Muslim women’s group asks UN to review anti-Islamic CEDAW articles

A group of Muslim women in Nigeria, Pure Heart Islamic Foundation of Nigeria (PHF), Oyo State chapter, has called on the United Nations (UN) to review some articles of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) based on their contravention of fundamental Islamic principles.

The Director of Education, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Hajiya Aminah Abdus-Sattar, made this call on Sunday at the sixth Pure Heart Annual Sisters’ Summit (PASS 2023) organised by the Oyo State PHF.

Speaking on the theme of the summit, ‘The Pristine’, Hajiya Abdus-Sattar observed that the UN needs to consider the global religious diversity in the clauses of the CEDAW.

This, according to her, will accelerate global acceptability of the women-oriented convention by the comity of nations.

Commenting on the Islamic position on respect for women within the ambit of the Islamic law, Hajiya Abdus-Sattar highlighted the flaws of CEDAW to include naming children after their mothers, advocating same sex marriage, right to abortion among girls, conflict between society-defined gender roles and equal right among genders, and lack of respect for variation of gender roles in different societies.

The top civil servant encouraged young female Muslims to exude the light of the message of Islam by applying them to their daily lives.

She said adhering to Prophet Muhammad’s model on the right of women will confer honour and respect on women and girls and establish sanctity in the society.

A don in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Dr J.T. Lasisi, urged female Muslims to tackle challenges affecting them in the contemporary society.

“You need to be more resilient and resist any force meant to suppress your voices,” Dr Lasisi said.

The spiritual mother of the day, Alhaja Sururoh Oyero, said “there is salvation in upholding the tenets of Islam” in all endeavours.

Alhaja Oyero urged Muslim women and girls to be good ambassadors of Islam wherever they find themselves.

In a remark at the event, PHF Assistant Coordinator III, Alhaja Zaynab Oladipupo, said PASS had come to stay.

She appreciated the guests and the over 800 female Muslims who attended the summit.