As part of KARAMAH’s efforts to support women’s leadership by providing scholarship and education, it recently hosted a delegation of thirteen Jordanian woman religious leaders, including the Director of the Women’s Affairs Directorate from Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Places. KARAMAH regularly meets with delegations of International women and Muslim leaders, and was excited to exchange ideas and information with such respected leaders.
During the meeting, KARAMAH staff shared the organization’s history, mission, and recent efforts to create, collect, and provide high quality scholarship and educational materials on human rights, women’s rights, and civil rights in Islam. Delegates were especially excited to hear about KARAMAH’s collection of research on women’s rights in Islam. Delegates were specifically interested in reviewing scholarship on issues of domestic violence and women’s education.
After hearing about KARAMAH’s work, delegates spoke about the important role preachers, religious teachers, and counselor’s play in the communities they serve. Many delegates focused on their efforts to educate communities on women’s rights in Islam, including issues of domestic violence, inheritance rights, financial rights, marital rights, and rights to education. Delegates focused on the need to advocate for women’s education, especially in light of a growing “technology gap”, where male students’ technological literacy rates are growing faster than those of female students. Delegates also noted a greater need for women to understand and advocate for their marital rights, with many refugee women bending to pressure for a decreased mahr.
Finally, KARAMAH staff and the visiting delegates agreed to exchange resources and make efforts to support each other’s work. Delegates noted the need for respected scholarship that promotes women’s rights and human rights from a religious perspective, and was eager to receive additional training and articles from KARAMAH. Likewise, KARAMAH recognized the need for smart and committed women who can spread awareness about women’s rights in Islam, and was excited to support the work of women such as the delegates who are connected directly to communities. KARAMAH and the delegates expect to continue exchanging ideas, and look forward to future collaboration, including inquiries from participants who were interested in attending KARAMAH’s 10th Annual Law and Leadership Summer Program (LLSP).
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