Press Release
The Women's Section of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir Successfully Hosted a Historic, Unprecedented International Women's Conference: "Women and Shariah: Separating Fact from Fiction"

On Saturday 28^th March 2015, the Women's Section of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir successfully hosted a historic, unprecedented International Women's Conference entitled, "Women and Shariah: Separating Fact from Fiction". It was a momentous event that united gatherings of female-opinion makers held simultaneously across 3 continents and in 5 countries: Palestine, Turkey, Indonesia, Tunisia, and Britain. Those who attended included female journalists, politicians, academics, activists, lawyers, scholars, leaders of the community, and representatives of organisations. The atmosphere within the conference halls was electrifying and attendees described being impressed by the professionalism of the organisation of the event and extremely motivated and empowered by the content of the speeches and videos. Gatherings of women also took place in many other locations globally to watch the conference live, and the event was also broadcast online to viewers internationally.

The conference began with the recitation of the Glorious Qur'an which was followed by the speech from Tunisia, which was delivered by Hajar Ya'qobi, a member of Hizb ut Tahrir Tunisia who exposed the agenda of various international bodies, organisations, and feminist movements in using feminism to import Western secular culture into the Muslim lands and to reform or remove the Islamic social and other Shariah laws from Muslim societies. She also highlighted how international women's conventions with their concept of gender equality, not only contradict the Shariah but have failed to solve the problems of women and hence should be rejected by Muslim women. The next talk was a recorded speech from Umm Hudayfah, a member of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Jordan who clarified how ‘Islamic feminism' is a concept based upon flawed principles and not rooted upon Islam but rather upon Western ideas such as gender equality and hence should not be embraced by Muslim women. The third talk was delivered from Britain by Dr. Nazreen Nawaz, Director of the Women's Section in the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir, who dispelled the common media accusations and lies regarding the status and rights of women in the Shariah and explained the crucial role that Muslim women need to play in challenging the media fiction regarding women and Islam. The next speech was given from Palestine by Umm Saleh, an active dawah carrier for the Khilafah "Caliphate". She clarified the unique nature of the Islamic social system and the harmony it brings to women, their relationship with men, their family life and to society overall. She also explained the vital role that Islam prescribes for women as wives and mothers which is elevated, protected and supported through the Shariah laws. Iffah Rochmah, Spokeswoman of Hizb ut Tahrir Indonesia, delivered the fifth talk. She presented a clear vision of the status, roles, and rights of women under the Shariah laws of the Khilafah "Caliphate" and also detailed how its institutions, systems and laws can practically solve some prevalent problems affecting women in the Muslim world today. The final speech was delivered from Wilayah Turkey by Selda Karademir, a free-lance writer and speaker on women's issues who addressed how the narrow actions undertaken by feminists which are based upon viewing every problem and solution from a gender perspective rather than one resulting from the non-Islamic systems in the Muslim world, will never achieve real change for women. She highlighted how it is only through the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" upon the method of the Prophethood that Muslim women across the globe can be lifted from their oppression. Additionally, she explained the important role Muslim women have in presenting the truth regarding the position of women in the Shariah, and in achieving the vision of establishing the Khilafah "Caliphate". The conference also included a number of videos, including one that showcased the extensive global political activism of the women of Hizb ut Tahrir. There was also a press conference in Indonesia that was held before the event as well as dynamic panel discussions in the various venues that took questions and comments from attendees.

This remarkable conference left an undeniable clear imprint on the global discussions regarding women and how to secure their rights. The conference speeches and videos can be accessed at the following link: http://www.domainnomeaning.com/info/english.php/contents_en/entry_45603. Pictures and content from the day can also be found at: www.facebook.com/WomenandShariah.

Dr. Nazreen Nawaz
Director of the Women's Section
in the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir