Libya: Post Qaddafi

In the article “The Key to Countering Violent Extremism,”, I read about the woman who founded The Voice of Libyan Women (VLW), the most prominent women’s rights organization in Libya. VLW advocates for the increased participation of women in conflict mediation and peace processes by shifting around the role of women in society at both the grassroots and policy levels.The organization uses religion to instead positively reinforce women’s rights and active participation. When I read that the organization uses religion to promote womens rights, I thought it was strange, because many people believe that religion is the source of the problem. It is sort of a radical way of looking at things. However, it makes sense because it is easier for people in a culture to catch on to ideas that they are comfortable with. People in Libya are religious, and if she uses religion subtly, then people will begin to feel comfortable with new ideas. If she dismisses religion all together, no one will listen to her and change cannot happen. It must happens slowly.
The second artifact is “The Law is Failing the Women of Libya.” This article mentions the womens rights issues in Libya. One example is that a women was physically and verbally attacked for not covering her head. Also, a school in Derna required that women and men were separated. Some women contemplate wearing a hijab when they leave the house just to avoid the harassment and physical harm. Most of the harassment and attacks on women by militias and individuals go unreported and unchecked.
This article is similar to the first one in that women are starting to break away from the norm of covering their heads and becoming more politically and socially verbal, even by the uncovering their heads. Although these woman are harassed, it is a non violent way for them to challenge extreme radicalism. Once people begin to see more people participating, it might be become accepted over time, maybe.