Arab women activists: Military undermine rights

(June 10, 2011) Women from around the Arab world are saying at a forum in the Jordanian capital Amman that powerful militaries and religious fundamentalists pose the biggest threats to the region's nascent women's rights movement. Activists from Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan said Thursday that freedoms gained after mass protests were being undermined by calls to impose Islamic law at the expense of women's rights. They also denounced virginity tests imposed by Egypt's military on protesters and called for quotas for women lawmakers. Women played active roles in recent uprisings and democratic movements in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere. The discussion sponsored by the independent Amman-based Foundation for the Future drew about 100 participants.