ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 31, 2012) – Some 150 Muslim women religious scholars and religious teachers, including Muslim women civil society leaders from different parts of the Philippines will gather in Zamboanga City for the 3rdNational Conference of Muslim Women Peace Advocates.
The event, to be held at the Lantaka Hotel from March 31 to April 3, has been organized by the Magbassa Kita Foundation, Inc. (MKFI) and the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID)
Anchored on the theme “Empowered Women of Faith, Rebuilding Peace,” organizers said the conference will strengthen the role of the national network of Muslim women religious scholars and women peace advocates.
“Over the years, the effects of conflict in Mindanao have affected hundreds of thousands of individuals, most of them women and children. Thus, women have to be involved in peace building as well as in development,” PCID President Amina Rasul said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
Since 2001, the PCID and MKFI have been conducting workshops, focus group discussions and training sessions with Muslim women, with the purpose of developing them as peace advocates and agents of change.
In 2009, the PCID and MKFI organized the first training program on conflict prevention, peacemaking, and civic education while building their network supported by the One Woman Initiative. (Gandhi Kinjiyo)
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