Aswat
Aswat - Palestinian Feminist Center for Gender and Sexual Freedoms | |
أصوات | |
Formation | 2003 |
---|---|
Founder | Rauda Morcos |
Headquarters | Haifa, Israel |
Co-director | Ghadir Shafie |
Website | aswatgroup |
Aswat - Palestinian Feminist Center for Gender and Sexual Freedoms, also known as Aswat (
The organization was cofounded by activist Rauda Morcos, who received the Felipe de Souza Award from OutRight Action International for her work with the group. Today, Aswat engages in advocacy work and education while also hosting monthly support group meetings that address sexual orientation, gender identity, and nationality.[5] As of May 2016[update], its co-director was Ghadir Shafie.[3]
History
Morcos said that: "When we started Aswat, I remember the Islamic Movement issued a boycott against us as well as a fatwa [an Islamic religious legal order] against me personally, because according to them I was ‘the snake’s head.’"[6] In 2004 the group had 14 members.[7] In October 2004, Rauda Morcos spoke at the Palestine Solidarity Movement conference at Duke University in her capacity (at the time) as the coordinator of Aswat.[8]
In 2007, when Aswat had about 30 members and held its first conference, the Islamic Movement in Israel (a grouping of Arab Muslims) publicly called for the meeting to be cancelled and urged its community "to stand against the campaign to market
On March 28, 2007, Aswat held its first public conference in a theater in Haifa. The event, titled "Home and Exile in Queer Experience," featured poetry readings and music.[10] At least 250 people attended the conference; organizers estimated that about 10 to 20 of them were Arab lesbians.[11][12] The Islamic Movement described the group as a "fatal cancer that should be forbidden from spreading out within the Arab society and from eliminating the Arab culture",[13] and about 20 protesters demonstrated outside the event venue.[12]
In 2011, Aswat and
See also
- Al Qaws
- LGBT in Islam
- LGBT rights in the State of Palestine
- Pinkwashing (LGBT)
References
- ISBN 978-1-906523-64-0.
- ^ "About Us". Aswat | Palestinian Feminist Center for Gender and Sexual Freedoms. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- ^ S2CID 211353589.
- Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice. Archivedfrom the original on 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ^ Anonymous (2006-03-22). "A Celebration of Courage: Rauda Morcos, Founder of ASWAT, the First Palestinian Lesbian Group, Receives Felipa Award". OutRight Action International. Archived from the original on 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ Konrad, Edo (August 2, 2020). "'A queer cry for freedom': Meet the LGBTQ Palestinians demanding liberation". +972 Magazine.
- ^ "'A language no one else is speaking' | Xtra Magazine". September 15, 2004.
- ISSN 1468-0130.
- ^ a b "I'm still alive". New Internationalist. June 1, 2007.
- JSTOR 20838692.
- ^ "Palestinian Gay Women holds historic conference". www.workers.org. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ a b "Arab lesbians hold rare public meeting in Israel". NBC News. 29 March 2007. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ Anonymous (2007-03-26). "Palestinian Territories: IGLHRC Supports Free Expression for ASWAT". OutRight Action International. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ "Tracing my queer consciousness from Palestine to the US, and back again". Mondoweiss. 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ JSTOR 24570200.
Further reading
- Shafie, Ghadir; Chávez, Karma R. (2019). ""Pinkwashing and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Campaign," May 25, 2016". S2CID 211353589.