Somali women struggle to make it in politics
Somali women struggle to make it in politics
Al Jazeera, 11 Jun 2014
URL: http://goo.gl/vnXwIQ
"I get threats, day in, day out," says Fawzia Yusuf Adam. "Yes, it happens, but I am not afraid about what might happen tomorrow. I am busy with today."
Adam is one of Somalia's most senior female politicians. A former diplomat and long-time women's rights activist, she became the country's first ever female foreign minister and deputy prime minister in 2012. No longer in that post, she is now one of a small number of female members of parliament.
The threats she laughs off come from al-Shabab, the hardline rebel group. It has a two-fold vendetta against female politicians: It is waging war against all members of the Somali government, and its extreme reading of Islam prohibits any female participation in the public sphere.
Adam is one of Somalia's most senior female politicians. A former diplomat and long-time women's rights activist, she became the country's first ever female foreign minister and deputy prime minister in 2012. No longer in that post, she is now one of a small number of female members of parliament.
The threats she laughs off come from al-Shabab, the hardline rebel group. It has a two-fold vendetta against female politicians: It is waging war against all members of the Somali government, and its extreme reading of Islam prohibits any female participation in the public sphere.