Great Decisions 2023 Speaker Series

Iran and Women's Rights at a Crossroads

The University of Toledo and the Library present this lecture series, led by scholars and experts, on various topics related to the Foreign Policy Association's Great Decisions discussion program.

What is the future for relations between Iran and the U.S.? 

Presented by Dr. Asma M. Abdel Halim.

By the fall of 2022, Iran was in turmoil due to widespread protests against the government-enforced wearing of the hijab, a failing economy, an ineffective new president, and the looming succession of the country’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Abroad, renewal of the Iran nuclear deal seemed doubtful and tensions remain high between Iran, Israel, and Arab states. Many Iranians have lost hope of a better future, and the country seems at a crossroads. How should the United States deal with it?  

Asma M. Abdel Halim is a professor at The University of Toledo, Department of Women's and Gender Studies. She graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Khartoum with an LL.B. Honors in Common Law and Shari’a, Islamic Law, where she also earned a Master's in commercial law. She earned a Master's in International Affairs, African Studies, and a Ph.D. in Education from Ohio University.

Asma has taught at several universities and has been a human rights activist for the past 40 years. Her research is generally on Muslim women’s rights in Africa and other parts of the world, with a focus on feminism, women’s issues, legal, constitutional rights, and human rights issues under socio-cultural and religious mandates and other related matters. Her current research project is researching Sudanese laws from a feminist perspective. She follows the evolution of law in the country especially laws that directly affect women’s rights such as Personal Status Laws (Ahwal Shakhsiyya) and Criminal law. She authored and translated books and published articles in books and periodicals, as well as attended and presented at many domestic and international conferences that address her research interests.
Asma’s research is focused now on the vast changes in Sudanese laws and politics after the downfall of the military dictatorship in the country.