Italy: Female Muslims to discuss their rights on Women's Day

More than 400 European Muslim women activists participated in the first meeting of the European Forum of Muslim Women (EFOMW), held Sunday at the Free University in Brussels.

By Hady Yahmed* for IslamOnline.net
Translated by Lamya Tawfik

Noura Jaballah was elected as the first president of the European Forum for Muslim Women, the first Muslim women's association in Europe.
Defending the participation of Muslim women in European political and social life, the forum "is an initiative to shattering the stereotypes that are associated with Islam, the hijab, and Muslim women in general," said Noura Jaballah.

The conference, which ended on March 5, 2006, chose Mrs Jaballah as president for the next four years. She is one of the pioneers of Islamic efforts in Europe and France and in the forum she represents fourteen other European associations for women and more than other 400 women who took part in the conference.

EFOMW goals include analyzing how to bridge dialogue between different religions, how to promote cooperation between Muslim women organizations, and how to battle discrimination against Muslim women in Europe.

The focus of this year's summit was on three key issues:

1. The involvement of Muslim women in the social society.

2. The obstacles to full citizen participation of Muslim women.

3. The contribution of Muslim women to the construction of European civil societies.