Islamic women around the world are demanding equal rights and want to break away from the harmful honor system that governs their lives, according to "Honor Diaries," a newly released documentary.
The film, born out of the Arab Spring uprising, features the stories of women brutalized and ostracized as punishment for breaking Islamic law, and calls attention to the worldwide problems of forced marriage, child marriage and genital mutilation.
"We don't need pity, we need change in the Muslim world," said Nazie Eftekhari, a human rights activist featured in the film.
Producer Paula Kweskin and film subject Zainab Khan visited HuffPost Live to discuss their call for change.
"There's a lot of roles that are predefined for women, and it's a lot for a community to come together...and acknowledge these problems exist," Khan told host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin.
Opening the dialogue, Kweskin said, is an imperative first step for progress.
"I think we're at the forefront of a whole groundswell of change," she said. "The more people speak out, the more people feel empowered, the more people think they can take small steps or big steps to really root out these problems."
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