Jimmy Carter standing among ISNA leaders at Cobo Hall in Detroit on Saturday August, 30th.

DETROIT — In his speech at the 51st Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) at Cobo Hall on Saturday, Aug. 30, Former President Jimmy Carter focused on women’s rights and reasserted his support for an independent Palestinian state. 

The ISNA is one of the largest Muslim gatherings in the country and drew thousands of attendees. Carter gave the keynote address.

Prominent world-renowned imams also spoke at the four-day event, which started Friday.

Carter was the 39th president, serving from 1977- 1981. He said being a former president has given him the freedom of moving around the world, meeting whom he chooses and saying what he believes. 

After the former president concluded his speech, Carter and a group of imams from around the world signed a document that demands equality and justice for women and denounces all forms of oppression and violence against them.

Carter’s appearance at the convention was opposed by anti-Muslim groups that claimed ISNA has ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, a notion the organization denies.

Carter said the Carter Center, which has a $100-million annual budget, is focused on peace, especially in the Middle East; it also monitors elections, promotes democracy and provides health care and humanitarian aid to underdeveloped communities internationally.

“But what I wanted to talk to you this afternoon about is human rights,” Carter told the crowd. He described oppression against women as “the most terrible human rights violation on earth.”

Carter said misinterpretation of religious texts could lead to injustices, citing how racist leaders in Georgia, where he grew up, used verses from the Bible to justify racial segregation. 

“We all know now that was a false interpretation, and one of the reasons for violations against females is the misinterpretation of holy scriptures about the treatment of women and girls,” carter said. 

Carter enumerated a list of abuses perpetrated against women in the United States and around the world. He said every month 200- 300 girls are brought to Atlanta against their will and sold into sexual slavery.

“The two most revered systems in America are our university system, which is a great one, and our military,” said Carter. “One out of every five girls who enrolls in an American university will be sexually assaulted before she finishes four years of college. The reason for this is that the presidents and deans of colleges do not want to admit that sexual assaults take place on their campuses, so they advise the girls against making a legal issue against their rapists.”

He said in the U.S. military only about 1 percent of recorded cases of sexual assault are brought to justice.

Carter also spoke about child marriages and female genital mutilation around the world.

“In Egypt at this moment, despite the law against [the female genital mutilation], 90 percent of every female living has had her sexual organs cut or mutilated, and throughout many countries in Africa, this practice still exists,” the former president said.

Carter said his center is partnering with the Grand Imam of the AlAzhar Islamic University in Cairo to prepare a document to show that nowhere in the Qur’an does it say women are inferior to men.

“In the Qur’an, it says, ‘Women and men are created equally from the one soul,'” Carter quoted the Islamic scripture.

He added that some Muslims and Christians are guilty of misinterpreting their holy books.

Carter also said the best way for men to support women’s rights is to treat their wives, daughters and sisters with equality and respect. 

“If you were taught by your parents or you believe you are superior to your wife just because you are a man, Allah says you are wrong,” the former president said. 

Carter touched on some political issues in a brief question and answer session with ISNA Executive Director Hazem Bata after his speech. Carter demanded the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison and cited “full autonomy” for the Palestinian people as a prerequisite to peace in the Middle East.

“You can’t bring peace to the Middle East without justice and human rights for the Palestinians,” Carter said.

Gov. Snyder, who also spoke at the convention, faced similar criticism as Carter. However, his speech on Friday angered Muslim organizations across the country, including ISNA, which urged its members and supporters to contact the governor over his pro-Israeli remarks at the convention.

A statement released by ISNA on Tuesday said it has always been the organization’s tradition to invite the governor of the state where the convention is held to speak at the event. 

“Unfortunately, near the end of his welcome remarks, Snyder unexpectedly affirmed Israel’s right to exist without any mention of Palestinian human rights. This was especially offensive in light of the recent massive deaths in Gaza due to Israel’s military campaign,” added the statement. “We urge everyone to contact Governor Snyder’s office and express that Palestinians also have the right to exist, be free on their land and to an immediate end of Israeli occupation.”

Snyder called for peace and co-existence between the different religious communities and thanked ISNA for its interfaith outreach. 

The Michigan Muslim Community Council also criticized the governor for his remarks at the convention.

“We are disappointed he used this opportunity to ignore human rights of Palestinians yet affirm the right of Israel to defend itself,” the local Muslim organization stated on its Facebook page, joining ISNA’s call for its supporters to contact Snyder.