Comments on the Minaret of Freedom Institute Workshop on
"Gender Equity and Gender Equality: Lessons from Muslim Experience"

"Very good workshop. Very helpful information re: different interpretations of Islamic law and also the unfortunate collision with Western secular law."

"I really enjoyed the panel. Very informative and well thought-out. I am inspired to learn more about Islam. Thank you."

"I enjoyed the informative nature of the workshop, especially as it countered many of the common 'myths' about Islam (regarding Gender Equality) prevalent in the West. I would have appreciated more country specific information (perhaps Iran or Saudi Arabia) and perhaps more detailed ias the information was quite basic. (I do appreciate there are time constraints. Perhaps a series of lectures [including] a 2nd more in depth lecture [could be arranged]."

"If it is possible to have a power point presentation, it would benefit those of us who are unfamiliar with Islam. More women panelists from other Muslim countries to share experiences."

"What is the data source? The presentation was more about Islamic laws than the equality and equity regarding gender, but [it was] an informative session."

"Very educational--well-presented."

"I think the discussion would prove to be more useful if you focus on the topic and draw the relationships between the law [and the] examples you cite and the topic of teh day."

"Very well-explained; good speakers; [I] liked the conversation format at the end. There was a slight overlap of information by both speakers--please include new info. Thank you for the enlightenment. Keep info about Islam generally, not too focused on Bangladesh.":

"U.N. Vienna Human Rights Conference 1993 religious causus concluded that religion should be evaluated on whether it advances human rights."

"Thank you fo rthis time together. There is so much need for women's voices to be heard; please have all feamle presenters. I appreciated what Dr. Ahmad (Imad) had to say but we women need to speak and hear from women. The discussion period was the most valuable part. Sharmin Ahmad, when you spoke your voice, not from prepared text but form your heart, you were so powerful--and it was very interesting. Hearing from women, including Muslim women around the world was an invaluable opportunity."

"(1) Congratulations for the simple yet clear explanation of the issues of concern. Thanks Dr. Ahmad for the simple analogy. (2) We need to do a lot of this kind of discourse and engagement to allow non-Muslims to clear out their doubts. (3) As much as only a woman knows the real situation, it is also very important for men of understanding to speak out with the same rhythm and tune. Keep up the good work. Let us all do our part."

"Thank you for your presentation on Equity Issues in some Islamic nations and how things are changing, especially with regard to jurisdiction and interpretation of laws re: families, marriage, divorce, etc. I appreciated learning of the spiritual and scriptural foundations of the equitable treatment of women and men. Another revelation is the extent to which 18th century European colonial law still "bends" and distorts the laws in relationship to women in Islamic nations. We still have so far to go to achieve surpassing the colonial mindset in the United States. We have no constitutional guarantee of women's equity, for example. Women in developing nations are showing us the way."

"Thank you infinitely for this rich morning helping us to understand better the situation of our sisters and try to be more useful every day!"