Baloch Woman’s Alleged Killing by Govt Evokes Widespread Anger
New Age Islam News Bureau
2
Jun 2020
Doaa Elghobashy and Nada Meawad createdhistory that
the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first-ever Egyptian duo to compete in beach
volleyball at an Olympic Games. Getty
-----
•
How Athletes Like Egypt's Doaa Elghobashy And UAE's Zahra Lari Are Breaking
Down Barriers
•
Dubai-Based Indian Dentist, Dr Nabeena, Gives Up Practice to Volunteer Combating
Coronavirus
•
Muslim Teen in Hijab Punched Repeatedly During Alleged Hate Crime on Transit in
Downtown Vancouver
•
156 Women and Men Appointed to Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution
•
Women’s Wealth in The Middle East to Grow an Average 9% Annually By 2023, Says
BCG
•
Online Quran Contest Underway for Iraqi Women
•
Three Women Get Pre-Arrest Bail In Uzma Case
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/baloch-womans-alleged-killing-govt/d/122014
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Baloch
Woman’s Alleged Killing by Govt Evokes Widespread Anger
01
JUNE 2020
New
Delhi/Islamabad, June 1 (IANS) The killing of a young woman allegedly by the
members linked to the ruling party in Balochistan last week has triggered
widespread anger among the Baloch people.
The
president of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) and former chief minister
Akhtar Mengal attacked Pakistan’s judiciary saying it has abdicated its
responsibility to hold the provincial government accountable for its crimes in
Balochistan.
Akhtar
was referring to a woman, Maliknaz who was killed and her four-year-old baby
girl, Bramsh, shot at in Dannok tehsil of Turbat city in Balochistan last
Tuesday.
The
entire operation was carried out allegedly by the members of a death squad of
the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), the ruling party of Balochistan.
Founded
in 2018 by some members of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan
Muslim League (Q), the BAP emerged as the largest party with 19 seats in
Balochistan in the 2018 general elections in Pakistan. The BAP heads a
coalition government in the province with Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan and is
also a part of the ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the
Pakistan National Assembly.
Akhtar
is the son of Ataullah Mengal, who was the first democratically elected chief
minister of Balochistan in 1972. Ataullah''s government was overthrown just
nine months after he took over and was sent to jail on the charges of sedition
by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto''s government.
In
1997, the BNP swept the elections and formed a coalition government in
Balochistan with Akhtar as the chief minister. However, his government was also
dismissed due to his differences with Islamabad.
Ever
since, the BNP, which seeks greater autonomy for Balochistan province through
peaceful and democratic struggle, hasn''t participated in any elections.
On
Sunday Akhtar Mengal tweeted tagging Pakistan''s Prime Minister Imran Khan
saying: "It''s not a crime to kill innocent children, young students,
elderly, and women in Balochistan. Will there ever be justice for Bramsh and
her mother. Or will the Baloch people be left at the mercy of the
establishment''s proxies."
The
incident has evoked widespread anger among human rights activists abroad, too.
Senge
Hasnan Sering, the Washington DC-based Director of the Gilgit-Baltistan
National Congress, a diaspora group formed in 2010 to raise awareness of rights
violations in the G-B region, tweeted, "My heart goes to 4-year-old
Bramsh. Her mom was shot/killed by military-backed terrorists. A bullet also
broke her shoulder.
"Asks
for mom every time she regains consciousness. Shameless Pakistanis who don''t
care about equal rights for Baloch now obsessed with racial equality in the
USA."
https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/baloch-womans-alleged-killing-by-govt-evokes-widespread-anger/1852224
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How
Athletes Like Egypt's Doaa Elghobashy And UAE's Zahra Lari Are Breaking Down
Barriers
Reem
Abulleil
June
2, 2020
A
day after her opening beach volleyball match against Germany at the Rio 2016
Games, Egyptian Doaa Elghobashy was walking around the Olympic Village getting
attention like she was Usain Bolt.
An
action shot of Elghobashy, wearing a hijab, a long-sleeved shirt and
full-length leggings, and coming face-to-face with her bikini-clad German
opponent Kira Walkenhorst at the net, went viral and remains one of the most
iconic images to come out of Rio de Janeiro that summer.
A
single frame symbolised the union of cultures one has come to expect from the
Olympic Games, yet the monumental reaction it received made it seem like such
differences on display at the international stage were somehow still a novelty.
“So
many people came up to me to say hello, just because they saw my photo. I
suddenly found myself famous around the Village and I had no idea why; turns
out it’s just because I compete in beach volleyball while wearing a hijab,”
Elghobashy told The National.
In
her second match, alongside her team-mate Nada Meawad, against Italy,
Elghobashy played in front of a sell-out crowd of 10,000 people at the
Copacabana beach.
“People
came to check out who is this Doaa Elghobashy who is competing with the hijab
and has her photos all over the internet,” she recalls. “We lost the match and
we still got a standing ovation and people were chanting ‘Egito, Egito’ [Egypt
in Portuguese]. People were very happy with what we were able to achieve.”
Elghobashy
and Meawad made history that week in Rio, as the first-ever Egyptian duo to
compete in beach volleyball at an Olympic Games. But it was Elghobashy’s outfit
that thrust her into the spotlight. She had been wearing the hijab and doing
sports for 10 years, but needed to get special approval for her match kit
before Rio, in order to make sure they would let her play.
“The
whole thing was new to me – to be the first hijabi player competing in beach
volleyball, and to be the first Egyptian and Arab woman to make it to the Olympics
in this sport. So for me, it was a challenge that was much bigger than just the
hijab. I wanted to be the first person to do this. It was special,” says the
23-year-old Elghobashy.
“Since
then, I’ve been able to compete in international championships with the hijab
without any problems.”
Elghobashy
explains how the international volleyball federation (FIVB) now has three
approved attire options, with varying degrees of covering up, that allow her to
compete in conservative wear.
Originally
an indoor volleyball player since the age of seven, she only took up beach
volleyball in 2014. Elghobashy still competes in both disciplines but says
beach volleyball witnessed a huge surge in popularity and participation after
her Olympic debut with Meawad. Courts were installed across Egypt, and scores
of women switched from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball.
“We
used to go for training camps at a public beach in Port Said, now we have more
facilities. I also have become a certified level one beach volleyball coach,”
she added. “Beach volleyball has become a genuine option for our players.”
It’s
amazing what can happen when a sport decides to become more inclusive and gives
young women the chance to see people who look like them and dress like them
competing at the highest level.
Egypt’s
two female medallists in Rio 2016, Hedaya Malak (taekwondo) and Sara Ahmed
(weightlifting), both wear the hijab. Malak, who won bronze in the -57kg weight
class, was overwhelmed by the support she got as a result.
“A
lot of people messaged me after the Olympics telling me, ‘You’re my idol
because you’re wearing the hijab and are playing your sport’. That I didn’t
take off the hijab for taekwondo. I felt that a lot of people were inspired,”
Malak told The National.
“Abroad,
people always ask me, ‘Wow, how do you train in this heat while wearing this?
We’re wearing short sleeves and shorts, and you’re wearing long sleeves and a
scarf and you’re not feeling hot or anything’. They would always ask me stuff
like that but now they got used to it.”
One
of the reasons hijabi athletes are still viewed as an uncommon phenomenon
internationally is that several sports spent years trying to stop them from
competing.
Fifa,
football’s international governing body, overturned its ban on hijab as recently
as 2014, while FIBA, basketball’s governing body, lifted its ban on headgear in
2017, thanks to the efforts of Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a Muslim-American
collegiate basketball player who was forced to make a choice between her faith
and her sport, and spent years campaigning against the ban.
Many
athletes still require special waivers to compete in the hijab and the language
of attire rules in various sports can be vague and misinterpreted by officials.
Elghobashy
recalls how several of her basketball-playing friends could not be part of the
national team just because they wore the hijab.
“If
you want to have a truly competitive sport, you have to open the door to
everyone, be it hijabis or non-hijabis,” she says. “Let’s say we have a very
talented hijabi athlete, is it fair that she cannot compete just because she is
covering up? I always say, do not let a hijabi athlete hate her own hijab just
because she cannot do something she wants to do or play the sport she loves.
Give everyone their space to dress the way they want so they can showcase their
talents, instead of forcing them to do something they do not believe in and do
not accept.
“Why
kill someone’s dream just because they wear the hijab and the sport doesn’t
allow that?
“At
the end of the day, each one of us comes from a different culture and we all
deserve to be accepted.”
Emirati
Zahra Lari is the first hijabi figure skater to compete internationally and she
had to contact the International Skating Union (ISU) to discuss the sport’s
attire rule after she was deducted points by judges for her conservative outfit
in her first event abroad back in 2012.
She
still receives special waivers to perform in the hijab since the wording of
rule 501 in the ISU’s regulations guide does not explicitly address religious
headwear.
Noor
Ahmed, an American college golfer born in Sacramento to Egyptian parents,
describes her experience as a hijabi student-athlete at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
“I
feel like every time I step onto a golf course I have to prove that a Muslim
woman can compete and compete in a hijab and compete well,” she told
Golfdigest.com.
“On
the golf course, the hijab makes me stand out. It’s definitely a reminder every
time I step on the golf course that I am different. No one will look like me.
No one will dress like me. Every time you’re stepping onto the course is
helping break down stereotypes.”
Tennis
is a sport that hasn’t always been welcoming to hijabis or women who preferred
to dress conservatively. The WTA and ITF’s rulebook had an attire regulation
that stated women could only wear leggings that were mid-calf length (a hijabi
woman typically needs to cover the full length of her legs) and could only wear
them under a skirt or a dress.
That
rule changed last year, and players can now wear leggings without a skirt or
dress on top, and any details regarding the length of leggings have been
removed from the rulebook. There is no specific mention of the hijab but tennis
players generally do not have restrictions on headgear.
It
had never occurred to tennis authorities that the old rule dismissed an entire
group of women who may have wanted to pursue a professional tennis career while
covering up.
The
previous versions of the rule gave room for misinterpretation by umpires. Fatma
Al Nabhani, an Omani tennis player who chooses to dress conservatively while
competing, complained to the ITF more than once about officials who demanded
she take off her leggings before her matches, despite them being of the
approved length.
She
recounts a time when a French umpire at a tournament in Tunisia asked her if
she was wearing her leggings because of her religion or because of the cold
weather. “If it’s because of your religion then you need to take it off,” the
umpire said, according to Al Nabhani.
I
once posted on Twitter a photo of hijabi tennis player Dona Abohabaga playing a
Fed Cup match for Egypt in Cairo in 2016 and received a slew of messages
online, ranging from shock to sarcasm to disdain. That’s how unheard of hijab
is in the world of tennis.
Muslim
women have come a long way in the world of sport. Athletes like Abdul-Qaadir,
Ibtihaj Muhammad, Elghobashy, everyone mentioned above and many more, have
played a crucial role in breaking barriers, changing perceptions, and paving
the way for others to follow suit.
International
governing bodies must continue to make sure they are doing their part in
creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. They shouldn’t wait
until a Muslim player rises through the ranks and requires an exception to
pursue her dream while respecting her faith.
Who
knows, maybe one day a hijabi athlete will be acknowledged for her
accomplishments first, before any mention of her faith or what she chooses to
put on her head.
https://www.thenational.ae/sport/other-sport/sport-and-hijab-how-athletes-like-egypt-s-doaa-elghobashy-and-uae-s-zahra-lari-are-breaking-down-barriers-1.1027701
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Dubai-Based
Indian Dentist, Dr Nabeena, Gives Up Practice To Volunteer Combating
Coronavirus
June
2, 2020
Parents
to two kids, Dr Nabeena volunteers at the Al Warsan Hospitality and Healthcare
Centre.
A
Dubai - based dentist in a private clinic has given up her practice to work on
the frontlines battling the COVID19 coronavirus.
Dr
Nabeena Najeeb, an Indian dentist from Kannur district in Kerala, India, along
with her husband Najeeb PP Kannur, the co-owner of Royal Pearl Restaurant in Al
Barsha, have given up their regular jobs to battle against the pandemic.
Parents
to two kids, a 13-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl, Dr Nabeena volunteers
at the Al Warsan Hospitality and Healthcare Centre for coronavirus patients
while her husband distributes food kits to needy families and individuals
across Dubai. Dr Nabeena told Khaleej Times she has been practising at a private
dental clinic for nine years.
"I
came across posts on WhatsApp groups seeking volunteers when the crisis arose.
I began my volunteer work in April in coordination with the Dubai Health
Authority and the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, and have been here ever
since," she said. The couple has been extremely careful not to interact
excessively with their kids and undergo several sanitization processes before
even touching them.
"I
haven't really touched my kids for the last two months. I have the fear they
could get sick, but I place my trust in Allah," she said.
She
begins work at the Al Warsan quarantine centre at 8 am every morning and gets
done by 4 pm to 5 pm. "I work five to six times a week, it really depends
on the workload," she explained.
As
most patients at the facility come with mild symptoms, Nabeena's main
responsibilities are to provide them with medication for symptoms.
"Patients come with complaints such as cough, cold, mild stomach pain, and
diarrhoea. We calm them and prescribe mild medications," she added. As
several patients come with extreme anxiety, the doctor's responsibility also
includes keeping them calm.
As
she is interacting with COVID19 positive patients, wearing the PPE is
mandatory. "Sometimes, I wear PPE kits for three to four hours at a
stretch and sometimes two to three hours," explained Dr Nabeena.
When
it comes to taking care of her kids, the doctor said, "My children have
shown great resilience during this time. My older one is responsible for the
younger ones. I cook food for them in the morning before I leave for work and
they take care of themselves."
Dr
Nabeena's husband, Najeeb PP Kannur, the co-owner of Royal Pearl Restaurant
said his restaurant has been closed for two months. "I've been
volunteering with the INCAS Volunteers team since then. Now that restrictions
have been lifted in the UAE, things are getting better," he added.
Najeeb
distributes grocery and food kits to families and shifts COVID19 positive
patients to medical facilities in Dubai in collaboration with DHA. "I also
get food kits to some of the patients in Warsan, especially the ones desiring
Kerala food," he added. The couple intends to inculcate the spirit of
serving humanity during a time of need in their kids.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/combating-coronavirus-dubai-based-dentist-gives-up-practice-to-volunteer-?utm
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Muslim
Teen In Hijab Punched Repeatedly During Alleged Hate Crime On Transit In
Downtown Vancouver
June
1, 2020
VANCOUVER
-- Police are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect in an alleged
hate crime that targeted a Muslim teenager who was wearing a hijab on public
transit.
Authorities
said the 17-year-old victim and her mother boarded a bus in downtown Vancouver
on the afternoon of May 21, and that a fellow passenger began mocking her
ethnicity and asking if she was Canadian.
The
suspect then told her, "Your smile is making me want to punch you in the
face," or something to that effect, before punching the teenager in the
head several times and partially knocking off her headscarf, according to a
news release from Metro Vancouver Transit Police.
The
victim's mother and another passenger intervened, and the suspect got off the
bus at Hastings Street and Jackson Avenue. The Good Samaritan followed her and
called 911 only to be attacked as well, police said.
Authorities
allege the suspect took off her boots and began hitting the Good Samaritan,
then brandished a knife and ran away.
The
teen victim wasn't physically injured during the attack but was left shaken up,
and did not want to speak publicly on Monday. The director of the Muslim Care
Centre, a charity in the Downtown Eastside where she volunteers, told CTV News
she is an honour student in high school who is attending university next year.
"She's
keeping her hopes and spirit high. She is a very strong person," said
Adnan Akiel, the director of the centre.
Akiel
said that while the teenager was victimized by the incident, they feel pity for
the assailant as well.
"The
real victim of this incident and incidents like these are people who subject
themselves to their own ignorance and their own hate," he said.
"This
is the time that we stand up as proud Muslims and we carry on proudly living as
Muslims. We take our faith and we do our part in educating everyone else."
On
Monday, almost two weeks after the incident, authorities released a pair of
suspect images and a surveillance video in the hopes that someone will
recognize the suspect and come forward.
She
is described as being about 40 years old, 5'8" tall and approximately 140
lbs. She was wearing a black hat, dark sunglasses, a dark top with the word
"Pink" written on the back, blue jean shorts, black boots and a
distinct silver backpack that changes colour in different lights.
Authorities
asked anyone with information on her identity or the incident to call the
transit police tip line at 604-516-7419.
"There
is no place for hate, racism or biases on the transit system. All passengers
using our transit system have the right to travel without fear of harassment or
assault," Metro Vancouver Transit Police said.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/muslim-teen-in-hijab-punched-repeatedly-during-alleged-hate-crime-on-transit-1.4963932
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156
Women and Men Appointed to Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution
June
02, 2020
RIYADH:
King Salman on Monday issued a royal decree appointing 156 men and women with
the rank of investigative lieutenant to Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution.
The
decree comes within the framework of the king’s support to the Public
Prosecution and efforts to achieve more stability and prosperity for the public
judicial system, Attorney General Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mua’jab said.
Al-Mua’jab
also said the move highlighted the “great prestige and status of women” in
providing them the opportunity to work in the judicial field in a way that
enhances their position and presence in serving the country in line with the
Kingdom's vision.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1683361/saudi-arabia
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Women’s
wealth in the Middle East to grow an average 9% annually by 2023, says BCG
Nada
El Sawy
June
1, 2020
Women’s
wealth in the Middle East is set to grow at a 9 per cent compound annual growth
rate (CAGR) of 9 per cent up to 2023, according to the Boston Consulting Group.
Females
account for 24 per cent of $3.2 trillion (Dh11.7tn) of total assets under
management in the Middle East, according to 2019 BCG data, published on Monday.
The women’s wealth share includes $103bn in the UAE and $224bn in Saudi Arabia.
The
segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3 per cent in the UAE and 5.1 per
cent in Saudi Arabia. However, BCG said wealth managers must shift their
culture to become more inclusive and adopt a more personalised approach.
"Examining
preconceptions about female investors, moving beyond labels to treat the
individual, and adopting an objective-based and evidence-backed advisory
approach will enable wealth managers to ensure the full potential of women is
realised in the decade ahead," said Mustafa Bosca, managing director and
partner at BCG in the Middle East.
When
women invest, they do a better job than men, according to a 2018 study by
Warwick Business School in the UK. Women trading shares and funds made a 1.94
per cent average gain above the market compared to men’s 0.14 per cent, it
found.
Meanwhile
an April BCG report titled Managing the Next Decade of Women’s Wealth, found
that women across the globe are amassing greater wealth than before, adding
$5tn to the pool every year and now accounting for 32 per cent of global
wealth.
The
consulting firm said it expects women’s wealth to outpace global wealth growth
over the next several years, despite the economic impact of the coronavirus.
From
2016 to 2019, women accumulated wealth at a CAGR of 6.1 per cent. Over the next
four years, that rate will accelerate to 7.2 per cent, BCG said.
“The
expected rise in women’s wealth in the Middle East is especially noteworthy,”
the report said. “Greater political and economic stability across the region
and improving healthcare and educational access for women are fanning the
expected 9 per cent CAGR.”
The
report cites examples of improvements in educational access, such as: girls’
rates of primary and secondary school participation are now similar to boys’,
and women outnumber men at the university level in 15 of 22 Arab countries. In
Bahrain, girls consistently make up the majority of top-ten high school
graduates.
In
the UAE, women in leadership positions have increased 2.4 per cent, while women
in entrepreneurial activities and labour force participation in Saudi Arabia
increased 1 per cent and 0.5 per cent, respectively.
“The
opening up of the Middle East is further evidence that expanded access to
education and health care can have positive implications for women," said
Mr Bosca.
"Labour
force participation, leadership positions, entrepreneurial activities and
economic empowerment all play important roles in economic advancement, which
will, in turn, contribute to further growth in women's wealth over the next
decade.”
Despite
their increasing purchasing power, women remain largely underserved by wealth
managers, according to BCG.
In
BCG’s global investor survey of 300 male and female affluent and high-net-worth
individuals, 30 per cent of women said their relationship manager spoke to them
differently because of their gender, while 64 per cent said their bank or
wealth management provider needs to improve its value proposition.
https://www.thenational.ae/business/money/women-s-wealth-in-the-middle-east-to-grow-an-average-9-annually-by-2023-says-bcg-1.1027466
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Online
Quran Contest Underway for Iraqi Women
May
31, 2020
According
to Al-Kafeel website, the Quran Section of Women’s Religious Guidance Office
affiliated to the Astan (custodianship) of Hazrat Abbas (AS) Holy Shrine in
Iraq has organized the competition since the holy month of Ramadan.
Fatemeh
Seyyed Abbas Al-Mousawi, head of the section, said that the contenders are
required to answer 30 questions on diacritics of Quran’s verses, Quranic
sciences, interpretation of Quranic verses and Hadiths from the infallibles
(AS) about some verses of Quran.
She
added that the main objective of the competition is to promote Quranic skills
of Muslim women to make use of the verses in raising the new generation and get
them familiar with Islamic teachings.
The
competition is held for 4 days and the participants should be above 18 years
old. Winners will be announced on Al-Kafeel website.
https://iqna.ir/en/news/3471553/online-quran-contest-underway-for-iraqi-women
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Three
Women Get Pre-Arrest Bail In Uzma Case
June
02, 2020
LAHORE:
A sessions court on Monday granted pre-arrest bail to two daughters and one
relative of a property tycoon in actor Uzma Khan’s house storming and torture
case.
Amber
Malik and Pashmina Malik, daughters of Malik Riaz, and Amina Usman, wife of
Riaz’s sister-in-law’s son, appeared before the court along with their counsel
Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, sitting president of the Lahore High Court Bar
Association.
Defence-C
police station had on May 27 registered an FIR against the three women and
their 15 private security guards on a complaint of the actor on charges of
attacking her and her sister after breaking into their house.
Mr
Warraich argued that the suspects/petitioners were innocent and the police
unlawfully implicated them in the case. He asked the court to grant pre-arrest
bail to the petitioners as there were apprehensions of their arrest by the
police.
Additional
District and Sessions Judge Chaudhry Farrukh Hussain allowed interim pre-arrest
bail to the petitioners till June 15 and issued notices to the SHO concerned
and the complainant.
The
petitioners were directed to furnish bail bonds to the tune of Rs50,000 each
and to join the police investigation.
On
May 28, a judicial magistrate had issued arrest warrants of the suspect women
on an application by the investigating officer.
As
per the FIR, Uzma Khan alleged that the suspect women along with 12-15 security
guards stormed her residence in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) by breaking
the door at 10:30pm a day before Eid.
She
alleged that Amina Malik attacked her sister and injured her with a broken
bottle. She said Pashmina, Amber and their guards beat and dragged her (complainant).
On
the other side, Amina Malik, in a video clip, alleged the actor had relations
with her husband, Usman Malik. She also justified her act of breaking into the
actor’s residence and claimed that the house was in fact owned by her husband.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1560745/three-women-get-pre-arrest-bail-in-uzma-case
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