I was interested to read the comments from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) president Sanusi Junid about the 'backwardness of Muslim women in society during his speech at the international conference on 'The Status of Muslim Women in Contemporary Societies: Realities and Prospects' at IIUM recently.

Perhaps in the search for solutions, we should look closely at what can be improved at IIUM.

When my parents and aunts came to Malaysia to visit me in March, I had to find a place for the 'Jumaat solat' where they could also attend, and also, where they could understand the 'khutbah'. This was necessary because my mother and aunts have been performing 'Jumaat solat' ever since they moved to Canada. They were not allowed to do so in their home country.

My parents and aunts have always taught me the value of a complete Islamic education. That is why attending the 'Jumaat solat' is so vital to them, because of the knowledge from the 'khutbah'.

I chose the IIUM campus in Gombak for the Friday prayers because I had heard that they did the 'khutbah' in English and Arabic. I also knew that at IIUM, there was a place for Muslim women to perform the 'jumaat'. Unfortunately, all five of us came out of the 'Jumaat solat' at IIUM that day full of disappointment.

The 'khutbah' was performed that day in French and Arabic, which I am sure most of the people attending the 'jumaat' that day could not understand. There was no option for a translation of the 'khutbah'. Ironically, there were large displays at the front of the mosque announcing meetings and important events during the 'khutbah'. Could these displays not have been used to show a translation of the 'khutbah'?

My father was disappointed because the young people around us were busy talking during the 'khutbah'. He was surprised because he thought that students at an Islamic university would pay more attention to a 'khutbah'.

The biggest disappointment was saved for my mother and aunts. When we met after the 'solat', they told me that the speaker system in the women's gallery was not working so they could not hear the 'khutbah' properly. Even worse, many of the women in the gallery were chatting away or reading the Quran aloud, making it impossible for others to concentrate.

I expected a lot more from IIUM, a place that is supposed to be dedicated to Islamic education for all. We need to understand that the value of women in society has been stated again and again in the Quran. According the Nabi Muhammad (pbuh) raising a daughter is better than raising a son, and a person must honour his mother much more than his father. Education is vitally important for Muslim women because of the special place that they hold in Islamic society.

Contrast this with the situation that we actually see. In most 'Islamic' societies, women are not permitted to go to the mosque for the 'Jumaat'. In all of these societies, men deliberately keep women from having full access to education and knowledge, whether Islamic or otherwise. Even in Malaysia, a self-proclaimed 'progressive and civilisational' Islamic country, women do not have the opportunity to attend the 'Jumaat' prayers.

We can do better. We must do better. Improvements to Muslim society can come about easily by encouraging the education of Muslim women. If IIUM wants to make some real changes, they can forget about holding conferences. Just fix the loudspeakers and encourage Muslim women to attend the 'Jumaat solat'.