Yesterday students in Dr. Karen Smyth’s course Intercultural Interactions: A Psychological Perspective had the chance to hear a talk given by Dr. Huma Jamshed, founder and president of the Cultural Educational and Social Association of Pakistani Women (ACESOP), an NGO that works to improve the quality of life of Pakistani and other immigrant women living in Spain. A recipient of a bronze medal from the Catalan Ministry of the Interior, Dr. Jamshed is also vice president of the Barcelona Municipal Immigration Counsel and a secretary of the platform for Equality between Muslim women and men.
Dr. Jamshed began her talk with an explanation of Pakistan’s origins as an explicitly Muslim state following the partition of India, before going on to discuss how religion affects relations between men and women in the Pakistani immigrant community here in Barcelona. She has been involved in campaigns against the wearing of the burka in public places in Spain and in efforts to change discriminatory laws and regulations.
Dr. Jamshed is currently in the media spotlight after certain men in the Pakistani community criticized ACESOP members performing a traditional dance on grounds of indecency. As a result she is organizing a public rally in the Raval this weekend at which an even greater number of women will perform in a show of solidarity for Pakistani women’s freedom to take part in public life. We wish to thank Dr. Jamshed for inspiring us with her indomitable attitude in the face of intimidation and male chauvinism and look forward to seeing CEA students at the rally on Saturday.
Click below for coverage in this week's La Vanguardia about tomorrow´s event (in Spanish).
Mujeres pakistaníes criticadas por bailar en público convocan un baile de protesta