Brianne Wagner: Gender and Religion

The article I chose was one discussing a workshop help in Kanifing that was meant to bring together the Muslim and Christian religious leaders so they could take a stand against gender-based violence. The central idea was that all human lives are important and the soul within those lives is equally important and that all people should have an equal respect for one another as well as their souls. The speakers in the conference addressed the issue of the unequal relationships between husband and wife. They believe that their roles as religious leaders gives them the opportunity to be there for people who need counseling and advice and because they are religious leaders, those people who hide behind religion will be able to get a clear understanding of what it means to be Muslim or Christian. Both sides of the religious leaders wanted there to be a peace and a joy amongst the families and homes of married people and without that peace and joy, they cannot rightly perform their daily prayers and thanks. It was commonly agreed at the workshop that both genders should be equally represented and all should speak up so that there was an effective action taken on these issues. Both men and women need to be present and ready to act.