Aicndh.

CEETE DESCRIPTION ES EN ANGLAIS

About AICNDH

AICNDH is a non-profit association of 28 Burundi imams that was launched in January

2014 in northern Burundi, comprising of four provinces, namely Kayanza, Ngozi,

Kirundo and Muyinga. AICNDH was created to respond to needs to realize citizenship, human rights, tolerance

and coexistence. The founders of AICNDH discovered that sermons in some mosque

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were not reflective of the current global context. Moreover, they have found that

sectarian interpretations of religious texts are on the rise, which pose a threat to respect

for universal human rights, including women and girls’ rights. The objectives of AICNDH are the following:

• Preventing religious radicalism and sectarianism and promoting tolerance and

coexistence;

• Promoting the culture of peace and respect for universal human rights;

• Sensitizing imams on women and girls’ access to education, gender equality,

women’s participation in development, and maternal and children’s health;

• Promoting citizenship, participation and social integration of Muslims in Burundi. AICNDH’s priority areas of work are:

• Encouraging the egalitarian interpretation of Islamic texts and preventing

religious fanaticism.

• Promoting access to education and empowerment of Muslim girls.

• Countering gender-based violence and discrimination.

• Promoting maternal and infant health.

• Countering sexually transmitted diseases, like HIV/AIDS. Since its inception, AICNDH is actively invested in the promotion of human rights and

has carried out awareness sessions, lectures and Friday sermons addressing pressing

human rights issues. All 28 imams of AICNDH wholeheartedly believe in the initiative and are

against what they term “gender apartheid”. Currently, AICNDH is implementing the

initiative in partnership with MPV by promoting the rights of women through lectures,

Friday sermons, Question and Answer sessions at the mosque and through art

performances. Engaging these enthusiastic imams in the initiative offers

a unique opportunity to encourage peer-to-peer learning with other imams in Burundi

and neighbouring countries.