With Muslim women leading delegations from numerous countries and others with high-level positions in the Islamic world, and with representatives of the Member States, invitees, and experts in attendance, H.E. Mr. HisseinBrahimTaha, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), stated that since its inception, the OIC has devoted itself to the promotion of the rights and empowerment of Muslim women. This commitment culminated in the adoption by the OIC Program of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW), widely regarded as a roadmap in Muslim societies. This was part of BrahimTaha’s speech before the inaugural session of the International Conference on Women in Islam: Status and Empowerment, organized by the OIC General Secretariat at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which hosted it on Monday, 06 November 2023 in Jeddah under the generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah protect him.
Mr. BrahimTaha stated that 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. The most significant number of victims, who are being slaughtered in the midst of a state of silence, constitute the weakest link in this tragedy. He stressed that the situation in Gaza is a continuing tragedy that places everyone before significant responsibilities that impose themselves on the deliberations of the Conference and urges intensified efforts to expose this Israeli barbarism and defend the rights of Palestinian women, the Palestinian people, and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in a situation in which it is impossible to separate people from the land or the land from the gruesome reality of Israeli occupation. The Secretary-General also affirmed the OIC’s determination to continue constructive dialogue to empower Afghan women and guarantee their right to access education at all levels and participate in public life.
