More than two hundred active Muslim women from throughout the country and from abroad took part in the International Women's Forum, initiated by the Ukrainian Muslimahs League and the Social Organisation "Maryam".
After the prayer, the mufti of Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah", sheikh Said Ismagilov, addressed the participants with a welcome speech. He stressed the women’s significant contribution to the Muslim Ummah’s revival in Ukraine, an outstanding women’s role in the upbringing of future generations, and paid tribute to their civic engagement. Later, Said-hazrat shared his impressions about the Forum:
— Women presented their volunteer projects, public initiatives, human rights and charity movements, told about the work experience in all spheres of professional life. Foreign guests were surprised by the powerful and socially significant projects and activities Ukrainian Muslim Women are involved in, such as CrimeaSOS, Maryam volunteer movement, Ukrainian Muslimahs League, Crimean family, Crimean News Agency, Echo Media, defense of the motherland, fundraising for children of Crimean political prisoners.. I am convinced that Ukraine is at the forefront of the female Muslim activism. And if, for example, in Turkey many women's socially important projects are held under the president’s or the first lady’s patronage and they are financed from the budgets, then in Ukraine all the projects are carried out due to our own enthusiasm and our own donations, — noted the mufti.
Not only Muslim women interested in the Forum, among the guests and participants were women of different religious confessions. Even the Christian women found a few hours to join the event before Easter. Not only Kyiv’s inhabitants, but also women from around Ukraine and from abroad were present at the event. There were representatives from Turkey, Kuwait, Moldova, South Korea, even from some Russia’s national republics where the overwhelming majority of local population are Muslims.
Ukrainian MP, Olga Bogomolets, Representative of Charity Organisation for Relief & Development “Qawafil”, Sinan Ahmad, coordinator of International Organisation IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Nalan Dal, Head of the Moldavian Muslimahs League, Natalia Tkachenko, representative of the South Korean International Peacekeeping Organisation HWPL, Olga Khan, were among the speakers at the event.
Forum topics included the role of women in society, media, human rights activities, volunteering, as well as the problems of professional and creative self-realization.
