Peace be upon you,I would like to thank the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, Minister Dr. Fatima Batool Sian and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for organizing this important conference on the role of women in the OIC member states. 

I’m very happy to speak to you as female leaders who are expected to play a major role in leading the march of this nation that should take its rightful place among nations, which achieved leadership and won glory.   

 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Events, wherein women’s state and their future role are discussed, usually raise doubts among a section of people who always have reservations about any role played by women in public life for many justifications, most notably that there are a suspicious agenda and an international conspiracy to destroy values of Muslim women and break bonds of Muslim community.

Of main contributing factors behind such accusations is deviation of some organizations and associations working in the field of women's rights by adopting confrontational ideas and programs based on a profound misunderstanding.

On a personal level, I was not obsessed with the way most women's organizations have adopted to defend women because it is saturated with expressions that betray and exclude men, as if women's access to rights is subject to abuse of rights’ men!

In parallel with this nervous approach, which makes nothing but noise, I have had a simple point of view. I have seen that I should defend rights of men and women with the same vigorous passion, and that it is not true that men do enjoy their full rights or that advantages they have attained are too enough.

The human rights issue has to do with men and women alike, and children as well. Accordingly, one should pay attention to a basic issue, i.e. existence of states of equal citizenship, democratic countries and tolerant communities. Only then, men and we women could get their rights without discrimination, while counting on authoritarian regimes in this regard is something understandable.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Different experiments have shown that women's choices are the same of men, which are building a civil state that upholds the principles of citizenship and the rule of law. Streets and squares were teeming with men and women for the sake of this dream. To sum up what I would like to say in this regard, a proverb says: states’ history start at man’s or woman’s heart.

Helping women get rid of the legacy dominated by injustice and marginalization is, in fact, a help for men and community. This is what have to bear in mind while dealing with this matter. It is not worthwhile discussing the issue of rights, freedoms and the development in part. we cannot tolerate having a society where one half attains all its rights and the other gets nothing. 

Within this context, I would like to emphasize the need to establish principles of citizenship, rule of law and justice in our countries, as this is the only way that guarantees the rights of men and women alike.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

In all countries around the world, women come across multiple challenges, which increase or decrease depending on the ability of this or that country to eliminate discrimination against women in all its forms and types and encourage constructive presence of women in the public sphere.

In the countries of the Islamic world in particular, there is a set of challenges facing Muslim women, which urgently need to be confronted and overcame for the best interest of our societies and their well-being. "Discrimination against Women” comes on the top of these challenges. By discrimination I mean every attempt to deal with women as second- or third class citizens, starting with laws and regulations that deal with women as untrusted being, through the cultural and social heritage, which contains a great deal of negative and unfair emotions towards women, and not ending with the exclusion of women from decision-making institutions.

Dropout of girls from schools, which results in depriving them of education, is also one of major challenges facing our societies at this time as it would be very difficult to move forward toward the future while more than half of the society is lagging behind. Women's education is neither a luxury, as some might think, nor moral decay as others might imagine. Education is as indispensable to women as it is to men. Literate women are more able to cope with life’s hardships and seize opportunities than illiterate ones.

Women should not be deprived of education under any circumstances, and I call on the governments of Islamic countries to give special priority to education of women in rural and remote areas as nothing is greater than such investment. I will not be exaggerating if I say that building a school is more important than building a military camp, and furnishing it is more important than buying weapons.

Involvement of women in development programs is a matter that should be paid attention to. Experiments and historical precedents suggest that communities, which have achieved a tremendous amount of social well-being, have been featured by higher participation rate of women in the areas of social and economic life, as opposed to communities wherein capacities of women were marginalized and disabled for wrong considerations.

In this context, I would like to refer to the dilemma regarding inferiority of women and their role in society. It is those hard-line views of some of clerics who have contempt for women under the name of Islam, while Islam elevates the status of women and deals with them as perfect and responsible human beings just like men. Our Prophet Mohammed (God's peace be upon him) says: women are sisters of men.

I do not want to argue about sayings falsely attributed to the Prophet (God's peace be upon him), which are still being repeated by many clerics and preachers who have no idea about their authenticity, and this requires to be addressed and corrected so as not to be served as a stalking horse for narrow interests.

To women all over the world in general, Muslim women in particular and to the attendees here more particularly:

The aim is clear, the path is passable and the fight should be for homelands, nations and united humanity. Bring well-being and peace into communities for both men and women!

Struggle for just causes for the good of all males and females!

There is no struggle designated for women except for men, and there is no an affair that is the concern of men solely. 

Public affairs are the prerogative neither of women nor of men, but for both. 

You have to keep rejecting any attempts to back you into a tight corner where there is no room for non-women issues, which have been specified in accordance with a traditional concept confining women to marginal roles, which do not live up to leadership of community and state at its influential and decisive levels of leadership.

 

Dear women,

Opportunities are unlimitedly open for you to influence and lead the change at the national, regional and international level.

You will have only to have tools of change and means of influence, which are multiple domains and important fields starting by leading volunteer work including all fields, themes, goals and objectives. You should establish associations and non-profit, charitable, developmental, political, intellectual and cultural foundations. Having such institutions will provide a wide window to lead and serve the community at the same time. Once women occupy this position, they will have taken over the reins of one of the most important means of cross-border social impact.

It can be said, in this context, women are able to be pioneer and leader in the field of managing and leading of NGOs efficiently and effectively. We are in an era of change through institutions, so let each one of you have her own NGO to mobilize efforts and re-employ them to serve the community.   

 

Dear women, 

For healthy homelands and humanity and for a global peace whereby all forms of conflicts and wars disappear, your broad participation in public and political affairs is urgently and inevitably required.

To have wide influence, you have to engage in leading political work by establishing political parties and organizations and dreaming of occupying the highest positions.

Society sees in you its salvation and thinks that you are deserving of respect and trust, so be as others expect you to be! A big lie, which has found a chance to spread in many countries, tells   that a societal reluctance accounts for lack of women's participation and deprives them of opportunities for leadership and entrepreneurship. It could be true for the elites that monopoly and inherit posts and positions.

 

Dear women, 

A great struggle and a very important fight are awaiting you for common issues and strategic challenges that threaten present and future of our nation and our peoples. We need to combat the growing sectarian conflict that dispels the energies of nation and employs the potential of their countries for demolition and mutual destruction, rather than for cooperation, support, construction, development and anti-terrorism. 

We have to be up against Islamophobia that damages the image of Islam as a religion of peace and of its people as a nation of civilization, and introduces Islam as a religion of terrorism and its nation as nation poses a threat to nations and peoples of the world.

You have to put more effort into ending estrangement between our countries and peoples, and replace it with coexistence, partnership and cooperation in order to achieve the common interests and goals.

You should make every effort to stand up to despotism and corruption. When women lead the struggle against despotism and tyranny, it indicates that challenges they face would never suppress their noble spirit. During the revolutions of the Arab Spring, women in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Libya were in front of marches without care of imminent dangers in order to participate in making of the future.

 Women are still offering greater sacrifices for freedom and emancipation from tyranny in these or other countries. Here in Turkey, the Turkish women have effectively and bravely participated in the battle of thwarting the coup because they are aware that military coups bring injustice and corruption, and confiscate the freedom of peoples.

In this context, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to women in the Muslim world for their patience, courage, strong will and their struggle to change reality for the better.

I would also like to extend my special greetings to Palestinian women who are struggling and fighting in an impressive manner without getting bored or tirelessly to achieve independence and get rid of the occupation. 

 

Dear friends, 

This nation is destined to be pioneering leader among nations, and your destiny is to contribute to achieving this dream, yes we can, we have great dreams, and dreams never die.

Allow me, on your behalf, to condemn in the strongest possible terms the failed coup attempt that targeted Turkey’s democracy and its sustainable development. We express deep regret for silence and feeling of contentment towards the coup by some Western governments, which have repudiated their principles and have been in breach of their obligations towards democracy and human rights when they blessed the military coup and wished to undermine the most pioneering democracy in the region and the world.

In conclusion, our nations won’t make an iota of progress unless women play their roles. Therefore, let us work with full force for a cohesive and healthy society wherein there is neither gender discrimination nor exclusion or marginalization.  

Let's walk together, men and women, and fight together for the sake of free homelands and equal citizenship. Otherwise, we will get nothing, and we will continue to talk about the same topics every year, and this is what we shouldn’t allow to happen.

 

O dear friends, 

I welcome your initiative for Women's Coalition of OIC, and I wish it succeeded and were a real tributary to strengthen the role of this important organization.

Peace be upon you!