'Women in Islam' conference: OIC chief affirms commitment to defending Muslim women's rights

Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha has said the OIC, since its inception, has devoted itself to the promotion of the rights and empowerment of Muslim women. 

This commitment culminated in the adoption by the OIC Program of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW), widely regarded as a roadmap in Muslim societies, he said. 

Brahim Taha made the remarks before the inaugural session of the International Conference on 'Women in Islam: Status and Empowerment' on Monday in Jeddah with Muslim women leading delegations from numerous countries and others in high-level positions in the Islamic world, and with representatives of the Member States, invitees, and experts in attendance.

The three-day conference is organized by the OIC general secretariat at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Brahim Taha stated that the conference comes at a time when Palestinians are facing brutal Israeli aggression, and women, particularly Gazan women, as well as children, older people, and other innocent civilians, are among the victims of bombing. 

The most significant number of victims are being slaughtered in the midst of a state of silence, he said.

He stressed that the situation in Gaza places everyone before significant responsibilities that impose themselves on the deliberations of the Conference, and urged intensified efforts to expose the Israeli barbarism and to defend the rights of Palestinian women, the Palestinian people, and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in a situation in which it is impossible to separate people from the land or the land from the gruesome reality of Israeli occupation. 

The secretary-general also affirmed the OIC's determination to continue constructive dialogue to empower Afghan women and guarantee their right to access education at all levels and participation in public life.

He indicated that the Conference will remain a beacon in the OIC and participating bodies' history for promoting and affirming women's rights in Islam, noting that the Conference will adopt the Jeddah Document on Women's Rights in Islam. 

The OIC chief expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to Saudi Arabia for hosting the Conference and thanked all the participating women figures.

The conference witnessed speeches by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, several foreign ministers, ministers of women and family affairs from the OIC Member States, and female participants and invitees who delivered research papers.