Dr. Moustafa Elfeki, Director of the BA, inaugurated the Regional Experts Meeting on Women Building Arab Communities, on 20 March 2019. The meeting was organized by the BA Women’s Studies and Social Transformation Program, and was held on 19 and 20 March 2019.
Dr. Elfeki said that the BA is concerned with holding meetings that discuss the issues of Arab women. He also stressed that women’s issues are inherently cultural, as we cannot deny that society is suffering from some ideas and beliefs that lead to the marginalization and isolation of women, among them the preference of boys over girls in several fields.
He also noted that this meeting comprises a host of experts in women’s issues, and asked the audience to address the issues that concern contemporary women, and come up with recommendations that can be applied on the ground. These issues include gender equality, and the laws and legislations that should be changed in order to advance the conditions of women.
Moreover, he said that it is unfair to accuse Arabs or Islam of discrimination against women, as the right of Arab women in education and work is guaranteed. He also asserted that women have assumed different and untraditional roles, such as being a fighter, a writer, a poet and a scientist.