ATHENS, Ohio - Malaysian journalist and activist Marina Mahathir will speakon "Women in Islam" at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22, in the Friends of the LibraryRoom (room 319) at Ohio University's Alden Library. The event is free and opento the public.
The daughter of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, she writes aweekly column for The Star newspaper on topics such as women, social values,youth and AIDS.
Marina's interest in issues affecting Malaysian society is not only reflected inher writing, but also in her work with several non-governmental organizationsfocusing on women's issues, especially violence against women. Marina is amember of Women's Aid Organization, a shelter for battered women andchildren, and also supports Sisters in Islam, an organization that advocates forjustice for Muslim women. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Asia-PacificResource and Research Centre for Women.
In 2000, she helped develop and produce a television program for youngwomen entitled "3R-Respect, Relax and Respond" which deals with issues suchas health, career, information technology, relationships and sexuality. Theprogram is now in its fourth season and was nominated for an Asian TelevisionAward in 2001.
A compilation of Marina's columns was published as a book, In LiberalDoses, in 1997. In the book's poignant foreword, Prime Minister Mahathir, wrote,"One is tempted to ask from where she acquired this sense of independence,this urge not to conform, to be critical and not just cheer on those in power."Marina has also helped publish several coffee table books on Malaysia andSoutheast Asian countries and has produced several photo exhibitions onSoutheast Asia, which have been displayed around the world.
Marina was re-elected president of the Malaysian AIDS Council and isserving her fifth term promoting awareness of the AIDS issue. She isvice-president of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific and representedNon-Governmental Organizations in the Malaysian delegation to the UnitedNational General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2001.
The "Women in Islam" lecture is sponsored by Ohio University's SoutheastAsian Studies Program and by the Center for International Studies.
