Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) participated in the annual international conference, “Women's Voices: Exploring the Role and Impact of Muslim Female Preachers in Africa” organized by the Department of Religious Studies in collaboration with the African Studies Center at the University of Kansas, USA, held on May 18–19, 2026.
In her keynote speech during the opening session—titled “Muslim Women in Africa and the Arab World: Key Figures and Critical Roles”—Dr. Reham Salamah, AOCE Executive Director, emphasized that women's leadership in Islamic thought is neither a modern invention nor a concession to contemporary trends. Rather, it is a reclamation of the authenticity of Islamic heritage, in which women have historically stood as vital pillars and bearers of knowledge and leadership.
Dr. Salamah stressed that extremist ideology is inherently driven by an opportunistic logic that links religiosity to transactionalism and violence—a premise that Muslim women have intellectually and spiritually dismantled for centuries. She concluded her remarks by asserting that the future of Muslim societies does not require inventing new roles for women, but rather reconnecting them with their authentic, historical legacy.
On the level of academic moderation, Dr. Reham Salama chaired the conference's second session, titled “Ethics, Moral Formation, and Gendered Religious Instruction”. The session featured presentations of significant research papers, including:
Culture, Religion, and Marriage in Northern Nigeria: A Case Study of Maryam Lemu’s Insights, presented by Abdulkarim Auwal.
Between Authority and Constraint: Female Muslim Preachers and Patriarchal Moral Discourse in Northern Nigeria, presented by Rahina Muazu.
Islamic Work Ethics among Muslim Women Workers in Jos South, presented by Aisha Salis Abdullahi.
During the fifth session, titled “Institutional Authority and Female Religious Leadership: Al-Azhar and Beyond”, chaired by Professor Jacquelene Brinton, Dr. Salamah presented a research paper titled: “Becoming a Female Faith Actor: Women’s Leadership and Religious Authority at Al-Azhar”.
Within this context, Dr. Salama presented AOCE as a practical case study in fostering this intellectual shift. By fully integrating female researchers into the fields of monitoring, analyzing, and dismantling the discourses of terrorist groups across 13 different languages, Al-Azhar offers a moderate Islamic model that transcends traditional cultural boundaries. This approach intellectually empowers women to protect societies—particularly across the African continent—from extremist ideologies.
AOCE participation in this international forum aimed to showcase both the Egyptian and Al-Azhar vision, which is centered on investing in women's intellectual capacities within the battle for public awareness. Furthermore, it sought to exchange expertise and methodological tools with international academics and policymakers on ways to enhance women's roles in countering intellectual polarization and fostering community resilience against violent extremism.