Women’s role vital to ridding country of extremism, declares moot

FAISALABAD: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday maintained that women can play a significant role in ridding the society of the curse of intolerance and extremism through their positive approach.

The Women Leaders Summit was organised by the Government College for Women University Faisalabad in collaboration with Paigham-e-Pakistan and Dukhtaran-e-Pakistan. Former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, former MNA Dr Sameea Raheel Qazi, Abid Iqbal, Juggan Kazim, Ghazala Suhail, Quratul Ain, Irum Ahmed, Samar Khan and Aleena Zainab were prominent among those who spoke on the occasion. A large number of civil society activists, intellectuals, faculty members and students attended the summit.

In their speeches, the speakers said the empowerment of women is vital to rein in the forces of terrorism and extremism, adding that a meaningful role of women can lead the society to a prosperous and sustainable pathway. They said no country can progress without the active participation of its women in national development, and stressed the need to provide opportunities to women to achieve higher education and help them join mainstream fields in parallel with their male counterparts.

The speakers were of the view that the women often being the first teachers of children can play a vital role in educating young people to value peace and not destruction. They called upon the young women to come forward with a passion of disseminating Islam’s message of tolerance and peace.

They said Islam gives respect and special place to women in the society, adding that nations are built when mothers, daughters and sisters are respected. They said with increase of cases of prejudice, mental stress and anxiety in the society, the women as mothers have a particular role to inculcate in their young generations the moral values based on harmony and affinity