Abstract:

Women in Uganda are always engaged in informal interreligious dialogue as they carry out their daily activities. What is common about them is that they share the same burdens of caring for their husbands and children. Uganda is a patriarchal society, so culture demands that women be submissive to men. For example, in the Baganda culture and indeed in many cultures in Uganda, women are not allowed to be heirs to their fathers or paternal uncles, nor do they become heads of clans. Women are obliged by culture to kneel before men, yet their role in traditional religion and medicine is highly respected. However, in modern society where some women have achieved education, especially those who have studied scriptures like the Bible and the Qur’ân have started challenging some of the demands of culture. This has brought about cooperation among women of different religions and in the process models of living together have emerged. For example, at Makerere University, a School of Gender and Women studies has been created to assist women and girls education which has lagged behind for a long time. Here women’s voice can be heard at the University level, in Government and in society as a whole. Women are free to discuss theological issues which concern them as well as other issues of most interest to them. For example some women like Musimbi Kanyoro says that studying theology from a woman’s perspective is a gift to religion and society because in so doing women have found that their reflections have been a treasure long hidden and has just been discovered. In other words women’s talents can greatly benefit the world. However, Christian and Muslim women have some controversies in the area of marriage. When the Domestic Relations Bill was being discussed in Parliament the Muslim Community argued that some phrases of this Law were against the teaching of the Qur’ân. They argued that polygamy is advantageous to the women because in Islam every woman must get married, there is no room for celibacy. The Muslim women objected monogamous married stated by the Law and the Christian women objected to polygamy and divorce. In Islam women are free to demand for divorce while in Christianity, especially in the Catholic and Anglican Churches divorce is out of the question, marriage is permanent. Key Word: Interreligious dialogue, Culture, Cooperation, Women’s voice, religion and Society.

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