A Community Conversation with Muslim Women

Date and time: June 10, 2020, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)

Register here.

Join a conversation about current issues facing Muslim women in Victoria.

The Victorian Multicultural Commission will host an open conversation with a panel of inspiring Muslim women to identify and explore current issues they and other women face.

As leading voices among their communities, these dynamic panellists will share their perspectives on the issues and draw attention to the experiences of Muslim women during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and beyond.

Together, we will discuss what can be done to not only address these issues but to also ensure that the voices of Muslim women are heard now and into the future.

This event was inspired by the success of our recent Women’s Virtual Iftar event in May 2020. We therefore invite women of all backgrounds to join us for what promises to be an insightful and thought-provoking conversation.

Panel members:

• Hana Assafiri AO, business woman and social change agent
• Eugenia Flynn, writer, arts worker and community organizer
• Samah Sabawi, playwright, author and poet
• Diana Sayed, CEO of Centre for Muslim Women

MC and facilitator: Maria Dimopoulos AM, Deputy Chairperson, Victorian Multicultural Commission

Biographies:

Hana Assafiri AO, business woman and social change agent. Hana has dedicated her professional and private life to removing barriers that prevent women from living prosperous lives. Whether it is fostering social cohesion through community events or creating a safe, diverse space for Muslim women to share their stories, Hana Assafiri is celebrated for both her generosity and success as a businesswoman. She is the founder and owner of the popular Moroccan Soup Bar in North Fitzroy — an institution for many Victorians where she has provided employment opportunities for marginalized members of the community. She has played an extraordinary role in promoting the rights of Muslim women, and indeed of all women. Her vision is advantageous to the Victorian community and has inspired many others.

Eugenia Flynn, writer, arts worker and community organizer. Eugenia runs the blog Black Thoughts Live Here and her thoughts on the politics of race, identity, gender and culture have been published widely. Eugenia identifies as Aboriginal (Tiwi and Larrakia), Chinese Malaysian and Muslim, working within her multiple communities to create change through literature, art, politics and community development.

Samah Sabawi, playwright, author and poet. Samah is an award-winning playwright, author and poet. Her critically acclaimed play Tales of a City by the Sea was selected for the 2016 Victorian Certificate of Education Drama Playlist, won two Drama Victoria awards for best new Australian publication and best performance for VCE and was nominated for Best Independent Production at the Green Room Awards. The play was staged to full houses and standing ovations in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Malaysia, Canada and Palestine and is on the study list of a number of universities and schools around the globe.

Diana Sayed, CEO of Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights. Diana is a campaigner and international human rights lawyer. She has recently been appointed as the CEO Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights. Prior to joining Fair Agenda, she was a senior crisis response campaigner at Amnesty International Australia where she worked on issues pertaining to war crimes in Syria, civilian casualties in Iraq, women’s rights in Afghanistan, and genocide in Myanmar against the Rohingya Muslim minority community. She is passionate about taking an intersectional approach to gender equality. Diana has worked as an advocate, campaigner and disruptor defending human rights activists and their rights and freedoms in the face of oppressive government and state practices for over 10 years. An Afghan-Australian woman from refugee migrant parents, Diana has the lived experience of visible minorities in Australia and advocates for space to have all voices heard and to have a platform to speak equally and freely.

This event will be hosted on Zoom and you will receive the log-in details once you confirm your registration. Participants will be invited to share their questions and thoughts through a Q&A function.