#BalanceForBetter
The Muslim Council of Britain has urged for more Muslim women in leadership roles in Muslim-led organisations across the UK at its inaugural Women’s Conference in London on 31 March 2019 under the theme #BalanceForBetter.
Keynote speaker, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Sudanese-Australian writer and broadcaster, said, “Our identity as Muslim women has been politicised but it is a religious identity first and foremostly.”
Samayya Afzal, Community Engagement Manager, said, “Muslim women have long been talked about, and talked over. This event was an opportunity to hear from a diversity of women from different backgrounds, to empower the voices of women in our communities and organisations, and allow a platform for Muslim women to be unapologetically themselves.”
The conference also saw the launch of the 2019 Women in Mosques Development Programme (WIMDP) – a scheme designed to accelerate the development of talented upcoming female leaders to be the mosque trustees, committee members and centre manager of the future – and expanding upon last year’s pilot programme.
Harun Khan, MCB Secretary General, said, “Many Muslim-led organisations still have little or no female representation on their management boards, and this must change. After last year’s successful pilot, we are pleased to launch the Women in Mosques programme for 2019 in order to train even more talented sisters to take up these roles.”
The conference, supported by Muslim Aid and the UCL Women’s Network, also featured workshops and sessions from over 20 talented Muslim female leaders in their fields, covering Muslim women and higher education, sports, mental health, Islamophobia, politics & public life, international gender justice and more.
