Author Series Luncheon: Paradise Beneath Her Feet, How Women Are Transforming the Middle East- May 10, 2010

Over the centuries, women have struggled for equality and basic rights. Their challenge in the Middle East has been intensified by the rise of a political Islam that often condemns women's empowerment as Western cultural imperialism or anti-Islamic. In Paradise Beneath Her Feet, Dr. Coleman shows how Muslims are fighting back with progressive interpretations of Islam to support women's rights in a growing movement of Islamic feminism. She travels throughout the greater Middle East to reveal how activists are working within the tenets of Islam to create opportunities for women, arguing that these efforts are critical to bridging the conflict between reformists and those seeking to oppress women in the name of religious tradition.

Isobel Coleman is Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, where she focuses on the Middle East and South Asia. She is also directs the Council's Women and Foreign Policy Program. Her areas of expertise include democratization, civil society, economic development, regional gender issues, educational reform, and microfinance. In addition to Paradise Beneath Her Feet, she has also authored and co-authored numerous publications, including Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next and Strategic Foreign Assistance: Civil Society in International Security. Her writings have also appeared in publications such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, and online venues such as the Huffington Post. In 2010, she is also serving as a track leader for the Clinton Global Initiative. Prior to joining the Council, Dr. Coleman was CEO of a healthcare services company and a partner with McKinsey & Co. in New York. A Marshall Scholar, she holds a DPhil and MPhil in international relations from Oxford University and a BA from Princeton University. She serves on several non-profit boards, including Plan USA and Student Sponsor Partners.

Luncheon and Program: $40
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