islamic". Hidayat was imprisoned in a jail in Peshawar with her two-year-old daughter for three weeks but released after a medical examination proved that she had not had sexual intercourse in recent months. Then all her relatives severed ties with her and treated her as inhuman. The new Bill proposes to transfer rape and adultery cases from the Islamic legal system to Pakistan's British-influenced secular penal code. In the case of adultery, greater evidence must be produced before a person is taken into custody; the penalties are to be reduced and the traditional Islamic principle that in an adultery case the onus of proof is on the accuser is to be enforced. Under Islamic laws women must produce four adult Muslim male witnesses to prove an act of rape. The new Bill proposes that rape cases be tried under criminal law and abide by improved evidence gathering and case assessment.. The existing law means that rapists often escape punishment. The gang rape of a nurse who refused to perform illegal abortions earlier this year was one of the cases that intensified calls for the repeal of its rape laws. August 29, 2006 Telegraph

Islam and Rape. Women who are raped in the Muslim world - including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan - face incarceration or execution. Now, Pakistan has a chance to change this despicable practice. Most "Hudood" laws legalize the prosecution of a woman for fornication if she cannot prove a crime was committed. In Pakistan, four Muslim men must testify on the victim's behalf or she can be prosecuted for alleging a false crime. Penalties include stoning to death, lashings or prison. Pakistan's Hudood laws were enacted in 1979, in an attempt to "Islamicize" the country. In contrast to more moderate Muslim-majority countries, which have Hudood laws on the books, but essentially ignore them, Pakistan's laws have been enforced. Stonings and lashing are rare, but more than 2,000 Pakistani women now languish in jail. When Pakistan President Musharraf assumed office, he vowed to tackle the Islamic Republic's problems. But Hudood may prove one of his most formidable challenges. Pakistan's hardline Islamic parties, are vehemently opposed to repeal or revisions to Hudood. Hudood is set forth in the holy Quran. We are an Islamic nation. We cannot repeal Hudood, said Mohammed Aslam Saleemi, JI's vice president of legal affairs. "However, we are open to discussing how it is enforced and implemented. We do not believe in imprisoning women, nor do we object to those arrested on Hudood violations receiving bail." General Musharraf, who enjoys a fragile political coalition, has taken some action. Last month, he issued a presidential decree that made 1,300 women awaiting trial on Hudood violations eligible for bail. The issue is so divisive that the law ministry won't publicly disclose the full details of the amendments. According to statistics, about 80% of the more than 2,000 women currently in prison were convicted under Hudood laws. Thousands of rapes go unreported for fear of arrest and retribution. In March, 1,000 women demonstrated outside Islamabad's parliament, demanding Hudood's repeal, while some 5,000 rallied in eastern Punjab. Among the latter was Mukthar Mai, who was gang raped in 2002 by order of a village council as retribution for her 13-year-old brother's illicit affair with a woman of a higher caste. August 01, 2006 Wall Street Journal

Iran: Braving Threats, Women Demand Legal Reforms. Iranian women activists have demonstrated to demand changes in the oppressive laws that are written into the country's constitution. The demonstrators, including women and men, are demanding an end to discrimination based on gender, as well as changes to Islamic laws that protect men at the expense of women. Under current law, women are half the value of a man. For example, four women fulfil the requirement of two witnesses. Men are permitted to have more than one wife, women cannot file for divorce, and when a divorce is granted, the husband gets full custody of the children. Wives cannot work if their husband opposes the place of employment and they cannot travel outside the country without written permission from their husbands. Girls are considered adults at age nine, and can be married. Two thousand Iranians have courageously signed their names to a statement calling for dramatic changes in Islamic law. The statement, which cannot be published in any of Iran's newspapers, appears in blogs and will be read out loud at the demonstration. Last year's protest turned violent when police resorted to the use of force. Officials warned that a formal license was required. The demonstrators referred to Article 27 of the constitution which states that peaceful protest is legal and does not require a license. The 2005 protest demonstrated against compulsory use of the hijab, chador, scarf and mantua. So far, none of Iran's 12 conservative women MPs have acknowledged the protest. Last year, the organizers of a similar event were threatened by unknown security forces. One of the security entities summoned some of the women activists and probably asked them to cancel the protest. Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to office, he has used the Islamic social base to promote his agenda and has acted against labour, student and women rights movements. Any change that would improve women's rights requires not only a change in Islamic law but a confirmation by high-ranking ayatollahs. June 12, 2006 Push Journal

Muslim Women Don't See Themselves as Oppressed. According to a poll conducted in 2005, a majority of Muslim women believe they should have the right to vote, work outside the home and serve in the highest levels of government. In more than 8,000 face-to-face interviews, the survey found that many women in the Muslim world did not see sex issues as a priority. A majority of Muslim women said that a lack of unity among Muslim nations, violent extremism, and political and economic corruption were their main concerns. The head scarf, and garment covering face and body, were never mentioned in the answers to the open-ended questions. Most Muslim women associated sex equality with the West. 78% of Moroccan women, 71% of Lebanese women and 48% of Saudi women linked legal equality with the West. A majority did not think adopting Western values would help the Muslim world's progress. The most frequent response to "What do you admire least about the West?" was the perception of moral decay, promiscuity and pornography, the "Hollywood image" that is regarded as degrading to women. An overwhelming majority of women cited "attachment to moral and spiritual values" as the best aspect of their own societies. In Pakistan, 53% said attachment to their religious beliefs was their country's most admirable trait. In Egypt, 59% cited love of their religion as the best aspect. At 97%, Lebanon had the highest percentage of women who said they believed they should be able to make their own voting decisions, followed by Egypt and Morocco at 95%. Pakistan was lowest, at 68%. The analyst of Muslim studies at The Gallup World Poll said the new data provide fresh insight into the Muslim world. She was born in Egypt and wears a Islamic head scarf. She rejected the idea that Muslim women had been brainwashed by the dominant male culture. In every culture there is a dominant narrative, and in many cases it is constructed by people in power who happen to be men," She said.
Karen Gaia says: Family planning works well in some Muslim countries. In Bangladesh, women were educated to become health care workers and also women can hold office. In Iran, couples are educated together about birth control. June 08, 2006 New York Times*

Ghana: Islam Does Not Permit the Use of Condom. Sheikh Osman Bawa, an Islamic scholar, cautioned youth adherents of the religion not to be deceived by the safety of the use of condom, since Islam abhors its use, whether in or outside marriage. The Muslim scholar advised Muslims to desist from extra-marital and pre-marital sex, which were violations of Islamic laws and a recipe for acquiring HIV. The Co-ordinator of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), noted that since HIV did not discriminate against a particular religion, all are at risk. Plans were advanced to decentralize the distribution of anti-retroviral drugs to all districts, while commending Muslim leaders for their efforts at educating the youth on the menace. The Regional Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC), urged Muslim clerics to discuss issues relating to HIV to increase the awareness of the prevalence of the disease. The organization aimed at educating youth on social issues to broaden their knowledge. May 19, 2006 Age

The Muslim world has the world's highest population growth rate (3.5%/year) January 2006 Bruce Sandquist

Morocco: Women Preachers Appointed. Morocco has appointed 50 women as state preachers as part of the government's drive to promote a more tolerant Islam. They will be able to give basic religious instruction in mosques, but will not be able to lead Friday prayers, which remain a male preserve. Since suicide bombers struck Casablanca in 2003, there has been a crackdown on suspected Islamic militants. The country has also been attempting to modernise its human rights, especially for women, while not alienating conservative Muslims. As well as teaching in mosques, the women will be able to support people in prisons, schools and hospitals. The aim is to correct the image of Islam, the religion of tolerance and pity. The ceremony was attended by Morocco's minister of Islamic Affairs who told the graduates to remain committed to their faith and the politics of the state. Morocco is indeed more moderate than many other Muslim countries. April 04, 2006 Dhimmi Watch

Iraqi Kurdish Women Voice Hopes for Constitution. Women's rights groups in Iraqi Kurdistan have been contributing to the drafting of a regional constitution that some hope will be better for women than the national version. The main difference is that the Kurdish regional constitution is not based on Islamic law. Under Iraq's constitution, the Kurdish regional constitution will take precedence but it is expected that courts will have to iron out the differences. The national constitution was accepted last October but remains unratified because of internal turmoil. Parliamentarian Pakhshan Zangana says that using Islam as a legislative source is "basically against women's rights and democracy." However, representatives of the Women's Organization of the Kurdistan Islamic Union, which promotes an Islamic basis for legislation say that the idea that Islam is bad for women is based on misinterpretations. Mehabad Qeredaxi, advisor on equality issues in the office of the Kurdish Prime Minister, says that the current constitution of Iraq is flawed against women's rights and based on religion and tradition. If we enshrine the equality principal in the constitution we can prevent any violation against women's rights. If we can't then we hope we can have it in the Kurdistan constitution. The regional draft also deals differently with the personal status law pertaining to divorce, marriage and inheritance. However, Article 39 of the national constitution says the personal status law should be applied according to one's religion. The committee for Kurdistan, is leaning toward having one personal status law that can be applied to all regardless of religion. Chilura Hardi, head of the Khatuzeen Centre for Social Action, Women's NGO, presented the Kurdistan Constitutional Committee with a Bill of Rights for Women. The document is partially based on the Rights of Women in Africa adopted by the African Union in 2003 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. "We took the things we wanted from those documents and expressed them in a Kurdish way eliminating the parts about abortion and homosexuality that are not appropriate, as they are subject to strong social and religious taboos. The bill of rights bans female genital mutilation, polygamy and the giving of women as brides to reconcile families in conflict. April 26, 2006 Push Journal

Pakistan: Kashmir is Important, but So is Family Planning; Clerics' Role in Family Stressed at Seminar. Federal Population Welfare Minister encouraged women and clerics to educate people about family planning and said that since women were unaware of family planning and the hazards of early age pregnancy, the NGOs were exploiting a volatile situation on the pretext of women"s rights. Stressing the support of religious parties, the minister said that they were an integral part of the quest to control the country's population. Although a major effort was still required, the country was now on the right track. People are more open to the issue and it has become a more approachable subject. The country's population needs to be controlled to improve the standard of living. Practical steps include training school teachers, labour leaders and religious scholars about our aims. The minister said more than 3,000 clerics had been trained by the ministry and were working in various districts. The ministry aims to reduce the population growth from 1.9% to 1.3% by 2020 and the fact that the population growth was 3.3% in the 1980's indicates that the effort is fruitful. It was important for clerics to spread Islam in its proper context. People using religion to counter our efforts are only causing problems. A Hadith stating that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) wished for a large Muslim community on judgement day, is foolish, and scholars should help correct such misrepresentations. Seminars on population planning will be arranged in all provinces and a final conference will be held in Islamabad. March 28, 2006 Daily Times

Syria: Women's Group to Provide Assistance to Female Divorcees. A Syrian NGO has launched a programme to find shelter and jobs for divorced women. The project aims to educate them, teach them skills and provide them with shelter, in order to make them independent. There were 17,000 cases of divorce in 2004. The majority of these women couldn't return to their parents' house. The divorce rate is almost 25% higher in Damascus than in rural areas, because urban women tend to be more progressive. Through the traditional perspective, women should be confined to raising children and housekeeping. Divorced women are often left with no financial means to support themselves and often without a place to live. Divorced women suffer from stigmas associated with marital separation. Divorced women aren't socially accepted. Although the government gives the mother the right to keep children until they reach 14, they are often obliged to surrender them to the father due to lack of money to care for them. A study by UNICEF showed that 85.5% of child labourers in Syria had divorced parents. March 20, 2006 Push Journal

Women's Reproductive and Sexual Rights and the Offence of Zina in Muslim Laws in Nigeria. With the recent “Sharianization” of parts of Nigeria, new offences mostly surrounding sexuality, which has had a negative effect on women’s rights have been formed. While Muslim laws are not God given, conservative and liberal jurisprudence has prevented scholars and activists from establishing Muslim laws that protect the rights of women. In the wake of a new Sharia Penal Code in Katsina State, religious vigilantes instigated a case against a woman for having a child after divorce without remarrying. The father swore that he had not had sexual relations and was released. NGOs provided her with lawyers, safe houses, medical care, and emotional support. She also became the object of protest campaigns, which excoriated “Islamic law” as brutal and called on Nigeria’s president repeal the Sharia Acts. She won her appeal in the state Sharia Court of Appeal and was acquitted. Sharia Penal Codes were introduced in several Nigerian states in 2000. Zina, or unlawful sexual intercourse, includes adultery, punished by stoning to death, and fornication, penalized by whipping. The tensions between conservative religious politics and crude antiterrorism policies must be considered and involves local cultures containing a complicated mixture of ideologies and social practices. Human rights guarantee people their rights in their day to day lives and requires that they are respected by local cultures. But it is possible to accept the universality of the notion of rights, which are reconstructed by those whose lives are impacted by them. Many of these groups are challenging not the communities themselves, but the current definitions of culture. The introduction of Sharia in Nigeria has had more to do with political appeal, rather than religious sentiment. Both Muslim and non-Muslim women’s rights activists were concerned that Sharia would be used as a rationale to discriminate against women. The Muslim Brothers opposed Sharianization on the grounds that implementing harsh punishments without first ensuring just socioeconomic relations was not Islamic. The Sharia Penal Codes have created new offences and they recognise stoning, retributive punishments and blood fines. Nigeria is party to several international human rights covenants. The interplay between domestic Nigerian parallel legal systems of secular, Muslim and customary laws is problematic as they give differential rights on different issues. Sharia is neither God given, nor uniform through Muslim history or different communities. Muslim laws always have been subject to controversy. Muslims were not obliged to follow them if they did not believe that their reasoning from the Qu’ran and the sunnah were right. The stereotype of a single, uniform or divinely revealed Islamic law is false. However, this myth has been useful for Muslim conservatives and can by seen in Nigeria regarding reproductive and sexual rights. Most Muslim jurists agree that fertility management is permissible, and that pleasure in sexual intercourse is a right for both men and women. Despite this, the religious right in Nigeria have described fertility management as promoting immorality and have attempted to prevent it. Many groups are organising in Nigeria to establish protection for women’s rights under this new Sharianization by defending those convicted by focusing on appeals, thus buying time as well as getting closer to the higher courts, which have been historically more fair to women. These same women’s and rights groups have also sought to demystify Sharia, through seminars, workshops, training, radio and television shows. The poor have been the most subjected to harsh punishments and there have been fewer convictions of men than women for adultery or fornication. Women have clearly been discriminated against. Many Nigerians wonder why people in the West are so concerned about the life of one Muslim woman in Nigeria. The international media and protests have ignored the existence of dissent among Muslims, and have downplayed the protests and campaigns within Nigeria. Local groups must find ways to interact with and influence mass international media, to make it more accurate and nuanced. Campaigning for governments and media to support international policies that sustain economic justice and rights would give hope worldwide so that poverty and uncertainty do not continue to be conditions in which religious right sentiments find support for laws that violate rights. March 09, 2006 Pambazuka News

Tanzania: Muslims Clerics Decry Aids Without Condoms. Officials leading the fight against HIV on the island of Zanzibar are looking at ways of engaging Muslim leaders, who are against the promotion of condom use. A local Islamic scholar said advocating the use of condoms was tantamount to encouraging pre-marital sex, and although Islam shared the burden of the pandemic, it could not support any "immoral action". Halima Ali Mohammed, an official with the Zanzibar AIDS Commission, said seeking a balanced solution was a delicate issue. "It requires a willingness ... to recognise that HIV is a threat to our society," she noted. In 2003, HIV prevalence in the general population was 0.6%. March 10, 2006 IRIN News (UN)

Women in Iraq Increasingly Attacked for Not Wearing Headscarves Death Toll Rises. Acts of violence against Iraqi women who do not wear headscarves have more than tripled since the US invasion. Many of the attacks are carried out by family members to protect the family's "honour." "A life is being taken because of a simple piece of cloth, and someone should prevent more women from being killed by these ignorant people who believe that honour depends on what you're wearing." Eighty attacks and four "honour killings" by family members were reported in the past three years. Iraqi women who feel endangered rarely seek help because tradition prevents public authorities from getting involved in private matters. The UN has been called on to address the killings in Iraq and to include gender education in the training of police, health workers, and members of the judiciary. March 13, 2006 Feminist Daily News Wire

Bangladesh: Advocating An Islamic Perspective on Family Planning. While imams have tacitly accepted family planning, they have never advocated long-term family planning. EngenderHealth sees discussion as crucial to its efforts to reinvigorate the use of these methods. Imams have a strong influence on people. Imams are always consulted on any kind of social or personal issue. If a political leader directs people to some issue, they treat it as political. But if an imam delivers it, they say that it is right. Dr. Maroof explains that his studies of the texts have bestowed on him an understanding of modern health and child care, gender issues, and HIV/AIDS, among others issues. According to Dr. Maroof, the roots of misunderstanding about family planning and Islam are outdated. "Most of our imams are not enlightened with modern conceptions or deep knowledge in our religion. They say, Almighty Allah will give you a child and he will be responsible for the sustenance of this child. Control of birth is in the hand of the Almighty Allah. EngenderHealth has created interactive community forums, where the imams, along with teachers, businessmen, local politicians and others, are invited to attend meetings with local providers of family planning services. The meetings are largely held in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Since their inception more than 18,000 community leaders have attended the meetings. Moulana Abdullah Al Maroof, Ph.D., has what he calls a "missionary zeal" for family planning. The esteemed Islamic scholar and deputy director of the Bangladesh Islamic Foundation is one of three authors whom EngenderHealth enlisted to co-write Family Planning in the Eyes of Islam, a book demonstrating the acceptance of family planning in the holy Qur'an. March 11, 2006 EngenderHealth website

Another School Torched in Afghanistan. Suspected Taliban rebels set ablaze a school in southern Afghanistan. Armed men stormed into the school and set fire to classrooms, burning chairs, desks and studying materials. Three of the classrooms were totally destroyed. The attack was blamed on remnants of the Taliban regime. At about the same time suspected militants blew up a primary school in a Pakistani tribal area just across the border. More than a dozen schools have been torched in the past two months in southern provinces of Afghanistan. Several teachers and education workers have also been killed. Most of the attacks have been blamed on the ultraconservative Islamic Taliban, who barred girls from going to school or working outside of the home. The rebuilding of the education sector is a key priority for the new government, where more than 70% of people aged over 15 are illiterate. About six million children are estimated to have enrolled in schools since the Taliban fell. About 60% of primary school age are still not attending lessons. February 21, 2006 Agence France-Presse

Iraq: Women's Groups Blast. A rise in “temporary” marriages among Shi’ite Muslims is causing concern among women’s rights activists. According to women’s NGOs more than 300 temporary marriages occur daily in Kerbala, Najaf and Basra, Iraq’s three main Shi’ite cities. The poverty, especially for women who have lost their husbands, is the main reason. According to Shi’ite religious law, unmarried women may enter into temporary marriages for hours to an entire lifetime. A payment is made around US $1,000 or the equivalent in gold. The practice, known as Muta’a, was banned during the Saddam Hussein regime. Rules governing temporary marriages differ in that only men are permitted to dissolve them. Men may also marry more than once and can have several Muta’a arrangements simultaneously. Marriage ceremonies are officiated by a sheikh and must have a witness, but do not require the presence of family. A Shi’ite cleric in Najaf, who presides over at least five temporary marriages a day, defended the practice. “We require sexual activity, but religion prohibits this before marriage,” he said. “So you can have a woman for this prospect without affecting her honour because normally she is a widow; she is not a virgin anymore.” “We’re helping these windows support their families.” The new Iraqi constitution, which guarantees freedom of marriage according to religious beliefs, has been criticized by women’s activists who want equal treatment for men and women independent of religion, ethnicity or origin. January 23, 2006 Irin News

Philippines: Local Fatwah on Family Planning Endorsed. Drama and music marked the launch of the fatwah endorsing family planning at Lanao del Sur. A fatwah is a decree issued by Muslim religious leaders to shed light on behavior in the Islamic way of life. Community health workers dramatized how access to health facilities, particularly on family planning were difficult in far-flung and poor areas. Officials acknowledged the funding of USAID and Helen Keller International. The fatwah provides support for family planning based on principles such as informed choice and responsible parenthood. It defines family planning to be a systematic and consistent planning of the family wherein members are happy because they worship Allah of good health, better education and stable income. It also pointed out that birth control and prevention of pregnancy are really prohibited in Islam except when, the pregnancy of the mother places her in great danger because her delivery requires operation or her pregnancy will cause illness which will affect her life. January 03, 2006 Minda News (Philippines)

MiddleEast: Women's Rights - Call for Citizenship and Justice. International organizations called on the government to protect the legal rights of women in Yemen. The workshop brought women from across the Arab world to participate. The seminar discussed the rights women should have and the role of government to implement them. The meeting followed a comprehensive study on the status of women's rights in the Middle East and North Africa that covers developments through to the end of 2003. Amat Al-Aleem Al-Soswa , Minister of Human Rights, said that countries in the Middle East and North Africa are undergoing different stages of development and women's role is vital within those societies. It is the only guarantee to realize democracy, human development, and social justice and to develop society. It aimed to create strategies for national and regional advocacy efforts, and to continue advocacy efforts, including urgent action appeals, website, coordination, and using links with existing initiatives. While women in the region have made substantial gains in education, none of the countries meet internationally recognized standards for women's rights. Women are at a disadvantage in practically every institution of society. The study notes that gender inequality is compounded by illiteracy, apathetic governments, and patriarchal traditions. The objective is to empower Arab women in the MENA region. While 16 of the 17 Arab countries enshrine the concept of equal rights, all except Saudi Arabia, women face discrimination in every aspect of life. In most countries, women cannot confer her citizenship to her children. No country in the region has laws that outlaw all forms of domestic violence. Women are largely unaware of their rights, due in part to educational weaknesses and failure by governments to engage in public education campaigns. In almost all MENA countries, women face gender-based discrimination in family codes, except in Morocco and Tunisia, family laws relegate women to inferior status within marriage and family life. With the exception of Egypt, MENA governments do not provide gender-specific mechanisms for women in the country to file complaints against gender discrimination. Several key recommendations were: women should enjoy equal status under the law in all aspects of life; family laws should ensure equal rights within marriage and family; domestic violence should be a serious crime in all instances; and legal and traditional barriers to women's participation in politics, government, and the private sector should be removed. December 17, 2005 Yemen Observer

Book: Guide to Equality in the Family in the Maghreb. The Guide to Equality in the Family in the Maghreb is an advocacy tool for reform of the family law in Muslim socities. It outlines a social change to women's ability to make deliberate choices. Family law in Muslim societies governs every aspect of a woman's life: age and conditions of marriage, divorce, child custody, and the right to work, travel, or decide on a place of residence. Reform is crucial to women's ability to participate on equal terms in both family and public life. The Guide presents the current state of the law and proposes religious, human rights, sociological, and domestic legal arguments for reform, supported by relevant data. November 2005 Women's Learning Partnership

Indonesia: Promoting Reproductive Health Through Religion. Obaid, the first Saudi Arabian to chair the UN body, stressed the importance of religious leaders taking part in the effort to improve reproductive health in Muslim countries. In a Muslim society a very important principle of Islam is preserving your health, which supports your thinking, analytical abilities and knowledge. The whole society has to be knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS so that people know how to act in a responsible way. All religious leaders are responsible for showing mercy, compassion and understanding. They have to speak out at every opportunity. They have to speak about HIV/AIDS and how young people should protect themselves. They have to overcome the stigma to people with HIV/AIDS as they are sick. How can the authorities and the people convince religious leaders to adopt this approach? The authorities and NGOs and the mullahs have to get together and discuss the issue openly. We have to say to them, 'Look, so many women die, and they leave the children orphaned and often children die after their mother's death. When the authorities talk to the mullahs and present real facts and evidence, they will be willing to speak out. Some mullahs refuse to talk about reproductive health issues, arguing that they have a different understanding. It is their right not to speak, but as leaders of the people, they have a moral responsibility to point out the issue that women, whom God created, are dying because of giving birth and that's not a controversial issue. Maybe, we don't give the correct messages and that's why the dialogue between the government, NGOs and mullahs should be based on information about what is happening in Indonesia. We have to respect that there are areas where religious leaders feel free to speak and some issues which they do not feel comfortable talking about. UNFPA has many conversations, with mullahs to present the facts. We try to create an environment for dialogue and discussion with the mullahs so that they receive the necessary knowledge. There is a Koranic verse saying it is not the number that matters, it's the quality of the people. And there are many examples of the Koran saying that what are wanted are good and healthy people. What good would it serve to have mosques everywhere but you let people with HIV/AIDS die? When the Prophet Muhammad was asked who is the closest person to a man, the Prophet said your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father. Mothers have a very special place in Islam. And if you let mothers die, then you are not giving them the honor that Islam demands. November 20, 2005 Jakarta Post

Islam Feminists Urge Gender Jihad. Organizers of the first congress on Islamic feminism are calling for a "gender jihad." Organizer Abdennur Prado Pavon, says the struggle for gender equality involves refuting chauvinist interpretations of Muslim teachings. Prado, of the Catalan Islamic board, believes a common misconception is that women's liberation is not possible in Muslim societies. Activists are in Barcelona to discuss ways of achieving female equality. Among the delegates is the Pakistani feminist Riffat Hassan, one of the pioneers of Islamic feminist theology. Islamic Feminism argues that the inferior status of women in Muslim countries is a result of misogynistic distortions of the teachings in the Koran. Organizers want more collaboration with western feminists but non-Muslim feminists need to challenge their anti-Islamic stereotypes. October 28, 2005 BBC News

High Mortality and Malnutrition Affect Muslim Children Most Says UN Children's Agency. In Islam states more than 60% of children will not make it to their first birthday due to disease and malnutrition. And an alarming number of over 4.3 Muslim children worldwide under the age of five die every year. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) States, and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) are joining together to "mobilize Islamic countries to accelerate progress for children." The OIC states account for a quarter of the 2.3 billion children worldwide and also have the highest mortality rates of children worldwide. "Director-General of ISESCO, Abdulaziz Othman Altwaljri says 'Investing in children and putting them at the centre of development strategies are the most effective ways to eliminate poverty and meet global development targets.' September 28, 2005 UN News Center

The Bravest Women in the World. Women are dying for the feminist cause: in northern Afghanistan, three women workers at a microcredit organisation were stoned to death by warlords; in India, a woman social worker had her hands chopped off by a man furious because she was counselling villagers against child marriage. In Pakistan, the head of the Human Rights Commission was stripped and beaten in public after she organised a series of marathons in which women could compete. President Musharraf has since reversed his policy of allowing mixed-gender sporting activities in public. In Iraq, attacks on women have been carried out by the insurgent groups. Said a 23-year-old student: "They dropped acid on my face and my legs and cut my hair off while hitting me in the face and telling me it's for not obeying God's wish in using the veil. The leadership of al-Qaeda has said its aim is to set up a global Islamic state ruled according to sharia law; a world in which women must conceal their faces, may not work or be educated, may not go in public without a male relative; and are under the total control of men. 32% of British Muslims believed the western society is decadent and immoral and Muslims should seek to bring it to an end. But men were more likely than women to say this. The proportion of Muslim men who said they felt no loyalty to Britain (18%) was three times higher than the proportion of women who said the same. In Western countries, Muslim women tend to do better in education than Muslim men. Muslim women are more likely than men to appreciate Western democracy. Men are more likely to resent it, because our laws prevent them from controlling women. An Iraqi-Australian woman thought it funny that a friend of hers can threaten her husband she will go to the police if he attacks her. There are many reasons for the hatred Islamic extremists have for the West, but high among them is the freedom of women. The Islamists fear that Western influences will trigger an Islamic feminist revolution. The revolution has begun. Across the Middle East women are demanding their rights, challenging the interpretations of religion. At great risk women in Afghanistan and Pakistan have recently held protests against the violence towards women that exists in their cultures. Women in Iraq were holding protests against the proposed constitution which assigns laws on marriage, custody and inheritance to religious authorities. In Canada women immigrants from Muslim countries protested most about proposals to set up an Islamic court there. August 06, 2005 The Age (Australia)

Draft Iraqi Constitution Jeopardizes Women's Human Rights. A current draft of Iraq's new constitution subordinates guarantees of women's human rights to religious Sharia law. International human rights groups, MADRE launched a campaign for the repeal of Resolution 137 which was the first attempt to legislate violations of women's human rights. As a result the resolution was defeated. However, if the draft constitution is agreed upon, it could give religious clerics the authority to inflict human rights violations on Iraqi women, including denial of the rights to freedom of movement, property inheritance, and custody of their children. In the worst instance, forced early marriage, polygamy, compulsory religious dress, wife beating, execution by stoning as punishment for female adultery, and public flogging of women for disobeying religious rules could all be sanctioned. The constitution's drafting committee may also repeal a measure that requires one-quarter of parliamentary seats to be held by women. July 20, 2005 MADRE.org

Religious Groups Oppose Family Planning Policy; Call Modern Family Planning 'un-islamic'; Pakistan's Population to Reach 357 Million by 2050, Says UN Report . Religious organisations are against the provincial government's population planning policy, saying it is "un-Islamic". Religious parties are campaigning for larger families so that more people can join jihad. Last year the Punjab government spent Rs 25 million on advertisements on buses to raise awareness about the benefits of family planning and sent text messages to 4 million mobile phone subscribers. Religious parties have rickshaws displaying a slogan that has also been used in sermons by clergy. A spokesman for Jammatud Dawa, however, denied any link but they don't support family planning. The Holy Quran, he said, has all the answers and it is a couple's prerogative to have a big or small family. Promoting the use of condoms to avoid AIDS is encouraging people to fornicate. A leader of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-Islam-Faz, said that according to Islam, if a woman feeds her child for two years and keeps on doing it with her children to come, family planning will automatically follow. He asked, "If both children of a family die, what will happen to the parents?" Pakistan had a population of 40 million people in 1950 but it has tripled to nearly 150 million. The country has a very young population and a high fertility rate. These children and young adults will soon come into reproductive age and will produce a large number of offspring. Pakistan's population is estimated to reach 357 million by 2050. July 27, 2005 Daily Times

Nigeria: Islam is No Hindrance to Women's Child's Rights. The Governor of Borno State said there was nothing in Islamic religion that prohibited the exercise of women and childrens rights following the recent position taken by the an apex Islamic body that some provisions of the Child's Rights Act should not be adopted by Muslim states as it conflicts with certain aspects of the religion. The Governer said no section in the Koran precluded the development of women and children. Borno is 80% Muslim, and people take advantage to manipulate and inculcate the wrong values in our people. We believe that if you educate a woman, she will educate a family and the society. We are working on a bill to redirect preachments that are geared towards creating confusion. He said women constituted 40% contributions in every election. He promised to appoint more women into political positions and initiate the bill on child's rights. Earlier, the governor was urged to identify with the Federal Government in protecting the rights of women and children, noting that negative reactions from a section of Muslims greeted the campaign. One of the provisions which has generated negative reactions is that which prohibits marriage of girls below 18. It is erroneously believed that if a girl does not marry earlier than 18, she will not be able to produce two or three children. Those who hold this belief say it is a ploy to reduce the muslim population. The inclusion of this provision in the act was linked to early marriage/teenage pregnancy and the incidence of fistula. The Speaker, assured the minister that the House would work towards the passage of such a bill as long as it does not conflict with the practice of Islam. There are no laws that we cannot pass in the house and laws guiding Christianity and Islam are from God and cannot be changed but laws made by man can be changed. He stressed that should the assembly receive such a bill it would be passed. August 30, 2005 This Day (Lagos)

Pakistan: The 11-Year-Old Wife. Every two hours, a woman is raped in Pakistan. And every day, two women die in honor killings in a country which continues to receive military assistance and political support from the US government. While the Pakistani leader General Musharraf visits the US and receives the backing of Presdient Bush, thousands of women are routinely raped and then imprisoned under Pakistan's religious laws for reporting those rapes. According to these laws, if a woman who claims to have been raped cannot produce four male witnesses to the crime, she is beaten and whipped for having had "illicit sex". Girls as young as two are given in marriage and women are routinely beaten and tortured by their husbands' families. The mistreatment of women in Pakistan transcends all class and status boundaries. Peasant women have no rights, and middle class city residents, who recently took to the streets in Lahore to demonstrate for equal rights, have been beaten and stripped by the police under direct orders from Musharraf's government. It is time for Pakistanis to openly discuss these matters without fear of being shamed or humiliated in the West, so that the work of those courageous Pakistani women who are speaking out will not be in vain. June 21, 2005 New York Times*

UN Women's Conference Questions Link between Islam and Violence Against Women. Are Islamic societies prone to violence against women? A Conference at the U.N. was partly a critique of the failures of Islamic societies in the treatment of women, and partly a celebration of the progress Muslim women have made. Several speakers questioned whether violence against women is worse in Islamic societies. The U.N. special rapporteur on violence against women, says violations of women's rights shows that religion is used as a tool whether in Muslim or Christian or Jewish societies. It is not any other religion but conservative forces who speak on behalf of these religions that is obstacle to women's rights. But women in Islamic countries are lagging behind in the quest for equality because Muslim countries tend to be less democratic. Across the Muslim world you find less democratic institutions. Participants stressed that the key to gender equality is education. Several women explained how important it is that women know their rights in order to stand up for them. It is not Islam, but those who interpret its teachings, that are responsible for many misunderstandings as with other religions. In all societies, women and girls are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse that cuts across lines of income, class and culture. March 01, 2005 Voice of America

Pakistan: Debating Islam and Family Planning . In a bid to win the support of religious groups, Pakistan convened a conference of key religious leaders and scholars from Islamic communities in 22 countries. The conference discussed reducing high population growth within the framework of Islamic principles. Around 90 delegates participated in the Conference held in Islamabad. Under the perspectives of population growth and development, mother and child health, and gender equity, the idea is to have experts' views on Islamic teachings and family planning. UNFPA said the meeting had been useful in having the religious from across different cultures to discuss the issue. Religion does not forbid the use of contraceptives. May 20, 2005 IRIN News (UN)

Women Are Forging a Democratic Middle East. Politicians, scholars and non-governmental organisations agree that social reform and democratisation will improve the status of women in the Middle East. Women are driving forward democracy as they fight for their individual rights in societies in which collective rights are traditionally more important. They are demanding change in divorce, the custody of children and economic rights, also "honour killings" and female genital mutilation. The UN development programme will outline that democracy is essential for economic and social development. If nations exclude women they will forgo the economic growth that women can generate. Political discourse is weaker in societies where women are silent citizens. In Kuwait and Saudi Arabia women are fighting for the right to vote. In Saudi Arabia some women are ready to stand as political candidates in municipal elections. Half of the registered electorate who voted in the presidential elections in Gaza and the West Bank were women. In Yemen and Egypt there are demands to include women in the political process. In Morocco women have rights in family law, while in Egypt, a woman won the right to use DNA to prove her ex-husband was the father of her son. Women in Saudi Arabia will be able to apply for driving licences. In practice, impunity for "honour killing" continues in Syria and Jordan. An initiative by the US state department to create a women's network in the Middle East so that women can learn from each other is a positive move. Female leaders in business and politics from Arab nations will meet to discuss economic rights. Where women are being denied their rights, the international community must provide support, resources and ways of integrating and linking these different campaigns. April 04, 2005 Financial Times (London)

Nigeria: Clerics Fight Measles Vaccinations. Accusations that vaccines are part of an American anti-Islamic plot are threatening efforts to combat a measles epidemic. Government officials play down the sentiment, but all the measles deaths have been in Nigeria's north, where authorities had to suspend polio immunizations after hard-line clerics fanned similar fears. Nigeria has recorded 20,859 measles cases this year and 589 victims have died, most of them children younger than five. Southern Nigeria, which is mainly Christian, had only 253 cases, and no deaths. The anti-vaccination sentiment seems to be a factor. In 2003, Islamic clerics claimed the U.S. was using polio vaccine to sterilize Muslims or contaminate them with AIDS and ordered a boycott in messages from mosques, in radio broadcasts and door-to-door campaigning. Three state governors in the north joined the boycott that dragged on 11 months before authorities persuaded the governors to accept vaccine from Indonesia. By then the number of polio cases had risen fivefold, and the disease spread to nine other African countries and the anti-vaccine sentiment could affect the measles outbreak. Last year, there were 24,363 Nigerian measles cases from January to September. A big surge would be a blow to WHO, which had hoped to bring measles under control this year. Across Africa, measles deaths fell from 873,000 in 1999 to just more than 500,000 in 2003. Some clerics have added the measles vaccine to their campaign against immunizations. Kano's second-largest mosque said Americans "can't be killing my brothers and children in Iraq and at the same time claim to want to save my children from polio and other diseases." "We suspect a sinister motive." The State Department's spokesman, said such allegations are "crazy, outlandish, unfounded." A senior practitioner at Kano's main hospital, believes people's reservations are being overcome. A Ministry of Health official in Kano, said his office had received no reports of resistance to measles immunizations. March 27, 2005 Associated Press

Use of Condoms Un-Islamic: Pak Leader. Pakistan's hardline cleric Maulana Fazlur Rehman is opposed to the use of condoms in the name of safe sex and controlling population as he considers it "un-Islamic" and says it has encouraged unmarried young people to have sex. Rehman, the leader of the Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA), made the comments during a meeting with Commonwealth Medical Trust (CMT). He welcomed the measures taken in promoting a reproductive health system but expressed reservations about its policies, which, he said, were "not in line with the Islamic religion and culture." February 16, 2005 Press Trust of India

Pakistan: Clerics Express Reservations on Use of Contraceptives. Clerics have expressed reservation on the use of contraceptives as they restrict reproduction and conflict with Islamic injunctions. Some clerics have called for separating married HIV patients from their spouses although NACP officials said it would be a social boycott of infected people. Sources said the clerics were not impressed by the NACP standpoint. Clerics said if a person committed ‘adultery’ and was infected with the virus, he/she did not have the right to deceive his/her family and there were no guarantees that using contraceptives would avoid transmitting the disease. NACP observed that it was difficult to determine whether an individual was infected through sexual intercourse, a contaminated syringe or unscreened blood. The NACP prepared an information kit for the clerics, which covered HIV among young people, the diseases transfer from mother to child and HIV reduction measures. The text was revised to suit Islamic ideologies and by taking into consideration Pakistan’s unique characteristics. June 01, 2005 Daily Times

Iranian Artist Portrays Inner Strength of Female Muslims. Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered after his film about violence against women in Islamic societies aired on Dutch television. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the ex-Muslim and liberal Dutch politician who wrote the film script, has received death threats. The U.S. frequently invokes the repression of women as a reason for its fight against radical Islamic fundamentalism. Many Islamic regimes associate women's rights with Western imperialism. Some scholars argue that Islam is no more repressive of women than other religion. Their critics accuse them of hiding behind cultural relativism when it comes to the abuse of Muslim women, from rape and incest to "honor killings" as punishment for adultery. There is the emerging idea of a Qur'an-based Islamic feminism, seen as a dead end by those who believe that the only way to guarantee women's rights in Islamic society is to get religion out of government. Over the past decade, Italian born artist Neshat has earned acclaim for her photographs and videos that show how strong these women are. "Fervor," which was made in 2000, is the third part of a trilogy of video installations by Neshat that began in 1998. One of the lessons of 9-11 is the need for American understanding of Islam. Neshat, a product of both cultures, was born in Iran in 1957, moved to the United States in 1973 to attend the University of California. When she returned to her native country the Islamic Revolution of 1979 had ushered in sweeping changes. "During the Shah 's regime, we had a very open, free environment," the artist explained. "When I went back, there seemed little color. All the women (were) wearing the black chadors that are to protect men and women from sexual temptation. "Fervor" establishes the film's theme of desire. The two become part of a crowd filing into a meeting hall, where men and women are seated on separate sides of a curtain. The scene was inspired, Neshat said "by public Friday prayers in Iran, where masses of men and women come together, but sit separately." In Iran, Neshat said, "you're not supposed to make eye contact with the opposite sex. On a daily basis, the resistance you sense from the women is higher than that of the men. The women are the ones who are repressed, and, therefore, they more likely to resist and ultimately to break free. December 28, 2004 Kansas City Star

A Ramadan Recipe for World Health. According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature people are consuming 20% more resources than the earth can produce. The “ecological footprint”, a measure of environmental sustainability, of the North American is seven times that of an Asian or African. We are spending nature’s capital faster than it can regenerate and this indicates a 35% decline in ecological health since 1970 - including widespread water and air pollution, land degradation and habitat destruction. From 1970 terrestrial land and sea species have plummeted by 30% and freshwater populations by 50%. This has led to social and health costs that are plaguing consumers. While Americans are richer and fatter, they are not much happier. Financial debt, the stress associated with working and the ways consumption replaces time with family and friends indicate that more is not always better. The key health costs are smoking, obesity and time pressures. Medical expenses related to smoking cost the US more than $150 billion in 1999 and contributes to 5 million deaths across the world. Several Muslim scholars are declaring smoking to be unlawful. A second cost tied to rising consumption is obesity and an estimated 65% are overweight in the US and is associated with consumption and sedentary lifestyles across the world. There is a trend among South African Muslims to cook healthier. A resurgence of interest has also led to the rediscovery of the benefit in the Ramadan diet of ending the fast with water and dates. The third cost is the time pressures of modern living while time spent with family and friends is decreasing. Ramadan proves that, with effort, one can stop smoking, eat less and spend more time with one’s family. It is inconceivable that money be poured into sport and entertainment while people are dying of hunger and thirst. It is unjust that millions should face starvation, when their countries are exporting cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, pineapples and timber to satisfy consumer appetites. Ramadan offers Muslims the opportunity to control their appetites, share with the needy and spend time with their families. One of the key aims of Ramadan is to build consciousness and self-control and this recipe must be put to the test in individual lifestyles as well as the broader society. November 23, 2004 World Watch

In the original Cairo conference, 170+ countries approved the principals, but objections came from nations with extremist religious factions, including Catholic and Islamic fundamentalists: Argentina, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Vatican; Algeria, Libya, Malta, and Sudan.
Specific objections that have been raised include the Commission on Population and Development's recommendations that (a) reproductive health services should include new methods of emergency contraception, (b) abortion be made safe where it is legal, and (c) that young people have full access to sexual and reproductive health education and services.

Iran's Family Planning Program is Succeeding . June 1998 Popline

Ayad Al-Qazzaz, CSU Sacramento: Muslims are now at 1 billion and will double to 2 billion in 30 years. Muslims have varied cultures. Family planning is permitted and often encouraged. 4/98 April 1998

Uganda: Family Planning Cause of Fewer Baganda Kids. People in Buganda region registered the lowest population growth for 10 years. N. Uganda produced the most babies. Population in the north is growing at 4.6%, the eastern region 3.5% the western region 2.9% and Buganda 2.7%. Buganda's population grew by 1,781,645, an increase of 36%. Mubajje said Government and development agencies should not agitate for fewer children but devise means to enable people to create more income to lead better lives. The Government should address the fears on reproduction as Islamic scriptures support procreation and believers should produce more children.
Note: Islam does not necessarily support mindless procreation. See WOA!!s section on Religion. October 2002 New Vision (Uganda)

Muslim Heads Back Family Planning. Muslim leaders in Mindanao have issued an edict, or fatwah, in support of the government's reproductive health campaign. The edict will be distributed and adopted in the Visayas. It encourages Muslims to practice family planning as one way of improving their way of life. This edict is an offshoot of ICPD's advocacy on family planning which includes birth spacing and use of contraceptives, as a solution to mitigate poverty. September 11, 2004 The Freeman

Pakistan: Debate Heats Up Over Controversial Ordinance On Islamic Law. Islamic conservatives in Pakistan's parliament are criticizing President Musharraf for a debate on a series of Islamic laws, which are based on an interpretation of the Koran and was introduced in 1979 by Pakistan's former dictator. Human-rights groups have been complaining about inequalities that came into effect under the Hudood Ordinance. One example is that a woman rape victim in Pakistan must obtain court testimony from four "pious" male Muslim witnesses to prove her case and if she fails to do so, she is liable to prosecution for adultery. The punishments include a public whipping or death by stoning and has led to an increase of rape cases. Another law concerns blasphemy against Islam and calls for the death penalty. The secretary-general of the Islamic alliance said that Musharraf is under pressure from the West and they will block any effort to alter the 25-year-old Hudood Ordinance, everything will be done to resist the ideology of secularism. May 19, 2004

Philippines: Muslim Religious Leaders Support Family Planning. 200 Muslim clerics met at the Marco Polo Hotel in the Philippines and agreed that family planning was important. They issued a fatwah to Muslim communities where about 55% of women wanted to practice family planning but were afraid that Islam would not allow it. No vasectomy or ligation but the fatwah allows the use of legal contraception approved by a Muslim physician. The country's Muslim clerics have a more liberal view of population control than the Catholic Church. While Muslim leaders agree on family planning, they have been divided on the methods to be adopted. In the latter part of 2003 a massive research, using the Koran, arrived at a common stand on birth control. The Grand Mufti of Egypt said he too was for population control. It is hoped the fatwah would help in reducing the mortality rate of infants and women in the region. 200 to 300 women die each year in Northern Mindanao from pregnancy-related illnesses. Some 55 babies born every year die at birth. With one of the highest birth rates in Asia, the Philippines will add 1.6 to 2 million people this year, raising it to 84 million. The country's population could explode to 170 million in less than 30 years, that will trap millions of Filipinos in poverty. 40% of Filipinos live below the poverty line. Population control has taken a back seat in the election, with the front-runners, President Macapagal-Arroyo and Fernando Poe Jr., campaigning mainly on pledges to fight corruption and enforce law and order. March 12, 2004 Philippine Daily Inquirer

Osama Bin Laden's Got a Point. This article is the full text of Osama bin Laden's online "letter to the American people" that appeared on the internet in Arabic and has since been translated and circulated by Islamists in Britain. Among his perhaps more legitimate claims are: We are fighting and opposing you because: "You attack Muslims in Palestine; you attacked us in Somalia; you supported the Russian atrocities against us in Chechnya, the Indian oppression against us in Kashmir, and the Jewish aggression against us in Lebanon .. You steal our wealth and oil at paltry prices because of you international influence and military threats .. Your forces occupy our countries; you spread your military bases throughout them; You corrupt our lands, and you besiege our sanctities, to protect the security of the Jews and to ensure the continuity of your pillage of our treasures .. You have starved the Muslims of Iraq, where children die every day. It is a wonder that more than 1.5 million Iraqi children have died as a result of your sanctions, and you did not show concern. Yet when 3000 of your people died, the entire world rises and has not yet sat down." Bin Laden claims "Islam is the religion of Unification of God, sincerity, the best of manners, righteousness, mercy, honour, purity, and piety. It is the religion of showing kindness to others, establishing justice between them, granting them their rights, and defending the oppressed and the persecuted. It is the religion of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil with the hand, tongue and heart. And it is the religion of unity and agreement on the obedience to Allah, and total equality between all people, without regarding their colour, sex, or language." Bin Laden calls upon Americans to be a people of manners, principles, honour, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling's, and trading with interest. He says: "Your law is the law of the rich and wealthy people, who hold sway in their political parties, and fund their election campaigns with their gifts. Behind them stand the Jews, who control your policies, media and economy. ... You are a nation that exploits women like consumer products or advertising tools calling upon customers to purchase them. You use women to serve passengers, visitors, and strangers to increase your profit margins. You then rant that you support the liberation of women. .. You have destroyed nature with your industrial waste and gases more than any other nation in history. Despite this, you refuse to sign the Kyoto agreement so that you can secure the profit of your greedy companies and*industries. .. Your law is the law of the rich and wealthy people, who hold sway in their political parties, and fund their election campaigns with their gifts. .. Your policy on prohibiting and forcibly removing weapons of mass destruction to ensure world peace: it only applies to those countries which you do not permit to possess such weapons. As for the countries you consent to, such as Israel, then they are allowed to keep and use such weapons to defend their security. Anyone else who you suspect might be manufacturing or keeping these kinds of weapons, you call them criminals and you take military action against them. .. You are the last ones to respect the resolutions and policies of International Law, yet you claim to want to selectively punish anyone else who does the same. Israel has for more than 50 years been pushing UN resolutions and rules against the wall with the full support of America. .. In America, you captured thousands the Muslims and Arabs, took them into custody with neither reason, court trial, nor even disclosing their names. .. We call upon you to end your support of the corrupt leaders in our countries." November 24, 2002 Guardian (London)

Aftermath of War: Iraqi Women Worry About Losing Liberty. Saddam Hussein's secular Baath Party afforded women freedoms not known in Muslim countries. Women make up 55% of Iraq's population and for years held level ground with men and made up a large percentage of the professional class. Iraqi women could vote, be free to choose whom, or whether, to marry, retain custody of their children after divorce, inherit property equally with their brothers and drive. In the mid-1990s, Saddam began catering to Islamic fundamentalists. Some women say growing poverty prompted them to turn to religion. Others say peer pressure led them to wear a hijab. Now even in Baghdad, women who leave their hair uncovered are in the minority. Most are wearing the hijab. Among Iraq's liberated women, there is concern that a power vacuum could give rise to fundamentalism. In Shiite strongholds calls are increasing for Iraq to become an Islamic state that would mean the establishment of Muslim law. Even women with a conservative religious outlook said they would not support a government that made them second-class citizens. May 17, 2003 The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

Iran Plan to Remove Inequalities Blocked. Iran's hardliners blocked a move to remove legal and social inequalities against women. The conservative Guardian Council rejected a bill binding Iran to the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The council ruled the measure was against Islamic law and oblige Iran to accept un-Islamic laws. The bill won overwhelming support in parliament. Iran's legal system enshrines unequal rights in divorce, custody, inheritance and blood money. Senior clerics criticised reformists for endorsing the campaign. A hardline cleric addressed a letter, calling the motion "illegitimate" for "imposing cultural and social patterns" of the west. Women claimed the bill could allow opposite sexes to mingle in public baths and swimming pools. Under the present law, men and women are segregated for activities that require loose covering of hair and body. The embattled reformists, face declining popularity for failing to meet demands for reform, had expected the bill to be blocked. But the main intention was to challenge conservatives and demonstrate the obstacles they presented to reforms. August 13, 2003 Financial Times (London)

The Vatican

The Holy See is a Church, Not a Country, says the the Catholics for a Free Choice. The Holy See has had the status of a country in the U.N. and has been abusing it. A coalition of more than 100 international women's, religious, and reproductive rights groups launched the See Change Campaign to challenge the Vatican's power at the U.N.-and to downgrade its status from a nonmember state to a traditional NGO. It is the only only religious body to enjoy "nonmember state permanent observer" status. The Vatican has fought the morning-after pill for rape victims; opposed any mention of female condoms; advocated replacing "rights" with "status"-as in "respect for women's status" instead of "respect for women's rights," and is against confidential sex counseling for adolescents and for a reconfirmation of parental rights. One its most extreme positions is the prohibition on the use of condoms for protection against sexually transmitted diseases, even for married couples in which one partner has HIV. 1999

Anti-abortion Bill Imperils Italy's Governing Coalition. The Vatican is backing an Italian opposition proposal to make it harder to end pregnancies, threatening to open new divisions in Prime Minister Romano Prodi's coalition. The proposal was welcomed by the current and previous heads of the Italian bishops' conference and Mr. Bondi has called to ban abortion after the 90th day of pregnancy. The call has gained support among conservative Catholics across party lines, threatening to undermine efforts to unite the nine-way coalition. January 05, 2008 New York Times*

Pope Calls for Increased Efforts to Fight the Spread of AIDS. The Pope is calling for intensified efforts to stop the spread of HIV, asking all people of good will to multiply their efforts to stop the disease, to oppose the scorn that often strikes those affected and to take care of the sick, especially children. The Pope said he is spiritually close to those who suffer as a result of HIV-AIDS, as well as to their families, and that he offers prayers for them all.
Ralph says: Why not use his common sense and provide condoms? It is easier to pray for them instead. November 28, 2007 Canadian Press

Italy;: AIDS Message Takes on Pope by Breaking C-word Taboo. A film director has broken a national taboo by making a series of AIDS awareness advertisements using the word "condom". A government-backed TV commercial aimed at helping Italians to overcome their embarrassment in asking for contraceptives. Previous campaigns have avoided mention of condoms in the Catholic nation, which records 4,000 new HIV cases each year. Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholic pharmacists to avoid dispensing contraceptives and pregnancy terminating drugs. The latest adverts have put the administration on a collision course with the Vatican. One shows the airport chemist's shop, where a young man is trying to summon up the courage to ask for condoms. His girlfriend, impatient with his shyness, marches up to the counter and asks for them. An older couple waiting for a flight follow suit, and the chemist is suddenly inundated by passengers clamouring for condoms. Ambra Angiolini, a well known actress and TV host, will remind viewers of the "terrifying statistics" of AIDS infection. She told the Corriere della Sera that many young Italians thought of AIDS as "something that has passed, like smallpox, and which people don't catch any more". The Health Minister said that the Pope had the right to "urge young people to be sexually responsible" but had "no business telling professionals such as pharmacists what to do". November 23, 2007 The Times (London)

South African Bishop Defies Vatican on Condoms. There are so many women here with stories of pain. Bishop Dowling heard them, and he did the right thing: distributed condoms. But he won't keep quiet, no matter how closely Rome watches, and so that risk is ever present. Freedom Park is 5,000 shacks made of salvaged scraps of tin propped up cheek by jowl. It has no electricity, no water and the streets turn to impenetrable ooze in the rain. This is just one of a half-dozen squatter camps that are home to 100,000 people. The men work in the mines for a year or two, and leave their families at home. They don't earn much, but make reasonable wages, enough to buy female company when they get lonely. "The only way to eat is boyfriends," explained Thembi Maboyana, 38, she came here as a girl of 15. It's the ideal environment for the spread of HIV, nearly half of women here test positive. Not long after Kevin Dowling was made bishop of this diocese 16 years ago, he started making trips to the camps. In one shack after another, he heard the same stories. He found pregnant women in the last hours of their lives lying on the damp, dirt floors; their babies would be born dead or die after a week or two. The diocese in 1996 started a small called Topologo clinic in a shipping container. It has grown to include a school, a day care, a skills-training centre, an ARV clinic that provides life-saving drugs to people with AIDS, and a hospice for those who can't be saved. Teams of outreach workers visit the sick, counsel new patients and urge people to protect themselves from the virus. How? "They must use condoms." And that is how the bishop wound up in the opposite corner from his church. The Vatican forbids the use of condoms in any circumstance; it says the sole way to protect oneself from AIDS is abstinence and fidelity in marriage. Bishop Dowling says that doctrine has no relevance in Freedom Park. "Abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in a marriage is beyond the realm of possibility here," he said. "The issue is to protect life". And to deny the millions of Catholics who live in AIDS-ravaged East and Southern Africa the use of condoms is to contravene the basic pro-life message of the Church, he said. The papal nuncio informed him that his views were unacceptable. Then the bishops' conference condemned his words and claimed: condoms were "an immoral and misguided weapon" in the fight against AIDS and not permitted in any circumstance. A while later, they went even further, saying condoms might actually increase the spread of AIDS by encouraging people to have more sex. The Tapologo project offers women training in beadwork and crafts and bread-making. But it won't be a solution to the poverty and joblessness. Nor will the cultural mores that leave women powerless. Bishop Dowling is in favour ending those things, but it won't happen fast. He hadn't wanted to be a bishop and despite his defiance, the Vatican has not asked him to resign. Bishop Dowling said he has had a groundswell of support. There are many who admire his stand, and other priests and nuns who quietly give out condoms across the region. Bishop Dowling rarely leaves home without popping in to the hospice, yet there is a terrible tension between his commitment to his work and his deep connection to his Catholic faith. April 07, 2007 Globe and Mail

Religion Vs Make Love, Not Babies. My grandfather, son of an Irish immigrant, was excommunicated from the Catholic Church when he married my grandmother who was not Catholic. When I joined the Navy at 18 my best buddy was Catholic. He told me the Pope was "infallible" which made me question could any human be "infallible". My "god" is Mother Nature. An old knarled oak is one of my sacred places. My community designated the biggest, most twisted, oldest OAK (Quercus agrifolia) with a plaque which reads: The Bill Denneen Coast Live Oak. "I went to the woods because I wished to live there. It could be said I worship the SUN, an ancient Oak, the natural world and Point Sal. Does the Catholic Church thus call me an atheist?? Pope Benedict XVI in his second encyclical states:" A world without God is world without hope". Does his reference to "God" include my "Mother Nature", doubt it. Another area of conflict between the Pope and I is with the current "population explosion". We have added 5,000,000,000 to this planet since I was born. Ignoring this problem will not make it go away. The Pope has no objection to keeping people alive as long as possible and this has caused the average life expectancy to double in the past century. This is the basic cause of the "population explosion". If everyone died at 40 [average] like they did in 1900 instead of living to be 80 now there would be no "population explosion". The Pope is opposed to reducing the birth rate with contraception. The Pope & I are about the same age. He choose to be "celibate" which to me as a biologist is abnormal. I guess the only time Catholics should have penis-vagina sex is for babies. I favor "recreational" sex as long as it doesn't produce unwanted babies or spread diseases. The Pope was celibate as a youth and now he wants the whole world to be that way. Europe has a birth rate equal to the death rate. Even Italy which is 97% Catholic has a birth rate so low they are not even replacing themselves. It took Homo sapiens 2 million years to reach our first billion in about 1800 but only about a century to add the second billion in 1927. We have now "exploded" to almost 7 billion. Improved nutrition and health care has resulted in humans living longer and longer. The Catholic Church does not object to prolonging life but objects to contraception. A group praying in front of Planned Parenthood in Santa Maria are opposed to not only abortion but also to contraception - they are against condoms, IUD's, vasectomies, tubals, and even sex education . All local hospitals are Catholic and do not offer any of the above.-----why??. Margaret Sanger, who did the ground work that established Planned Parenthood Federation with clinics throughout America, was arrested innumerable times and was constantly harassed. "Abstinence Only" ignores basic biology and is a waste of money. Males & females are attracted to each other. The goal of Planned Parenthood is for every baby to be born wanted, planned and loved. It is tragic that over half the all pregnancies in the US are unintended. My favorite bumper-sticker is: MAKE LOVE NOT BABIES. December 23, 2007 Bill Deneen

Philippines;: Bishops Reject Birth Control. The Catholic Church will stand firm in its position against the use of contraceptives, the Bishops in the Philippines said. Archbishop Lagdameo said no matter how many surveys claim the increasing support for family planning methods, the Church will never waver in its support for natural methods to plan families. Surveys favoring contraceptives will not alter the Church's position. The use of birth controls would not change the objectives of the moral law on contraceptives. A US-based organization claimed that the support for contraceptive use should serve as an indicator for the Church to reconsider its stand. The group cited a survey by the Catholics for Free Choice showing that 77% of Filipino Catholics believe that using condoms is pro-life because it saves lives by preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Msgr. Quitorio downplayed the result of the local survey. He also belied reports that condoms prevent the spread of STDs. In Thailand for example, he said, the more they use condoms, the more the AIDS become widespread. He said that statistically, there is no proof that condoms can prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Ralph says: The church should require it's priests to know mathmatics December 14, 2007 Manila Standard

Pope's Appeal to Allow Pharmacists to be Conscientious Objectors. The Pope told an international conference that pharmacists should be guaranteed the right to conscientious objection in cases where medicines they distribute can block pregnancy, provoke abortion or assist euthanasia. Health Minister Livia Turco said that the Pope could not tell professionals such as pharmacists what to do. Benedict did not mention any specific drugs but appeared to refer to the morning after pill. It is available only by doctor's prescription in Italy. He also referred to RU-486, which is available on an experimental basis in some Italian hospitals. It blocks the action of hormones needed to keep a fertilized egg implanted in the uterus. The head of pharmacists' professional group Federfarma, said that by law pharmacists had to distribute medicine prescribed by a doctor. While some politicians defended the Pope's right to speak his mind and the right of pharmacists to be conscientious objectors, others criticized him. The Church teaches that artificial birth control, abortion and euthanasia are wrong. Italian media interviewed pharmacists who are practicing Catholics. Some said they were obliged to put aside their personal beliefs and sell the prescribed medicine, while others said they preferred to ask a colleague to do so. US family planning groups support wider access, but conservative and religious groups have argued that easy availability of the pill promotes promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. October 30, 2007 Reuters

U.S.;: Catholic Bishops Offer Voting Guide, Allowing Some Flexibility on Issue of Abortion. The nation's Roman Catholic bishops approved principles intended to guide Catholics in choosing whom to vote for but leaving the door open for them to back candidates who support abortion rights. That broad consensus might help the church avoid the fissures that occurred in 2004, when some conservative Catholic groups issued voter guidelines that identified abortion as "non-negotiable" and a group of bishops touched off a debate about whether Catholic candidates who back abortion rights should be denied Communion. Past documents allowed Catholics to vote, in certain cases, for candidates who support abortion rights. November 15, 2007 New York Times*

Philippines;: Manila Promotes Natural Family Planning. The government of the Philippines has decided to follow the Catholic Church and promote natural family planning (NFP) methods. The plan is part of the Family Planning Month launched by the Commission on Population. Its objectives are promoting responsible parenting in couples and encouraging men to be responsible partners. The Commission wants to educate at least 4.2 million couples nationwide between 2007 and 2010. Responsible parenting classes are expected to mobilise a critical mass of parents. Rural barangay (village) health workers will recruit married couples to join responsible parenting classes. The regional director of the Commission said that whilst people are familiar with the use of condoms, vasectomy and tubal ligation, they are not much aware of natural family planning methods. For years the Filipino government has tried to reduce population growth. On occasions this has led to conflict with the Catholic Chur