WISE was established with the belief that the fight for Muslim women’s equality starts with fostering, collaborating and supporting the diverse work of Muslim women leaders worldwide. We began as a faith-based movement at a historic gathering in New York City in 2006. On that day, 200 leading Muslim women scholars, activists, artists, religious and civil society leaders – representing more than 25 countries – joined together to develop a holistic and comprehensive vision for improving the position of Muslim women around the globe.
Admirable individual achievement can become part of a larger collective action project that the WISE women’s network has and will continue to assemble.Nevertheless, WISE programs are without precedent in scope, scale and mission. WISE is transforming the position of Muslim women in innumerable contexts from within the Islamic faith and traditions.
Since this inaugural gathering, WISE has: