Mohtarma
Bhutto to lead new Muslim global organization
Islamabad, 9 May 2007: Former Pakistani Prime Minister and
Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto together with Mrs
Hoda Badran, Egypt, will lead a new forum called " Muslim women for human rights
and democracy" as Chair and Vice Chair respectively.
The forum was
established Tuesday May 8 in Oslo, Norway, in the Oslo Centre for Peace and
Human Rights by a group of the worlds most influential Muslim women.
Says
Iranian Nobel prizewinner Shirin Ebadi: "I welcome this initiative starting a
Forum for Muslim Women for Democracy". The vision of the Forum is to empower
Muslim women in all nations and to provide a new, global platform around the
world to support the values of peace and justice.
According to Mohtarma
Bhutto the Forum resolves to enhance the culture of tolerance within and amongst
communities. The first goals are to raise awareness amongst the more than 600
million Muslim women in the world about their basic human rights and to
challenge all discriminatory laws and practices, which undermine the equal
status of women. The group also decided to challenge governments to adopt good
governance and encourage them to adopt affirmative actions and policies to
promote women in decision-making positions at all
level.