Yet another First by a Saudi Woman

Monday, 13 August 2007

By Sabria S. Jawhar

A Saudi woman will be one of the delegates of the government's Human Rights Commission to an international conference on the role of the Muslim woman in contemporary society to be held in Malaysia. The Saudi female delegate Intisar Felimban, director of the International Relations and Activities at the Arab organization for combating terrorism, said participating in such an international conference would help clear the negative image the world has of the rights of women in the Kingdom. "People abroad don't know about the position women in Saudi Arabia has reached especially in the era of King Abdullah," Felimban said. "Our great King has opened gates for women everywhere even at the security level. It's now up to the women to seize the chance or let it go."
The conference aims to define a unified Islamic position relating to Muslim women. The delegates will also discuss the factors that have denied some Muslim women of their political, social and economic rights. Plans and recommendations will be made to prevent the increasing influence of culture on the interpretation of the Islamic regulation based on the Qu'ran and Sunnah (Prophet's action and sayings).
The conference will be sponsored by International Institute for Muslim Unity and the International Islamic University in Malaysia.
Abdullah Al-Meatani, director of the Commission of Human Rights branch in Makkah region, and Mamdooh Al-Shemrani, a commission member, will also be part of the delegation.
The role and status of the Muslim woman in the society have always been a subject of debate and discussion throughout the Islamic world since these vary from one society to another due to factors such as the Islamic school of thought, and culture and tradition.