Translate this page

English Arabic French German Greek Swahili Turkish

18 December 2025 / 27. Jamaad-Ul-Akhar 1447

Womens Empowerment Meeting

Womens Empowerment Meeting

Meeting 1

On Saturday the 19th of January, a breakout session was held exploring ideas of focus for women’s empowerment. This session was facilitated by Sis. Esmat Jeraj and Sis. Mariam Hassam and was attended by female representatives from mostly Stanmore Jamaat.

Various topics were explored centred around women and the challenges they face, the different areas where they can experience growth and the solutions for these challenges and to determine the next steps going forward. The aim of these discussions is to address needs related to women and to discuss how to engage better participation from women in the community.

Some of the areas of discussion included wellbeing, support for women, cultural restraints and political and social issues faced by women in our communities. Further discussions will be held and the work will be carried forward from the outcomes of these discussions.

For more information please visit our website at: https://www.coej.org/women-empowerment-meeting/

Group brainstorming session

Meeting 2

On Saturday 09 February 2019, the second Women Empowerment session was held in Birmingham. This session was facilitated by Sis. Esmat Jeraj and Sis. Mariam Hassam and was attended by 14 women of different ages and from various different Jamaats.

The pledge from Dr Akber’s manifesto ‘We are determined to remove any obstacles and barriers that prevent women from being active decision makers in the workings of our institutions, services and projects’ was highlighted. The work done so far was also highlighted such as the AGM, Women Empowerment session 1, women needs assessment and the discussion around best practice that should be part of this stream.

The group was then divided into smaller groups to discuss the four most pressing issues they felt needed to be addressed as well as who the stake holders were and what resources would be needed to bring about the change.

The four most pressing issues faced by women that were extracted from the group discussions were:

1. Religious misconceptions

2. Wellbeing

3. Representation

4. Judgements and expectations

It was a productive session where next steps were discussed and some women volunteered to join the different work streams that were emerging.

For more information please visit our website at: https://www.coej.org/women-empowerment-meeting-2-birmingham/

Sharing and reflecting on ideas

Smaller group activities

Closing remarks and conclusion


Related News


The “Living the Quran Through the Living Quran” is a new project to translate Tafseer-e Noor by Shaykh Mohsin Qara’ati into English, in both video and audio. Find out more here.


The Mulla Asgher Memorial Library and Islamic Resource Centre (MARC) was the culmination of an idea initiated by the then World Federation President, Dr Hasnain Walji, whose vision was to set up centres of knowledge in the memory of Marhum Mulla Asgharali M. M. Jaffer.


The Madinah and Bab al-Ilm Iran programme marked its 14th consecutive anniversary in the summer of 2016, with this being the first time that I decided to embark upon the course following my university education. This was also the first ever year in the programme that participants were bestowed the honour of being guests in the holy city of Qom for the birth anniversary of Sayeda Masouma (sa), as well as being in Mashhad for the corresponding celebrations for Imam Ridha (as).