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Maryam Namazie
Maryam Namazie at a 2007 conference in Reykjavík
Born	Tehran
Nationality	Iran
Occupation	Central Committee member of the Worker-communist Party of Iran
Known for	Human rights activism

Maryam Namazie (Persian: مریم نمازی) (Tehran, 1966) is an Iranian-born secularist and human rights activist, commentator and broadcaster. She is spokesperson for Iran Solidarity, One Law for All and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.

Biography

Namazie was born in Tehran, but left with her family in 1980 after the 1979 Iranian Revolution was suppressed by the Islamic movement. She has subsequently lived in India, the United Kingdom and finally the United States, where she began her studies at the age of 17.

Refugee work

Specialised in international solidarity, Namazie first worked with Ethiopian refugees in Sudan. During the Islamic coup d'état in that country, her clandestine organisation in defence of human rights, Human Rights Without Frontiers, was discovered and prohibited. Back in the United States in 1991 she became the co-founder of the Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees (CHAIR). In 1994 she worked in Iranian refugee camps in Turkey and produced a film about their situation. Namazie was then elected Executive Director of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees with branches in more than twenty countries. She has led several campaigns, especially against human rights violations of refugees in Turkey.
As a member of the Central Comittee of the Organisation for the Liberation of Women (Iran), Namazie is closely involved in defending women's rights and the struggle against "sexual apartheid" in Iran. Namazie also broadcasts programmes via satellite television in English: TV International.

Secularism

Namazie has not limited her activism for secularism to her country of birth: she has also campagned in Canada and Britain, where she currently lives. She has, by writing numerous articles and making public statements, specialised into challenging cultural relativism and political Islam. These activities were recognised by the National Secular Society with the 2005 Secularist of the Year award, of which Namazie became the first recipient. During the Danish cartoon riots, she was also part of the twelve signers of Manifesto: Together Facing the New Totalitarianism together with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Shahla Chafiq, Caroline Fourest, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Irshad Manji, Mehdi Mozaffari, Taslima Nasreen, Salman Rushdie, Antoine Sfeir, Philippe Val, and Ibn Warraq. The manifesto starts as follows: "After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism." Besides the usual hate mail from Islamists, Namazie for the most part received positive reactions, that stated the manifesto came at exactly the right time.

After Mina Ahadi launched the Central Council of Ex-Muslims in Germany in January 2007, Namazie became the co-founder of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) in June, and was involved in the founding of the Dutch branch in September: the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims, an initiative of Ehsan Jami. The representatives of the three ex-Muslim councils signed a "European Declaration of Tolerance". The rise of ex-Muslim organisations have been described by MEP Sophie in 't Veld as a "new Renaissance"; Namazie herself compared the breaking of taboos and the 'coming out' of Muslim apostates with the emancipation of homosexuals.
In February 2008, Namazie and Ahadi were selected among of the top 45 "Women of the Year 2007" by Elle Quebec for their role in the foundation of the ex-Muslim councils. Though the Dutch Committee for Ex-Muslims was dissolved in 2008, its British and German counterparts were reinforced with a French branch: by the initiative of Waleed Al-Husseini the Council of Ex-Muslims of France was founded on 6 July 2013, in which Namazie was again involved.
Namazie was named in Victims of Intimidation: Freedom of Speech within Europe's Muslim Communities, a late 2008 report about 27 European public figures with an Islamic background that have been made the focus of terrorist attention on the basis of what they have said about for example Islam, homosexuality, religious experience or anything else extremists can't stand.

In Groot-Brittannië bestaat al sinds 1982 een Shariaraad en mogen islamitische shariarechtbanken rechtspreken in familiezaken (echtscheiding, kindertoewijzing) en in allerlei handelszaken volgens de Arbitration Act van 1996. Namazie voert hiertegen campagne onder de naam One law for all ("Eén wet voor iedereen"). De sharia zijn volgens haar discriminerend en onrechtvaardig, vooral tegenover vrouwen en kinderen: "Rechten en rechtvaardigheid zijn bedoeld voor mensen, niet voor religies en culturen," zei Namazie. De actie werd gelanceerd op 10 december 2008 tijdens het zestigjarig bestaan van de Universele verklaring van de rechten van de mens.

Op 15 september 2010 tekende Namazie met 54 andere publieke figuren een in The Guardian gepubliceerde open brief, waarin zij samen hun weerstand tegen het staatsbezoek van paus Benedictus XVI aan Groot-Brittannië uitdrukten.

Bij de World Atheist Convention 2011 in Dublin was Namazie de hoofdspreekster: ze stelde onder meer dat er momenteel een "islamitische inquisitie" gaande is, dat het etiketteren van mensen en landen als in de eerste plaats zijnde 'moslim/islamitisch' de diversiteit van individuen en samenlevingen miskent en islamisten meer invloed geeft, dat mensenrechten niet westers maar universeel zijn en dat het woord "islamofobie" fout is omdat het geen vorm van racisme is en omdat angst voor de islam en verzet ertegen niet ongegrond is, maar zelfs noodzakelijk.

Na het gebaar van de Egyptische blogster Alia Elmahdy, die naakt poseerde om de islamisten uit te dagen, lanceerde Namazie in February 2012 een kalender met foto's van naakte vrouwelijke activisten, waaronder de Oekraïense Alena Magela van de FEMEN-groep. Namazie zei: ""Islamisten en rechtsconservatieven zijn geobsedeerd door vrouwenlichamen. Ze willen ons monddood maken, dat we gesluierd en vastgebonden door het leven gaan. Naaktheid doorbreekt taboes, en is een belangrijke vorm van verzet." Ze noemde Ehmaldy's daad "een schreeuw tegen het islamisme" en "de ultieme verzetsdaad". Namazie benadrukt het verschil tussen 'gewone' moslims enerzijds, die bijvoorbeeld voor Malala Yousafzai opkomen, en islamisten anderzijds, die veel gevaarlijker zijn omdat zij een politieke beweging vormen die in sommige landen staatsmacht heeft verkregen. Dit onderscheidt de politieke islam van andere religies als het christendom, dat zij weliswaar ook slecht vindt, maar in de moderne tijd naar verhouding veel minder gewelddadig extremisme tegen bijvoorbeeld vrouwen kent.

Namazie distantieert zich met klem van extreemrechtse anti-islamitische groeperingen, die zij niet als bondgenoten maar eveneens als vijanden ziet.

Politics

Als redactrice van de uitgave Worker-communist Review (Arbeiderscommunistisch Revue) is Maryam Namazie lid van het politbureau van de Arbeiderscommunistische Partij van Iran. Ze verdedigt door het arbeiderscommunisme geïnspireerde ideeën, vooral van de Iraanse theoreticus Mansoor Hekmat.

Works

• Maryam Namazie, Sharia Law in Britain: A Threat to One Law for All and Equal Rights (2010). One Law For All.
• Adam Barnett & Maryam Namazie, Enemies Not Allies: The Far-Right (2011). One Law For All.
• Maryam Namazie, Nahla Mahmoud, Atoosa Khatiri e.a., Political and Legal Status of Apostates in Islam (2013). Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.

See also

• Criticism of Islam

External links

• Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Blog Maryam Namazie
• Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Website Maryam Namazie
• Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. One Law For All
• Template:Fr Bas les voiles ! – Mondialisme.org
• Template:Fr L'« islamophobie » n'a rien à voir avec le racisme ! – Solidarité Irak
• Template:Fr Azam Kamguian : L’Islam et la libération des femmes au Moyen-Orient (2003) – Mondialisme.org
• Template:Fr Religions, relativisme culturel et instrumentalisation des droits humains – Mondialisme.org
• Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Siding with the Oppressor: The Pro-Islamist Left – One Law For All

References

1. Template:Nl Groen, Janny; Kranenberg, Annieke (27 July 2007). "'Enorme druk op liberale moslims'". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
2. ^ Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "Profile: Maryam Namazie". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
3. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "Contact – Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain". CEMB. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
4. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Casciani, Dominic (21 June 2007). "Ignore Islam, 'ex-Muslims' urge". BBC.
5. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Cohen, Nick (Sunday 16 October 2005). "One woman's war". The Observer. The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. ^ Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "Biography". Website Maryam Namazie. Retrieved 1 December 2013..
7. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "TV International English". New Channel TV. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
8. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "Maryam Namazie". National Secular Society. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
9. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "The Twelve" (28 February 2006). "A Manifesto Against Islamism". Jyllands-Posten. Retrieved 1 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
10. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Maryam Namazie (15 March 2006). "It was important to sign the manifesto". Javanan Weekly. Retrieved 1 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
11. Template:Nl "Ex-moslimbeweging in Europa nog klein". Trouw. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
12. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "New ex-Muslim group launched in Netherlands". National Secular Society. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
13. Template:Nl ANP (12 September 2008). "'Ex-moslims veroorzaken nieuwe renaissance'". Trouw. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
14. Template:Fr Kenza Bennis (February 2008). "Top 45 Women of the World" (PDF). Elle Québec. Retrieved 1 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Template:Pdf
15. Template:Fr "Création du conseil des ex-musulmans". Le Figaro/AFP. 6 JulY 2013. Retrieved 9 December. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
16. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "Successful launch of Council of Ex-Muslims of France". CEMB. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
17. Template:Nl Paul Cliteur (3 January 2009). "De 27 van Murray en Verwey". Trouw. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
18. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Maryam Namazie (5 juli 2010). "What isn't wrong with Sharia law?". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 december 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
19. Template:Nl "Actie tegen Britse shariapraktijk". Trouw. 11 december 2008. Retrieved 8 december 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
20. Template:Nl "Britten willen 'Eén wet voor iedereen'". Trouw. 12 december 2008. Retrieved 8 december 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
21. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. "Letters: Harsh judgments on the pope and religion". The Guardian. London. 15 september 2010. Retrieved 16 september 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
22. ^ Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Maryam Namazie (5 juni 2011). "Islamic Inquisition". World Atheist Convention 2011 Dublin. YouTube. Retrieved 9 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
23. Template:Fr Quentin Girard (7 maart 2012). "Nues pour la révolution". Libération Next. Retrieved 1 december 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
24. Template:Nl "Naakte feministen zenden schokgolf door Midden-Oosten". Trouw. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 8 december 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
25. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Gianluca Mezzofiore (18 november 2011). "Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, Nude Blogger, Gains Support from Egyptian Diaspora". Retrieved 8 december 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
26. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. Seth Andrews (5 maart 2013). "TTA Podcast 98: Islam and Women". The Thinking Atheist. Retrieved 8 december 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
27. Adam Barnett & Maryam Namazie, Enemies Not Allies: The Far-Right (2011). One Law For All.
28. Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.Template:Fr "Maryam Namazie responds on Riposte Laique and far-Right's bigotry, Islam and Islamism". Conseil des ex-musulmans. YouTube. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
29. "Lijst van leiders verkozen op het 8e congres van de Arbeiderscommunistische Partij van Iran in February 2012". Arbeiderscommunistische Partij van Iran. February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2013.

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