Islamophobia in India: Hijab-Wearing Muslim Women Barred from Entering Marbia Café in Delhi
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 April 2024
·
Islamophobia In India: Hijab-Wearing Muslim Women
Barred from Entering Marbia Café in Delhi
·
Jamia Millia Islamia Student Nausheen Secures 9th Rank
In UPSC
·
Dina Qalibaf, a Student Arrested After Alleging Sexual
Abuse by Tehran Morality Police
·
2 Australian Womenof Jewish Origin Booked in Kerala
for Tearing Down Pro-Palestine Posters
·
California University Cancels Asna Tabassum
Valedictorian's Speech, Citing Safety Concerns
·
Indian-Origin Principal, Katherine Birbalsingh, Bans
Prayers, Wins in UK Court Against Muslim Student
·
Warrants For Pakistan Fashion Designer Khadija Shah
Withdrawn in A Case, Issued in Another
Compiled by New Age Islam News
Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/islamophobia-india-hijab-muslim-cafe/d/132149
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Islamophobia In India: Hijab-Wearing Muslim Women
Barred from Entering Marbia Caféin Delhi
Representative Image |
Image: PTI
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April 15, 2024
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Alleging Islamophobia, some burqa-wearing
women have claimed that they were barred from entering a café near Jamia Millia
Islamia University in South Delhi on Sunday.
In a statement, the women said the incident happened
at the Marbia Café in New Friends Colony when they went there at 2 p.m.
“The receptionist stopped us asking if we had a
reservation to which we replied we didn’t but we will book a table right now.
She then blatantly told us that ‘burqas are not allowed,’” said a victim. “We
were shocked and left the venue without arguing with her,” she said.
Later, the victims called the café to confirm whether
what was told to them was true. “Firstly, they responded that they don’t allow
hijab inside. When pressed for the reason, the man kept on repeating that it’s
just their policy”.
“You can go in with other religious clothing inside,
but not a hijab,” said a victim.
The café authorities then said that they have a policy
of allowing formals, semi-formals and casuals.
“And when that tactics also did not work to justify
why the hijab was not allowed, he passed the blame on to the receptionist,
saying she might have misunderstood the policy and that he would explain it to
her,” the victim further said.
Hijab-wearing women and students have often faced
harassment at the hands of authorities amid increasing hate crimes against
Muslims. The barring of hijab-wearing students from entering classes in
Karnataka under the Bhartiya Janata Party government in 2022 caused national
outrage. The decision taken by the state government then deprived Muslim girls
of education.
In January, Rajasthan Minister Kirori Lal Meena had
called for a hijab ban in the schools of his state. In February, the
authorities in the government high school of Jodhpur barred hijab-wearing
students from entering the school.
The Delhi café case is the latest incident of
harassment of Muslim women due to their religious attire.
Source: clarionindia.net
https://clarionindia.net/women-in-burqa-barred-from-entering-cafe-in-south-delhi/
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Jamia Millia Islamia Student Nausheen Secures 9th Rank
In UPSC
Nausheen secured 9th rank in
the UPSC examination | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
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16-04-2024
Sumana
Jamia Millia Islamia student Nausheen has secured All
India 9th Rank in the UPSC Civil Services Exam 2023 the result of which was
declared on Tuesday.
Thirty-one (31) candidates who received coaching and
training in the Residential Coaching Academy (RCA), of Jamia Millia Islamia
(JMI) have been selected in UPSC's Civil Services Exam 2023, an increase of 8
from last year. A total of 71 students from RCA appeared in the interview out
of which 31 finally selected.
Out of the 31 selected candidates, some are expected
to get IAS and IPS and remaining candidates are likely to get IRS, Audit &
Account Service, IRTS and other allied services of Group-A as per their ranking
and choices.
Nausheen, who secured 9th rank, is the best performer
from the RCA this year. 11 out of 31 selected candidates are girls. Elated over
the achievement she gave all the credit to RCA, JMI for her success as she got
a very good environment and support that led to the achievement.
Prof. Eqbal Hussain, Officiating Vice Chancellor, JMI
interacted with successful candidates and other students at the academy and
congratulated them for their achievements. Mr. Hadis Lari, Officiating
Registrar, JMI and other officials of the university were also present during
the interaction.
On this occasion Prof. Hussain said that the
consistent performance of RCA, JMI in training students for Civil Services
Examinations year after year is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for
the university. The university administration has been providing all the
support to the RCA and to improve the performance further assistance will be
provided by the administration. Hopefully, the results will improve further in
coming years.
Prof. Hussain has been personally monitoring and
providing all support to RCA to work for excellence. He praised officials of
RCA for the efforts they put in for improving the performance of the academy.
Previous to last year Shruti Sharma, the topper in
UPSC Civil Services Exam was the star performer from the RCA, JMI.
Since, 2010-11 till 2024 RCA has produced more than
nearly 300 Civil Servants including many in IAS, IFS and IPS. Besides, more
than 300 students have also been selected in various other central and state
services i.e., CAPF, IB, RBI (Grade B), APF, Bank PO and PCS etc.
RCA was established in 2010 by the UGC under the aegis
of Centre for Coaching and Career Planning (CC&CP), JMI to provide free
coaching, and residential facilities to the students of SC, ST, Women, and
Minorities for civil services and other competitive examinations. Students are
selected for comprehensive coaching on the basis of an All India written test
followed by individual interviews.
RCA provides a well-structured multifaceted coaching
& personality development program. This involves guidance at various stages
of the examinations i.e. Prelims., Main and Interview with over 500 hours of
classes, Special Lectures of eminent scholars and senior civil servants, Group
Discussions, Test Series and Mock-Interviews. Besides, the Academy also
provides 24x7 air-conditioned library facilities and free wi-fi. The Academy
provides safe and convenient hostel facilities.
"This is a matter of great happiness for us. As
many as 11 are women and 20 men. Here at the institution, mentoring is done at
a very good level," Prof Samina Bano, Officiating Director, Academic
Counsellor, RCA, Jamia, said.
Prerna Singh, a student of RCA, Jamia Millia Islamia,
who scored rank 271 in the UPSC 2023 exam, expresse1d her happiness.
"This was my fourth attempt. I am happy and
grateful. There are stages that are disheartening, but in the end, it's all
about why you decided to go for it in the first place. My friends and mother
have motivated me a lot for each attempt I have given." Prena said, while
speaking to ANI.
Nazia Parveen, another student of RCA who scored rank
670 in the UPSC 2023 exam, while expressing her happiness, said that there is
no substitute for hard work and you should not lose hope.
"This was my fourth attempt since I could not
qualify the last three attempts. I want to say that there is no substitute for
hard work and you should not lose hope. You should learn from your
mistakes..." Nazia Parveen said.
"The consistent performance of RCA, JMI in
training students for civil service examinations year after year is a matter of
great pride and satisfaction for the university. The university administration
has been providing all the support to the RCA and to improve its performance,
further assistance will be provided by the administration. Hopefully, the
results will improve further in the coming years," Prof. Eqbal Hussain,
Officiating Vice Chancellor, JMI said.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on April 16
declared the results for the Civil Services Exam 2023, with Aditya Srivastava
securing the top rank.
Animesh Pradhan and Donuru Ananya Reddy secured the
second and third ranks, respectively, it said.
A total of 1,016 candidates cleared the examination
and have been recommended for different central government services, the UPSC
said.
The Civil Services Exam is conducted annually in three
stages--preliminary, main and interview -- by the UPSC to select officers of
the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and
Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.
Source: awazthevoice.in
https://www.awazthevoice.in/education-news/jmi-student-nausheen-secures-th-rank-in-upsc-28312.html
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Dina Qalibaf, a Student Arrested After Alleging Sexual
Abuse by Tehran Morality Police
APRIL 16, 2024
Dina Qalibaf, a student at Tehran's Beheshti
University, was arrested by security forces after she said she was
"sexually" abused by the Morality Police.
Qalibaf recently posted on social media about being
detained by the Islamic Republic's Morality Police, which enforces dress code
regulations.
Qalibaf said she was "sexually" assaulted
during the arrest.
In her social media post, Qalibaf described
encountering the police at the Sadighieh metro station of Tehran.
She said she was taken to a room, shocked with a
taser, and handcuffed. Qalibaf further revealed sexual assault by one of the
officers.
The post describes the officer mocking women and using
vulgar language.
Qalibaf said the officer touched her face while her
hands were restrained.
Qalibaf, a political science undergraduate, was
reportedly summoned by the university's disciplinary committee last year for
participating in a student protest against an execution.
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/127617-student-arrested-after-alleging-sexual-abuse-by-tehran-morality-police/
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2 Australian Women of Jewish Origin Booked in Kerala
for Tearing Down Pro-Palestine Posters
April 17, 2024
Shaju Philip
The Kochi city police Tuesday registered a case
against two Australian women tourists of Jewish origin for allegedly destroying
pro-Palestine posters erected by the Students Islamic Organisation, the student
wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The FIR, registered at Fort Kochi police station, does
not mention the names of the accused, but a case has been registered under IPC
section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with the intent to cause riot, whether
or not riot is committed). They were released from the police station as the
offense is bailable.
According to police, the tourists tore down a poster
erected by the SIO near the Fort Kochi boat jetty on Monday night. A few local
youths questioned the women, which led to a heated debate between the two
sides.
On Tuesday, SIO area leader K S Azeem filed a
complaint with the local police seeking action against the women. SIO activists
also traced one of the women to a homestay near Fort Kochi.
As police remained reluctant to take action on the
complaint, SIO activists thronged the police station in large numbers on
Tuesday night, demanding that the police register a case. The SIO also held a
protest in front of the police station. As the crowd insisted that they would
disperse only after a case is filed, police relented around midnight on
Tuesday.
Police said the pro-Palestine posters were erected
during the New Year. “There was no permission to erect the posters, but it was
up to the local civic body to remove them from public places,” police said.
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/australian-women-booked-kerala-tearing-down-pro-palestine-posters-9275000/
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California University Cancels Asna Tabassum
Valedictorian's Speech, Citing Safety Concerns
Apr 17, 2024
LOS ANGELES: The University of Southern California,
citing safety concerns and passions around the latest Middle East conflict, has
cancelled its valedictorian speech from a Muslim student who said she was being
silenced by anti-Palestinian hatred for her views on human rights.
USC Provost Andrew Guzman said in a statement on
Monday that the decision to scrub the traditional valedictorian address at next
month's graduation had "nothing to do with freedom of speech" and was
simply aimed at protecting campus security.
The valedictorian, biomedical engineering major Asna
Tabassum, in her own statement challenged the university's rationale,
questioning "whether USC's decision to revoke my invitation to speak is
made solely on the basis of safety."
Guzman's statement did not refer to Tabassum by name,
or specify what about her speech, background or political views had raised
concerns. Nor did it detail any particular threats.
The provost referred more broadly to how
"discussion relating to the selection of our valedictorian had taken on an
alarming tenor" in recent days.
"The intensity of feelings, fuelled by both
social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include
many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating
substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement," he
wrote.
Public safety officials and civil rights advocates
have reported a rise in hate crimes against Muslims, Jews, Arabs and
Palestinians in the United States, along with heightened tensions on college
campuses related to the Israel-Gaza war, since the conflict erupted on Oct. 7.
According to Tabassum, who described herself as a
"first-generation South Asian-American Muslim," USC officials refused
in an April 14 meeting with her to share details of the university's security
assessment.
USC did not respond to Reuters' request for further
comment.
'CAVING TO FEAR'
Tabassum said she also was told USC possessed the
ability "to take appropriate safety measures for my valedictory
speech" but opted not to because a tougher security posture was "not
what the university wants to 'present as an image.'"
Instead, Tabassum said USC was "caving to fear
and rewarding hatred," which she said was being directed by
"anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices" targeting her "because
of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all."
Neither Tabassum nor USC made explicit mention of the
Israel-Gaza war. But local media reported some groups had demanded USC revoke
her valedictorian status because of a link on her social media that they said
contained antisemitic language.
Tabassum's Instagram account had a link that directed
users to a slideshow about "what's happening in Palestine and how to
help." It advocated for "one Palestinian state" and "the
complete abolishment of the state of Israel."
Tabassum told an NBC News affiliate that she posted
the link five years earlier and did not author the slideshow.
In her statement, Tabassum said her undergraduate
minor studies in genocide resistance had shown her the danger of allowing
"cries for equality and human dignity" to be deliberately conflated
with "expressions of hatred."
"Due to widespread fear, I was hoping to use my
commencement speech to inspire my classmates with a message of hope," she
wrote.
Tabassum was chosen valedictorian from nearly 100
applicants - submitted from among the more than 200 graduating seniors - who
qualified for the honor based on their grade-point-averages, according to USC.
The university had not asked for an advanced copy of
Tabassum's address before withdrawing her invitation to speak, and she had not
even begun working on her speech, said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of
the Council on American Islamic Relations, an advocacy group that circulated
her statement.
The May 10 commencement exercises, honoring this
year's class of 19,000-plus graduates, is expected to draw 65,000 people to the
downtown Los Angeles campus of USC, long regarded as one of California's most
prestigious private universities. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles,
Julia Harte in New York and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Jonathan
Oatis and Christopher Cushing)
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/california-university-cancels-muslim-valedictorians-speech-citing-safety-concerns/articleshow/109360261.cms
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Indian-Origin Principal, Katherine Birbalsingh, Bans
Prayers, Wins In UK Court Against Muslim Student
Apr 16, 2024
An Indian-origin school principal won a legal battle
in the UK High Court, which upheld her ban on prayer rituals. This ruling came
after a Muslim student legally challenged the ban as discriminatory.
Katherine Birbalsingh, is also known as “Britain’s
strictest headmistress”.
Birbalsingh, who is of Indo-Guyanese heritage,
informed the court that Michaela School, located in Wembley, north London, is a
'secular' secondary school. She stated that the school's policy does not permit
religious prayers to maintain an "inclusive environment".
Despite half of the school's students being Muslims,
there are also significant numbers of Sikh, Hindu, and Christian pupils.
“As the Governing Body is aware, the School does not
provide a prayer room for use by pupils, for various reasons. These reasons
include that a prayer room would foster division amongst pupils, contrary to
the School’s ethos, lack of available space and available staff to supervise
pupils and that pupils would miss important School activities, including during
the lunch break if they were to spend time in a prayer room,” Birbalsingh told
the court, reported PTI.
Legal Ruling Upholds School's Decision
Justice Thomas Linden, in an 80-page judgment
following a hearing in January, ruled in the school’s favour.
The judge stated that the school was justified in
considering whether to allow indoor ritual prayer, which would change its
long-standing policy of not having a prayer room.
“She (the unnamed pupil) knew that the School is
secular, and her own evidence is that her mother wished her to go there because
it was known to be strictâ€æ Her evidence has focussed on her preferences and
what she supposes the position would be elsewhere,” the judgement noted.
In response to the ruling, Birbalsingh hailed it as a
“victory for all schools” and praised the school's principles of “robust yet
respectful secularism”.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan supported the
decision, asserting that headteachers should have autonomy in making school
decisions.
The High Court in London ruled that the prayer ritual
ban was legal under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
and Section 19 of the Equality Act 2010.
The Muslim pupil, whose name cannot be disclosed for
legal reasons, argued that the ban uniquely impacted her faith because of its
ritualistic nature.
Although she lost the case, she feels she stood up for
what she believed was right and now aims to concentrate on her studies.
Source: indiatoday.in
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/indians-abroad/story/indian-origin-principal-uk-court-case-london-school-prayer-ban-britains-strictest-headmistress-muslim-hindu-sikh-christian-2528039-2024-04-16
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Warrants For Pakistan Fashion Designer Khadija Shah
Withdrawn in A Case, Issued in Another
April 17, 2024
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday
withdrew bailable warrants for arrest of fashion designer Khadija Shah after
she appeared in Jinnah House attack trial proceedings, however, issued her
warrants in another case of the May 9 riots.
Ms Shah, along with her lawyer, appeared before the
court after issuance of her warrants for skipping trial hearings.
The designer assured the court that she would appear
at each hearing of the case without fail.
Judge Arshad Javed canceled bailable arrest warrants
of Ms Shah who left after the hearing in the Jinnah House attack was adjourned.
However, she did not attend the hearing of the Askari Tower case and the judge
issued her bailable arrest warrants for April 17 (today).
Ms Shah, a granddaughter of former army chief Asif
Nawaz Janjua, was released from jail last year following bail in all the May 9
cases against her.
Separately, police produced former governor Umar
Sarfraz Cheema and the former provincial minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed before
the court in the Jinnah House case.
The court was informed that former MNA Aliya Hamza and
social media activist Sanam Javed could not be presented as they were in
Sargodha jail.
The judge adjourned the hearing till April 29.
Police barred from arresting Fawad
The Lahore High Court on Tuesday restrained the police
from arresting former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry for a week, allowing him
to secure pre-arrest bail from the trial courts in the May 9 cases against him.
Earlier, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP)
Usman Anwar told the court that 40 cases were registered against Mr Fawad in
different police stations of the province.
The IGP said the petitioner had been discharged in
four of the cases, but did not secured pre-arrest bail in the remaining ones.
“Will you give him (Fawad) an opportunity to file
interim bail,” Justice Aalia Neelum asked the IGP, who replied: “Yes, we will.”
An additional advocate general, however, said if Mr
Fawad got this relief, the murder and robbery suspects would also demand it in
future.
“We will provide relief to whoever comes to us,” the
judge remarked. The judge asked the law officer that the government made the
issue too political.
The judge allowed one-week time to Mr Fawad to
approach the relevant courts for interim bail in the 36 cases registered
against him.
The IGP assured the court that the police would not
arrest the petitioner until he approached the courts concerned for the bail.
CJP: Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa on
Tuesday visited Lahore High Court Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan during
his first official visit to Punjab capital after becoming the top judge of the
country.
Senior most judge of the Supreme Court Justice Syed
Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and
Justice Athar Minallah also accompanied the chief justice.
Source: dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1827857/warrants-for-khadija-shah-withdrawn-in-a-case-issued-in-another
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/islamophobia-india-hijab-muslim-cafe/d/132149