The activities of the panel discussion “Girls’ Education in the Islamic World”, organized by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights in cooperation with the Malala Fund, have just started, in synchronization with the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence for this year, by launching the ‘Read’ campaign. Girls in the Islamic world suffer from the decline in the value of education, where this deterioration is exceptionally felt in those Islamic countries that witnessed the political rise of religiously extremist groups.
The opening of the panel discussion began with the show of a short documentary on the importance of education and where meetings with Al-Azhar scholars and female students in different stages of Egyptian education were displayed, alongside their views on the importance of educating girls.
Nehad Abulkomsan, ECWR’s chairwoman, emphasized in her speech that the dialogue aims at reaching policies and procedures to contrast girls’ dropout from school, and also aims at spreading a correct religious discourse that supports girls’ education, which would not only benefit girls, but also contributes to supporting the human and economic development of those countries that are willing to invest in education. The benefits to be yielded are numerous, spanning from higher-paid jobs for girls and young women, which contributes to increasing the family’s income, to improved standards of living for individuals, to contributing to the country’s economy, and increasing women’s participation in the public sphere, political life, and decision-making.
Rana El-Houjerie, Middle East country representative of the Malala Fund, confirmed that the time has come to correct the concepts of the Islamic religion in some countries that prevent girls’ education, to draft an international document, and to open areas for discussion about the right to development and the right to life, including the right to education.
Rana Al-Hujairi presented, on this account, the inspiring model and figure of the Afghan girl “Malala”, and introduced the audience to the presence of a partnership with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif represented by the Center for Studies. In this context, it is necessary to raise the slogan “Enough” and to demand to stop what is happening in Afghanistan in terms of persecution against girls. Thus, we extend our thanks to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif for its study on the right of Egyptian and Arab girls to education.
Dr. Fadia Kiwan, President of the Arab Women Organization, confirmed that we hope that our societies will become more humane. There are two very important dimensions, on the condition of Arab women, and there are well-known parties who do not hesitate in igniting strife and insulting the Arab world by distorting the true precepts of the Islamic religion. Our attempt today is to correct the this image of Islam, a religious Islam that forbade the infanticide of girls and moved the world from ignorance and approved the financial responsibility of women and furthermore represents the only religion that recognized the principle of no coercion and the principle of freedom of conscience which is more important than religious freedom. Thus, we must all work for the values of the Arab and Islamic human being, including women and stop the demonization of the Islamic religion worldwide.
Kiwan added that we need to think about how to end violence against women, establish understanding in schools, stop the marriage of minors, and stop violence against them in order to create a healthy upbringing. Today, there is Arab awareness, but we need to work on several levels for the advancement of women.
Dr. Nisreen Al-Baghdadi, representative of the National Council for Women, confirmed that in launching the national strategy for women’s rights launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which is considered the first in the Arab world, we celebrate this year under the slogan “To Be to fight FGM”. There are many initiatives launched by the National Council for Women, including the two “Noura” initiatives which aim at encouraging the education of girls in rural Egypt, and the “Rise Your Voice” initiative, which aims at listening to the girls’ voice, solving their problems, and investing on the Egyptian girls.
The panel discussion presents two studies issued by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights in cooperation with the Malala Fund on the reality of girls’ education in the Islamic world, and they were reviewed by five senior scholars of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.
