
Tunisian
President Beji Caid Essebsi on Tuesday met with teenage Palestinian resistance
icon Ahed al-Tamimi and her family at Carthage Palace
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Tunisian
President Meets Teen Palestinian Icon Ahed al-Tamimi
Meet
Huda al-Rasheed: Saudi Arabia's First Woman Broadcaster
Moving
Towards Moderation: Yoga Centres For Women Sprout In Saudi Arabia
Deaths
of Instagram Model, Other Women Shock Iraq
ISIS
Murder Kidnapped Woman in Damascus after Hindering Negotiations
Arab
News Strikes Partnership with Saudi Women Bowling Championship
Over
100 Female Workers to Return From Saudi Arabia Wednesday
Philippine
Consulate Gives Shelter to 20 Women Evicted By Employer
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islam,-women-and-feminism/new-age-islam-news-bureau/saudi-woman-barred-from-marrying--musical--suitor/d/116556
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Saudi
Woman Barred From Marrying 'Musical' Suitor
October
02, 2018
A
Saudi woman has lost a judicial battle to marry the man of her choice as a
court deemed him “religiously” unfit because he plays a musical instrument, a
Saudi newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The
ultra-conservative kingdom requires women to seek permission from male
“guardians” — their fathers, husbands or other male relatives — to travel, get
married and other tasks.
In
some parts of the kingdom, a man who plays a musical instrument is considered
of inferior status and having a bad reputation.
Two
years ago the suitor, a teacher, asked for the hand of the woman, a 38-year-old
bank manager from the ultra-conservative region of Qassim, north of the capital
Riyadh, Okaz newspaper said.
But
her family objected, saying he was not “religiously compatible” with her
because he played the oud, the oriental lute which is popular across the Arab
world.
The
woman, who was not named, took her case to the courts.
A
lower court weighed in on the side of the family, saying the marriage could not
go through.
“Because
the suitor plays a musical instrument he is unsuitable for the woman from a
religious point of view,” the court said, according to Okaz.
An
appeals court ratified the verdict, making it final, the newspaper added.
The
woman told Okaz she will seek intervention from the country's “highest
authorities” — a reference to the royal court.
The
bank manager, who holds a masters degree and is responsible for more than 300
employees, said she was determined to marry her suitor, describing him as “very
pious and with a good reputation”.
Saudi
Arabia, a major US ally, has introduced a string of reforms over the past year
aimed at improving the kingdom's image, including ending a longstanding ban on
women driving.
But
it continues to face criticism over the male guardianship system which allows
men to exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on behalf of their female
relatives.
https://nation.com.pk/02-Oct-2018/saudi-woman-barred-from-marrying-musical-suitor
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Tunisian
President Meets Teen Palestinian Icon Ahed al-Tamimi
02.10.2018
By
Adel al-Thabti
TUNIS
Tunisian
President Beji Caid Essebsi on Tuesday met with teenage Palestinian resistance
icon Ahed al-Tamimi and her family at Carthage Palace, according to a
presidential statement.
This
reception of al-Tamimi represents “a renewed and firm recognition of the
justice of the Palestinian cause and its place in the conscience of the
Tunisian people”, Essebsi said in a statement issued by the Presidency.
He
underlined Tunisia’s support for the Palestinian people and their right to
establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Al-Tamimi,
for her part, expressed her gratitude to the Tunisian president for inviting
her to visit the Arab country.
The
Palestinian teen arrived in Tunisia late Monday upon an invitation from the
Tunisian leader.
The
visit coincided with the 33rd anniversary of Israeli airstrikes on the
headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) south of capital
Tunis on October 01, 1985, which left scores of people dead.
Later
in the day, the Tunisian General Union of Labour will hold a ceremony to honour
the Palestinian activist and her family, the union wrote on Facebook.
On
July 29, Israeli authorities released al-Tamimi and her mother, Nariman, after
both had served eight months behind bars.
The
17-year-old was detained by Israeli forces last December after she was filmed
slapping an Israeli soldier during a raid on her home.
In
2012, Istanbul’s Basaksehir Municipality granted al-Tamimi the prestigious
Hanzala Courage Award for defying Israeli soldiers who had just arrested her
brother.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/tunisian-president-meets-teen-palestinian-icon-tamimi/1270476
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Meet
Huda al-Rasheed: Saudi Arabia's First Woman Broadcaster
2
October 2018
Saudi
Arabia’s Channel One is remembering its first ever female presenter Huda
Al-Rasheed, who appeared on screen as a news anchor in 1974.
Al-Rasheed
is known as first Arabic news presenter on Channel One, before becoming the
first woman from the gold to become an anchorwoman on the BBC network in London
later in her career.
Before
stepping foot on foreign shores for work, al-Rasheed encountered obstacles at
home. Her father had strongly objected to her work in Saudi radio but she never
stopped pursuing her dream.
She
received an excellent expertise in media through for her work in the press, at
the well-known Saudi Okaz newspaper during the early 1970s, at which she an
editor for a weekly page called “Qitharati” or my guitar.
She
also worked in Jeddah Radio where presented a political program called “The Say
and Act” and another dedicated to poetry and culture. She worked there for
three years before moving to Saudi TV to present the news.
First
Saudi woman to get pilot license: Soon, I will captain a national airliner
Al
Rasheed became the first woman from the gulf region to join the Arabic
broadcast section of BBC, as Arabs recall her voice resonating on the network’s
international radio station saying Huna London (This is London).
She
stayed in the UK away from home for three decades. She recalled that her
father, who did not expect her success at the BBC, would proudly point to his
friends that “this is my daughter Huda” whenever hearing her voice on air.
Her
notable presence at the BBC gave an indicator of the quality and training at
Saudi television and radio during its foundation phase, which paved the road
for great names and unforgettable voices in the field.
Al-Rashed
also started her literary work early in her career, through several novels
"Tomorrow is Thursday", which was published in 1974,
"Misdemeanor" in 1980, "The Divorce" written in 1993,
"Love" in 2008, and “The Devil is Sometimes a Woman” in 2012.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/10/02/Meet-Huda-al-Rasheed-Saudi-Arabia-s-first-woman-broadcaster-.html
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Moving
Towards Moderation: Yoga Centres For Women Sprout In Saudi Arabia
Oct
02, 2018
Riyadh:
Postures, like squatting, lunging and doing headstands, were not permitted for
Saudi women until a year ago. However, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowing
an “open, moderate Islam,” the kingdom last November recognized yoga as a
sport. The Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MCI) has approved the teaching
of yoga as a sports activity. Few months after the yoga was recognised
officially, a new industry of yoga studios and instructors has sprouted in
various Saudi cities, including the Holy cities Makkah and Madina. As a result,
now one can witness in a sparse, wood-floored studio, Saudi women squat, lunge
and do headstands.
All
non-Muslim worships were banned in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam, including
Yoga which is widely perceived as a Hindu spiritual practice. But the new
liberalization drive of Crown Prince has made it possible for even the women to
go for it.
38-year-old,
head of the Arab Yoga Foundation Nouf Marwaai, a Saudi woman spearheaded
efforts to normalize yoga in the kingdom. She had to face insults and threats
from extremists to challenge the notion that yoga is incompatible with Islam.
She is quoted to have said, “I have been harassed, (and) sent a lot of hate
messages.” She has trained hundreds of yoga instructors in the kingdom.
Budur
al-Hamoud, a recruitment specialist defends it saying, “Yoga has nothing to do
with religion. It’s a sport… It does not interfere with my faith.”
https://www.siasat.com/news/moving-towards-moderation-yoga-centres-women-sprout-saudi-arabia-1415372/
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Deaths
of Instagram Model, Other Women Shock Iraq
October
3, 2018
BAGHDAD
(AP) — She was a 22-year-old former beauty queen, fashion model and social
media star, whose daring outfits revealed tattoos on her arms and shoulder.
Tara
Fares won fame and 2.8 million Instagram followers in conservative,
Muslim-majority Iraq with outspoken opinions on personal freedom, such as:
"I'm not doing anything in the dark like many others; everything I do is
in the broad daylight."
It
was also the way she died.
Last
week, she was shot and killed at the wheel of her white Porsche on a busy
Baghdad street during the day, apparently by a man who leaned in briefly and
opened fire before speeding away on a motorcycle with an accomplice.
The
killing, caught on security camera video, followed the slaying of a female
activist in the southern city of Basra and the mysterious deaths of two
well-known beauty experts.
The
violence has shocked Iraq, raising fears of a return to the kind of attacks on
prominent figures that plagued the country at the height of its sectarian
strife.
Iraq
is still recovering from its bloody fight against Islamic State militants. The
country has been without a government since national elections in May, and
riots have repeatedly broken out in the south over the authorities' failure to
provide basic services.
"These
harrowing crimes are worrying us," said Iraqi human rights activist Hana
Adwar. "There are groups that want to terrify society through the killing
of popular women and activists ... and to tell other women to abandon their
work and stay at home."
It
is not clear whether the deaths of the women are connected, and reports that
they knew each other could not be confirmed.
Fares,
with an Iraqi father and a Lebanese mother, first became famous in 2015 when
she won an unofficial Baghdad beauty pageant organized by a social club. She
has become a social media darling, with bold posts and photos of herself posing
in elaborate makeup, tight jeans and blouses that showed off her tattoos.
A
YouTube channel drew more than 120,000 followers in addition to those on
Instagram, where she shared makeup tips.
She
gave details of a brief marriage at 16 to an abusive husband who posted
intimate photos of her on social media and took away their now 3-year-old son.
Fares said the experience taught her "strength ... and how not to let
anyone control me in anything."
Fares
also spoke out occasionally against religious, tribal and political leaders.
While
many young Iraqis shared her videos and pictures, others criticized her
lifestyle as racy and un-Islamic.
She
lived in Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region with her family, visiting Baghdad
from time to time. In a TV interview this year, she said her family had
converted to Islam in 2002.
Hours
after she was gunned down on Sept. 27, a video on social media showed her body
being carried away by a group of young people, with her face and white shirt
stained with blood. She was buried in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, her grave
decorated with a black-and-white photo of her, along with red plastic flowers.
In
August, Dr. Rafeef al-Yassiri, a plastic surgeon labeled "Iraq's
Barbie," died under mysterious circumstances. Authorities initially called
it a drug overdose but have not offered an update in over a month, leading to
rumors she might have been poisoned.
Al-Yassiri,
a Shiite Muslim with a prominent social media presence, ran the Barbie medical
center, which offered cosmetic surgery as well as treatment for war victims and
those with birth defects.
She
posted photos of herself in full makeup and fashionable clothes, promoting her
latest projects to more than 1 million Instagram followers. She also worked with
local and religious charities.
A
week after her death, Rasha al-Hassan, the owner of a well-known beauty center
in Baghdad, was found dead in her home. Authorities initially said she suffered
a heart attack.
On
Sept. 25, a gunman killed Soad al-Ali, a prominent activist in the southern
city of Basra. Al-Ali had organized protests demanding better services and jobs
and decried the growing influence of Iran-backed Shiite militias in the area.
Police said the killing was "purely personal" and had nothing to do
with the protests.
Last
weekend, another former beauty queen, Shaimaa Qassim, posted a video on
Instagram in which she tearfully said she had received threats through social
media.
Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered an investigation into what he called
"well-planned kidnappings and killings." He said organized groups are
"carrying out a plan to destabilize the security situation under the
pretext of fighting perversion."
Security
agencies have not yet commented on the investigation into Fares' death and no
group has claimed responsibility.
Iraq
once boasted a liberal society and progressive laws for women and the family,
going back to the 1950s. Those gains were eroded after the 2003 U.S.-led
invasion, which toppled Saddam Hussein and led to the emergence of powerful
religious parties and a rise in extremism.
Posters
on some streets, particularly near shrines, exhort women to cover their hair
and wear an abaya — a long, black cloak that covers the body from shoulders to
feet.
"After
the killing of Tara Fares, I feel speechless," columnist Mohammed Ghazi
al-Akhras wrote on his Facebook page. "We've reached the moment of total
anarchy. They will kill everyone they don't like. ... The state of death is
taking shape."
In
one of her videos, Fares had chastised a Shiite cleric who she said had sought
a temporary marriage with her, a tradition in Shiite communities that critics
compare to prostitution.
"I'm
not afraid of the one who denies the existence of God, but I'm really afraid of
the one who kills and chops off heads to prove the existence of God," she
wrote on Instagram in July.
https://www.tampabay.com/ap/national/deaths-of-instagram-model-other-women-shock-iraq-ap_nationalf55c7bf9aff64e8f9045c90c1de53af9
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ISIS
Murder Kidnapped Woman in Damascus after Hindering Negotiations
2
October 2018
ISIS
has murdered a woman they had kidnapped in Sweida, south of Damascus, following
hindering negotiations with reconciliation committees.
Activists
on social media said that the murdered woman was named Thuraya Abu Ammar.
According
to the Suwayda24 news site, the woman was 25 years old, and was kidnapped on
July 25 during an ISIS attack on the Al-Shubky village east of Sweida.
The
murder was carried out hours after a statement was released by the negotiating
committee that stated it would withdraw from negotiating with ISIS about
abductees, according to Russia Today, and that it feared ISIS would kill all
those kidnapped after the release of the statement.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/10/02/ISIS-murder-kidnapped-woman-in-Damascus-after-hindering-negotiations.html
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Arab
News Strikes Partnership with Saudi Women Bowling Championship
October
02, 2018
RIYADH:
Arab News, the Middle East’s leading English-language daily, has struck a
partnership deal with the Saudi Women Bowling Championship, which is being held
in the Kingdom for the first time.
The
championship, hosted by the Saudi Bowling Federation, takes place in three
cities and comes as the country is rapidly developing sporting facilities for
women.
Arab
News will be the exclusive English media partner for the event, with the
newspaper’s logo appearing on the participants’ kit.
The
bowling tournament will be held on Oct. 6 at Riyadh’s Universal Bowling Center,
on Oct. 13 at the Al-Gosaibi Bowling Center in Khobar, and on Oct. 20 at
Jeddah’s Iceland Bowling Center. The games are held from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
daily.
Dr.
Razan Baker, member of the board of directors and head of media and women’s
participation at the Saudi Bowling Federation, welcomed the partnership with
Arab News.
“We
are happy that Arab News is our English media partner and hopefully with such
support we can increase participation and awareness about our game. Bowling is
an old hobby practiced by many residents and citizens in the Kingdom and we
look forward to welcome, nurture, and create excellent opportunities for all,”
Baker said.
“The
Saudi Bowling Federation is proud and excited to host the first bowling
championship for women this month. Women from various parts of the country have
been contacting us with interest in learning how to play and practice bowling
professionally. And is the time to try it out — or succeed and become the first
Saudi bowling champion through one of our three championships.”
The
event will be covered by Arab News’ team of reporters, with coverage in the
newspaper and online at www.arabnews.com.
Saudi
Arabia, driven by its Vision 2030 reform plans, is rapidly developing its
sporting facilities. Reforms have included allowing physical education for
schoolgirls, opening female-only gyms, and allowing women to attend football
matches.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1381421/sport
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Over
100 Female Workers to Return From Saudi Arabia Wednesday
October
3rd, 2018
They
have suffered physical torture and extreme workloads working abroad
After
enduring torture, and wage-related irregularities by their Saudi Arabian
employers, about 150 Bangladeshi female workers are flying back to Bangladesh.
The
women workers—who had worked as housemaids— are due to land at Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight at 1:55pm on
Wednesday, said non-governmental organization (NGO) Brac’s migration program.
“Some
144 Bangladeshi women are coming back today. Most of them were brutally
tortured by their employers, and experienced different unexpected incidents.
Many of them escaped from their employers’ residences and remained in
immigration camps for a long time,” said ABM Farhad Al Karim, manager of Brac’s
migration program.
“We
have learned that some of these women were extremely sick and physically
vulnerable. Since the government does not have any rehabilitation centre for
these returnees, Brac will receive them, and provide temporary shelter,” he
told the Dhaka Tribune.
Thousands
of impoverished daughters and wives of rural Bangladesh head towards the Middle
East every year to provide for their families; but the number of returnees is
increasing daily.
According
to Maleka Begum, a noted writer and researcher, around 735,575 female workers
are currently employed in different countries—including those in the Middle
East region.
Among
these women, more than 234,831 women went to Saudi Arabia seeking employment.
“However,
the government does not have any accurate data on how many Bangladeshi women
workers have returned home after being deceived,” Maleka said.
According
to Brac, this year 67,000 women have gone to abroad while 59,000 Bangladeshi
female nationals have gone to Saudi Arabia specifically.
Meanwhile,
over 1,500 female workers have returned in 2018 so far.
More
than 5,000 female workers have returned to Bangladesh in the last three years,
Brac said.
When
asked, Brac’s Farhad said: “In most of the cases, the women have been coming
back due to physical torture, extreme workloads, and irregularities over
salaries. Their dignity is not ensured in the workplace, and their basic human
rights are often violated by their foreign employers.”
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2018/10/03/over-100-female-workers-to-return-from-saudi-arabia-wednesday
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Philippine
Consulate Gives Shelter to 20 Women Evicted By Employer
Irfan
Mohammed
October
3, 2018
JEDDAH
— A group of 20 Filipino women, who were ejected from their accommodation by
their employer for not reporting to work, took shelter at Bahay Kalinga, a
shelter home for stranded female workers managed by the Philippine Consulate in
Jeddah.
The
women were not paid their salary and food allowance for the past two months by
their employer and as a result women refused to report to work. Subsequently,
the women were evicted them from the accommodation provided by the company.
The
company had deployed the Filipino women to various hospitals and households in
Jeddah to work as cleaners.
According
to a statement from the Philippine Consulate, the women were being provided
shelter by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office after they were formally taken
into its custody.
The
consulate officials swung into action when the ordeal of the women came to
their notice. Consul General Edgar Badajos said on Tuesday that Philippines
Overseas Labor Office was working for the repatriation of the aggrieved women
with the coordination of the Philippine recruitment agency.
Labor
Attaché Nasser Munder and Welfare Officer Yolanda Penaranda met the workers and
assured them of all possible assistance.
These
women were recruited by a leading Saudi recruitment agency that latter
transferred the sponsorship to their current employer upon their request.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/544682/SAUDI-ARABIA/Philippine-consulate-gives-shelter-to-20-women-evicted-by-employer
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