A MUSLIM women’s organisation based in Birmingham is to hold a conference inviting women from other religions to find out what life is really like for Muslim women in the city.
The Shahadah organisation will host the special conference at the city’s Birmingham Central Mosque on March 17.
The event will give non-Muslim women the opportunity to question “misconceptions” about the lives and roles of Muslim women, the organisation said.
Recent terrorism raids in the city were criticized by a number of community figures who accused the media of placing “negative” focus on the Muslim community, and a spokesperson for Shahadah said the event was a perfect way to help build stronger community relations between the city’s different communities.
“We feel that the Muslim woman has been subject to extensive negative publicity and this has given rise to many misconceptions about her status”, the spokesperson said.
“Much recent controversy has focused on the supposed patriarchal nature of
Islam and the woman’s lack of voice within the Muslim community and its place
of worship, the Mosque. With this in mind, Shahadah has worked closely with
Birmingham’s primary mosque; The Birmingham Central Mosque to organize an event which will provide an opportunity for women in the community to discuss, gain knowledge and exchange ideas and experiences which will, hopefully, help build good and long-lasting relations.”
The event is only open to women and will be held at Birmingham Central Mosque on Saturday 17th March 2007 between 12.00pm – 5.00pm.
