Commission on the Status of Women

Forty-eighth Session

1-12 March 2004

Statement of the “Coalition of Islamic Organizations CIO”

 Adopted by the Coalition of Islamic Organizations (CIO) Which includes the following organizations:

 International Islamic Committee for Woman & Child  IICWC

International Islamic Charitable Organization  IICO

International Islamic Relief Organization  IIRO

International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations  IIFSO

Africa Muslim Agency  AMA

Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria  FOMWAN

International Muslim Women’s Union  IMWU

Islamic Relief  IR

Qatar Charitable Society  QCS

Muslim World League  MWL         

Soul   Soul

Human Appeal Internatioanl  HAI

Scouts Musulmans Algeriens SMA

Charitable Society for Social Welfare CSSW

Forward

Despite the efforts that the UN and its specialized institutions exert to solve the world’s problems and relieve peoples’ sufferings, it drops one of its major roles by not giving much interest to cultural diversity. The CIO calls for respect to the different cultural ways of life and to peoples’ peculiarities.

The difference in cultural stages between one country and another necessitates that they don’t face the same problems; and hence,, the solutions suggested to these problems will consequently differ. Thus, there is no “one solution” that can be applied to a variety of problems and cultural places.

The Islamic view is based on the following elements:

-         The Islamic cultural model is built upon a basic background of worshipping a unique God;; and defining the ultimate role of the human being on earth as being God’s viceroy, who participates in the construction of the universe by right and just roles played on the basis of equality between all people.

-   All people are equal in human dignity, rights and duties.

 -   Education is an obligation on men and women and both must have equal chances to it... the 1^st verse in Qura’an (our holy book) is Iqraa’ (which means read) .

 -         The Islamic view permits women to seek work outside the family context as long as this work dose not affect her role and her duties towards her family .in the same time Islam preserve the nature of women and take into consideration her Allah given characteristics and doesn’t allow work such as mining. Islam respects women’s work in its legitimate framework that is related to her need to work or work’s need her.

 -         Family in Islam is based on a legitimate bond between a man and a woman, and aims at preserving human race, rising up new sound and rightous generations through transmitting religious concepts and humaniterian vlues to them.

 -         Further more, legitimate marriage between a man and a woman is the only safe way to provide them with the sexual pleasure, while protecting them from the highly dangerous sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) that result from the illegitimate sexual relationships. Islam is concerned with children’s lineage. Therefore, a woman can never have two husbands. Adultery is equally prohibited for both men and women as well as homosexuality with all its forms. These laws are made to provide children with a healthy environment for their souls, minds and social upbringing.

 -         Family relationships are based on love, grace, integrity, parents’ respect, kin ties, and all other manners that unite family members.

 -         Rights and duties are interchanging in the family so that each member’s right corresponds with a duty upon him.

-         Islam prevents the relationships between husband and wife to be based on competition. They must both believe that Allah (mighty God) has created each of them with different nature and characteristics so that they would complement each other than compete.

 -         The Islamic view doesn’t approve the recommendation in the document to allow early sexual encounters. This would mean more health problems such as abortion. Islam also rejects teaching sex for teenagers that would make it easier for them and would give them the right to have such encounters. Many Christian institutions also don’t approve this specific part. However, Islam approves sexual upbringing that is based on respecting the other sex privacy and knowledge of biological differences… and relating such sexual upbringing with “Chastity Culture” that is to be taught within the family or other social institutions. Islam prevents abortion as means to prevent or get rid of unwanted illegitimate pregnancy.

 -          The CIO doesn’t approve stereotyping all people into a single cultural pattern and way of life, and recommending it as the only successful pattern in the world.

To conclude, the CIO calls upon the advocates of women’ rights to pay more attention to the cultural diversity of peoples.  The CIO recommends cooperation in developing the universal aspects of the human life, keeping the peculiar beliefs and values of different peoples intact.