Cii News – 5 September 2012

A conference for South African Muslim women is set to take place in Durban with sole aiming of discussing issues facing them.

The first of its kind gathering will feature influential Muslim female media personalities, religious scholars, artists, activists, academics, philanthropists and motivational speakers.

A statement issued by organisers said the conference, Muslimah Today, would take University of Kwazulu-Natal Westville Campus from the 22nd to the 24th of September 2012.

“About two hundred Muslim women are expected to attend a landmark conference which aims to highlight and unpack the issues they face within a multi-cultural, multi-faith context…It is the brainchild of ILM for Women, a branch of the Institute for Learning and Motivation – South Africa (ILM-SA),” the statement read.

“The voices of Muslim women in this country need to be heard,” said Fatima Asmal-Motala, the director of ILM-SA. “For years, men have been speaking on our behalf, particularly on mainstream media platforms, leading to an incorrect perception that Muslim women cannot voice their opinions or make a contribution to society.”

She added that there are hundreds of Muslim women in South Africa who have made a significant contribution to society within their respective fields and the Muslimah Today conference would afford these women a platform to discuss their experiences.

Some of the speakers include Cape Town resident Radia Bawa Hendricks, author Shubnum Khan, artist Munira Motala, activist Lubna Nadvi, Islamic Studies graduates Safiyyah Surtee and Quraysha Ismail Sooliman as well as journalist Khadija Patel.

According to the conference Facebook group 170 seats have been made available at a cost of R300 each for the duration of the event including lunch, writing material and refreshments.