KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 ― Harvard Law School is featuring Malaysian feminist Zainah Anwar in its 2018 portrait exhibit for International Women’s Day.
The exhibit, which is running for the fifth year, showcases the “astounding contributions” of 25 women from around the world who have greatly influenced law and policy.
The International Women’s Day exhibit committee’s website describes Zainah as a leading feminist activist and scholar in Malaysia besides being a founding member of Sisters in Islam (SIS) and current director of Musawah.
“Through Musawah, she seeks to bring women’s voices and concerns into the production of religious knowledge and legal reform in Muslim countries.
“For the past 25 years, she has lobbied for justice for women and pioneered a framework of feminism from an Islamic perspective,” said the website.
Other luminaries honoured this year by the prestigious American law school included Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi and Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney-General Jody Wilson-Raybould.
Together with Zainah, these women join other leading ladies who have been featured by the exhibit, including the first US woman presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and controversial Nobel Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.
“The honorees — each of whom were nominated by Harvard Law School (HLS) students, faculty or staff — are powerful voices in their respective fields, whether they are sitting on a high court bench, standing in front of a classroom, or marching in the streets,” said the website.
Local news portal The Star Online reported Zainah as saying she felt honoured by Harvard's recognition.
“It's an honour and a wonderful recognition for the groundbreaking work of Sisters in Islam and Musawah, two groups I helped to co-found to stand up for the possibility and necessity of equality and justice for women living in Muslim contexts,” she reportedly said.
International Women’s Day falls on March 8.
