Islamism, Secularism and the Woman Question in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring: Evidence from the Arab Barometer

The uprisings that led to regime change during the early period of the Arab Spring were initially inclusive and pluralistic in nature, with men and women from every political and religious orientation engaging actively in political activities on the street and in virtual spaces. While there was an opening of political space for women and the inclusion of demands of marginalized groups in the activists’ agenda, the struggle to reimagine national identities that balance Islamic roots and secular yearnings is still ongoing in many countries in the region. This paper seeks to deepen understanding of the extent to which the pluralistic sentiments and openness to accepting the rights women have persisted following the uprising. We aim to examine changes in attitudes towards women’s equality in countries that underwent regime change through popular uprisings during revolutionary upheavals of the Arab Spring and in countries where regimes have remained unchanged. Using available data from consecutive rounds of the Arab Barometer survey, we examine changes in attitudes in nine countries with two rounds of Arab Barometer during and post Arab Spring (Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine). We find that support for “Muslim feminism” (an interpretation of gender equality grounded in Islam) has increased over the period and particularly in Arab Spring countries, while support for “secular feminism” has declined. In most countries examined, relatively high degrees of support for gender equality co-exist with a preference for Islamic interpretations of personal status codes pertaining to women. We discuss the implications of these findings for academics and activists concerned with women’s rights in the Middle East North Africa (MENA)

Research fACTs and Findings, November 2004

The 2000 Census shows that immigrants have settled upstate and downstate, in rural, suburban and urban New York communities. Written with youth program providers in mind, this factsheet provides detailed statistics on NYS immigrant youth and their families

Closing the Health Disparity Gap in U.S. Immigrant Communities in the Era of COVID-19: A Narrative Review

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have significant impacts on social determinants of health. Immigrant communities often bear a disproportionate burden of the crisis because of the immigration experience, which serves as an additional social determinant of health. Evidence suggests that these communities are hard hit by economic instability, food insecurities, isolation, lack of safe housing and safe neighborhoods, environmental dynamics that cut them off from systems of support, lack of sufficient access to educational tools that have become critical in remote and digital learning, limited access to health and healthcare resources, low health literacy, and restricted access to culturally and linguistically competent services. In this review we (a) synthesize literature on structural and community level causes of health disparities in immigrant communities; (b) summarize evidence-based interventions that increase collective efficacy in managing social determinants of health in immigrant communities; and (c) recommend strengths and resiliency-based approaches that focus on increasing community capacity to eliminate COVID-19 health disparities

Towards a Framework for Addressing Immigrants’ Social Determinants of Health

Towards a Framework for Addressing Social Determinants of Health Affecting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLAD) Communities Refki, D., Ahmed, R., and Altarriba, J. This study seeks to adapt and validate the National Institute of Minority Health Disparities Research Framework to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, defined in this study as foreign-born individuals who are Limited English Proficient. The framework depicts the multidimensional, multilevel, intersectional, and complex factors that shape health outcomes across the lifespan. The framework for addressing minority health disparities posits that health outcomes are shaped by the interplay between determinants related to the (a) behavioral and biological; (b) political and socio-cultural; (c) physical built environment, and (d) healthcare system forces. These determinants operate at four levels of influence: individual, interpersonal, community, and societal. Adaptation and validation of the Framework will deepen understanding of the interplay of these forces in the lives of members of CALD communities, illuminate levers of change, inform the development and implementation of effective interventions, and track progress and success in alleviating disparities. In this study, we adapt the Framework based on a systematic review of literature, then we validate the Framework using the perspectives of health and social service providers who serve CALD individuals and their communities. Data are gathered using (a) survey of healthcare professionals; and (b) focus groups of healthcare and social service providers and community leaders. Following the complete validation of the framework, we will provide recommendations for policy and practice. Validating the framework through the prism of healthcare professionals’ perspectives leverages a moment in time during a global pandemic that exposed vulnerabilities at all levels of influence and domains and that allows us to capture the determinants of health affecting CALD communities. Policy and practice recommendations will specify interventions at the moderators and mediators’ levels that can bring about positive health outcomes