Jennie Ruby and Karla Mantilla

In the following viewpoint, Jennie Ruby and Karla Mantilla, writers for the feminist newspaper Off Our Backs, contend that the feminist movement must unite across the globe in order to protect the rights of women who are living under regimes dominated by religious fundamentalists. Ruby and Mantilla argue that a global feminist agenda is not, as some claim, an attempt to impose the values of Western societies on other countries. Women from all cultures deserve and want full equality to men and the basic right of self- determination.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Ruby and Mantilla, why have religious fundamentalists been able to garner so much support?
2. What are the justifications offered for abuses of women in non-Western cultures, as explained by the authors?
3. As the...