The 3 day virtual mega event finally came to an end on the 8th of April 2021 after the closing ceremony which was officiated by the president of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum H.E Taha Ayhan.
“Women Are At The Heartbeat of Every Society”
H.E Taha Ayhan expressed his sincere gratitude to the hundreds of young women and men who came together during this virtual summit in support of women empowerment and emancipation at a time when it is needed the most. His excellency reminded us all that although the summit had reached its end , our work towards fulfilling the wishes of our young women and Muslim youth had just begun. In line with the global SDGs the president vowed to keep fighting for the betterment of the youth and young women in particular through initiatives and the creation of platforms that promote inclusivity.
Panel 1: “Female Activism and Participation: Challenges and Successful Examples ”
Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, first woman to lead the organization in its history , Ubah Ali, Social activist and feminist from Somaliland, who campaigns against female genital mutilation, Ala Salaah, Sudanese student and activist, Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest American Muslim civil rights organization were among the speakers for the first half of the last day of the summit giving phenomenal examples from their own lives and how they managed to push through the pain in an attempt to make it against all odds.
PANEL 2: “Young Female Athletes”
Shirin Gerami, Iran’s first female triathlete competing in a world championship. On 15 September 2013, Gerami raced the triathlon championship in London while garbed in full Islamic dress,Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, Muslim American and former collegiate basketball player for the University of Memphis and Indiana State University. Abdul-Qaadir was also the first NCAA Division I athlete to wear a hijab while playing and Kulsoom Abdullah, Pakistani-American weightlifter who became the first female weightlifter representing Pakistan when she competed at the 2011 World Championships spoke during this panel giving inspiration to the hundreds of participants who were taking notes from their inspiring life stories.
