Forward thinking: How to express yourself and get noticed

**How would you describe your time at Warwick, what did you enjoy most/least? **

I took my undergraduate Law degree at Warwick University and decided to take my masters here as well as I had such a good time. There are many facilities that you can access at Warwick University. You can get involved in many sports and societies. I like the campus, but I wish it was nearer to a town.

**You have participated in a very interesting project that was also accepted to the Clinton Scheme, what was it about?**

Femin Ijtihad (F.I.) stands for “critical thinking” of gender notions and laws. Its aim is to
research and share relevant and simplified academic scholarship on Muslim women’s rights,
to activists and organizations working at the grassroots. Over the years, academic ideas and
theories have flourished the re-understanding of women’s rights in law and society. These
ideas are invaluable to the work of political and grassroots activists, especially in places where such information is essential yet extremely inaccessible. We hope that through our work,
the ideas and arguments for gender equity can be accessed and used by the people who really
need them.

**What is your role in that project? **

I am the Project Coordinator of Femin Ijtihad, which aims to increase the accessibility
of academic scholarship on Muslim Women’s Rights to activism by translating journal articles
into layman’s language for activists to promote gender justice in the Muslim world. F.I. has a library of more than 350 articles and book chapters that academics and activists have written
on the themes above. Due to the lengthy and complex nature of academic texts, we strive to
simplify them so that their arguments and ideas can be easily read. We strongly believe that knowledge gives authority. So we urge our readers to not only read the materials we share, but also to think about why it is significant to their work and how they can incorporate these ideas into their programs and strategies. As a Project Co-ordinator I recruit researchers, train researchers to produce utility content analysis (UCAs) and facilitate weekly Working
Group Discussions that aim to aid researchers in extracting utility from academic scholarships
through useful discourse. I then review the UCAs that the researchers produce. Another aspect of the role is outreach work which involves networking and promoting Femin Ijtihad. That is why it is incredibly important to attend Conferences such as the one held in the USA.

**How did you like that experience? **

Yeah, it was a very good experience. Building on the successful model of the Clinton Global
Initiative, which brings together world leaders to take action on global challenges, President
Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) in 2007 to engage the
next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.
Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, national youth organizations, topic experts and celebrities discuss solutions to pressing global issues. At this meeting, nearly 1,200 attendees came together to make a difference. It was a really valuable experience to network with other young people who are mostly focused on topics such as poverty alleviation, environmental and educational projects.

**F.I. project has also enabled you a unique opportunity to publish your scientific article, could you tell us a bit more about it? **

In 2010 F.I. was commissioned to provide critique to the Draft Afghan Family Law by
Rights and Democracy, a Canadian-sponsored NGO situated in Afghanistan. In the capacity
of a law student I was able to provide critique for the draft Afghan Family law and we also
tapped into our network of professors to provide more critique. Among them was Rebecca Probert, a Professor of Law at the University of Warwick specializing in family law, who found that her years spent researching eighteenth-century marriage in England and Wales proved surprisingly relevant to the task of evaluating the draft Afghan Family Law, since she had focused on the construal of legislation dealing with marriage formalities and this was an important element of
the draft law. Further input was provided by Professor Roberta Aluffi of the University of
Turin, a specialist in Islamic Law in Transnational Perspective.
Both scholars highlighted potential problems with the law. Professor Probert, for example,
noted the problematic implications of Article 5.3 of the draft, which specified that in the case
of a person who had not attained the minimum age of consent to marriage, the father could au-
thorise the marriage contract. This raised the potential for children to be forced into marriage
against their will. The draft also stated that each party should be required to present a health certificate to prove they have no diseases before entering into a marriage.
Professor Aluffi pointed out that this would mean that any individual suffering from any
disease would perforce be unable to marry, an undesirable situation in a country such as Afghanistan where health care is rudimentary. It was also noted that the extra requirements
for health certification and registration of the marriage set out in the draft would increase the bureaucracy of marriage.

**Would you like to continue with your project? **

Yes, sure! We are hoping to establish the project into a non-governmental organisation. So maybe one day I might be able to be a paid employer of Femin Ijtihad.

**How has the University supported your interests? **

Professors have been helpful in supporting the project. For instance, Rebecca Probert provided critique for the draft Afghan Family law that we were commissioned to do by Rights
and Democracy, a Canadian-sponsored organisation based in Afghanistan.

**Do you have any plans after Uni? **

I am training to become a lawyer (Barrister) at BPP Law school (I was studying it part time
whilst studying for my masters part time) and I will be finishing the course in 2012. I want to
use law as a tool for development. And I would like to live overseas.

**What would you suggest to current Warwick students to spend their time at Uni most efficiently?**
To get involved with different sports and societies to make the most of Warwick. If anybody would like to get involved with Femin Ijtihad, please email me – margeoleary@feminijihad.org