‘Hijab And Chastity’ Bill: Iran MPs Vote to Toughen Penalties for Women Flouting Dress Code
New Age
Islam News Bureau
20 September 2023
·
‘Hijab And Chastity’ Bill: Iran
MPs Vote to Toughen Penalties for Women Flouting Dress Code
·
Silvia Sardone, Italian MEP
Receives Death Threats Over Headscarves, T-Shirt That Read “No to The Islamic
Veil”
·
Haseena Ismail, South African
Member of Parliament Demands Explanation from Health Minister Over Ban on
Hijabs for Muslim Nurses
·
Men Targeted by Iranian Regime
as Women Protest for Equal Rights
·
CAIR-Minnesota Condemns Alleged
Bias-Based Targeting of Elderly Muslim Woman InBlaine
·
Taliban Have Issued Nearly 100
Decrees Restricting Women: Ex-Afghan Official
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijab-chastity-iran-dress/d/130721
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‘Hijab And Chastity’ Bill: Iran MPs Vote
To Toughen Penalties For Women Flouting Dress Code
Iranian
lawmakers passed a contentious bill Wednesday to toughen penalties for women
flouting the Islamic dress code, state media reported. (AFP)
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AFP
September 20, 2023
TEHRAN: Iranian lawmakers passed a bill
on Wednesday to toughen penalties for women who flout the Islamic dress code,
with jail terms of up to 10 years, state media reported.
The assembly approved “the ‘Support for
the Culture of Hijab and Chastity’ bill for a trial period of three years,” the
official IRNA news agency reported.
The bill still requires approval by the
Guardian Council.
Women in Iran have since last year’s
mass protests been increasingly flouting the Islamic republic’s strict dress
code that requires head coverings and modest clothes.
The demonstrations broke out after the
death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for
allegedly breaching the dress code.
Hundreds of people were killed,
including dozens of security personnel, and thousands arrested over what
officials labelled foreign-instigated “riots.”
Under the draft law, women failing to
wear a headscarf or appropriate clothing, “in cooperation with foreign or
hostile governments, media, groups or organizations,” could face five to 10
years’ prison.
Covering the head and neck has been
compulsory for women in Iran since the republic’s early years following the
1979 Islamic revolution.
Authorities and police patrols have in
recent months stepped up measures against women and businesses who fail to
observe the dress code.
Businesses have been closed over
non-compliance and surveillance cameras have been installed in public places to
monitor violations.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2377096/middle-east
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Silvia Sardone, Italian MEP Receives
Death Threats Over Headscarves, T-Shirt That Read “No to The Islamic Veil”
Silvia
Sardone, Member of the European Parliament
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20 September 2023
Italian MEP Silvia Sardone is reportedly
receiving death threats after she recently wore a T-shirt in the European
Parliament that read, “No to the Islamic Veil”.
Sardone has published some of the vile
messages sent to her on social media.
These included: “I’ll cut your throat”,
“I’ll stab you”, “die”, and “you’re worth burning”, “I’ll kill you”, “I’d
suffocate you”, “explode”. Other hateful posts included: “I’ll break your
face”, “it ends badly for you”, “you disgusting b*tch you have to die”.
There were also a number of messages
aimed at her children, with some posters saying they would “catch them”.
Another sent to her read: “You will
become Muslims like us, or there will be no place for you.” The Arabic phrase
“Allahu Akbar” was also used often.
Asked if Sardone now required extra
protection, European Parliament officials told Brussels Signal they do not
comment on security measures.
If requested, security services of the
Parliament can assist MEPs and can support them in their contact with legal or
national authorities.
Sardone has been in the sights of
enraged radical Islamists since she wore the controversial T-shirt in the
plenary of the Parliament in Strasbourg last week.
She lambasted the “pretend” support from
Europe for women in Iran while at the same time, the veil or hijab is being
hailed as a positive symbol in advertisements by European institutions. In her
view, the European Union is “submitting to Islam by considering hijabs are
instruments of integration and diversity while it oppresses women”.
The Lega politician has been a vocal
critic of Islamism. She has been fighting against the spread of illegal mosques
and against headscarves for women.
This has made her the target of verbal
attacks for a while but since wearing the T-shirt in Strasbourg, the tone has
become more hostile.
She remains defiant, saying she will not
change her mind. “I will not bend, I will not take steps back, I will not stay
silent, I AM NOT AFRAID!
“I want to be clear,” Sardone said, “I
will continue to express my ideas and opinions in Italy and in the institutions
where I am elected, with my head held high and without fear.
“I will continue to say that the
European Union should not promote the Islamic veil in its communications as a
tool of freedom and integration because I consider it instead a tool of
subjugation for women.
“I will continue to fight for the many
women who want to be free and not oppressed for religious reasons. I will
continue to denounce the increasing Islamisation of Europe, the spread of
Muslim ghettos, and Islamic courts that want to impose Sharia law,” she added.
“I will continue to point out the
worrying backwardness of our identity and culture.”
Source: brusselssignal.eu
https://brusselssignal.eu/2023/09/italian-mep-receives-death-threats-over-anti-islamic-headscarves-t-shirt/
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Haseena Ismail, South African Member of
ParliamentDemands Explanation from Health Minister Over Ban on Hijabs for
Muslim Nurses
19-09-2023
Hijabs To Be Eradicated By Public Health
Sector
It is reported that the Department of
Health has tightened its grip on the nursing dress code, which includes the
prohibition of hijabs in the health fraternity, among others things.
However, this policy is not going
unchallenged. Haseena Ismail, DA Member of Parliament confirmed that the party
will be submitting written parliamentary questions to the Minister of Health,
Dr Joe Phaahla, regarding his Department’s proposed ban on headscarves for
nurses at public health institutions.
“The DA has received numerous complaints
regarding the proposed amendments to the nurses’ dress code that seemingly
discriminate against Muslim nurses’ Constitutional right to freedom of
religion,” she said.
The Questions to Be Posed By The DA
She added that the Minister needs to
explain why headscarves would only be banned for nurses and not other medical
professionals; provide the record of the decision for the ban; and the specific
scientific evidence the decision is based on.
“These dress code amendments would
discourage Muslim people from pursuing nursing as a career. While the DA
applauds every effort to stem infections and acknowledges the importance of
clean and practical nursing uniforms, we do believe that decisions should be
made in consultation with the affected groups and that an amicable solution
should be found that does not infringe on Constitutional rights,” suggested
Ismail.
Headscarves Defence Not Just A DA
Concern
This proposal has not only rubbed the DA
the wrong way but has seen the Islamic Medical Association of South Africa
express concern as the decision may discourage nursing in the public health
sector from the Muslim community.
Source: thesouthafrican.com
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/da-demands-explanation-from-health-minister-over-ban-on-hijabs-for-muslim-nurses-breaking-19-september-2023/
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Men targeted by Iranian regime as women
protest for equal rights
BySomayeh Malekian and Camilla Alcini
September 19, 2023
LONDON -- When she hopped in a taxi in
Tehran this past summer, Raha was not wearing a headscarf.
Her open challenge to the mandatory
hijab rule in place in Iran for the last 40 years did not go unnoticed. She
said her male taxi driver complimented her for the brave gesture, like many
other men have done since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in the
custody of the police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.
"You are going to change this
regime. It's the way to go," the driver said to Raha, as she told ABC
News. She wanted her real name not to be used for her safety. "You are so
strong and free-spirited. We are proud of you."
Raha said she faced at that moment
another aspect of the reality of the Mahsa revolution, which had been going on
for over 10 months. The praise of the taxi driver should have made her feel
more hopeful for the future. Instead, it made her reflect on how men in Iran
support the movement.
"I want them to know I am not
strong. I am tired of them expecting me to always be strong and them just being
proud," she said. "I told him I wanted men to really join us in this
fight, both on and off the streets."
For Raha, then, being cheered on was not
enough.
"Woman, Life, Freedom" is a
movement of women but without men's solid support, it would be doomed to fail,
experts and activists say.
At least 551 people have been killed and
22 have died suspiciously, since September 2022, according to a report by Iran
Human Rights. Nearly 80% of the victims were men, the group said. Moreover,
only men were executed by the regime in retaliation to the uprising. Amnesty
International said the men were hanged after "sham trials."
Iranian women believe the regime is
trying to scare men from joining their mothers, sisters and wives in their
fight for equal rights by making them the main target of their systematic
bloody suppression.
"Although the focus of the movement
is on women rights, the people who got executed for the revolution are
primarily men," Nasrin Rahimieh, an expert in Iranian and women studies at
University of California Irvine, told ABC News. "The reason why it's
cross-gender is simple: it is about the rights of the individual."
Men's support for the cause of Iranian
women can come in many forms and levels, from active participation in protests,
to online campaigning, and more importantly, "accepting women's choices
about their lives," Raha said.
As she explained, the pressure to follow
the lawful dress code also comes from conservative male relatives. Something
she's seen changing.
"Mahsa's revolution was actually a
renaissance in Iranian society. I am witnessing this renaissance in my own
family which is from one of the most traditional classes of Iranian
society," Raha said. "Now the very same family, the very same
society, which was restricting me, is encouraging me."
Hamoun, 21, kept up his support both on
and off the streets. He says he was arrested and tortured by security guards on
Saturday as he participated in a peaceful gathering for the one-year
anniversary of Amini's death in Tehran. He said he was handcuffed, beaten up,
insulted and verbally threatened.
"I think that all of us should
participate hand in hand in this revolution and defend the right against
oppression, be free and save our country from poverty and ignorance",
Hamoun told ABC News.
He asked for his full identity not to be
disclosed for safety
"To me, the slogan of a woman's
life of freedom is more than a slogan," he said. "It's a belief that
we should all believe in and apply, especially as men."
Experts suggest that the aggressive rate
at which the regime has been imprisoning or executing men involved in the
protests it's a clear sign of its awareness that if men and women unite, it
will struggle to contain the movement.
"The message is: 'Don't get
involved,'" Rahimieh explained.
Iranian women who spoke with ABC News
agreed it's an attempt to intimidate.
"Since last year, many young men
have been arrested and some of them have been executed without committing any
crime," Mahsa Piraei told ABC News.
Piraei, who lives in the United Kingdom,
says her mother, Minoo Majidi, was killed by the police during the protests
last September. She recalls fearing her father would endure the same destiny if
he supported the movement.
"When I was in Iran for my mother's
funeral, I could see the morality police everywhere in the street and I was
shaking. I kept thinking, one of them is the murderer of my mother,"
Piraei said. "And I can remember I covered my hair because I was next to
my dad, and I was very afraid that one of them would shoot my father as well,
right there."
She added, "I think the regime
wants to scare men to stop them from supporting the women of Iran. I don't
think it's succeeding."
Source: abcnews.go.com
https://abcnews.go.com/International/men-now-targeted-iranian-regime-women-protest-equal/story?id=103291751
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CAIR-Minnesota Condemns Alleged
Bias-Based Targeting of Elderly Muslim Woman in Blaine
Ismail Allison
September 19, 2023(MINNEAPOLIS, MN,
9/19/23) – The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-MN) is calling on Blaine City Council members and leadership to condemn
the Islamophobic targeting and harassment of an elderly Muslim woman in Blaine
on September 14th, 2023. CAIR-MN has learned that the elderly woman was
prevented from entering her home. The City Council should condemn hate and
racial attacks to ensure safety.
IMAGES OF THE POST
A Blaine citizen captured the hate and
racial attack on the elderly woman on camera and posted it on Facebook. As the
post mentions, three young people followed her, yelled profanities, and racial
slurs at the elderly Muslim woman, and even prevented her from entering her
home. Her neighbor captured the incident on their camera.
“A vulnerable elderly Muslim woman
should not have to endure such acts of hate and discrimination,” says Jaylani
Hussein, Executive Director of CAIR-Minnesota. “We strongly condemn the
targeting of this innocent individual and call on city, county, and state
officials to join us in condemning this deplorable act of bias-based
harassment.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil
rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American
Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las
libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y
empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstados Unidos.
Source: cair.com
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-minnesota-condemns-alleged-bias-based-targeting-of-elderly-muslim-woman-in-blaine/
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Taliban have issued nearly 100 decrees
restricting women: Ex-Afghan official
September 19, 2023
LONDON: The Taliban government in
Afghanistan has issued more than 94 edicts and decrees restricting the daily
lives of women, and this is affecting their mental health, a former Afghan
official said at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Speaking at a high-level event on global
solidarity with Afghan women and girls, Asila Wardak, former director general
of UN affairs in the Afghan Foreign Ministry, said the restrictions banned
Afghan women and girls from education, going to the park, moving around freely,
accessing health services and traveling.
These limitations are affecting their
mental health, and are not inspired by Islam or Afghan culture, she added.
“The way that they (the Taliban) are
representing Islam, it’s very dangerous for the region and then for the Islamic
community also, because I’m sure there are lots of extremist people in
different Islamic countries, and then they’ll copy what the Taliban is doing in
Afghanistan,” she said.
“It’s adding to extremism in the world.
It’s also a big threat to global security. It’s not only about Afghanistan.”
Habiba Sarabi, former Afghan minister
for women’s affairs, echoed Wardak’s views and called upon Muslim-majority
countries to show the world that the Taliban’s oppressive policies toward women
and girls do not reflect the true values of Islam.
“The Taliban want to push us back
hundreds of years in the name of Islam. Please show the world that what they’re
doing doesn’t reflect the true values of Islam,” said Sarabi.
“It’s upon us to continue to exert
public and private pressure from all possible sides to prevent the
normalization of the Taliban gender apartheid, and to give Afghan women a seat
at all levels, tables and international diplomatic fora where Afghanistan is
being discussed.”
UAE Minister of State Ahmed bin Ali
Al-Sayegh also highlighted that Taliban-imposed restrictions on women “have no
basis in Islam or in culture,” adding: “I hope we continue to voice our
condemnations, but also to take concrete steps on the ground to help the Afghan
population.”
He said the UAE had offered Afghan girls
educational scholarships, but they were stopped from taking advantage of those
opportunities by the Taliban.
“We must also continue to advocate
politically, and through diplomacy, for the rights of women and girls,” he
added.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2376896/world
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijab-chastity-iran-dress/d/130721