“Islam, Gender and Extremism: Muslim Women in the Fight Against ISIS and Beyond.” New America DC

ISIS has attracted an unprecedented number of women to jihadist extremism while simultaneously carrying out a brutal campaign of sexual violence against women under its control. Yet much of the discussion of community responses remains the province of men. As calls for counter-narratives to ISIS proliferate and theological arguments against ISIS are mobilized – what role will Muslim women play in contesting ISIS’ interpretation and in shaping today’s Muslim communities more broadly?

Asra Nomani is an investigative journalist who worked for fifteen years at the Wall Street Journal and conducted an in-depth investigation into the murder of her friend and colleague Daniel Pearl. She is the author of Standing Alone: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam (2006) and co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement, an organization that advocates for secular governance, gender parity, and social justice.

Nadia Oweidat is a Senior Non-Residential Fellow at New America. She holds a D.Phil. in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford and teaches Islamic Thought and Extremism at Georgetown University. Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Oweidat worked as a Research Associate at the RAND Corporation where she led several research projects. Her expertise spans a wide range of contemporary issues such as the Arab Spring, countering violent extremism, the relationship between Iran and the Arab world, the radicalization of Muslim youth, and Internet trends among Arabic speakers.

Ani Zonneveld is the founder and president of Muslims for Progressive Values and, through its #ImamforShe initiative, campaigns to empower Imams and religious leaders across the world to stand up for the rights of women and girls in their community as an inoculation against extremism. A full bio of Ms. Zonneveld can be found here.

New America is pleased to welcome Ms. Nomani, Dr. Oweidat, and Ms. Zonneveld for a discussion of gender, Muslim communities, and the fight against ISIS.

Join the conversation online using #EqualityVsExtremism and following @NatSecNAF.

Participants:
Asra Nomani Co-Founder Muslim Reform Movement
Author, Standing Alone: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam
@AsraNomani

Nadia Oweidat
Senior Non-Residential Fellow, International Security Program, New America
@NadiaOweidat

Ani Zonneveld
Founder, Muslims for Progressive Values
@AniZonneveld

Moderator:
Peter Bergen
Vice President, New AmericaDirector, International Security Program, New America