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Q: I’m interested in sharing both people’s stories and
their specific ideas about interfaith activism. So to begin, will you tell us
something about your religious background?

I was raised as a Roman Catholic. Being raised as a Roman Catholic
continues to be a source of inspiration. Different nuns, priests and teachers
have inspired and encouraged me during my life. However, I was also often
surprised about the rules and views in my religion, particularly the views on
women and on other faith traditions. During my first year at primary school,
I was taught that only Roman Catholics would go to heaven, while people from
another faith and unbelievers would go to hell. I was not allowed to play
with Protestant children.

In 1943 at the age of six, I heard for the first time the story of Adam
and Eve and the creation of the world. At that time, because of the German
occupation, my classroom was temporarily lodged in a wooden sports complex.
During air-raid alarms, we had to take shelter in houses across the street.
Hearing about the paradise, I started dreaming away from the reality I was
living in. I imagined Adam and Eve who lived in freedom and had the disposal
of all the fruits and plants God had created. I was told that this wonderful
life was still not enough for Eve, which made her decide to eat from the
forbidden tree. The story concluded with the explanation that Eve caused the
original sin, because of her eating from that tree. This was interpreted as
the beginning of all sins and evil in the world. As a consequence, Eve was
held responsible for the hunger and for the bombs and the ravages in my
neighborhood. I could not understand how this woman Eve could have been so
irresponsible and reckless to put at stake such a good life in paradise for
all the people who came after her.  I felt angry with her and
disappointed.

A few years later, after the liberation, our class went to the church to
prepare ourselves for the first communion. While we were standing at the
sanctuary, a priest explained about the mass and the consecration. He showed
us the different regalia and made clear that women and girls were not allowed
to stay at the sanctuary during the mass and that only boys and men could
serve. After that, he explained that the altar-cloth was washed by nuns, but
only after it had first been flushed in water by a priest. In this way
priests prevented that women’s hands could touch crumbs of the
consecrated bread that could have been fallen on the cloth. He showed us the
holy well where priests poured the first flushing water of this altar-cloth.
This preparation for my first communion gave me the depressing impression
that there was something wrong with girls and women, but I could not
understand why. Some weeks later at the home of a girlfriend, I heard that
she had to help her younger brother to learn Latin texts, because he was
preparing to become an altar boy. He could hardly read, but he could serve at
the mass as altar boy, because he was a boy. My girlfriend and I who helped
him could not, because we were girls. At that moment, I felt the church was
favoring boys above girls and thought this an unjust treatment of girls.

At the age of 12 and 15, I was offered scholarships. My parents however
thought it not necessary for me as a girl to continue studying. They thought
it important for me to find a job to make it possible for my elder brother to
continue his study. I got an administrative job and followed different
courses to become a secretary. After being married and having three children
I started organizing and coordinating parent’s councils, environment
and peace organizations and different innovative activities in the church. I
was offered training for social worker, and I got two temporary part-time
posts as social worker.

In 1979, I started studying theology. I wanted to learn how to read and
interpret biblical texts, as I often felt uncomfortable with the way priests
used and interpreted these texts. During my first year, I became a member of
the Committee Perspectives for Theologians. The chair of that
committee, an inspiring professor and priest, told me that notwithstanding my
enthusiasm, I would have problems with finding a job in the Roman Catholic
Church, because of my three handicaps: being a woman, being married and
having children. I also became a member of a Women’s Studies
Theology group. Together we read books from Dutch and American feminist
theologians, and we explored methods to interpret biblical texts from
women’s perspective.

Two of my papers Thecla, an Apostle besides Paul andThe Myth
of Male Superiority, and the Image of Godwere published in a Roman
Catholic magazine.

I started giving lectures and courses Reading the Bible with
Women’s Eyes. From that moment on women started telling me about
their problems with their religious education, and about their experiences
with rape and incest. Hearing these women’s stories increased my
awareness of the negative and harmful spiritual contents of mainstream
androcentric and patriarchal theology for women and children. My realization
of androcentrism in mainstream theology and Christian tradition led me to
become a feminist.

Several research projects revealed how destructive and oppressive
androcentric; patriarchal Christian thought and spirituality can be to women.
The study Christianity and Incest (Imbens & Jonker, 1985/1992)
led to the conclusion: “When Christian upbringing is seen from the
perspective of patriarchal premises, the experience and teaching of
Christianity makes girls easy prey for male family members. This religious
education complicates the woman’s or girl’s ability to overcome
the effects of sexual abuse.” I tried to incorporate pastoral care and
counseling for survivors of rape and incest with a religious trauma within
existing religious and health care organizations, as I did not succeed, I
founded the Foundation for Pastoral Care for Women

Q: How did you become involved with interfaith activities? Was
there any particular event or person that inspired you to work with people of
faiths other than your own?

Since the 1980s, I had contacts with many Protestant women and
women’s organizations and communities. Participating in the
Women’s Studies Theology group to develop methods to read the
Bible with women’s eyes, particularly the way the Protestant theologian
Dr. Fokkelien van Dijk-Hemmes organized courses and workshops, continues to
be a source of inspiration. I started giving lectures, workshops and courses
for Catholic and Protestant and women’s organizations and communities.
When giving workshops about reading the Bible with women’s eyes, we
often closed the day with a ceremony prepared by participants. A highlight
was the ceremony organized on request of Protestant women with Protestant and
Roman Catholic women on the suffering of women in the week before Easter.

In 1996, I started a project to interview women from different faith
traditions on their views on religion and spirituality. When participating in
a research colloquium of the Association for Religion and Intellectual
Life (ARIL), I met Ghazala Sharif, a Muslim woman. From the first moment
on, we shared our views on women, religion and spirituality. The second day
she read the poem Song of the Bird, True Spirituality from Anthony
de Mello and told me “This is what your work is about.” During
four weeks, we together read texts from the Bible and the Quran, and she gave
me a Quran. Similar things happened when having a dialogue with Gila Gevirtz,
a Jewish woman. We continue to keep contact with each other. In 2004, at the
Assembly of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Ghazala
and I organized a workshop Interpreting Religious Texts from the
Perspective of Women’s and Children’s Human Rights.

Another inspiring experience occurred in 1997, at the first regional
United Religions Initiative conference. Women took the initiative to form a
group around the theme Women’s Experiences and Views on Religion
and Spirituality. In this group women and men (including priests and an
imam) from different European countries and from different religious
backgrounds: Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroaster and Brahma Kumaris
participated. We spoke honestly to each other and asked each other sometimes
difficult questions. This open atmosphere enabled a Christian woman to say to
the imam: “I have never been in a women’s group with an imam, and
honestly say I am afraid of you. It makes me try to behave nice to you, but I
also want to express my anger about the oppression of women in
religions.” Her words created an opening to go deeper into
women’s concerns about the impact of religion on women’s lives.
The imam explained that Muslim men feel the need to protect women. By asking
him how it would feel if women would protect men in the same way he said:
“You are right, it is patronizing women.”

We also shared our favorite texts from our religious and cultural
traditions. We took care that the wife of the imam, who did not speak
English, but could understand it enough to follow the conversation, could
participate by asking her for her opinion and asking her husband to translate
her words. It was impressive to hear her husband translate: “In
religions there is no justice for women. That is the same in all religions.
In all religions women are oppressed.” At the end of the conference,
the imam told us that his wife was going to learn to speak English, and he
explained: “So that she can speak for herself at
conferences.”

Other impressive moments are the dialogues with an orthodox Jewish rabbi
about kosher food, images of God, and the position of women; a Muslim man and
milieu activist from India about feminism and the milieu. Being in dialogue
with women and men from different faith traditions deepens my understanding
and my faith.

I am grateful for Mohinder Singh’s support for my proposal to
include principle 8 in the URI Charter: We practice equitable
participation of women and men in all aspects of URI. Thanks to his
support my frequent requests to include such a principle was unanimously
accepted by the Interim Global Council at the very last moment.

Q: I know that you are passionate about women’s rights
(incidentally, these questions were written on International Women’s
Day, March 8).  hat do you see as the most significant challenges facing
women today? In Europe specifically? Elsewhere in the world?

Interviewing, counseling and speaking with hundreds of survivors of rape
and incest from all over the world led to my thesis: “Sexual violence
against women and girls is a cultural phenomenon in our society, which can
befall any woman at any place and at any time, regardless of her age and
regardless of her relationship to the offender.”

Different UN officials continue to express that violence against women
continues to be pervasive worldwide. At the fourth International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2003, Noeleen Heyzer
executive director of the UN Women’s Fund (UNIFEM) said:
“Violence against women has become as much a pandemic as HIV/AIDS, or
malaria. But it is still generally downplayed by the public at large and by
policy-makers who fail to create and fund programs to eradicate it.”
She indicated that globally, one in three women will be raped, beaten,
coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime, and wondered why
gender-based violence continues, seemingly unabated, despite the hard work by
women’s institutions to have women’s right recognized.

UN secretary general Kofi Annan expressed that gender-based violence is
perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. “As long as it
continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality,
development and peace.” He called on all sectors of society to redouble
their efforts to achieve the objective of ending all forms of violence
against women. He expressed that: “This will require leadership at
every level, in every culture, country and continent. It will require a bold
transformation in men’s attitudes and behavior so that women become
their equal partners.”

In 2004, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan affirmed that despite the
important legal framework set up by the UN, regional organizations and
national governments through resolutions, guidelines and reports condemning
all forms of violence against women, the collective response to violence
against women is “inadequate” in comparison to the magnitude of
the problem.

The United Nations Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of
Women (INSTRAW) expresses that the shifts in consciousness that led to the
establishment of laws, conventions and declarations on violence against women
need to be translated into shifts in behavior. They indicate that campaigns
launched by national and international Non Governmental Organizations and
Women’s Organizations are most effective. They refer to the campaign of
The World March of Women 2000, which they refer to as an “an
unprecedented series of actions in 157 countries, demanding that the United
Nations and its Member States take concrete measurers to eliminate poverty
and ensure fair distribution of the planet’s wealth between rich and
poor, and between men and women; and to eliminate violence and discrimination
against women.”

We may expect that the alarming details of the worldwide violations of
children’s and women’s human rights and the urgent appeal of UN
officials will open the hearts of religious people and inspire and motivate
us all to stop this violence.

Q: How are you involved locally in women’s issues and how
much of that activity is through interfaith organizations?

Until a few years ago, I was actively involved locally, but it was
difficult to combine it with my European and global URI activities. At this
moment, I am active in the Dutch sector of the World March of Women.
We discussed the first draft of the Women’s Global Charter for
Humanity, launched on December 10, 2004 in Rwanda. 

The World March of Women proposes to build another world where
exploitation, oppression, intolerance and exclusion no longer exist, and
where integrity, diversity and the rights and freedoms of all are respected.
The values equality, freedom, solidarity, justice, and peace
are described as the driving force. Under each value different affirmations
are given, some refer to the role of religions.

Equality, affirmation 3: No custom, tradition, religion,
ideology, economic system or policy justifies the inferiorization of any
person or authorizes actions that undermine human dignity, and physical and
psychological integrity.

Peace, affirmation 5: No custom, tradition, ideology,
religion, political or economic system justifies the use of violence.

Until October 17, activities are organized in 166 countries. For
information about the activities in these countries and for the complete text
of the Charter, see their website:
http://www.marchemondiale.org/en

Q: Do you see any unique role interfaith organizations can play in
promoting the dignity and equality of women?

Since the World’s Parliament of Religions held in 1893 its
first interreligious conference in Chicago many other initiatives have been
taken to foster interreligious dialogue and co-operation. Understanding and
co-operation among people from different religious and cultural traditions
and peace among nations are generally described as the main goals to be
achieved. Considering the worldwide violations of human rights, and
considering the role of religions in these violations, the interreligious
forum should first of all be a space where religions work together to
establish the full human rights of all human beings, including the right to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion. In view of the statistics on the
worldwide violations of women’s human rights, it is most important to
focus in the interreligious dialogue on the human rights of women and
children and on the impact of religions on their lives. 

That makes it necessary for interreligious organizations to practice equal
participation of women and men in all aspects of the organization.

Participating at the Assembly of the Parliament of the World’s
Religions in July 2004, Pathways to peace: the wisdom of listening, the
power of commitment made again clear to me that the contribution of
religion for the protection and implementation of women’s human rights
continues to be a controversial issue when male religious leaders of
hierarchical and male dominated religious institutions set the tone at such a
gathering. In Barcelona, female and male participants expressed their
disappointment and anger about the invisibility of women and the male
dominance at this assembly, and the lack of respect for the minority of women
who participated in panels. After discovering two young female students
crying in the hall near the bathroom because of this atmosphere, I organized
an Open Space Gathering Listening to the Voices of Women in the
Parliament of the World’s Religions. About 200 women and some men
participated. Two volunteers organized translation for Spanish participants.
Participants were invited to express: why they had come to this open space
gathering; what they hoped to achieve; how we could best achieve our
expectations.

The majority of the participants clearly expressed the necessity of the
elimination of male dominance in religions; solidarity; respect for
women’s human rights; listening to the voices of women.

A committee of 12 volunteers was formed (eleven women and one man), who
prepared a Petition with Recommendations to the Council of the Parliament
of the World’s Religions. We asked for permission to read the
recommendations at the closing ceremony. As this proved to be impossible we
made copies and handed them to participants after the closing ceremony. The
recommendations clearly express the important role interfaith organizations
need to play in today’s world in promoting the dignity and equality of
women.

Recommendation to the Council for a Parliament of the
World’s Religions:

• The focus of the Parliament “agenda” should include the
  gender inequality in the world’s religious and spiritual
  traditions. 
• Equal numbers of women and men should be present on all programs.
• There are gender issues embedded in every topic.  Women’s
  experiences often differ from mainstream interpretations.  This should
  consistently be reflected in the presentations.
• Scholars of women in religion and feminist scholars should be included
  in every program.
• The interpretation of religious and spiritual texts from the
  perspective of women’s and children’s human rights should be
  given priority.
• Broader criteria for selection of “experts” must also be
  considered.  The emphasis put upon “experts” as a
  criterion for participant selection often excludes the primary concerns of
  women because women have been denied the opportunities for professional
  advancement.
• Experiences from women’s interfaith projects show that emphasis
  placed on building relations facilitates constructive dialogue.  The
  format of programs should include, as a priority, group dialogues and the
  creation of space for co-equal conversations that produce collective
  insights.
• Experts in the study of women and religion and feminist scholars should
  be included in every program.
• Women often have less opportunity for education, employment and
  economic resources.  This means they are less able to participate in
  Parliament activities.  We propose that the Parliament actively
  sponsor women by developing partnerships that provide financial
  support.  This also applies to other marginalised groups.
• An equal number of women and men (including feminist scholars) should
  be members of the Parliament’s governing bodies, especially the
  program task force and the advisors to the program task force. 

At other interreligious conferences and workshops women and men expressed
what they thought the necessary contribution of religious and interreligious
organizations:

• to listen to the voices of women,
• to cooperate with women’s organizations that are working
  tirelessly to have women’s human rights recognized,
• to reinterpret sacred texts shaped by patriarchy,
• to read religious texts from the perspective of children’s and
  women’s human rights,
• to read studies from feminist scholars and theologians,
• to stop promoting the subordination of women as being according to
  God’s law.
• Religions have the responsibility to make sure that al women’s
  human rights are fully recognized, respected and implemented in religion
  and in society.
• Religious leaders have a duty to speak out about and to practice
  women’s human rights.
• It is necessary to bring in women leaders – new interpretation of
  religious texts.
• Women teach religious leaders from all faith traditions:
  • how to use inclusive language,
  • how to learn to fully respect all human right of women in their
    faith traditions,
  • and how to interpret their sacred texts from women’s
    perspective.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add for our
readers?

After considering many women's stories about their daily lives and
reflecting on my own experiences, especially during my study of theology and
my work in theology and pastoral care for women, I discovered two different
sides to spirituality.

First, spirituality is a stimulating and empowering source of
strength and insight that grows as we become more receptive and realize our
abilities and limitations. Inner strength stimulates us to open our eyes to
the structures, mechanisms, and limitations in our society that support
unjust practices and relations and to the suffering, they cause. Spirituality
also cultivates our insight, self-esteem, strength, courage, creativity, and
sensitivity to truth, justice, beauty, and love, which are the necessary
instruments or attributes for transforming ourselves and our societies and
for creating a better life for all beings. This quality is conveyed through
words, attitudes and gestures, paintings and sculptures, music and dance, and
poems and stories. Biographical stories express how and where we find hope,
strength, perseverance, vitality, and joy in daily life, even under difficult
circumstances.

This view on spirituality emanates from texts and stories from my
Christian heritage and from many women’s stories. Two biblical texts
have acquired a special meaning to me. The first answers the question: What
is needed to inherit eternal life or enjoy the fullest possible existence?
According to the answer, we should love God, the supreme being,
wholeheartedly, with all our soul, all our strength, and all our mind, and we
should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Luke 10:27). The second text
is a story about a widow who was involved in a lawsuit. The judge who heard
her case neither feared God nor respected people. After refusing for a while,
he finally granted her justice. The widow succeeded in convincing this judge
of his obligation to dispense justice by repeatedly telling him:
“Provide me justice against my opponent.” She persisted until the
judge sighed: “I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet
because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see to it that she gets her
rights. If I do not, she will keep on coming and finally wear me out.”
This story advises us how we should believe and pray. It also expresses the
power of justice and the wisdom and strength of a woman who knew how to
obtain her rights before an unjust or corrupt judge. (Luke 18:1-8).

Studying theology and receiving instruction exclusively from male teachers
made me aware of the male domination in Christianity and mainstream theology.
I discovered that mainstream theology marginalizes and ignores women and
children and their experiences, problems, feelings, interests, insights, and
talents and imposes androcentric and patriarchal views about God and the
world’s creation and ideal order on women and children. Mainstream
androcentric theology views reality on the basis of the experiences,
feelings, and insights of men who consider themselves superior to women and
children.

Androcentric spirituality also figures in biblical texts and stories from
my Christian heritage and in their androcentric interpretations. The texts
Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15 are notorious. In the first text,
wives are told to submit to their husbands as unto God. This text fosters
inequality in relationships between husbands and wives. The second passage
prohibits women from teaching but has them study in silence instead. It
explains the cause and manner of the violation of women’s human right
to freedom of speech in Christian tradition: because Adam was created before
Eve, and because Adam was not deceived, while Eve was deceived and became a
transgressor. The passage concludes that women will be redeemed through
childbearing, “provided they continue in faith and love and holiness
with modesty.” As long as texts and ideas such as these are interpreted
by people raised as Christians as God’s law, they stimulate acceptance
and justification of women’s subordination.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 11th, 2005 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Culture and Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.