Press Release
Hizb ut Tahrir Organized a Momentous International Women's Conference, "The Khilafah: Protecting Women from Poverty and Enslavement"

Hizb ut Tahrir organized a momentous International Women's Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday the 22nd of December 2012 entitled, "The Khilafah "Caliphate": Protecting Women from Poverty and Enslavement." Today a summary booklet was published detailing key points presented during the talks that day. The conference featured nine speeches as well as testimonials, and questions and comments from the audience. Speakers were from South East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Europe, Turkey, Africa, and the Arab world. Around 1500 delegates attended from across the globe, the majority being influential women, including journalists, politicians, academics, writers, political activists, community leaders, female scholars, representatives of organizations, as well as other influential women. The event was live-streamed and watched by an internet audience from across the world.

The conference began with an opening speech from the Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of Hizb ut Tahrir Muslimah Indonesia, Umm Fadhillah, who discussed the significance of hosting the event in Indonesia as well as the scale of poverty and exploitation facing women in the country. She stated, "Indonesia was chosen as the host of the conference because Indonesia is a Muslim country which is full of the Grace of Allah, with a large number of Muslims, vast land, and abundant natural resources. And it is a must that the goodness of this country becomes a mercy to the world....In Indonesia, a country that is blessed with rich natural resources there is a large poor population approximately 29.13 million people. This number is greater than the total population of Australia (21.5 million) and Malaysia (28.3 million). And 70% of the poor are women."

The second speech was given by Fika Komara, member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir for South East Asia and entitled, "Capitalism is the True Enemy of the Poor." The third speech was delivered by a member of Hizb ut Tahrir Muslimah Indonesia on behalf of Umm Musab, member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir for the Indian Subcontinent who was unable to attend the conference. The talk was entitled, "21st Century Enslavement of Women by the Free-Market." The fourth speech presented by Imrana Mohammed, member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir was entitled, "Empowerment OR Exploitation through Employment? Examining the Western Model of the Successful Woman." It discussed how capitalist states had used the language of empowerment of women through employment to exploit women by driving them into the workplace and making them money-making machines for the state.

The fifth speech, delivered by Umm Khalid, member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir for Turkey and Asia was entitled, "The Failure of the Model called ‘Moderate Islamic' to Secure Women's Economic Rights" The sixth speech given by Umm Yahia Mohamed, member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir for Africa was entitled, "Challenging the Western Narrative of the Cause and Solution to the Poverty of Women," where she explained how the Western capitalist arguments for addressing poverty were flawed and a distraction from placing focus on the need to remove the capitalist system from the Muslim lands which is the primary cause of poverty affecting women in the region. The seventh speech delievered by Om Sohayb AlShami, member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir was entitled, "The Islamic Perspective on the Primary Role of Women and Female Employment." She discussed how Islam prescribes a primary role for the woman as a mother and wife that is in accordance with her nature, does not over-burden her with the responsibility of being both the breadwinner and homemaker of the family, and which is raised to a high status in society. She also discussed the economic rights of women, including their right to be provided for always by male relatives or the state, and their right to work but in a safe environment free from humiliation, exploitation, or abuse.

The eighth speech was given by Iffah Ainur Rochmah, Spokeswoman for Hizb ut Tahrir Muslimah Indonesia and was entitled, "The Khilafah "Caliphate": The Only System to Protect Women from Poverty and Enslavement." She presented the unique economic, political, and social policies of the Khilafah "Caliphate" as detailed by the comprehensive Draft Constitution of Hizb ut Tahrir that will protect women from poverty, establish for them financial security, and guard them from exploitation. She stated that it is "an obligation for men to provide the basic needs of women...Islam ordered all men to work to meet their needs and their families. In this case, the state must provide jobs for the people, either by a direct or indirect approach. The State can directly create jobs through development projects. When natural resources are controlled by the state and not left to the private sector, jobs will be easily generated. This is what will happen if the Islamic economic system is applied...While the fulfillment of public needs such as education, health services and security, it is the state which provides them directly for the people and without any charge...To finance all of them, the Khilafah "Caliphate" will utilize the state-owned assets as well as from the results of the management of public property such as oil and gas, mining, sea, lakes, rivers, forests and so on..."

The final speech was delivered by Dr. Nazreen Nawaz, Member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir and was entitled, "A Call to Action." She discussed the great importance to which Islam ascribes the protection of the woman's dignity, wellbeing, rights, provision, and financial security. She also emphasized that the capitalist secular democratic system had been an utter failure in organizing the affairs of humanity and securing the economic needs of women, and called for a new political and economic vision for the women of the Muslim world in the form of the Khilafah "Caliphate". She also presented some of the economic policies of the Khilafah "Caliphate" that would be implemented in the first 30 days of its establishment to lay the foundation for eliminating poverty and creating economic prosperity. She stated, "It is this system that will not accept that a single citizen go hungry for even a day, a system that will establish sustainable growth, build an economy built on wealth not debt, eliminate mass unemployment, build a first-class free education and healthcare service...And among all this, will be the women of the Khilafah "Caliphate" - dignified, respected, empowered women; the centre of attention of the state with regards to their provision and care, living lives of financial security; women who work through choice not force with strict employment rights and a fair wage, working in a safe environment under the social system of Islam." She ended by calling the audience to give their support to Hizb ut Tahrir to establish the Khilafah "Caliphate" with urgency.

The event also featured a press conference in addition to an active panel discussion with the speakers as well as members from Hizb ut Tahrir Malaysia and Hizb ut Tahrir Australia, and ended with an overwhelming expression from the audience of their desire to live under the Khilafah "Caliphate". Many of the influential women attendees commented following the event that the conference had provided credible solutions to solving the poverty and exploitation facing women globally.

The conference was preceded by a global campaign that ran for a number of weeks addressing the true causes and solutions to the desperate poverty and enslavement facing women globally. This campaign will continue over the coming weeks, leading up to an official launch of the book and video of the conference in March 2013. A news report on the event can be seen at:

http://www.hi.zat.one/info/english.php/contents_en/entry_22313

Dr. Nazreen Nawaz
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir