The women of Libya are at a stage between hopes for more rights and fears about the possibility of civil war. After the overthrow of the regime of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, women are voicing their hopes for bigger roles in politics and society. In Tripoli, meetings are held weekly — either in private households or some of the bigger hotels — to discuss strategies to be heard.
Some of this organizing has been encouraged and financed by some nongovernmental organizations in the West and through conferences sponsored by Western embassies. But the fears are firmly Libyan.
“It is nice to see that people outside the country are worried about Libyan women,” said Asmaa Mukhtar al-Humaini, 39, a high school teacher. “But what we don’t want and need are people from outside who come and tell us how the Libyan women should be liberated.”
Read more on New York Times, published 22 Nov
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The women of Libya are at a stage between hopes for more rights and fears about the possibility of civil war. After the overthrow of the regime of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, women are voicing their hopes for bigger roles in politics and society. In Tripoli, meetings are held weekly — either in private households or some of the bigger hotels — to discuss strategies to be heard.
Some of this organizing has been encouraged and financed by some nongovernmental organizations in the West and through conferences sponsored by Western embassies. But the fears are firmly Libyan.
“It is nice to see that people outside the country are worried about Libyan women,” said Asmaa Mukhtar al-Humaini, 39, a high school teacher. “But what we don’t want and need are people from outside who come and tell us how the Libyan women should be liberated.”
Read more on New York Times, published 22 Nov
Add new comment