Jordan Times
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Queen commends women for
correcting misperceptions
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday commended Jordanian and Arab women
for correcting misperceptions and showcasing the multifaceted realities of Arab
women.
The Queen’s remarks were made during the third and final day of a conference
held by the International Women’s Forum (IWF) under the theme: “Building Bridges
— Breaking Walls” and organised by the IWF Jordan chapter.
“You are some of the Arab world’s finest ambassadors… As you go about your daily
meetings, your international phone calls, and your global travel, you are
dispelling myths, correcting misperceptions, and showcasing the multifaceted
realities of Arab women,” she said to the largest ever IWF gathering.
Queen Rania, who is honorary president of IWF Jordan, also spoke of the personal
success stories of a few beneficiaries of IWF’s Leadership Enhancement and
Mentoring Programme (LEMP) she met earlier this year.
“When I met the dynamic Jordanian women of the LEMP initiative back in January,
I was struck by their self-confidence and their stories of how the programme
inspired them to stand up, speak out, set goals and seek new opportunities,” she
said.
“[Women] are finding creative and courageous ways to catapult over [obstacles].
With IWF by their side, I know that they will land on their feet,” said the
Queen.
Turning to women’s workforce participation in the region, the Queen pointed to a
recent survey which found that women in the Middle East are increasingly
optimistic about their role in the workplace, and increasingly willing to take
responsibility for their own professional advancement.
“The labour force landscape is changing. Women in the Middle East are moving
into the workplace in larger numbers than ever before, and into more senior
positions,” she said.
“Of course, many of the old obstacles still exist, and I do not want to pretend
otherwise… We have a long way to go in changing cultural mindsets; in convincing
society that we can be wives, mothers and career women; in promoting
gender-friendly legislation; in getting more women into parliament and
decision-making roles; and in keeping girls in the workforce after university,”
she added.
But, increasingly, women are refusing to accept that these obstacles are an
insurmountable barrier to their progress… and they are finding creative and
courageous ways to catapult over them, the Queen noted.
Queen Rania’s address was followed by a panel session titled “Arab Women: Myths,
Misperceptions and Realities,” where participants noted that progress is being
made and the potential for better results is on the horizon.
“I’m hopeful for the future because of the enormous efforts and abilities of the
new Arab young, and because despite the prevalence of myths, there’s a spirit of
willingness at the grassroots [in the West] to reach out, and hear the Arab
side,” said one of the panelists, Leila Ahmad, a professor at Harvard Divinity
School.
The IWF conference brought together some 500 women from 32 countries, who
touched on issues related to Western democracy and its compatibility with the
needs of Arab and Middle Eastern societies. They also presented different
perspectives and visions for the future of the Arab world, as well as tackling
Western stereotyping and misperceptions of Arab women.
International scholars, business leaders, NGO representatives, and Arab women
parliamentarians were among those attending the meeting’s three main plenary
sessions, focusing on Islam, democracy and modernisation, the future of the Arab
world, and the role of Arab women.
IWF President Gay Cook told reporters that the knowledge IWF members gained at
the conference would help them to contribute to a better understanding between
the East and West.
Meanwhile, IWF Jordan Chapter President Reem Abu Hassan said Jordanian experts
taking part in the conference showed that there are individuals who can shed
light on challenges and discuss them.
“It was a challenge for us to discuss the human wealth in this country since
this is the first IWF in the Arab world. It was a responsibility we took upon
ourselves to help our sisters and other forums better understand us because of
the misconceptions of our region,” she added.