Accra, June 13, GNA - The Federation of Muslim Women Association in Ghana (FOMWAG) in collaboration with the Cultural Consulate of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday commemorated the birthday of Nana Fatima Zahra, daughter of Prophet Mohammed.

In an address at the ceremony organized a day's seminar at the Ghana Muslim Mission at Korle-Gonno in Accra, Hajia Gariba Hawawu Boya, Deputy Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, said the greatest problems associated with Muslim women in Ghana included poverty, ignorance and disease.

She called on Muslim women to be others' keeper and reminded the Muslim women to take cue from the shining examples of Nana Fatima Zahra who only lived for 18 years before her death. Fatima was a pious woman who helped to nurture the Muslim religion in the youth during her days.

She reminded Muslim women to send their daughters to school and that they may one day occupy important positions in the country's administration. She noted that, "the 'Sakawa' menace had been associated with our children in the Zongos" and reminded them to refrain from the practice. What said what disturbed her most was that the young Muslim girls are normally found in tight pair of jeans trousers with small blouses. When these ladies are approached in English or Arabic, they can hardly respond and added that Moslem girls should be given support and guidance to grow.

The Deputy Minister thanked the Iranian Government for their continuous assistance to Muslim women in Ghana and called for more support from them. She also prayed for a long co-existence of bilateral relationship between the two countries. In a speech, Sheikh Seebaway Zakariah, Lecturer at the Islamic University in Accra, called on Muslim women to have faith in themselves since mankind is growing and changing towards success. He said spirituality calls for sober reflection and spiritual enhancement activities which necessitated a lot of sacrifices.

He therefore reminded Muslim women to forgo passions and embrace compulsory worship of Allah daily. He added that women with problems should always get closer to God for consolation and not to allow earthly things destroy their lives. Speaking on the topic; "Changing the face of the Ghanaian Woman through Education" Hajia Hazara Majeed, an Islamic Scholar, said the Holy Quran says education was mandatory. She implored Muslim women to take up the fight against all things that are negative towards their growth.

She asked Muslim women to form, through FOMWAG Co-operating Credit Unions and Counselling Centres for their womenfolk nationwide.

She also expressed concern that Muslim women sit idle without advising their husbands to refrain from tribal conflicts in the country.

"When a woman is well-educated, she can take up any position in the country", she added. An Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health Science in the Republic of Iran, Dr. Shadi Nafisi said the Census of 2006 in the Republic of Iran indicated women's literacy rate to be 80% as compared to the total population of women above 6 years. She said the number of women admitted to state higher educational centres was reported to be 285,634 in 2007 which is 20 times more than the number before the Iranian Revolution. She reiterated that the percentage of females admitted into Iran University as compare to the total admitted population in 2007 was 64% for Bachelor of Arts, 42% for the Master of Arts and the Philosophy Degree had 44%.

She added that Muslim women are proud and honoured to have Nana Fatimah Zahra as an example and urged them to learn from her moderate way of living. The Seminar brought together Muslim women from all over the Greater Accra Region.