Is Religion Bad for Women?
29th October 2007
For Immediate Release
IS RELIGION BAD FOR WOMEN?
A Church conference will ask: Is religion bad for women? Does culture play a role in the suppression of women? And what can be done to address it?
We may have become a more secular society but religion still tends to grab the headlines – usually for all the wrong reasons. A group of eminent women from the Christian, Islamic, Sikh and Jewish traditions will debate these issues at a conference entitled Women, Culture & Religion, being held at Newcastle Civic Centre on Tuesday 6th November 2007.
The keynote speaker will be the controversial theologian and author, Professor Daphne Hampson. She said: 'The question is, why have men formed our religions? Such religions have proved the ultimate weapon in legitimising a patriarchal social order and keeping woman in her 'place'. We need to find new waysof expressingan understanding of ‘God’ which is both compatible with our present knowledge and gender inclusive.'
Freelance Journalist, Farah Khan, will examine whether Islam or cultural norms are responsible for the suppression of women in many Muslim societies. She will speak about women’s rights in Islam and tackle issues such as ‘honour killings’, the wearing of the veil, forced marriages and female circumcision etc.
Other speakers include Mandeep Kaur, Sikh Chaplain to the Armed Forces and Trisha Kessler from the Centre for the Study of Jewish Muslim Relations, Cambridge. The conference will be chaired by Mary Coyle.
The conference is being organized by CIFER, the Committee for Interfaith & Ethnic Relations of the Diocese of Newcastle, led by Assistant Bishop of Newcastle Paul Richardson. He says: ‘We want to give men and women from different faith communities the chance to come together and reflect on the impact of religion and culture on the place of women in modern Britain. It may also give women (and men) the confidence to raise some of these issues in their own faith and cultural communities.’
THE MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND / FILM / PHOTOGRAPH THE EVENT:
Women, Culture & Religion Conference
Tuesday 6th November
9am-3pm
Newcastle Civic Centre
For further information and to arrange interviews / filming, please contact:
Farah Khan Tel: 0191 286 2332mobile 07940 543106, or
Email:
BACKGROUND ON THE SPEAKERS
1. Conference chair - Mary Coyle
Mary Coyle is Chief Executive of Aspire, a five-year culture change programme from the North East Chamber of Commerce and CBI North East. Launched in December 2005 by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, it exists to help employers unlock the potential of the region’s young people. Prior to that, she was the Regional Director of Common Purpose.
2. Professor Daphne Hampson
Daphne is a leading theologian and author, who has lectured and broadcast widely in Britain, Europe and North America. She is Professor Emirata of Divinity at the University of St Andrews, where she held a chair in Post-Christian Thought. She is currently lecturing at Oxford on ‘Theology, Feminism and Continental philosophy, which will form the basis of a new work. Previous books include Theology and Feminism (1990) and After Christianity (1997, 2002).
3. Farah Khan
Farah is a freelance journalist who has reported for a range of broadcast and print media across the UK, including BBC Radio 4, Granada TV and The Church Times. She has contributed to several books, including Islam, Race and Being British, published by The Guardian. Over the past decade, she has participated in interfaith dialogue in the North East and London, representing the region as issues of faith, identity and integration have been debated at Guardian forums for young Muslims, chosen for their leadership skills and potential to shape their community’s future.
4. Mandeep Kaur
Mandeep Kaur is the first ever, Sikh chaplain to the British Armed forces. Prior to that, she worked as a Sikh scholar in India for seven years whilst studying for her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Agricultural Engineering. When she came over to Britain to study for a phD, she became intrigued by an advert for a Sikh Chaplain and duly applied for the post. She was appointed in October 2005 and is now responsible for the pastoral, moral and spiritual care of 100 Sikhs serving across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. She is based at Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury.
5. Trisha Kesslerhas been involved in Interfaith dialogue for many years. Aftercompleting a BA Honours Degree in Theology and Religious Studies, she has worked in fundraising and project management. Her particular area of interest is in the role of women in the Interfaith process and specialised in early 19th century Jewish and Christian women’s writings for a Masters Degree in Jewish–Christian Relations. She has also published some of her research on the role of women in the Sassoon Family. She is married to Edward and has three children.
5. Bishop Paul Richardson
The Right Reverend Paul Richardson has been Assistant Bishop of Newcastle since 1998. For the last five years, he has been a weekly columnist and regular book reviewer for the Church of England Newspaper .He is Warden of Readers and chair of CIFER, the Committee for Interfaith & Ethnic Relations of the Diocese of Newcastle. He also Chairs the Diocesan Board of Education.
Much of his ordained ministry, which began in 1972,has been spent overseas. Following a curacy in London , hehas served in Norway , Papua New Guinea and Australia. Duringhis 18 yearsin PNG, he served as parish priest, theological college lecturer and then principal, Dean of the Cathedral and finally Bishop of Aipo Rongo. In 1995 he resignedto enable a local man to be appointed as Bishop. He served as Bishop of Wangaratta in Australia for three years before returning to the UK and taking up his current position.
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