Ms. Jane Fatima Casewit visits Uganda

Ms. Jane Fatima Casewit visits Uganda

Ms. Jane Fatima Casewit visited Uganda from August 21-27 to meet and talk with Muslim audiences in Kampala, Arua, Yumbe, and Mbale under the Mission’s U.S. Speaker Program.  Her engagements focused on topics such as “Women and Islam: Empowerment and Responsibility”, “Religious Freedom and Muslim Life in America”, and “The Role of the Youth in Shaping the Future of the Global Community”.  In Kampala, Mrs. Casewit held discussions with students of the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) female campus, women leaders, and the Mufti of Uganda.  She was also the guest of honor at a women’s Iftaar dinner hosted by Public Affairs Officer Joann Lockard and took part in the Nambi TV Talk Show.  In Arua and Yumbe, she met with Muslim women at the Arua and Taqwa mosques.  In Mbale, Mrs. Casewit met with Muslim women and IUIU students and was a guest on Open Gate FM.   She was able to engage over eight hundred Muslims during her one week program.

One of the U.S. Mission’s goals in Uganda is to encourage dialogue between Ugandans and Americans as a way of addressing negative perceptions, promoting mutual understanding, and exploring avenues for collaboration and growth between the two countries.

This program generated lively debate on Muslim life in the U.S, Islam and terrorism, community development support, women’s rights in Islam, and education for girls. This program provided Ms. Casewit and the Mission’s Public Affairs staff an opportunity to meet with a cross-section of women, students, academics, professionals and religious leaders in Uganda’s vibrant Muslim community, which demonstrated the United States’ respect for Islam during the holy month of Ramadan.