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CEDAR Conference and Gala

Annual Conference and European Muslim Women of Influence Awards Ceremony

30 October 2010
Madrid

The Institute, in partnership with Casa Árabe, hosted the CEDAR Network’s first major public conference and international gala event in Madrid on 30 October 2010. The gala featured the announcement of the European Muslim Women of Influence finalists and showcased their inspirational stories. In its inaugural year the European Muslim Women of Influence initiative has received nominations honouring individuals spanning 11 European countries and encompassing a diverse range of professional fields, including law, journalism, religion, the arts, government and medicine.

This year's winners were 

Ndeye Andújar - a spokeswoman for Islamic feminism and Editor-in-Chief of Webislam.com, a site that seeks to inform and enhance public perceptions of the Muslim community within Spain;

Sineb El-Masrar - Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Gazelle, Germany’s first multicultural women’s magazine targeted specifically at women from minority backgrounds;

Shaheed Fatima - one of the UK’s leading human rights lawyers, who has been the counsel in a number of high-profile and significant counter-terrorism and human rights cases;

Zaha Hadid - one of the UK’s most highly acclaimed and sought-after architects whose national and international works constantly push the boundaries of urban design;  

Sabina Iqbal - Chair and Founder of Deaf Parenting UK, the first charity run by deaf parents for deaf parents in the UK and worldwide;

Lamya Kaddor - founder of the Liberal Islamic Union, whose work reflects her unique interpretation of contemporary German Islam and seeks to provide a voice for liberal Muslims in Germany and across Europe;

Barni Nor - A nurse, nutritionist, full-time PhD student and chairwoman for the Muslim Women’s Association in Stockholm who regularly represents the Muslim community at official government meetings, conferences and in the media;

Nabila Ramdani- a French journalist and academic who specialises in Anglo-French issues, Islamic affairs and the Arab World; 

Hilal Sezgin - a freelance journalist and political commentator from Germany, who has published several works on the topics of Islam, Islamophobia, German feminism and multiculturalism within Europe;

Anna Stamou - Marketing Manager of the Muslim Association of Greece and Director of the first Greek Muslim centre, who has worked tirelessly to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in Greece.

Keynote speeches at the event were delivered by Estrella Rodriguez Pardo, Spain’s Director General of Integration of Immigrants, and Cherie Blair QC.

Click here to download the press release and the EMWI brochure.

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