Durre Sameen Ahmed – Pakistan

Linked with Rationality And The Lived World.

She says: ” … Fundamentalisms are to be understood as political projects by certain groups in the different societies aimed at gaining or keeping political and/or economic power. They project a vision of community and more often of a nation, based on a certain identity-related understanding suggesting that only one societal concept is in accordance with the vision of community/nation. Behind these fundamentalist projects we can find special political forces that use religion – be it Christian, Muslim, Jewish or other religions – to impose a certain “holy” concept of society as the only true one. They deny the right to choose between different societal concepts, and present their vision as the only legitimate. They do not leave room for opposition, for alternative ways and for individual rights. They try to silence opposition, put pressure on it and form a homogenised society …  » (full text of her speak at the Panel-discussion: « Feminists versus Fundamentalisms », 09.09.2005).

.durre-sameen-ahmed-pakistan.jpg.

Durre Sameen Ahmed – Pakistan

(She) started her academic education at Punjab University in Lahore/Pakistan, from where she received an MA in Clinical Psychology. She continued her education in the USA at Columbia University, where she received her PhD in communication and education after having finished an MA. Currently she is the director of the first research program of its kind in South Asia in communications and cultural studies at the National College of Arts in Lahore, where she has been working as a professor already for many years. Additionally she is a visiting professor at the Catholic University in Mechelen/Belgium and the director in Institutional Development of the Lahore Society for Education and Research. For her academic achievements she was honored with numerous national and international awards. She publishes regularly about gender issues, religion, family, drug addiction, tradition and women. Besides that she has done well reviewed work in Conceptual Art and has been working as an advisor to the Punjab government. (Read on Congress Femme Globale 2005).

Find her and her publications on Google Book-search; and on Google Scholar-search.

Her lifeworld is described in the following book: … Fifteen women of various age-groups, from different cultural, religious, social and geographical backgrounds, were asked to write about the lives of their grandmother, their mother, themselves and their daughters (or, if this was impossible, other women of those generations close to the family) … (full text):

… The ceremony started by Dr Durre Sameen Ahmed, Director RPC, when she thanked the participants, introduced the book briefly and invited the principal of NCA Ms Nazish Atta Ulla who delivered the welcome address … (full text).

… The MCA will contribute a lot in southern Punjab to introduce traditional craftsmanship. The course for MCA will be formulated with the collaboration of Bahauddin Zikriya University (BZU), NCA and the Punjab University’s Fine Arts Department. The meeting was attended by BZU Vice Chancellor Dr Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, NCA Principal Sajida Wandal and faculty members Dr Durre Sameen, Professor Muhammad Asif, Professor Sarosh Irfani, Dabeer Ahmed, Suhail Wali and Rahat Naveed Masood. The governor said it was necessary to save the skill of artisans for future generations and to promote the local culture of Multan because artisans, who do embroidery on local dresses, fresco on tiles and other such skilled works in the Multan division were disappearing fast … (full text).

Inside Family Viewing: Ethnographic Research on Television’s … (Google book excerpt, page 152).

… From the NCA we took a taxi to the Gulberg area of Lahore, to visit Dr. Durree Sameen Ahmad, Head of Academics Department, National Arts College (photo to the right with Staffan). We were invited for lunch in her charming bungalow, with a garden terrace, in order to meet several members of the NCA faculty. Dr. Ahmad who is also professor of Psychology & Communication had gathered colleagues from various departments … (full text).

She is registred at the Board of Investment, Government of Pakistan.

And she says:  » … It is therefore of extreme importance for us feminists to understand the power struggle on the national and international agenda. Those who blame others for being fundamentalists might be fundamentalists on their own. The combat against fundamentalism is in recent times very much connected with Muslim religion. In international politics this term is used as a tool of power relations, with double standards. And, while in certain circumstances the rights of women are put as an argument to combat fundamentalist (US politics in Afghanistan), the same forces try to reduce women’s rights, sexual and individual rights in their own countries …  » (full text of her speak at the Panel-discussion: « Feminists versus Fundamentalisms », 09.09.2005).

Fundamentalismen und Frauenrechte: Fundamentalismen und der Ausschluss von Frauen aus dem öffentlichen Raum, Workshop 10.09.2005.

… Die pakistanische Therapeutin Durre Sameen Ahmed, 56, untersucht die psychologische Dimension des weltweit um sich greifenden Fundamentalismus. Egal wie schrecklich es ist, was Durre Sameen Ahmed zu sagen hat – dass Pakistan innerlich zerrissen wird etwa -, sie lacht. « Ich muss mein Leben leben », antwortet sie, darauf angesprochen, dass die Dramatik ihres Berichts nicht mit ihrer Verschmitztheit zusammenpassen will. « Ich muss für meine Familie, meine Patienten, meine Freunde da sein, auch wenn ich nicht weiß, was in Zukunft sein wird ». Seit 15 Jahren beschäftigt sich die Psychotherapeutin mit dem zunehmenden Fundamentalismus in ihrem Land. Wie dieser sich bemerkbar mache? Natürlich trügen immer mehr Frauen den Schleier. Auf den Einwand, dass der Schleier als Symbol für islamischen Fundamentalismus bereits überstrapaziert sei, führt die 56-Jährige ein anderes Beispiel an: Kürzlich habe es in Pakistan Kommunalwahlen gegeben. Dabei habe es ganze Distrikte gegeben, wo Frauen bereits systematisch daran gehindert wurden zu wählen. (full long text).

links:

Selected New Acquisitions for Religious Studies, UC Berkeley Library, June, 2007;

The Newsletter of The South Asian Social Researchers’ Forum, SASRF 15 pdf-pages, Issue 4:1, March 2000;

False Beliefs of Mirza Ghulam A. Qadiani, by Lal Hussein Akhter;

Heinrich Böll Stiftung / Derneği’nin ana sayfasına hoş geldiniz – Turkey;

Survey of all Speakers and Facilitators at the Congress « Femme Globale » 2005;

Excerpt of Ahmadiya Case (Section 4, Part 1);

You may download the book: the criminals of Islam, 80 pages, sixth revised reprint since 1999, as an iPaper (find also other books of the same author).