UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 21 (NNN-MAP): Religion is not responsible for hindering women's march towards emancipation, Moroccan MP, Fatiha Layadi said Wednesday at the UN press club.

"It is wrong to take religion as responsible for hindering women's march towards emancipation. On the contrary, religion endows several rights to women," said Layadi in a joint debate with Saudi goodwill ambassador Muna Abusulayman on "Women Leaders in the Arab Wold".

In this regard, she gave the example of Morocco's Family Code, which is inspired by the religious referential.

King Mohammed VI, who restored women's rights, in implementation of the holy Koran, has removed certain prejudices against women, she said, stressing, however, that a lot needs to be done to achieve equal opportunities between men and women.

"Morocco is a pioneer in the Arab world in terms of human rights," the Moroccan MP said, pleading for further choices in the professional field for her countrywomen.

Refusing to "import ready models," Moroccan women have their own specificities, which allow them to distinguish themselves regionally and internationally, said Layadi, a founding member of the Movement of All Democrats and author of :"Les droits des femmes au Maroc au 21-ème siècle" (Women Human Rights in Morocco in the 21st Century).

Layadi and Abusulayman, who authored "The Sinuous Way of Arab Women Leaders", gave their respective reading of the struggle of Arab women for empowerment, and the hindrances that still block their way.

The two women leaders accused tradition and mindsets as the main blocking factors to the emancipation of women in the Arab world.

Diplomats, journalists and academics, participating in the debate, also raised issues related mainly to women's rights, access to education and executive posts, as well as heritage and equal opportunities.

-NNN-MAP