BRUSSELS,
March 4, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Holding a maiden meeting in the
Belgian capital Brussels on Saturday, March 4, more than 90 European
Muslim woman activists are seeking to wash away Western misconceptions
about the role of women in Islam and the prestigious status they enjoy
under the Muslim faith.
"The
forum is an ample opportunity to project the true image of Muslim
women and remove media-circulated stereotypes of Muslim women as being
inferior to men and oppressed under Islam," Nur Gaballah, the
coordinator of the European Forum of Muslim Women, told
IslamOnline.net.
Gaballah,
who represents the French League of Muslim Women, said the forum will
tackle a host of pressing issues facing Muslim women in Europe,
chiefly racism.
"We
are giving special attention to the second and third generations of
Muslim girls in Europe, who suffer from racism due to their religious
and cultural backgrounds."
The
meeting is hosted by the Free University in Brussels and themed
"Muslim Women's Contributions to European Societies."
It
brings together up to 90 Muslim woman activists from across Europe.
They
will elect a 45-member administrative committee and board members, who
will in turn choose a chairwoman.
Chief
among the participants are British Salam Yaqoob, from Respect Party;
Nura Rami, the spokeswoman for the French pro-Hijab March 15 Committee
and Hilina Bin Ouda, the president of the Islamic Council in Swede.
Equals
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The
forum brings together up to 90 Muslim woman activists from across
Europe.
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Gaballah
said the forum will give due attention to the man-woman relationship
under Islam and how Muslim women are treated on equal terms with men.
"It
is a very important issue as a point of fact given that the West
misbelieves that Islam treats women as inferior to men," she
noted.
The
activist said some Muslim women in Europe, like Iranian-born Chahdorff
Djavann and Somali-born Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, have helped entrench
stereotypes on women under Islam.
Ali
achieved notoriety after she wrote the scripts of a short film called
"Submission" in which she highlighted what she said
mistreatment of women under Islam.
She
said in November that the second part of the film focused on
homosexuality in Islam.
When
asked whether non-veiled women were welcomed, Gaballah said the forum
is open for all.
"They
all defend their Islamic and cultural identity," she said.
The
issue of hijab has taken center stage in Europe after it has been
banned in state schools in several European countries.
Muslim
woman activists in Europe have frequently blasted Western media and
governments for not practicing what they preach.
They
maintain that media parrot about the alleged oppression of women under
Islam, but they turn a blind eye to the racism and oppression Muslim
women face in the labor market, universities and public life.
