Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha said the OIC has devoted itself to promoting the rights and empowering Muslim women.
This commitment culminated in the adoption of the OIC Program of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW), widely regarded as a roadmap in Muslim societies.
Taha made his remarks during the opening session of the "International Conference on Women in Islam: Status and Empowerment", organized by the OIC General Secretariat at the invitation of Saudi Arabia. The event was held in Jeddah on Monday.
Taha added: "This conference comes at a time when the 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 this bombing. They are the most significant number of victims, who are being slaughtered in the midst of a state of silence."
"The situation in Gaza is a continuing tragedy, which places significant responsibility on everyone and the deliberations of the conference. It demands intensified efforts to expose Israeli barbarism and defend the rights of Palestinian women, the Palestinian people, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque," he went on to say.
"This is a situation in which it is impossible to separate people from the land or the land from the gruesome reality of Israeli occupation," he stressed.
Moreover, Taha underscored the OIC’s determination to continue a constructive dialogue to empower Afghan women and guarantee their right to access education at all levels, and participate in public life.
He said the conference "will remain a beacon in the OIC and participating bodies’ history for promoting and affirming women’s rights in Islam". He also said that the conference will adopt the Jeddah Document on Women’s Rights in Islam.
