Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE or WISE Muslim Women) is a global organization dedicated to promoting

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

, and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

which is led by

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

women. WISE takes the stance that

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

culture, not

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, takes away women's rights and helps Muslims feel that they do not have to choose between their religion and their rights. The organization is able to provide Muslims around the world with a place and platform to discuss interpretations of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, confront harmful traditions and prejudice and also to raise awareness of women in Islam. As an international movement, it has been considered by scholar and social scientist, Julie Pruzan-Jørgensen, to "hold important potentials for strengthening

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

women's authority and for pushing for reform of patriarchal practices." WISE is sponsored by the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

-based American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA).

Programs

WISE sponsors conferences, like the 2010 conference in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

which drew over 200 Muslim women from over 55 countries. At the first conference, also in Malaysia in 2007, WISE developed a 10-year plan for "advancing women's worldwide leadership within Islam." WISE conferences present academic papers, workshops and a Muslim Women's Online Portal which streams video and has a virtual

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

. WISE set up a

shura Shura () is the term for collective decision-making in Islam. It can, for example, take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other. Shura is mentioned as a praise ...

council for women which makes religious statements about abuses against women. While the council has no legal authority to issue

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

s, it is influential in many countries where Islam is the major religion. The shura is a way to promote activism from within the system already in place where Shari'a law is used. The shura created by WISE is "an effort by women to reclaim a religious and legal voice," and it is also the "first truly international shura of the Muslim world." WISE also coordinates with other groups, like the Noor Educational Centre (NEC), founded by

Jamila Afghani Jamila Afghani (; born 1976 in Kabul) is a feminist and an activist for women's rights and education in Afghanistan. She is the founder and executive director of the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organization (NECDO). She is also an ex ...

, in order to provide gender-sensitive training for

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

s. The group also reaches out and partners with traditional Islamic universities as well.

History

WISE was formed in 2006 in order to overcome the

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

s that Muslims are terrorists and that

oppresses women. WISE was founded by Daisy Khan, who was concerned about gender inequality in Islam. Khan also said, "It's embarrassing when the problems of Muslim women are debated in the press without any participation by Muslim women themselves." WISE was first "launched" at a 2006 conference sponsored by ASMA in New York. In its initial statement in 2006, WISE has stated that "justice, fairness, and equality are core values of Islam." WISE has been funded by the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

, the Henry Luce Foundation, the

Rockefeller Brothers Fund The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is a philanthropic foundation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was founded in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle for the five third-generation Rockefeller brothe ...

and the Marshall Family Fund. Early on, the organization included prominent Muslim women, such as Baroness Uddin,

Ingrid Mattson Ingrid Mattson (born August 24, 1963) is a Canadian activist and scholar. A professor of Islamic studies, she is currently the London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies at Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario ...

and Massouda Jalal.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official site
Islamic feminism Religious women's organizations based in the United States Islamic organizations based in the United States