Muslim Council of Elders Celebrates Women as Part of the Iraq International Book Fair 2025
In conjunction with the Iraq International Book Fair’s celebration of Iraqi women—held under the theme “100 Iraqi Noons”—the Muslim Council of Elders pavilion hosted a seminar entitled "Women in the Project of Intra-Islamic Dialogue: Roles and Contributions”. The session featured Dr. Amira Ibrahim Hussein Al-Samarrai, Head of the Women’s Section at the Iraq Fiqh Academy, and Nasiba Sabah Al-Dahiri, Guide at the Mosque of Imam Abu Hanifa Al-Nu‘man. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Mohammed Gamal, researcher at the Al-Azhar Heritage Revival Office.
Dr. Mohammed Gamal opened the seminar by affirming that Islam, from the very dawn of its call, granted women both status and responsibility, and that a glance at Islamic civilization’s history reveals that women were never excluded from active participation and contribution.
For her part, Dr. Amira Al-Samarrai began by reaffirming the exalted status Islam accorded to women, noting that the Holy Qur’an spoke of women’s role and elevated their position as mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters—shapers of generations. She added that Islamic history has preserved the names of many women who had a prominent presence in the fields of knowledge and da‘wah, actively participating in building Islamic history and civilization across the ages.
Nasiba Al-Dahiri offered an analytical reading of social history that helped clarify the role women play within the Islamic framework. She stressed that the mother is the first link in forming awareness, making her role in intra-Islamic dialogue decisive, for she creates the primary cultural and moral mediator in human consciousness.
The Muslim Council of Elders is participating at the Iraq International Book Fair, in keeping with its mission to promote peace, entrench values of dialogue and tolerance, and build bridges of cooperation among humankind regardless of race or creed. The Council’s pavilion is located at the Baghdad International Fairground, Pavilion 16 – H6.
