International Women's Rights Conference

(Jakarta, Indonesia) Women's rights activists from Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Lebanon, India, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia met this past weekend to discuss sexuality and human rights in Muslim societies in South and Southeast Asia. Of primary concern was human rights abuses of women that are sanctioned and sometimes mandated by the laws of various Asian countries.

"In Muslim societies, sexuality, especially a woman's body, is increasingly becoming an arena of intense political and social conflict," said a statement issued during the final day of the meeting.

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"Widespread practices of sexual violence, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, marital rape, unsafe abortion and discrimination based on sexual orientation constitute blatant human rights violations," the statement said.

There's no dispute that the conditions described are accurate. There is also no dispute that human rights abuses are culturally and politically embedded in many Asian countries with Islamic traditions. Unfortunately, not everyone recognizes that attitudes towards the rights of women is a fundamental and rigid point of disagreement that is flaring the conflict between Islam and Western civilization.

Reform is sorely needed throughout Islamic nations to just attain a semblance of compatibility with the rest of the world. There may be a billion Muslims, but they're still outnumbered 5 to 1 and they will lose the battle with modern society. Western civilization bends over backwards to accommodate the pre-Victorian values of Islam. Muslim society does not reciprocate. Islam requires a reformation to accord all people equal rights regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, and gender.

It is a bright sign that women activists can and have gathered together to discuss the issue of human rights in the world's largest Islamic country which, by the way, just happens to be a democracy.