Friday, October 14, 2011

The Master of Ceremonies, Mino Akhtar (USA), gracefully opened the Conference, followed by the poetry of Saudi activist, Nimah Nawwab (Saudi Arabia) and opening statements from ASMA Executive Director, Daisy Khan. The Keynote address was delivered by Esin Celebi (Turkey), a female descendant of the revered Turkish Sufi figure Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi. The Turkish Women's Association (TÜRKKAD), which partnered with ASMA for the Conference, featured prominent Turkish spiritual leader Cemalnur Sargut.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

The schedule on Saturday focused on religious and spiritual leadership. The first thought-provoking panel discussion called, "Illuminating our Path: Through the Lens of Spiritual Leaders", was moderated by Dr. Ziba Mir-Hosseini (England). The panel featured the prominent voices of Aisha Rafea (Egypt), Seemi Ghazi (Canada) and Judge Kholoud Al Faqeeh (Palestine), Palestine's first female judge appointed to a Shar'iah Court. Judge Kholoud articulated via translation that "it has been empowering to serve as a female Shar'iah judge. There is a sense of intimacy with family issues, motherhood, sexual issues. There is a certain understanding that goes beyond the law. The challenges facing women are still sensitive issues in many parts of the world. There is a dire need for female judges."

The Muslim Women's Shura Council then presented groundbreaking issues related to Islamic interpretation. Tayyibah Taylor (USA) outlined the Shura Council's mission, history, structure and accomplishments and cited an example of how re-interpretation can have a significant effect in curbing the abuse of women (i.e., Laleh Bakhtiar's re-interpretation of verse 4:34). Laila Al-Zwaini (Netherlands) discussed how "[s]ocieties are changing constantly, so classical interpretations [of Islam] based on earlier assumptions of gender are no longer appropriate, applicable or relevant." Farheen Kapra (India) spoke about the Council's working draft of the Muslim Women's Leadership Statement and other groundbreaking statements that can be found on their website, http://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/about/shuracouncil/. Yamina Mermer (USA) articulated,
"[E]ven with the best intentions, men cannot fully appreciate a woman's perspective. To have a balanced society, women need to contribute to scholarship in a balanced way . . . Women bring a perspective of love and gentleness [and we need] this perspective now more than ever." Finally, Dean Daisy Machado (USA) spoke about the possibility of collaborating with the Shura Council to create a Muftiyyah Program at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Another illuminating panel was, "Women on the Front Lines of Faith: An Interfaith Exchange", which was moderated by Mehnaz Mona-Afridi (USA). WISE women welcomed female religious leaders Reverend Gwynne Guibord (USA), Dr. Rita Sherma (USA) and Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn (USA), who discussed ways in which women of faith can collaborate and share lessons of their journey with women of other faiths. Shriner-Cahn strung a chord amongst participants when she mentioned, "First I had to find the barriers within myself [regarding] how to move past what I had been told and what I was taught. These barriers can be overcome by working together."

The host organization, TÜRKKAD, presented "How Muslim Women in Turkey View the World and Practice Sufism". Dr. Canguzel Zulfikar (USA) moderated, while Nazli Kayahan (Turkey), Dilek Guldutuna (Germany) and Nese Tas (Turkey) elucidated how Cemalnur Sargut (Turkey) and her spiritual teachings have moved them to love their faith, spirituality and themselves. Cemalnur Sargut (Turkey) provided the conference participants with a glimpse of how she is able to deeply move her followers by her passionate explanation of how religion equals love.

MEDIA

Illuminating Our Path, Through the Lens of Spiritual Leaders

- Spiritual Leadership In the 21st Century (PDF), Aisha Rafea

- Spiritual Leadership In the 21st Century (PPT), Aisha Rafea

- Remarks by Seemi Ghazi (PDF)

Women on the Frontlines of Faith, an Interfaith Exchange

- Presentation Overview (PDF)

- Remarks by panel moderator Mehnaz Afridi (PDF)

- Women on the Frontlines of Faith (PPT), Mehnaz Afridi

- Female Religious Figures Throughout Time (PPT), Rita Sherma

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Political leadership was the focus on Sunday. The first panel, "Move Over – Political Seats for Muslim Women", was moderated by two-term Senator Santanina Rasul (Phillipines). Rasul led the participants through a vibrant session with panelists Dr. Aysenur Bilgi Solak (Turkey), Shahina Akbar (Pakistan), Sophia Abdi Noor (Kenya) and Suraya Pakzad (Afghanistan). Shahina Akbar, an attorney in Pakistan's Supreme Court, described how her career spurred her to advocate for women on both a legal and grassroots level and added that "financial constraints are one thing that hold a lot of women back." Sophia Abdi Noor, a member of the Kenyan Parliament, explained how her own experiences with female genital cutting and forced marriage inspired her to "become a voice for the voiceless," and emphasized that the "daughters of the Muslim community of Kenya must not suffer what I suffered." Suraya Pakzad, founder of the Voice of Women Organization in Afghanistan, echoed Abdi Noor's sentiments, and stated, "We should not wait for tomorrow; tomorrow may be too late for us."

The afternoon session proved as exciting as the morning. Dr. Nevin Reda (Canada) underscored Islamic historical proof of female political leadership. For example, the Queen of Sheba was a political leader even though she did not receive direct divine revelation. Reda asserted that the Muslim Women's Shura Council "affirms the right of women to exert political leadership and assume political leadership positions."

The final session of the day, "Muslim Women who Sparked the Arab Spring", was one of the most dynamic case study presentations of the Conference. It began with the YouTube clips of Asmaa Mahfouz (Egypt), the young woman who sparked the Egyptian Revolution. The atmosphere was intense as Amel Azzouz (Tunisia) discussed the "oppressive years of the former regime [where] women paid high prices for daring to confront tyranny in [their] lives. [They] lost jobs, the right to wear the scarf and study. Many people were arrested or tortured." Azzouz indicated that even her husband was imprisoned for 15 years. Nimah Nawwab (Saudi Arabia) highlighted the landmark decision in Saudi Arabia by which women can now vote. Afra Jalabi (Canada-Syria) provided examples of Syrian activists who have recently been victim to death and severe cases of torture. She said, "Women have a responsibility to protect their families and children from the military-industrial complex". She then quoted the Dalai Lama and further said, "our generation couldn't do it, yours can." Finally, Dr. Laila Bugaighis (Libya) and Nadia Gaouda (Libya) recounted current atrocities from their country that brought all participants to tears. However, it was the courage and resilience of these women that echoed throughout the conference hall after their presentations were complete.

MEDIA

Move Over, Political Seats for Muslim Women

- Behbud Association (PDF)

- Behbud's Objectives in Advocacy Program (PDF), Shahina Akbar)

Muslim Women Who Sparked the Arab Spring
Afra Jalabi

- BelAhdan with Afra Jalabi, Canidian Syrian Activist (Youtube)

- BelAhdan with Afra Jalabi, Canidian Syrian Activist (Youtube)

- Afra Jalabi at candlelight vigil in Montreal 15.04.2011 (Youtube)

- Montreal mom among Syria's most wanted, Montreal Gazette (PDF)

Asmaa Mahfouz
- Meet Asmaa Mahfouz and the vlog that Helped Spark the Revolution (Youtube)

- Asmaa Mahfouz's vlog on the Eve of the Revolution (Youtube)

- Asmaa Mahfouz describes Jan 25th and Gears for the Big Friday (Youtube)

Laila Bughaighis
- An Arab Spring and a Libyan Dawn (PPT)

Nimah Nawwab
- Poetry by Nimah Nawwab (PDF)

- BBC Interview with Nimah Nawwab on Saudi Women's Political Rights (Youtube)

- BBC Interview with Nimah Nawwab on Saudi Women's Political Rights (Youtube)

Azza Kamel
Women of the Egyptian Revolution (Youtube), UN Women's Team

Shura Council Position on Political Leadership within Islam

- Shura Council Position - Powerpoint (PPT)

Monday, October 17, 2011

The final day of the Conference centered on civic and business leadership. The first session, "Global Case Studies: Muslim Women Pioneers Affect Change on the Frontlines" highlighted WISE women who have affected real change in their local communities. Beyza Zapsu (Turkey), Mufuliat Fijabi (Nigeria), and Fatima Sadiqi (Morocco) outlined case studies of successful NGOs that have focused on the unique issues of Muslim women in their respective countries. The session culminated with a presentation by Jamila Afghani (Afghanistan), who discussed the Imam Training Project (ITP), which was sponsored by WISE. She was accompanied by Imam Mawlana Ehsan Saiqal (Afghanistan), who traveled from Afghanistan to explain how the Project affected him and myriad other Afghani men. He discussed how one of his congregants came to him crying because he did not realize that Islam actually advocates for women's inheritance, marital and property rights. This congregant felt that he had hurt his daughters by forcing them to marry at an early age. However, the Imam led with such optimism that he told his congregant to "not look in the past, but to the future". In the question-and-answer session, the Imam related that prior to the Conference he considered "hijab the first issue." Yet after hearing all of the wisdom and knowledge at the Conference, he considered the hijab "second," to which the audience rose in a standing ovation. The ITP highlighted WISE's work on-the-ground with Muslim women leaders who continually advocate for real change in Muslim communities. Our WISE partners from England, India and Pakistan want to replicate the ITP in their local communities.

The afternoon session, "Women Who Rise: An Exploration of Muslim Women in Business" was moderated by Nabila Freidji (Morocco). This session was marked by an esteemed group of panelists - Dr. Sema Suvarioglu (Turkey), Rawya Mansour (Egypt) and Muna AbuSulayman (Saudi Arabia). Suvarioglu discussed how 11 percent of the CEO's in Turkey are women; which is vastly above the percentage of women CEOs around the globe. Mansour presented her groundbreaking initiative, RAMSCO for Sustainable Development, an initiative that is focused on fighting poverty and mitigating climate change in the MENA region. Finally, Abu-Sulayman presented a new way to think of women who act as caretakers for their families and advocated for a "motherhood discount". She discussed a way to quantify the economic worth in raising a family, with the hopes of one day institutionalizing this into the corporate work place. Abu-Sulayman stated that, "Unless we change the system... we will never have the access to capital that we need."

The final session of the day and of the Conference was a training session led by Mary Alex (USA). This fundraising training was named, "Fearless Fundraising: Be Inspired, Be Motivated, Begin Now!" and that it did. Conference participants were thirsting for Alex's techniques on specific fundraising techniques for NGOs, ways to create an enticing story for organizations and ways in which to build a solid Board of Directors. This work session provided participants with solid tools that they could take back to their organizations in order to build and sustain their funding.

Daisy Khan then took the stage for the final time to introduce the WISE Steering Committee and close the 3rd Global Conference. After the closing ceremony, all conference participants held hands in a large circle in order to solidify the existing and new bonds that had been formed throughout the Conference. Many participants left the Conference with a renewed sense of purpose, drive and sisterhood.

Global Case Studies: Muslim Women Pioneers Affect Change on the Frontlines

Imam Training Program

Women Who Rise: An Exploration of Muslim Women in Business

- Turkey: The Country of Surprises (PPT), Dr. Sema Suvarioglu

- RAMSCO for Sustainable Development (Youtube), Rawya Mansour

Fearless Fundraising: Be Inspired, Be Motivated, Begin Now!

Testimonials

"Alhamdullillah...this conference was a very special experience with many new learnings. I have personally developed in many ways, and have a real sense of my heart being nourished. - this for me is the USP of WISE- a focus on Spirituality. I attend many other similar events- and spirituality is always a neglected area." – Faeeza Vaid

"I met so many inspiring women and activists thanks to the WISE team! This conference was definitely a step forward for us Muslim women setting examples for the rest around the globe." – Shakila Hamidi

"Offering people access to your website allows non-Muslim people to begin to get a glimmer that Sharia need not be something to be feared but can be understood as something very different. We are hoping to deepen people's thinking and respect for the Holy Qur'an and the faithful practice of Islam." – Dr. Lo Sprague