Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) May 26, 2015
This April, Christians for Biblical Equality’s (CBE) president, Dr. Mimi Haddad contributed to the Shaq’eq Network’s forum, “Women in the Public Sphere: Modern Islamist Perspective” in Alexandria, Egypt. The Shaq’eq (Arabic for “sisters”) Network held the forum April 27-29 to create conversation on feminism in Islamic and Arab communities. A collaborative project of the Swedish Institute in Alexandria, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the Noon Center for Women and Family Issues—MADA Foundation, scholars and activists explored the need for a feminist network, its mission, research, outreach, and expected outcomes.
As a global leader in advocating for the shared leadership of men and women, CBE was invited to contribute to the conversation. Haddad’s presentation, “Religious Feminism in the Work of Christians for Biblical Equality” gave an overview of CBE’s work in the Christian community, focusing on CBE’s history, research, and strategies of diffusion.
According to Haddad, the forum of predominantly Islamic scholars highlighted and clarified the challenges patriarchy presents in various spheres. “CBE’s focus is and always will be distinctly Christian and Bible-based, but by engaging in conversation across faiths, we sharpen our understanding of patriarchy—both in its distinctly Christian manifestations and more broadly. This enables CBE to more effectively counter patriarchal teachings in our churches and communities.”
CBE provided attendees with examples of our academic and popular publications including CBE’s Arabic translation of Janet George’s book, 'Still Side by Side.' The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, on the site of the oldest library in the world, welcomed CBE’s resources including its academic journal, Priscilla Papers, and magazine, Mutuality.
“Distributing resources to new audiences has always been key to CBE’s work, and we’re pleased to see these resources inspire new audiences, many of whom are not Christians, but may still find CBE materials helpful in recognizing and challenging patriarchal beliefs in their own faith traditions” said Tim Krueger, CBE’s publications manager.
In its effort to advance a biblical foundation for gift-based rather than gender-based ministry and service, CBE sponsors annual conferences, facilitates local chapters, hosts an online bookstore, and publishes two award-winning journals. For more information, visit http://www.cbeinternational.org.