Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has said that women’s empowerment is a pillar of sustainable development in countries and that religion should be used to support women’s rights.
Mr. Ibrahim Taha made these remarks at the International Conference on Religious Discourse and Its Impact on the Protection of Muslim Women’s Rights, held in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. He stated that the meeting emphasized the need to use religion “in a rational and enlightening manner” to ensure and strengthen women’s rights.
He further stressed that women’s empowerment is not merely a human right, but rather “a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and the stability of Islamic societies.”
The OIC Secretary-General described the formulation of policies that guarantee the active participation of women in all sectors as essential, and reaffirmed the organization’s “strong commitment” to supporting women’s rights.
The two-day event was attended by ministers of women’s affairs from member states, representatives of international organizations, and government officials.
This comes as the United Nations Security Council announced in the month of Qaws (December) that the policies of the caretaker government against women cause more than one billion dollars in losses to Afghanistan’s economy each year.
Research into the economic consequences of depriving Afghan women of education and employment shows that government bans inflict more than 1.4 billion dollars in damage on Afghanistan’s economy annually.
At least 75 Islamic countries, including Afghanistan, are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Afghanistan has been a member of the organization since its establishment in 1969 (1348).
In a meeting held in Qaws last year, the organization stated that the ban on girls’ education by the current government violates its resolutions, adding that women in Afghanistan have faced serious violations of their fundamental rights in the field of education.
