Global Conference Stresses Girls’ Education as Religious Duty, Societal Necessity
Over 150 representatives from 47 countries, including education experts, religious scholars, diplomats and politicians, attended the the two-day conference titled “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities” in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The conference concluded with the adoption of the ‘Islamabad Declaration,’ a framework to address challenges in girls’ education in Muslim communities through gender-sensitive policies, resource mobilization, and strengthened international partnerships.
The declaration emphasized that girls’ education is not only a religious obligation but also an “urgent societal necessity.”
“It is a fundamental right safeguarded by divine laws, mandated by Islamic teachings, reinforced by international charters, and well-established by national constitutions,” it said, calling for unified efforts to safeguard girls’ right to education and ensure their empowerment, and acknowledging that educated women play a pivotal role in fostering stable families and communities.
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“This, in turn, promotes global peace, national harmony, and fortifies societies against challenges such as extremism, violence, crime, and atheism.”
Cautioning against extremist ideologies, the declaration said that issuing decrees and opinions, rooted in cultural norms and patterns, that obstruct girls’ education constitute a “regrettable perpetuation of societal biases against women.”
“Such actions represent a grave misuse of religious principles to legitimize policies of deprivation and exclusion,” it said.
The Islamabad Declaration urged mobilizing resources to support efforts to advance education through improved methods and content, with a particular emphasis on girls’ education, ensuring it is placed at the forefront of national priorities.
“Declaring that anyone who rejects or opposes these well-grounded Islamic religious principles is, by the consensus of this gathering as referenced in the preamble of this Declaration, considered outside the framework of the Islamic Ummah’s concepts and cannot be regarded as part of it,” it said, adding that it is essential to disavow such an ideology, whether they are an individual, an institution, or an entity, public or private.
At the end, the declaration stated that the Muslim World League, being the initiator of the conference, will communicate all resolutions of the conference, oversee their implementation, and ensure the necessary financial and moral support.
The participants urged the initiator of the conference to establish a permanent committee to oversee the implementation of the outcomes of the event, including various agreements, which laid the foundation for an impactful action.
Source: Arab News
