TEHRAN – The “Women’s Role in Society from the Prophet’s (S) Viewpoint” congress was held in Mashhad last Thursday. In the inauguration ceremony, Seyyed Ali Hosseini, the deputy director of the Khorasan Razavi Culture and Islamic Guidance Department, said that in every society a woman’s personality is considered to be of fundamental importance. Islam has a balanced attitude towards the role of women, Hosseini expressed, adding “feministic viewpoints which are created by the imperfect human mind can never lead us to happiness, it is the religion of Islam that provides us with felicity in both worlds.”

Women in Western societies are treated as objects and are not granted adequate respect, Hosseini noted, adding that this cultural invasion is observed in all countries.

We regret that women in Muslim countries are attracted towards these false ideals, when the Prophet of Islam and the guidance found in the Holy Qoran has provided them with the perfect model of womanhood, Hosseini maintained.

In today’s world, it is our duty as Muslims to make use of the teachings of the Qoran as a healing formula and the Prophet Mohammad (S) as a great human model who enriched and improved the dignity of women, he stipulated.

In Islamic society, it is vital to provide the means for women to educate themselves to fit into the modern world, but their role as a mother needs to be stressed. Women should not only take pride in their education but also in their ability to undertake the proper upbringing of their children, as the development of a country depends on the moral standards of the up- and- coming generation.

We should teach men to appreciate their mothers and spouses and remind them that a man’s success is based on a harmonious relationship with his female companion, Hosseini emphasized.

The congress was held with the cooperation of the Khorasan Razavi’s General Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Society of Qoran Chanters in Mashhad’s Nour Hall.