In 2010, a wave of revolutions began to sweep a series of North African and Arab nations. The force behind it was so strong that it didn’t peter out, but rumbled on and on until today. Certain countries managed to topple their autocratic governments but others are still struggling to do so. Their men and women alike are tired of corruption, social discrimination, religious suppression, and poverty. And amidst all this, women have seized the opportunity to make their voices heard, played an important role in keeping the momentum of these people driven movements going. A sea of women has come out of the shadows, cast over them by social discrimination and cultural norms.
The level of women’s participation in any society is always a subject of much debate. In these nations, women have been frustrated over their limited role in society for decades, and are now making a stand. Their Arab tongue and culture has united the revolutions of the region, bringing about what has been labeled the Arab spring by Western nations, and the Islamic awakening in Iran. The Iranian nation staged its revolution more than 3 decades ago, and has since strived to live up to the ideals of that revolution, one being the rights of women. This has brought Iranian women closer to their Arab and African sisters now staging their revolutions. To celebrate this, women thinkers and activists from all these Muslim nations, came together to take part in the International Conference on Women and the Islamic awakening was held in Tehran.