-
So on my way here,
-
the passenger next to me and I
had a very interesting conversation
-
during my flight.
-
He told me, "It seems like
the United States has run out of jobs,
-
because they're just making some up:
-
cat psychologist, dog whisperer,
-
tornado chaser."
-
A couple of seconds later, he asked me,
-
"So what do you do?"
-
And I was like, "Peacebuilder?"
-
(Laughter)
-
Every day, I work to amplify
the voices of women
-
and to highlight their experiences
-
and their participation in peace
processes and conflict resolution,
-
and because of my work,
-
I recognize that the only way to ensure
the full participation of women globally
-
is by reclaiming religion.
-
Now, this matter is vitally
important to me.
-
As a young Muslim woman,
I am very proud of my faith.
-
It gives me the strength and conviction
to do my work every day.
-
It's the reason I can be here
in front of you.
-
But I can't overlook the damage that has
been done in the name of religion,
-
not just my own, but all
of the world's major faiths.
-
The misrepresentation and misuse
and manipulation of religious Scripture
-
has influenced our social
and cultural norms,
-
our laws, our daily lives,
-
to a point where we sometimes
don't recognize it.
-
My parents moved from Libya,
North Africa, to Canada
-
in the early 1980s,
-
and I am the middle child of 11 children.
-
Yes, 11.
-
But growing up, I saw my parents,
-
both religiously devout
and spiritual people,
-
pray and praise God for their blessings,
-
namely me of course, but among others.
-
They were kind and funny and patient,
-
limitlessly patient, the kind of patience
that having 11 kids forces you to have.
-
And they were fair.
-
I was never subjected to religion
through a cultural lens.
-
I was treated the same,
-
the same was expected of me.
-
I was never taught that God
judged differently based on gender.
-
And my parents' understanding of God
as a merciful and beneficial friend
-
and provider shaped the way
I looked at the world.
-
Now, of course, my upbringing
had additional benefits.
-
Being one of 11 children is Diplomacy 101.
-
To this day, I am asked
where I went to school,
-
like, "Did you go to
Kennedy School of Government?"
-
and I look at them and I'm like, "No,
-
I went to the Murabit School
of International Affairs."
-
It's extremely exclusive. You would have
to talk to my mum to get in.
-
Lucky for you, she's here.
-
But being one of 11 children
and having 10 siblings
-
teaches you a lot about
power structures and alliances.
-
It teaches you focus: you have
to talk fast or say less,
-
because you will always get cut off.
-
It teaches you the importance
of messaging.
-
You have to ask questions in the right way
to get the answers you know you want,
-
and you have to say no
in the right way to keep the peace.
-
But the most important lesson
I learned growing up
-
was the importance of being at the table.
-
When my mum's favorite lamp broke,
I had to be there when she was trying
-
to find out how and by who,
-
because I had to defend myself,
-
because if you're not,
then the finger is pointed at you,
-
and before you know it,
you will be grounded.
-
I am not speaking
from experience, of course.
-
When I was 15 in 2005,
I completed high school and I moved
-
from Canada -- Saskatoon --
-
to Zawiya, my parents' hometown in Libya,
-
a very traditional city.
-
Mind you, I had only ever been
to Libya before on vacation,
-
and as a seven-year old girl,
it was magic.
-
It was ice cream and trips to the beach
and really excited relatives.
-
Turns out it's not the same
as a 15-year old young lady.
-
I very quickly became introduced
to the cultural aspect of religion.
-
The words "Haram"
-- meaning religiously prohibited --
-
and "Aib" -- meaning
culturally inappropriate --
-
were exchanged carelessly,
-
as if they meant the same thing
and had the same consequences.
-
And I found myself in conversation
after conversation with classmates
-
and colleagues, professors,
friends, even relatives,
-
beginning to question my own rule
and my own aspirations.
-
And even with the foundation
my parents had provided for me,
-
I found myself questioning
the role of women in my faith.
-
So at the Murabit School
of International Affairs,
-
we go very heavy on the debate,
-
and rule number one is do your research,
-
so that's what I did,
-
and it surprised me how easy it was
-
to find women in my faith
who were leaders,
-
who were innovative, who were strong:
-
politically, economically,
even militarily.
-
Khadija, [???]
financed the Islamic movement
-
in its infancy.
-
We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her.
-
So why weren't we learning about her?
-
Why weren't we learning about these women?
-
Why were women being relegated
to positions which predated
-
the teachings of our faith?
-
And why, if we are equal
in the eyes of God,
-
are we not equal in the eyes of men?
-
To me, it all came back to the lessons
I had learned as a child.
-
The decision maker, the person
who gets to control the message,
-
is sitting at the table,
-
and unfortunately,
in every single world faith,
-
they are not women.
-
Religious institutions
are dominated by men
-
and driven by male leadership,
-
and they create policies
in their likeness,
-
and until we can change
the system entirely,
-
then we can't realistically
expect to have full economic
-
and political participation of women.
-
Our foundation is broken.
-
My mum actually says, you can't build
a straight house on a crooked foundation.
-
In 2011, the Libyan revolution broke out,
-
and my family was on the front lines.
-
And there's this amazing thing
that happens in war,
-
a cultural shift almost, very temporary.
-
And it was the first time that I felt
it was not only acceptable
-
for me to be involved,
but it was encouraged.
-
It was demanded.
-
Myself and other women
had a seat at the table.
-
We weren't holding hands or a medium.
-
We were part of decision making.
-
We were information. We were crucial.
-
And I wanted and needed
for that change to be permanent.
-
Turns out, that's not that easy.
-
It only took a few weeks before the women
that I had previously worked with
-
were returning back
to their previous roles,
-
and most of them were driven
by words of encouragement
-
from religious and political leaders,
-
most of whom cited religious Scripture
-
as their defense.
-
It's how they gained popular support
for their opinions.
-
So initially, I focused on the economic
and political empowerment of women.
-
I thought that would lead
to cultural and social change.
-
It turns out, it does a little,
but not a lot.
-
I decided to use
their defense as my offense,
-
and I began to cite and highlight
Islamic Scripture as well.
-
In 2012 and 2013, my organization
led the single largest
-
and most widespread
campaign in Libya.
-
We entered homes and schools
and universities, even mosques.
-
We spoke to 50,000 people directly,
-
and hundreds of thousands more through
billboards and television commercials,
-
radio commercials and posters.
-
And you're probably wondering how
a woman's rights organization
-
was able to do this in communities
which had previously opposed
-
our sheer existence.
-
I used Scripture.
-
I used verses from the Quran
and sayings of the Prophet,
-
Haddis, his sayings which
are, for example,
-
"The best of you is the best
to their family."
-
"Do not let your brother oppress another."
-
For the first time, Friday sermons
led by local community imams
-
promoted the rights of women.
-
They discussed taboo issues,
like domestic violence.
-
Policies were changed.
-
In certain communities,
we actually had to go as far
-
as saying the International
Human Rights Declaration,
-
which you opposed because it wasn't
written by religious scholars,
-
well, those same principles
are in our book.
-
So really, the United Nations
just copied us.
-
By changing the message,
we were able to provide
-
an alternative narrative which promoted
the rights of women in Libya.
-
It's something that has now
been replicated internationally,
-
and while I am not saying it's easy
-- Believe me, it's not.
-
Liberals will say you're using religion
and call you a bad conservative.
-
Conservatives will call you
a lot of colorful things.
-
I've heard everything from, "Your parents
must be extremely ashamed of you"
-
-- False. They're my biggest fans. --
-
to "You will not make it
to your next birthday"
-
-- again wrong, because I did.
-
And I remain
-
a very strong believer that women's rights
and religion are not mutually exclusive.
-
But we have to be at the table.
-
We have to stop giving up our position,
because by remaining silent,
-
we allow for the continued persecution
and abuse of women worldwide.
-
By saying that we're going
to fight for women's rights
-
and fight extremism
with bombs and warfare,
-
we completely cripple local societies
which need to address these issues
-
so that they're sustainable.
-
It is not easy, challenging
distorted religious messaging.
-
You will have your fair share
of insults and ridicule and threats.
-
But we have to do it.
We have no other option
-
than to reclaim the message
of human rights,
-
the principles of our faith,
-
not for us, not for
the women in your families,
-
not for the women in this room,
-
not even for the women out there,
-
but for societies
that would be transformed
-
with the participation of women.
-
And the only way we can do that,
-
our only option,
-
is to be, and remain, at the table.
-
Thank you.
-
(Applause)
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 10/13/2015. At 5:08, "beginning to question my own rule and my own aspirations." was changed to "beginning to question my own role and my own aspirations."