
A
group of young women cyclists ready to whizz on the newly built cycling track
near the seaside.
Image
Credit: Supplied
----
Hadiya
Case: NIA Breaks New Ground by Questioning Couple over WhatsApp
Saudi
Women Conquer Jeddah Streets on Bicycle
Visual
Artist, Shahida Ahmed, a British, Inspires Women
Saudi
Arabia Holding Women in 'Torture' Conditions, Say UK Mps
Saudi
Has To Free Woman Activists for Business As Usual
Iran
Women See New Opportunities alongside Old Barriers
‘Remove
The Burqa’: Female Tradie Named as One Nation’s Star Candidate for NSW Election
Malaysia
Must End Female Genital Mutilation — Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre
For Women
Iran
Women See New Opportunities alongside Old Barriers
Rouhani's
Former Deputy Says His Government Has Failed Women
Teachers
In Khuzestan Protest For Their Rights Once Again
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islam,-women-and-feminism/new-age-islam-news-bureau/indian-muslim-girls-find-it-tough-to-get-qualified-grooms/d/117643
--------
Indian
Muslim Girls Find It Tough To Get Qualified Grooms
04th
February 2019
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
A widening gap in educational qualification between boys and girls is creating
an imbalance in many communities, with the latter finding it difficult to get
qualified grooms. It is starker in the Muslim community.
A
Centre for Information and Guidance India (CIGI) study, conducted formally in
three districts and informally in the rest, found many Muslim boys are inclined
towards starting a business than spending years on academics.
Kozhikode
Government Arts and Science College Statistics Department head Z A Ashraf, who
piloted the CIGI study, told Express: “There’s a huge discrepancy. Even after
getting good marks in Plus-Two, Muslim boys drop out of studies for the sake of
making money, thus creating a problem.”
“Muslim
girls get into premier institutions and there’re doctoral and post-doctoral
scholars in science. And most of them will be overqualified for the prospective
grooms.”
“Muslim
girls are highly educated, but boys lag them. For every educated boy there’re
seven highly qualified girls,” said Palayam Juma Masjid Imam Suhaib Moulavi.
A
three-pronged issue that leads to an imbalance
A
study has revealed that in the past 10 years, almost all OBC seats at AIIMS New
Delhi were filled by Muslim girls. They are breaking barriers in the general
quota as well and entering premium institutes of the country.
Asked
whether it would affect the study prospects of girls from the community in the
future, Ashraf said: “Yes. Such signs are visible and some Muslim families have
started thinking of not giving higher education to their girls.”
Runa
Laila (name changed), a doctor from Thalassery, got separated from her
businessman-husband after finding they could not get along well.
Dr
Fazal Gafoor, general secretary of Muslim Educational Society --- an education
conglomerate which has around 1,00,000 students on its rolls --- said: “Muslim
girls have overtaken boys in all spheres of education and now more of them are
becoming professionals. The same parents who’re educating girls prefer their
boys to look after family business.”
Gafoor
added: “The issue is three-pronged --- highly-educated girls, under-qualified
boys and girls who’re forced to cover their faces in their husbands’ places.
These lead to imbalances resulting in either divorces or girls not getting
grooms who’ve equal educational status.”
The
Muslim community is now trying to lift the level of education among their
boys.“In earlier days, there was reservation for boys in educational
institutions. It has to be there to increase the number of boys joining higher
education to eventually help narrow the gap,” said Suhaib Moulavi.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/feb/04/muslim-girls-find-it-tough-to-get-qualified-grooms-1933892.html
--------
Hadiya
Case: NIA Breaks New Ground by Questioning Couple over WhatsApp
FEBRUARY
03, 2019
Shirin
Shahana and Fasal Musthafa, now in Yemen, were unable to depose in person in a
case of brainwashing of Hadiya for conversion.
In
a first, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) questioned an Indian couple
currently in Yemen through the messaging platform WhatsApp.
Shirin
Shahana and Fasal Musthafa, who allegedly persuaded Hadiya (Akhila Asokan), a
homeopathy student from Kerala, to convert to Islam, were recently sent
questions by the agency.
A
senior NIA official said the agency recorded the replies as part of their
investigation files.
“Since
they are not in India, it was impossible to question them. We sent the
questions to them on WhatsApp where they replied. It will be treated as
evidence under law,” the official said.
In
2016, Ms. Hadiya’s father had moved the Kerala High Court alleging that she was
radicalised and forcibly married to a Muslim man.
The
High Court annulled the marriage and her husband Shafin Jahan moved the Supreme
Court, which asked the NIA to investigate the case.
The
apex court restored Ms. Hadiya’s marriage to Mr. Jahan on March 8 last year,
but allowed the NIA to continue its investigation into any criminality
involved. It asked the agency to steer clear of Ms. Hadiya’s choice to marry
Mr. Jahan. The NIA said it had not closed the investigations in the case and it
would continue the work.
In
a status report to the Supreme Court last year, it said the agency had evidence
that Ms. Hadiya was brainwashed by the couple who met her at Sathya Sarani, a
religious institution affiliated to the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Malappuram
district of Kerala.
During
their investigations, the NIA found that the couple were now based in Yemen
where they were pursuing some religious studies. The official said they were
unlikely to return to India and their questioning was critical for the ongoing
probe.
The
NIA had also told the Supreme Court that Ms. Hadiya was “brainwashed in
difficult academic conditions to embrace Islam” by the couple.
Earlier,
courts have issued summons through WhatsApp. In 2017, the Bombay High Court for
the first time allowed serving of summons through the messaging platform to the
defendants in a copyright infringement case as they were evasive.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hadiya-case-nia-breaks-new-ground-by-questioning-couple-over-whatsapp/article26168911.ece
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Saudi
Women Conquer Jeddah Streets on Bicycle
February
03, 2019
Sadiya
A Nadeem
Jeddah:
On a warm and breezy weekend, 25 young women wearing cycling helmets and
kneecaps on their trendy sports abayas whizzed on their cycles at the newly
built cycling track along Jeddah’s beautiful Red Sea coastline.
Nadima
Abu Lanayin, an 18-year-old cycling enthusiast, led the way.
“The
feeling of cycling together under the Saudi skyline is indescribable. Its such
a freeing feeling. You are just on the cycling track yet you feel you can go
anywhere you want,” said Abu Lanayin.
The
passionate Saudi cyclist is the founder of the first known ladies cycling group
Jeddah Woman Cyclist in Saudi Arabia.
Abu
Lanayin credits her mother for teaching and instilling a life long love for
cycling in her.
As
a child, she would cycle almost everyday within the walls of her housing
compound or at nearby parks.
Abu
Lanayin tells Gulf News that while growing up, she constantly reminded herself
that one day she would found the first ladies cycling community in the kingdom.
“I
wanted girls and women to get out of their homes and experience this beautiful
sport,” she says.
“Not
to mention it has many health benefits such as increased cardiovascular
fitness, muscle mass and vitality. I also wanted them to break free from the
fear of social boundaries,” she said.
With
the support from her parents, Abu Lanayin founded the ladies cycling group two
years ago.
She
created a page on Instagram where she posted picturs and videos of herself
cycling with her mother and sisters to encourage ae following.
Within
a short span of time, she had amassed more than 7,000 followers.
Today,
there are 500 active members and depending on their family, work, and school
commitments they come together to cycle in small groups, says Abu Lanayin.
The
cyclists, who coordinate the route, time and place on WhatsApp, cycle at
recently-built cycling tracks near the seaside, at the Al Johara Stadium, or
anywhere where there isn’t much traffic.
“We
do simple stretching exercises before and after cycling. The beginners just
cycle for a few kilometres while the intermediates cycle up to 20-25km and the
pros can go up to 40-50km. There is a different day for each level,” said Abu
Lanayin, who meticulously plans and organises each cycling meet.
Managing
cycling groups and school work gets difficult sometimes for the high school
cyclist, but it’s her passion for cycling and strong family support that
motivates her to pick up her bike 5 days a week and lead.
Jana
Yahya Sulaimani, a 17-year-old Saudi national, cycles on weekends with the
group.
“Cycling
is such an enjoyable and fun sport. I feel so refreshed and mentally relaxed
and look forward to the rest of the week with positivity,” she said.
Abu
Lanayin feels immensely proud of herself for achieving success in a short time,
but not before being subject to criticism and negative comments online and from
some friends and passersby.
“They
didn’t like women cycling in public. Initially, when I started cycling with my
mother and sisters, men and women both glared at us. But I knew I wasn’t doing
anything wrong and so I looked on the bright side and focused ahead.”
But
with recent socio-cultural changes taking place in the kingdom, society is
learning to adjust.
“Teaching
novice cyclists how to balance and cycle fills my heart with joy,” she said.
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-women-conquer-jeddah-streets-on-bicycle-1.61705902
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Visual
Artist, Shahida Ahmed, a British, Inspires Women
By
Mudassir Raja
February
03 2019
Shahida
Ahmed, a British visual artist and educator, moved an audience with her work
and inspiring words recently while attending ‘Best My Guest,’ a programme
regularly organised by Pakistan Arts Society – Qatar (PASQ).
Her
accomplishments and philosophy of life instantly grabbed the attention of the
people present in the audience – particularly women.
The
programme was held at the auditorium of Pak Shamaa School where Pakistani
community expatriates, particularly women, were present in large numbers. PASQ
regularly organises the interactive programme by inviting different talented
guest speakers both from Qatar and Pakistan.
Shahida
is a British citizen and is originally from Pakistan. She is currently
associated with Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar. She has also received
recognition as the first female Muslim British ceramic artist in the UK.
Her
work is a modern concept of merging traditional Islamic arts into clay forms
and sculpture. These works are in collections of Prince Charles, Downing
Street, Foreign Commonwealth Office in London, Baroness Saeeda Warsi, and the
British High Commission Karachi.
The
event started with recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Nabila Kokab, Principal of
PSS, greeted her with a floral bouquet. The principal appreciated PASQ for
always inviting multi-talented people for their gathering. She said that
interactive sessions with successful people bring source of motivation to the
audience. She also praised the speaker for her success and variety of works.
She said that such kind of interactive sessions always help both the staff and
the students at her school.
In
his welcome speech, Muhammad Abrar Hussain, President of PASQ, introduced the
guest speaker and thanked Hafiz Junaid Amir Sial, community welfare attaché Pakistan
embassy, who attended the event as a guest of honour. He said that the number
of people present in the auditorium showed that how much they were interested
in hearing from our guest speaker.
Speaking
on the occasion, Hafiz Junaid said that he appreciated the efforts and ideas of
PASQ. It is a good event providing an opportunity to interact with a successful
person. The audience had learned a lot from the experiences of the artist. The
embassy is planning to organise some community events in collaboration with
PASQ.
The
format of the programme was an interview with the guest. Aimen Zeb, a PASQ
member, hosted the interactive session. She asked different questions from the
guest and later audience members also asked Shahida’s opinion on different
issues.
When
asked how she got interested towards art, Shahida said that when she was a
child, her parents used to tell her that she would become a doctor. However,
she always had an inclination towards spirituality. One day, she was taken to a
pottery class during winter. The moment she had clay in her hand, she thought
that it was clay that the man was made of. She started playing with clay and
started developing interest in ceramic making.
In
response to a question about what was her motivation for art, Shahid said it
was spirituality. Her sister used to tell stories that she would imagine in her
mind. Shahida said that she never had dreams but one day she saw a mystical
dance in her dream and thought that the dream was pushing her towards the art.
The
artist added that her art works gave her immense satisfaction. She said that
one of her work that is in cubicle structure with different patterns has the 99
names of Allah.
When
asked as a working woman how she takes care of her house, Shahida said that she
always kept her private and professional life separate. She said that women
should learn how to manage both aspects of their lives. Sharing her personal
experience, the artist said that the women should stand up against all kinds of
domestic maltreatment. They should not put up with intolerable behaviour and
respect their lives.
She
added that once she refused to give one of her artworks to Prince Charles for
free and asked him to pay if he wanted to have art piece. She urged the
audience – especially women, to develop self-confidence. She asked the audience
not
to force children follow a certain kind of field.
Source:
gulf-times.com/story/621077/Visual-artist-inspires-women
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Saudi
Arabia Holding Women in 'Torture' Conditions, Say UK Mps
4
Feb 2019
Saudi
Arabia is detaining female activists in cruel and inhumane conditions that meet
the threshold of torture under both international and Saudi law, a cross-party
panel of three British MPs has found.
The
conclusions indicate growing uneasiness among western allies over alleged
rights abuses under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto
leader, who is already facing opprobrium over last year’s murder of the
journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The
ad hoc panel had sought access to the women to assess their welfare in jail,
but received no response from the Saudi ambassador Prince Mohammed bin Nawwaf
bin Abdulaziz.
The
panel features Crispin Blunt, the former Conservative chairman of the foreign
affairs select committee and one of the staunchest defenders of the Gulf
monarchies. It was thought his background might lead to co-operation from the
kingdom, which protects its justice system from scrutiny.
The
panel also concluded that the detainees – female activists arrested last spring
- had been subject to cruel and inhumane treatment, including
sleep-deprivation, assault, threats to life and solitary confinement. The
women’s treatment is likely to amount to torture and if they are not provided
with urgent access to medical assistance they are at risk of suffering from
long-term health conditions, the MPs said.
Culpability
rests not only with direct perpetrators but also those who are responsible for
or acquiesce to it, they added. “The Saudi authorities at the highest levels
could, in principle, be responsible for the crime of torture,” their final
report said. The detained activists were strong supporters of women’s right to
drive – a demand to which the Saudi government acceded last year, but seem
determined to ascribe solely to the leadership of Prince Mohammed. On their
arrest, the women were labelled as traitors in the official Saudi press, and
there have been persistent reports of maltreatment. They have been accused of
suspicious contact with foreign entities.
Saudi
Arabia, an absolute monarchy where public protests and political parties are
banned, says it does not have political prisoners and denies torture
allegations. Officials have said monitoring of activists is needed to ensure
social stability.
The
county’s human rights commission has the power to investigate allegations of
maltreatment, but its work is viewed sceptically by most independent human
rights groups.
Blunt
said: “The Saudi women activist detainees have been treated so badly as to
sustain an international investigation for torture. Denied proper access to
medical care, legal advice or visits from their families, their solitary
confinement and mistreatment are severe enough to meet the international
definition of torture.”
“Saudi
Arabia stands on the brink. It is not too late to alter course and avert the
spiral downwards to catastrophe that the detention of these activists
represents.”
Layla
Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP on the panel, said: “When I heard of the
arrests, I was, like many people, shocked that it had happened at all. The torture,
in particular allegations of sexual harassment and threats of rape, are
inexcusable.”
The
Labour MP Paul Williams said: “The allegations of mistreatment faced by the
detainees have shocked the international community. We are open to discussing
our report with the Saudi authorities and to receiving any evidence they have
so we can assess our conclusions on the basis of the fullest information
available.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/04/saudi-arabia-holding-women-in-torture-conditions-say-uk-mps
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Saudi
Has To Free Woman Activists for Business As Usual
February
03 2019
Saudi
Arabia's campaign to restore its international reputation kicked into high gear
this last week. On Sunday, it released one of the most prominent businessmen it
had been holding illegally since the end of 2017; on Monday, it staged an
investment conference in which it sought $426bn in private investment for new
ventures in mining, logistics and manufacturing. On Thursday, the government
announced the end of its brutal crackdown on its own elite, during which
hundreds were detained, some were tortured and all were subjected to what
amounted to a shakedown, in which they were forced to hand over assets in
exchange for freedom.
Meanwhile,
Mariah Carey performed a concert, and top pro golfers played in a tournament,
beginning what is billed as a “year of entertainment” that authorities claim
will bring a host of international stars to the kingdom.
In
an Opinion piece, The Washington Post said: The objective here is clear: to
resume normal commerce between Saudi Arabia and the democratic world, and
attract desperately needed investment, without meaningful change in the regime
controlled by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MbS). It’s in the interest of
the United States and its allies, as well as Saudi Arabia itself, that this
strategy fail.
The
33-year-old crown prince has suppressed real and perceived opponents with a
brutality that is unprecedented in Saudi history, culminating in the murder and
dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in
Istanbul last October. He has refused to accept responsibility or alter his
methods. A top aide who oversaw the Khashoggi murder and the torture of female
activists, Saud al-Qahtani, remains active. Though a number of big businessmen
have been freed, at least nine of the female activists - whose offence was to
press for rights such as driving - remain imprisoned.
The
regime promised accountability for the Khashoggi killing, but in practice
continues to stonewall. Eleven unidentified people - out of 21 the kingdom once
said were responsible - are said to be on trial, but principal figures,
including the forensic scientist who dismantled Khashoggi’s body with a
bonesaw, are reportedly immune. A United Nations investigator who launched her
own probe, special rapporteur Agnes Callamard, this last week was denied access
to the crime scene at the Saudi Consulate when she visited Istanbul. Khalid bin
Salman, the crown prince’s brother, has resumed his duties as ambassador in
Washington, apparently calculating that his alleged role in luring Khashoggi to
the Istanbul consulate and his false statements for days afterward will be
forgotten.
The
Trump administration appears content to accept all this. But success by Mohamed
bin Salman in resuming normal relations will have bad long-term consequences.
He will be encouraged to continue his reckless international adventures, which
have ranged from kidnapping the Lebanese prime minister to the deliberate
bombing of civilian targets in Yemen. He will continue to imprison and torture
the best and brightest Saudis, who seek peaceful reforms in a hidebound
political and social system.
Mohamed
bin Salman’s apologists frequently speak of the need to preserve “stability” in
the kingdom. But it is unstable now, and becoming more so. The best way to
foster genuine equilibrium is for Western governments, investors and
entertainers to shun the regime until it puts on more than a show of change.
We’ll know that’s beginning to happen when Loujain al-Hathloul, Hatoon
al-Fassi, Samar Badawi and other imprisoned women are free.
https://www.gulf-times.com/story/621109/Saudi-has-to-free-woman-activists-for-business-as-
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Iran
Women See New Opportunities alongside Old Barriers
February
4, 2019
Saba
was just 25 when she left her design job in New York to work on a project
renovating an art gallery back in her hometown Tehran, Iran.
Within
months, she won three more contracts to do up galleries and the lobby of an
apartment complex.
“I
had dreamt of building my own company, but I hadn’t expected it to happen any
time soon. If I had stayed in New York, I wouldn’t have had this chance,” said
Saba, now 27.
She
says the position of women in Iran has changed a lot over the past decade.
“People
now trust women in management positions. Still it’s hard, especially on a
construction site. But it’s hard anywhere. It’s hard in New York,” she told
AFP.
As
the Islamic republic marks its 40th birthday, few issues are more politically
sensitive or full of contradictions than the status of women.
After
the revolution, Islamic laws gave women a lower legal status than men,
requiring them, for example, in many cases to gain permission from their father
or husband to leave the country.
They
are considered to have half the value of men in various legal aspects such as
inheritance and testimony in court.
–
‘A path forward’ –
But
the Islamic republic also encouraged education for women, who now outnumber men
at universities — a development that has transformed expectations and
overturned centuries-old traditions.
“Going
to university was a path forward for girls like us who did not want to end up
like our mothers in a traditional society,” said Mina, a 25-year-old
linguistics student in Tehran.
Mina
didn’t tell her father she was studying for the university entrance exam.
“He
couldn’t believe it when I was accepted, that I would go to some other city to
live. He actually stopped talking to me for some time,” she said.
“Whatever
you do, your gender is the deciding factor,” said 26-year-old archaeology
student Sara.
“It
makes you believe that you have to have kids, you have to be modest. You can
barely believe that you can be independent, be seen as an individual with a
character,” she added.
She
said discrimination was rife in her field.
“Male
archaeologists prefer not to work with women even if they’re competent. They
say it’s just trouble. The women must keep their hijab at all times… they won’t
be taken seriously by laborers,” she said.
“If
a woman is successful in a line of work like this, she’s fought very hard. And
not all women are capable of fighting so much.”
–
‘Tool of male arousal’ –
Iran’s
rulers claim that Islamic gender laws — particularly “hijab” rules that require
women to wear a headscarf and modest clothing — are designed to protect women.
Supreme
leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted in 2018 that the #MeToo movement was
evidence of how Western society had failed women.
“The
Western model for women is symbolic of consumerism, cosmetics, showing off for
men as a tool of male sexual arousal,” he wrote.
Nonetheless,
clothing norms in Iran have gradually but significantly changed in recent
years.
It
is now unremarkable, especially in wealthier areas, to see women in tight jeans
with loose, colorful headscarves.
The
morality police that patrolled the streets, adjusting headscarves or bursting
into cafes to make sure any couples were related, are now rarely seen.
–
‘Nothing like it was’ –
The
authorities still draw the line at actively protesting the compulsory hijab:
several women were arrested last year for doing so, and a prominent rights
lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, jailed after taking on their cases.
But
many also recall how much they have clawed back since the early days of the
revolution.
“It’s
nothing like it was. You couldn’t even get a lift with a male friend,” said a
female journalist in Tehran.
“We
were terrified of being stopped, because they were out there, checking cars. Or
going for lunch with a (male) friend — it would never happen! Now no one even
thinks twice about these things.”
Many
were still dismayed that “moderate” President Hassan Rouhani, who ran on
promises to improve citizens’ rights, again failed to appoint a female minister
after his 2017 re-election.
“There
is a glass ceiling and it will continue,” said Fereshteh Sadeghi, a political
journalist in Tehran.
“When
Rouhani reached power it seems he didn’t want to fall out with the ayatollahs,
and backed down.
“Little
by little, women are getting their rights but for now there is no women’s
movement.”
https://ww.egyptindependent.com/iran-women-see-new-opportunities-alongside-old-barriers/
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‘Remove
The Burqa’: Female Tradie Named as One Nation’s Star Candidate for NSW Election
February
04, 2019
Pauline
Hanson’s One Nation yesterday named a Muslim woman as its newest candidate for
the upcoming New South Wales election.
Emma
Eros, a mother-of-two and businesswoman was recruited by state leader Mark
Latham to run as candidate for the seat of Hornsby. Mr Latham last week
announced his state platform of “banning the burqa” in airports, banks and
other government buildings.
Ms
Eros, who runs a plumbing and construction business in Sydney and was raised in
western Sydney by Lebanese parents, holds strong views about the burqa and
niqab. She has said she backs Mr Latham’s views that the religious garments
need restrictions.
“I
am a believer that one needs to show their face,” Ms Eros said.
“Any
government building, anything like that, that’s relevant to identification then
yeah, bloody hell, remove it.
“People
are abusing that freedom of religion that we have in this democratic country,”
she told the Daily Mail.
She
went on to describe commonly cited religious reasons for wearing the garments
as “lame excuses”, “bulls**t”.
“They’ve
said to me, ‘I don’t have to do my hair’, Well, you’re completely lazy.
“Some
have said, ‘It brings me closer to God.’ Well, I’m sorry, God is everywhere.
“You
don’t need to cover your face to make you closer to God. Again, lame excuses.
Ms
Eros also raised the issue of women wearing face-covering garments while
driving.
“That’s
up to the police to pull them over, if he wants to see their face then they
should respect the police officer and show their face and their licence,” she
said.
Former
Labor leader Mark Latham announced his intentions to ban the burqa last week.
“It
is sexism and in an era of #MeToo, wouldn’t you think all the lefties would be
jumping up and down about it trying to get rid of the burqa?” he said.
Ms
Eros says she only wears a headscarf when attending a mosque.
She
will run for the seat of Hornsby in the hopes of shifting votes away from
supporters of Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s Liberal government when voters head
to the polls on March 23.
Ms
Eros has said she formerly was a supporter of the Liberal government but now
believes that “Liberal has become Labor”.
Ms
Eros has been outspoken about her beliefs about traditional Islamic dress in
the past, and says her views have resulted in her receiving death threats and
people telling her to “hang herself”.
“I
just don’t think it’s necessary to abuse the freedom of religion when it’s not
a religious obligation to cover your face,” she said.
Ms
Eros also said Islamic women who make the pilgrimage to attend Hajj in Mecca
were required to show their face.
“If
the birthplace of Islam is not demanding a full face covering by wearing the
burqa then why should it be expected or demanded to be worn here?”
Ms
Eros clarified she doesn’t mind if Islamic women wear burqas or similar items
in private, but backs the ban in public buildings.
“I
don’t care if they wear it in their home. I don’t care if they’re wearing it
going to their family’s house, driving somewhere,” Ms Eros said.
https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/politics/remove-the-burqa-female-tradie-named-as-one-nations-star-candidate-for-nsw-election/news-story/9b6a3d4232a20ef3a9e6433c1afce5b1
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Malaysia
Must End Female Genital Mutilation — Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre
For Women
04
February 2019
FEBRUARY
4 — Malaysia should ban female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM/C), and work
with health and religious authorities, and the community to end the practice
immediately.
We
appeal to the government to enforce laws that protect a woman’s right to bodily
integrity and autonomy, ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for
FGM on Wednesday.
“It
has been a year since the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee criticised Malaysia for
practising FGM/C,” said Sivananthi Thanenthiran, Executive Director of the
Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), a regional NGO
that champions sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young
people. “CEDAW committee members from Muslim countries like Egypt asked the
Malaysian Government to revisit the 2009 decision by the National Fatwa
Committee that made it obligatory, and urged the Government to abolish it.”
Rozana
Isa, Executive Director of Sisters in Islam (SIS), said “Islam did not
introduce circumcision of girls to the world. Circumcision of girls can be
traced back to pre-Islamic traditions. Nevertheless, the modern Islamic world
has made a clear stance that FGM, no matter how insignificant, has a clear harm
factor and is categorically unIslamic.”
Dar
al-Ifta al Misriyyah, which is among the pillars of the religious foundations
in Egypt (and includes Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Al-Azhar University, Ministry of
Religious Endowments, and Dar al-Ifta al-Misryyah), had declared all forms of
FGM, including female circumcision, to be religiously forbidden from May last
year. The organisation said that banning FGM should be a religious duty of all
Muslim countries due to its harmful effects on the body. Al-Azhar is considered
the authoritative reference for Sunni religious authorities throughout the
world, including Malaysia.
In
February last year, the CEDAW Committee said that women’s rights had regressed
in Malaysia, and urged the government to abolish FGM, which takes place in
certain Muslim Malay communities. At the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in
Geneva in November, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry denied
the practice of FGM, but said female circumcision was done on babies as part of
a cultural obligation.
FGM
refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external
female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural or
other non-medical reasons. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified
four types of FGM (details below). In Malaysia, Type 4 — pricking, piercing,
incising, scraping or cauterisation — is common, and reports indicate Type I —
also called clitoridectomy, which is the partial or total removal of the
clitoris and/or the prepuce — is also common as described by doctors engaged in
the practice.
“FGM
has long lasting physical and psychological effects on girls. Continuing the
practice means further eroding Malaysia’s human rights record. We call on the
government to abolish the practice and implement the recommendations of the
CEDAW Committee and the UPR. All Malaysian girls and women deserve to grow up
free from harmful practices that endanger their health and well-being,”
Thanenthiran said.
In
conjunction with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, ARROW will be
part of a Facebook Live discussion, “End female genital cutting globally:
Activists in Conversation, on Feb 6 on Wednesday at 2pm GMT. Hosted by the
Orchid Project, a UK-based charity, the discussion will include activists from
Sahiyo, an India-based NGO, the US, and Kenya, to discuss how action at the
grassroots can be supported, to end FGC globally.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2019/02/04/malaysia-must-end-female-genital-mutilation-asian-pacific-resource-and-rese/1719711
--------
Iran
Women See New Opportunities alongside Old Barriers
February
03, 2019
TEHRAN
—
Saba
was just 25 when she left her design job in New York to work on a project
renovating an art gallery back in her hometown Tehran.
Within
months, she won three more contracts to do up galleries and the lobby of an
apartment complex.
"I
had dreamt of building my own company, but I hadn't expected it to happen any
time soon. If I had stayed in New York, I wouldn't have had this chance,"
said Saba, now 27.
She
says the position of women in Iran has changed a lot over the past decade.
"People
now trust women in management positions. Still it's hard, especially on a
construction site. But it's hard anywhere. It's hard in New York," she
told AFP.
As
the Islamic republic marks its 40th birthday, few issues are more politically
sensitive or full of contradictions than the status of women.
After
the revolution, Islamic laws gave women a lower legal status than men,
requiring them, for example, in many cases to gain permission from their father
or husband to leave the country.
They
are considered to have half the value of men in various legal aspects such as
inheritance and testimony in court.
'A
path forward'
But
the Islamic republic also encouraged education for women, who now outnumber men
at universities -- a development that has transformed expectations and
overturned centuries-old traditions.
"Going
to university was a path forward for girls like us who did not want to end up
like our mothers in a traditional society," said Mina, a 25-year-old
linguistics student in Tehran.
Mina
didn't tell her father she was studying for the university entrance exam.
"He
couldn't believe it when I was accepted, that I would go to some other city to
live. He actually stopped talking to me for some time," she said.
"Whatever
you do, your gender is the deciding factor," said 26-year-old archaeology
student Sara.
"It
makes you believe that you have to have kids, you have to be modest. You can
barely believe that you can be independent, be seen as an individual with a
character," she added.
She
said discrimination was rife in her field.
"Male
archaeologists prefer not to work with women even if they're competent. They
say it's just trouble. The women must keep their hijab at all times... they
won't be taken seriously by laborers," she said.
"If
a woman is successful in a line of work like this, she's fought very hard. And
not all women are capable of fighting so much."
'Tool
of male arousal'
Iran's
rulers claim that Islamic gender laws - particularly "hijab" rules
that require women to wear a headscarf and modest clothing - are designed to
protect women.
Supreme
leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted in 2018 that the #MeToo movement was
evidence of how Western society had failed women.
"The
Western model for women is symbolic of consumerism, cosmetics, showing off for
men as a tool of male sexual arousal," he wrote.
Nonetheless,
clothing norms in Iran have gradually but significantly changed in recent
years.
It
is now unremarkable, especially in wealthier areas, to see women in tight jeans
with loose, colorful headscarves.
The
morality police that patrolled the streets, adjusting headscarves or bursting
into cafes to make sure any couples were related, are now rarely seen.
'Nothing
like it was'
The
authorities still draw the line at actively protesting the compulsory hijab:
several women were arrested last year for doing so, and a prominent rights
lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, jailed after taking on their cases.
But
many also recall how much they have clawed back since the early days of the
revolution.
"It's
nothing like it was. You couldn't even get a lift with a male friend,"
said a female journalist in Tehran.
"We
were terrified of being stopped, because they were out there, checking cars. Or
going for lunch with a (male) friend -- it would never happen! Now no one even
thinks twice about these things."
Many
were still dismayed that "moderate" President Hassan Rouhani, who ran
on promises to improve citizens' rights, again failed to appoint a female
minister after his 2017 re-election.
"There
is a glass ceiling and it will continue," said Fereshteh Sadeghi, a
political journalist in Tehran.
"When
Rouhani reached power it seems he didn't want to fall out with the ayatollahs,
and backed down.
"Little
by little, women are getting their rights but for now there is no women's
movement."
https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-women-see-new-opportunities-alongside-old-barriers/4771258.html
--------
Rouhani's
Former Deputy Says His Government Has Failed Women
February
03, 2019
President
Hassan Rouhani's former Deputy for Women and Family Affairs, Shahindokht
Molaverdi, has admitted that the president who campaigned as a moderate and his
team failed to address major problems confronting Iranian women.
Referring
to various hurdles blocking the governments' plans, including harsh opposition
of the conservatives and other close allies of the Islamic Republic's Supreme
Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Molaverdi acknowledged that, during the past
six years, the Rouhani's Administration failed to present even one single bill
concerning women's rights to Majles (parliament).
Failing
to table bills on women's rights was our major shortcoming, Molaverdi has
lamented, adding, "When I was appointed as the Deputy President for Women
and Family Affairs (October 2013), I thought that I would bombard Majles with a
barrage of bills related to women's rights. However, that never happened."
Sadly,
Molaverdi has noted, women's rights in Iran and other countries that are
experiencing a similar development has been politicized.
Molaverdi
who held her position for four years during Rouhani’s first term, was replaced
by Masoumeh Ebtekar in 2017 and appointed as Rouhani's Special Aide. Meanwhile,
a law banning retirees to serve in governmental positions ended Molaverdi's
career as a public servant in November 2018.
In
her first interview after retirement, Molaverdi told the government's official
news agency (IRNA) that any step toward improving women's public stature was
immediately challenged by the conservatives and, soon, aborted.
"Our
efforts to grant Iranian women their absolute rights were doomed from the very
beginning, since the conservatives were, and are, very sensitive toward such
issues," Molaverdi has bitterly complained, reminding, "Our
opposition to issues such as child marriage and banning women from entering
volleyball arenas, were silenced by the conservatives."
Presenting
a list of her failures, including efforts to save women from home violence,
granting citizenship rights to the children of Iranian women married to
foreigners, and banning stepfathers to marry their adopted daughters, Molaverdi
reiterates that all such attempts were a non-starter and doomed to fail from
the time of their inception.
Giving
herself a grade of ten out of twenty, Molaverdi insists that she had somehow
succeeded in ending the hardline former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policy
of "denial" and "cover up" of facts.
Nearly
two years ago, Molaverdi made the headlines by referring to a village in the
impoverished province of Sistan&Baluchestan, southeast Iran, where all its
male residents were executed.
Without
naming the village, Molaverdi disclosed that the entire male population of the
village was executed for their alleged role in drug trafficking.
“The
children of the executed criminals are also already drug traffickers. They want
to avenge the deaths of their fathers. At the same time, they are feeding their
families with money from the drug trade and the people of this village cannot
be protected,” Molaverdi told the state-run Mehr News Agency (MNA) at the time.
"We
believe that if we do not support these people, they will be prone to crime,
that's why society is responsible for the families of those executed,"
Molaverdi told MNA.
Molaverdi
had also disclosed the fact that babies are sold in Iran even long before being
born. Immediately, she was summoned to the courts and charged for
"spreading fake news" and blamed for feeding foreign-based media
(including Radio Farda) with anti-Islamic establishment information.
Defending
her position, Molaverdi had fired back, "Are we supposed to keep mum,
because foreign media might refer to our comments?"
Molaverdi
was replaced by Masoumeh Ebtekar, renowned as Sister Mary among the U.S.
diplomats taken hostage in 1980 in Tehran, almost immediately after the downfall
of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the establishment of the Islamic Republic in
Iran.
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-rouhani-former-deputy-says-his-government-has-failed-women/29748857.html
--------
Teachers
In Khuzestan Protest For Their Rights Once Again
Feb
3, 2019
Teachers
in the cities of Karun and Bavi, in Khuzestan Province, held a protest rally in
front of the Khuzestan Department of Education building on Sunday, February 3,
2019.
They
protested against the non-application of 25 percent of the right of war zones
under Article 112 of plan six of the country’s five-year development law.
According to the law, employees of areas that were involved in the war in
Khuzestan during the Iran-Iraq war are entitled to the right of war zones.
With
the separation of the two cities of Karun and Bavi from Ahvaz, these areas were
not recognized as war-torn cities and were deprived of the war zone rights.
There are 1,256 teachers in Bavi and 1,700 teachers in Karun.
These
hardworking teachers in Khuzestan had also gathered in front of the Khuzestan
Department of Education on Saturday, February 2, 2019.
In
another development, a group of defrauded clients from Persian Pars Company
also gathered on Sunday, February 3, 2019, in front of the Public Prosecutor’s
Office in Tehran. Persian Pars is a car dealer company that has not responded
to the demands of its customers.
On
Saturday, February 2, 2019, another group of buyers of registered cars from the
Iran Khodro Company gathered in front of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and
Trade in Tehran, and protested against the high prices of the vehicles and the
lack of delivery of their cars.
Also
on Saturday, February 3, 2019, students of the Azad University, Science and
Research Branch in Tehran, gathered on the occasion of the 40th day of the
death of their classmates in a fatal bus accident and held a ceremony at the
university. They honored the memories of their classmates who died in this
tragic incident.
On
Tuesday, December 25, 2018, an accident on the campus of the Sciences and
Research Branch of Azad University in Tehran, led to the deaths of eight
students including four female students and two other passengers. The names of
3 female students were announced among the dead.
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2019/02/03/teachers-khuzestan-protest-rights/
--------
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