Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy Formation and Women’s Leadership for FoRB

Abstract

In this essay the author discusses the limitations of a segmented human rights approach, and traces her own commitment to women's wellbeing and her deep dive into cross-cultural religious literacy (CCRL). The essay then focuses on the case of FoRB Women’s Alliance, emphasizing CCRL's necessity in addressing complex women's rights violations, cultural biases, and the importance of grassroots initiatives. Through interviews with Alliance co-founders, the essay unveils the essential role of CCRL in advancing women's freedoms at the juncture of human rights and religious freedom. The conclusion underscores CCRL's significance in empowering women to challenge norms through religiously grounded narratives of empowerment, especially in culturally restrictive contexts.

Keywords:

• freedom of religion or belief
• religious freedom
• human rights
• women
• FoRB
• women’s rights
• cross-cultural religious literacy

Notes

1 Through the support of The Fetzer Institute, the entire Handbook is available open-access online. See https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003036555/routledge-handbook-religious-literacy-pluralism-global-engagement-chris-seiple-dennis-hoover.

2 See the FoRB Women’s Alliance website at https://forbwomen.org/.

3 As quoted in FoRB Women’s Alliance 2023.

4 As quoted in FoRB Women’s Alliance 2023.

5 See the FoRB Women’s Alliance webinar at: https://youtu.be/3oqyokmlu7w.

6 As quoted in FoRB Women’s Alliance 2023.

7 As quoted in FoRB Women’s Alliance 2023.

8 See the Free Yezidi Foundation website at https://freeyezidi.org/.

9 As quoted in FoRB Women’s Alliance 2023.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chelsea Langston Bombino

Chelsea Langston Bombino, J.D., is a wife, mother, and believer in communities, from the civic to the sacred. Bombino is a program officer with the Fetzer Institute. She also serves as a Fellow with the Center for Public Justice, a columnist with Religion Unplugged, and as an adjunct professor with Mount St. Mary’s University. She has contributed to The Routledge Handbook of Religious Literacy, Pluralism and Global Engagement, Breaking Ground: Charting Our Future in a Pandemic Year, and City as Playground.