Cairo, September 26th, 2023 – The Women Development Organization (WDO) held on Tuesday the third episode of its latest webinar series “Islam and Cultural Practices”.
The webinar series aims to debunk incorrect cultural practices that are falsely believed to be based on Islam. The webinar’s third episode was on “Women’s Participation in Public Life” and it was available in English, Arabic, and French to be accessible to attendees from all of WDO’s member states.
It was hosted by Dr. Abdelhak El Kouani, Director of the Sharia Department of Halal Control Company in Germany, Member of the Scientific Committee of the Supreme Council of Muslims in Germany, and Research member at the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Dr. El Kouani began his speech by introducing the issue of how Muslim women are represented in Western media as oppressed, stating that it highlights the wrong stereotype that they have about the religion of Islam. He added that Islamic centers and organizations need to work more on clearing misconceptions and false stereotypes.
He then started discussing Islam’s perspective on different aspects of women’s participation in public life, tackling work, education, and society, using evidence to support his arguments.
Dr. El Kouani then shifted the conversation to analyze the causes of the crisis in Islamic society in its position toward women’s participation in public life. He then started explaining the foundational principles of women’s participation in public life in the religion of Islam, including the concepts of equality, independence, and participation.
The speaker then concluded by discussing the methodological starting points for women’s participation in public life, like distinguishing between fixed legal principles and variable jurisprudence and distinguishing between the reality of Muslim women and the Islamic religion.
At the end of the session, attendees joined the conversation to share their thoughts and ask their questions to Dr. El Kouani.
WDO would like to thank Dr. El Kouani for sharing his rich knowledge, and the attendees for participating in the webinar series' third episode. It would also like to invite everyone to attend the next webinar on Wednesday, October 4th. Check out WDO’s website and social media to know more details about the series.
