Pakistan Invites Islamic Emirate to OIC Summit on Women’s Education

Pakistan has stated that the caretaker government of Afghanistan has been invited to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on women’s education in Islam. The Pakistani Minister of Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui expressed hope that the Islamic Emirate would send a representative to the conference.

The Pakistani Minister of Education said: “We have sent the invitation. Through this question, I want to say that we respect the culture and traditions of all regions; however, according to Islamic teachings, culture and traditions follow the foundations of Islam, and there is no prohibition on women’s education in that. We hope they will participate in this conference.”

The summit on women’s education in Islam is set to take place tomorrow (Saturday, January 11) in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

The Muslim World League, ahead of the event, stressed that education is a fundamental right for women, just as it is for men.

The Muslim World League wrote: “Education is a fundamental right for Muslim women, just as it is for their male counterparts.”

“When the leaders of Islamic countries, nearly 57 nations, come together to organize a conference on women’s education, it shows that Islam does not prevent our sisters from pursuing higher education,” said Zakiullah Mohammadi, a university professor.

Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said she would speak at the conference about the need to protect the right to education for all girls, especially Afghan girls.

Yousafzai said: “On Sunday, I will speak about protecting rights for all girls to go to school, and why leaders must hold the Taliban accountable for their crimes against Afghan women & girls.”

“The global conference on girls’ education in Islamic societies, held in our neighboring country, sends an important message for Afghan authorities to also recognize the importance of girls’ education,” said Lamya Shirzai, a women’s rights activist.

So far, the Islamic Emirate has not commented on whether it will participate in the conference.

“The Islamic Emirate must participate in such conferences because this is very beneficial for Afghanistan’s foreign policy. We cannot live without the world, as we are also a part of this world,” said Hiwad Zazai, a political analyst.

This summit, attended by representatives from more than 40 countries, focuses on girls’ education in Islam. It is being held in the Pakistani capital at a time when, for over three years, the Islamic Emirate has suspended girls’ attendance in classrooms until further notice.