For the complete report in the Chicago Tribune click on this link
Muslim women find their voice - by Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
In what many scholars are calling a significant step, more than 100 Muslim women leaders will gather in New York City this month to launch an advisory council--one that could provide alternative opinions and become a voice for women's rights in the traditionally male-dominated field of Islamic law.
The council, which hopes to build consensus on varying issues, comes on the heels of what appears to be a growing movement among Muslim women to seek empowerment.
Two Muslim countries have also decided to take on the issue of women's equality. In Morocco, 50 women imams were recently awarded diplomas by the Islamic Affairs Ministry. In Turkey, the Diyanet, or Directorate of Religious Affairs, appointed 200 state-paid female preachers. The Diyanet also announced in June that it would delete from the hadith, or traditional sayings and deeds of Muhammad, passages that discriminated against women or even subordinated them to men.
The conference is organized by the American Society for Muslim Advancement with sponsorship from U.S. foundations like the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The session is to bring together women from a wide spectrum--liberal feminists, moderates and conservatives--from America, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. The Muslim establishment will be represented by Ingrid Mattson, the first woman to head the largest Muslim group, the Islamic Society of North America. On the progressive end will be women like Asra Nomani, author of "Standing Alone in Mecca," who wants to end strict gender separation during prayer.
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