- The declaration adopted at the end of a two-day conference on girls’ education in Muslim communities
- It outlines framework to tackle challenges in girls’ education through gender-sensitive policies, resource mobilization
ISLAMABAD: Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa on Sunday pledged to enshrine the declaration of the global summit in Islamabad on girls’ education in Muslim countries as a constitutional document.
He expressed the views while addressing the concluding session of the two-day conference, titled “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities,” co-hosted by Pakistan and the MWL, and which brought together over 150 representatives from 47 countries.
The foreign representatives, including education experts, religious scholars, diplomats and politicians, attended the summit. It comes at a time when global leaders, organizations and activists are urging the Taliban to reverse their restrictive policies about women in Afghanistan.
The conference concluded with the adoption of the ‘Islamabad Declaration,’ a framework to address challenges in girls’ education in Muslim communities through gender-sensitive policies, resource mobilization, and strengthened international partnerships.
Al-Issa emphasized the significance of the diverse group of Islamic scholars present, including representatives from the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, in solidifying a unified Islamic stance supporting girls’ education.
He asserted that this declaration counters misconceptions and provides a definitive statement, thereby preventing any single entity from misrepresenting Islam on this issue.
The initiative comes amidst global concern over the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s education in Afghanistan, highlighting the urgency of promoting girls’ access to education within Muslim communities.
“The Muslim World League, along with its partners, commits to making the ‘Islamabad Declaration’ a constitutional document so the impact will be tangible,” the MWL chief said, adding that Islamic scholars addressed various misconceptions during the “exceptional and unified solidarity meeting” in Islamabad.
The MWL chief said the Muslim world needed this collaboration for a unified voice reflecting Islam’s teachings.
“No one can claim to speak on behalf of Islam regarding this issue anymore as the scholars of the Ummah, supported by their jurisprudential councils, have delivered a clear and definitive statement,” he said.
“We do not address any specific individual or entity but speak to anyone opposing or hindering this cause, whether individuals or institutions, public or private.”
The issue of girls’ education has drawn heightened attention recently, particularly after Afghanistan’s interim administration, led by the Taliban, imposed restrictions on girls’ education, including shutting down secondary schools and barring women from attending universities.
On the first day of the conference, the secretary-general of the MWL, a Makkah-based non-governmental organization that represents followers of Islam around the world, said Islam places no restrictive conditions on girls’ education, and anyone opposing it deviates from the global Muslim community.
ISLAMABAD DECLARATION
The declaration emphasized that girls’ education is not only a religious obligation but also an “urgent societal necessity.”
“It is a fundamental right safeguarded by divine laws, mandated by Islamic teachings, reinforced by international charters, and well-established by national constitutions,” it said, calling for unified efforts to safeguard girls’ right to education and ensure their empowerment, and acknowledging that educated women play a pivotal role in fostering stable families and communities.
“This, in turn, promotes global peace, national harmony, and fortifies societies against challenges such as extremism, violence, crime, and atheism.”
Cautioning against extremist ideologies, the declaration said that issuing decrees and opinions, rooted in cultural norms and patterns, that obstruct girls’ education constitute a “regrettable perpetuation of societal biases against women.”
“Such actions represent a grave misuse of religious principles to legitimize policies of deprivation and exclusion,” it said.
The Islamabad Declaration urged mobilizing resources to support efforts to advance education through improved methods and content, with a particular emphasis on girls’ education, ensuring it is placed at the forefront of national priorities.
“Declaring that anyone who rejects or opposes these well-grounded Islamic religious principles is, by the consensus of this gathering as referenced in the preamble of this Declaration, considered outside the framework of the Islamic Ummah’s concepts and cannot be regarded as part of it,” it said, adding that it is essential to disavow such an ideology, whether they are an individual, an institution, or an entity, public or private.
At the end, the declaration stated that the MWL chief, being the initiator of the conference, will communicate all resolutions of the conference, oversee their implementation, and ensure the necessary financial and moral support.
The participants urged the initiator of the conference to establish a permanent committee to oversee the implementation of the outcomes of the event, including various agreements, which laid the foundation for an impactful action.
Yusuf Raza Gilani, chairman of Pakistan’s Senate, urged the Muslim world to embrace a comprehensive approach that combines collaborative action, resource development, and community engagement for girls’ education.
“I urge distinguished scholars and policymakers to translate the invaluable insights and lessons of this conference into tangible, impactful strategies that will inspire change,” he said at the concluding session.
