Nashville Muslim Leader to Join State of Women Summit

Washington, 7 Ramadan 1437/12 June 2016 (MINA) – Aisha Lbhalla, who is the founder of the Muslim Women’s Council and a member of the Metro Human Relations Commission, will be joining a national conversation on gender equality issues that will include First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

Lbhalla, of Nashville, was nominated and selected to be a part of the United State of Women summit, which is being convened by the White House on Tuesdaya, according to The Tennessean reports.

The summit is “a large-scale effort to rally together advocates of gender equality to highlight what we’ve achieved, identify the challenges that remain, and chart the course for addressing them,” the Office of the First Lady said in a post on Medium.

It’s being convened by the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Department of State, the Department of Labor, the Aspen Institute and Civic Nation. In addition to panelists and breakout sessions, the summit will also feature a conversation between Obama and Winfrey about the progress women have made as well as their personal experiences.

The summit seemed like a natural fit for Lbhalla, whose work through the Muslim Women’s Council allows her to address the educational, social and personal development needs of all women in the community. She helps do that while also giving the public a better understanding of Islam, especially as it relates to Muslim women. Recently, Lbhalla helped organize a self-defense class for women as a response to the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric across the country.

While she’s not certain who nominated her, Lbhalla said she is thrilled at the opportunity to be a part of the summit and represent Muslim women. Her goal is to learn all she can and bring back relevant information and tools to share with the Nashville community.(T/R04/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)