Theologians call for gender equality at Saudi inter-faith conference

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 7/17/08 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

MADRID (AFP) - Women have historically suffered discrimination in the name of religion, and the world's great faiths must do more to encourage gender equality, theologians told a seminar at a Saudi-organised conference Thursday.

"Women have been forgotten and marginalised in religions," Juan Jose Tamayo, director of theology at Madrid's Juan Carlos III university, told a roundtable on the second day of the World Conference of Dialogue in Madrid, aimed at bringing the great monotheistic faiths closer together.

"They are organised hierarchically and patriarchically, excluding women in all fields of knowledge and religious matters."

Now, at the start of the 21st century, all men, but especially clerics "must restore the dignity of women."

He said the holy books of the world's great religions have been "distorted by men."

"We must go back to the respective holy books of our religions to restore the idea of equality and non-discrimination."

Ahmad Ibn Saifuddin, a Saudi professor of theology, agreed that the role of women was misunderstood, and that religious leaders must reread their holy books to clarify the position of women.

--snip--

The World Conference on Dialogue is organised by the Muslim World League from an initiative by Saudi King Abdullah, whose country hosts Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina.

Around 200 participants are attending, including representatives of the world's major religions.

Among them are the secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, Michael Schneider, and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who is responsible for dialogue between the Vatican and Muslims.

The conference opened Wednesday with a speech by King Abdullah in which he called on the world's major religions to turn their backs on extremism and embrace "constructive dialogue."

--snip--

[Slapshot68]

In my house, the women rule (wife and 2 daughters). lol

[mbarker12474]

The gospels are just filled with Jesus telling stories about victim’s rights, class struggle, and identity politics.

Just ask any liberal or mainline church leader.

</sarcasm off>

Read the four gospels. Check out what Jesus says for yourself.

[horse_doc]

I've got a wife and two daughters, too. We all believe that I am the head of the household, and that they are all to submit to my authority, without question.

And yet somehow, year-in and year-out, the ladies get everything that they want, and I get the short end of the stick. I'm sure that that's in the Bible, too.

[Cicero]

Oh, sure, you see Baptists and Catholics doing this sort of thing all the time! Those naught Monotheists!