“Religion and tradition are a great force for peace and progress around the world,” said The Elders, a group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela, in statement to mark the launch of their latest initiative.
“However, as Elders, we believe that the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a higher authority, is unacceptable,” added the 12-person organisation brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela.
In an effort to bring change to and end religious and traditional practices that discriminate against women and girls, The Elders are using their latest initiative to reveal how the “deep-rooted belief that women are worth less than men has infected every aspect of our societies”.
They say such beliefs have led to brutal violence and mistreatment against women and have denied girls and women fair access to education, health, employment, property and influence within their own communities.
“It is not just women who are paying an enormous price for this cultural and religious prejudice. We all suffer when women and girls are abused and their needs are neglected. By denying them security and opportunity, we embed unfairness in our societies and fail to make the most of the talents of half the population,” The Elders state.
Last week, former President Carter attempted to draw greater attention to The Elders’ gender equality initiative by submitting an op-ed to newspapers including The Observer.
In his piece, Carter recalled his “painful and difficult” decision to sever ties with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000 after having been a part of the denomination for six decades.
The decision, he said, was “unavoidable ... when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be ‘subservient’ to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service”.
“It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population,” Carter charged. “We need to challenge these self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.”
While Carter unsurprisingly drew praise from a number of women and advocates for women’s rights, he also drew criticism from others for using “weasel words”.
