Muslim women around the world have increasingly been in the limelight for their leadership roles and the boldness with which they address critical issues affecting their community. In Sudan for instance, women are visibly on the frontline of the current uprising, defying security forces to demand for president Omar Al-Bashir’s resignation after three decades in power.

On 17 April 2019, the Rift Valley Forum hosted a panel discussion to launch the fourth issue of Women in Islam, a journal by the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA). The journal engages critically with issues affecting Muslim women in the Horn of Africa and beyond. It aims to provide Muslims and non-Muslims from all walks of life with space to discuss the political, social and cultural challenges at the intersection of gender and religion.

The discussion reflected on some of the themes of the journal and the vital importance of these debates in contemporary society, including women’s religious scholarship, women’s sexuality and violent extremism.

Discussants

Fatima Azmiya Badurdeen
Technical University of Mombasa

Hala Alkarib
Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa

Abdul Noormohamed
Open Society Foundation