U of C alumna helps Muslim women do it for themselves ... their way

Louise LambertLouise Lambert, MEd’00, headed over to the Middle East last summer because she wanted to get a true picture of the region for herself; she wanted to learn about the culture, Islam, and about Muslim women.

Lambert is working as a psychologist and student counselor at a women’s campus that is part of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

While she does not feel threatened by the nearby war in Iraq, there is always constant fear and insecurity of not knowing where the political, moral and religious boundaries lie. This is especially the case given her volunteer work in the neighboring Yemen- which she does entirely separate from her job in the UAE - that of training and educating professionals and medical students alike in managing HIV risk and HIV treatment in their communities. AIDS is an extremely taboo subject in the Middle East as it comprises aspects of sexuality, the roles of men and women and the ensuing gender and power dynamics. Working with HIV is delicate as any attempt to make the environment less amenable to HIV infection invariably raises social, political and moral questions, something that is not always safe to do."

While she works to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS in the region through her volunteer work, professionally, Lambert hopes to help the young women she counsels at HCT to use the rights given to them in Islam, rather than teaching them ways of the West that contradict their beliefs. “Muslim women do not want our feminist patronizing,” says Lambert, and she’s intent to see them move forward according to their own mandate and culture.