Egyptian Prosecutors Release Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s Daughter, Ola Qaradawi, After 4 Years In Jail
New
Age Islam News Bureau
01
January 2022
• Jamila,
28, Former Afghan Female Soldier: 'I Am So Afraid' Under Taliban
• Canada
To Take In Female Afghan Judges From Greece
• Muslim
Women's Group Spread Some Festive Cheer By Donating Gifts To Milton Keynes
Charity
• Women-Led
Muslim Org Takes Kids Of Different Faiths To Bandra’s Mt Mary Church
• Female
Collective Aims To Revive Traditional Najdi Building Styles In Riyadh
• Top
Eight Saudi Women’s Football Teams To Contest National Championships On New
Year’s Day
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/egyptian-prosecutors-ola-qaradawi/d/126081
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Egyptian
Prosecutors Release Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s Daughter, Ola Qaradawi, After 4 Years
In Jail
Ola
Qaradawi, 60, was released after four years in pre-trial detention (Social
media)
-----
Diana
Chalhoub
31.12.2021
An
Egyptian prosecution decided on Friday to release the daughter of prominent
Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi after spending four years in prison.
Egypt's
official MENA news agency quoted an unnamed official source as saying that
public prosecutors on Friday "decided to release Ola Qaradawi, pending
investigations."
"The
case includes a number of Brotherhood leaders, as the defendants face
accusations of participating in the implementation of terrorist operations
targeting the security forces and disrupting the work of state
institutions," the agency said.
The
case, in which the country's Public Prosecution Office charged Ola Qaradawi
with "joining a terrorist group and financing terrorism," is the
second case against her since her arrest, as well as that of her political
activist husband, Hossam Khalaf, more than four years ago.
On
June 30, 2017, Egyptian authorities arrested the two, with their detention
renewed periodically since then.
On
more than one occasion, Ola's defence team quoted her assertion during the
investigation sessions that she "has not committed any act in violation of
the law and that her arrest and detention throughout this period is just
because she is the daughter of al-Qaradawi."
Al-Qaradawi,
a Qatari citizen of Egyptian descent, is the chairman of the International
Union of Muslim Scholars. He has written 120 books and is widely regarded as
one of the most influential Muslim scholars in the world.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Jamila,
28, Former Afghan Female Soldier: 'I Am So Afraid' Under Taliban
FILE
- Newly-graduated female Afghan National Army (ANA) officers march during a
graduation ceremony at the Afghan National Army training center in Kabul, Aug.
24, 2014.
-----
December
31, 2021
WASHINGTON
—
Afghan
women who served in the country's military are speaking out about how their
life has changed under the Taliban.
"I
feel like I am in prison," said Jamila, 28, a former Afghan military
officer in the western city of Herat. "I have to be at home. I can't work
or go out. I am so afraid."
More
than 6,300 women served in the former Afghan National Defense and Security
Forces (ANDSF). Now they face not only threats to their life as former members
of the military but also the Taliban's imposed restrictions on their gender.
"We
have no hope that things would change. I do not think that Afghan military
women have any future under the Taliban," said Jamila, who did not want
her real name to be revealed for fear of reprisals.
The
Taliban, who seized power after the Afghan government collapsed on August 15,
have imposed repressive rules on women, including banning women from work,
secondary education, and long-distance travel.
Human
Rights Watch and the United Nations accused the Taliban in November of the
summary killing of more than 100 former Afghan security officials despite the
group's promise of general amnesty.
Jamila
served for 10 years in the 207th Zafar (Victory) Corps of the Afghan National
Army, headquartered in Herat province. She says she now hears news every day of
someone else who was killed or disappeared.
"I
fear that they (the Taliban) might find me and kill me," she said.
Despite
assurances from senior Taliban leaders that the group plans no retribution
killings, Jamila said their word cannot be trusted.
The
more than 6,300 women who served as security forces were a small fraction of
the country's 300,000-strong force, but their careers represented a significant
cultural shift for the conservative country.
Washington's
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, reported in
July that 4,253 women served in the police, 1,913 in the army and 146 in the
air force.
Living
in fear
Now,
some of them are on the run.
"We
have been moving from one place to another to avoid being identified,"
Jamila said.
Serving
in the Afghan military was always a significant risk for the women, whose families
sometimes opposed their work.
"Despite
the enormous obstacles," said a SIGAR report in February 2021, Afghan
women continued to join ANDSF "often at a great personal risk."
Jamila,
a mother of two, said that her family had opposed her joining the army. And,
she said, they blame her for the hardships they now face.
"They
are telling me that you joined the army and that is why our lives are in
danger."
Before
the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, many women, government employees and social
activists were killed in targeted attacks.
Of
the seven Afghan women who were posthumously given the U.S. State Department's
2021 International Women of Courage Award, three were working with Afghan
security agencies.
A
U.S. State Department press release issued in March 2021 stated that honorary
awards were given "to seven leaders and activists from Afghanistan who
were assassinated for their dedication to improving the lives of Afghans."
Jamila
said that after the Taliban takeover, some of her colleagues had escaped to
Pakistan and Iran, but most of them remain in Afghanistan, living in fear.
"The
majority could not flee because they do not have money (or) passport, or (are)
having other problems," Jamila added.
'We
fought them'
"I
had no choice but to escape to Pakistan," said a former Afghan army
officer, 25, who did not want her identity to be disclosed for safety reasons.
The
former officer, who was also posted in the Zafar Corps in Herat, said that she
had to escape just after the fall of the city into the Taliban's hands. "I
went together with a family of my relatives and crossed to Pakistan."
She
said that most of the women who had served in the military in her province were
in danger since "we fought them. They wanted to kill us, and we wanted to
kill them."
She
does not see any future for her fellow female veterans in Afghanistan, she
said. "Forget about the idea that they will let us go to work. They do not
even let girls go to school. They do not accept women to be part of the
society."
The
Taliban's position on women's rights had not changed from what she had heard
about the group's repressive rules in the 1990s, she added.
Under
the Taliban, in the late '90s, women were denied education and employment. The
militant group also forced women to cover themselves from head to toe and
prevented women from leaving their houses without a male companion.
After
the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Afghan women made some achievements. About 3.5
million girls were going to schools. About 30 percent of the civil servants and
around 28 percent of parliamentarians were women.
Afghan
women's rights activists worldwide have been protesting the Taliban takeover,
which has curbed the rights and freedoms that Afghan women achieved over the
past 20 years.
On
Tuesday, dozens of women took to the streets of Kabul, demanding work, food and
education.
Call
for help
"No
one cares about us right now," said the former army officer, adding that
"NATO was supporting us. We were encouraged to join the army, but now we
are forgotten."
She
called on the international community to help relocate those women whose lives
are at risk under the Taliban.
Hosna
Jalil, Afghanistan's former deputy minister for women affairs who also served
as deputy interior minister from December 2018 to January 2021, said that Afghan
women who were working in the security sector are at great risk.
"Women
(in the security sector), because their number was low and they can be
identified easily, I think they are more vulnerable," she said.
Initiatives
are underway to relocate some of the former Afghan military women to a safer
place, Jalil said, "but the process, to tell you honestly, is very
scattered and slow."
"And
this is the reason that we lose them one by one," Jalil said, referring to
the targeted killings of former Afghan military personnel.
Source:
VOA News
https://www.voanews.com/a/former-afghan-female-soldier-i-am-so-afraid-under-taliban-/6376154.html
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Canada
to take in female Afghan judges from Greece
01
Jan 2022
Spokesperson
of the immigration minister of Canada has said that the country will resettle
female Afghan judges who are now living in limbo in Greece after they were
evacuated from Afghanistan.
The
people that total 230 people also include family members of the judges.
In
addition, the ministry is also willing to resettle unspecified numbers of gay,
lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer who had been referred by a third-party
aid organization.
Though
the specific date of taking in the people is not clear, it is said that the
judges along with their family members will be resettled in 2022.
Canada
has so far resettled 3,915 Afghans in connection with the Canadian government
and 2,535 others on humanitarian grounds.
The
country has pledged to take in up to 40,000 Afghan refugees but the exact date
has not been given yet.
Tens
of thousands of Afghan people fled their country after the Taliban recaptured
power and during the US chaotic withdrawal from Kabul International Airport.
Source:
Khaama Press
https://www.khaama.com/canada-to-take-in-female-afghan-judges-from-greece-74587/
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Muslim
women's group spread some festive cheer by donating gifts to Milton Keynes
charity
By
Olga Norford
31st
December 2021
Members
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association have been able to spread some
festive cheer by donating Christmas gifts to Milton Keynes charity MK ACT.
Independent
fundraising meant the Milton Keynes based group was able to generously donate
49 Christmas gifts suitable for various age groups which were distributed to
families to add some festive cheer over the Christmas holiday.
MK
Act is a charity which focuses on aiding and supporting families that have
suffered from fear and other such issues resulting from domestic abuse. It has,
for more than 45 years, provided safe, emergency accommodation for those
affected and their children, providing a fresh start and helping them to
reintegrate into society.
Currently
they are providing refuge for 28 families, including 56 children. The
resilience of such persons is incomparable and the support that the charity
provides for them with is vital in assisting them to move past the trauma they
have endured.
A
spokesman for Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association, said: "In Islam, the
giving of charity is repeatedly given great importance throughout the Holy
Quran. The hallmark of a true Muslim is that he should care for all of God’s
creations and should comfort and support those in need.
"Not
only this but Islam also gives clear instruction to safeguard and protect women
in society. As such the Milton Keynes branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s
Association (AMWA), also called Lajna Ima’illah, have worked in partnership
with MK Act since early 2017 to donate for various events.
Source:
Milton Keynes
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Female
collective aims to revive traditional Najdi building styles in Riyadh
December
31, 2021
RIYADH:
Newcomers to Riyadh who visit At-Turaif, the historic district in Diriyah and
the original home of the Saudi royal family, are invariably enchanted by the
many mud brick buildings made in traditional Najdi architectural style.
These
eye-catching structures, with their geometric motifs, triangular windows and
golden colors that echo the desert landscape, rise from At-Turaif’s narrow
streets, offering a reminder of the Kingdom’s origins.
Even
amid Riyadh’s drive toward urban growth — in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision
2030 economic reform program — Najdi architecture can still be found in certain
areas of the Saudi capital.
The
traditional architectural style found throughout the limestone plateau of
Najdi, the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, is in many ways a focal point of
Saudi heritage.
Now,
as Riyadh steps up its urban development, a new design and architectural
collective called Um Slaim, led by Saudi female architects Sara Alissa and
Nojoud Al-Sudairi, aims to preserve and maintain Najdi architecture.
The
collective, launched in early December, is named after the historic
neighborhood of Um Slaim in Riyadh, known for its Najdi-style buildings.
“The
Um Slaim project stems from the urgent need to protect the identity and social
history of this part of the city in the face of redevelopment and
gentrification,” Alissa told Arab News.
“We
named ourselves Um Slaim as it was our first site of research into early Najdi
architecture.”
The
collective collaborates with other artists and architects to investigate the
displacement of Najdi architecture as contemporary designs and styles gain
precedence in Saudi Arabia.
The
pair opened their “research lab,” situated between Al-Murabba and Al-Futah, in
early December.
Many
residents in the area, mostly migrant workers, continue to live in the original
adobe structures found there.
“During
the 1970s, many people left these buildings and moved north in Riyadh during
the urban expansion of the city,” said Alissa. “We wanted to understand this
architectural shift, not just the sociocultural shift, but architecturally.
What happened? How did we move from mud-brick construction to concrete
structures?”
The
pair believe that a contemporary Najdi language is needed in Saudi architecture
today.
“To
establish this, we needed to understand what Najdi is,” said Alissa.
For
the launch, artworks and film were shown at the Um Slaim lab. These included
“Tamwenat,” a wall installation by Saudi female artist Maha Malluh that
features everyday items collected from local markets to showcase the various
ethnicities in central Riyadh.
“My
Mother’s Map,” a short film by Tarfa Fahad, tells the story of the artist’s
mother, revealing the urban landscape through her early life and childhood
memories in old central Riyadh. The film takes viewers into her home and along
the main roads planned by her father, known as “Riyadh’s engineer.”
Najdi
architecture’s regional variations can be seen in domestic, religious and
administrative Najdi buildings, with major stylistic aspects shared by all
structures.
“Najdi
architecture combines three main factors that solidify its harmony with the
natural environment and influences its urban morphology: The need to respond to
the hot desert climate, the need for privacy in residential buildings, and the
need to use locally available materials such as mud brick, stone and wood,”
Alissa said.
In
contemporary adaptations, Najdi buildings are characterized not only by
traditional materials, but also their use of thermal and environmental
elements.
“We
have always been passionate about the essence of materials, where they are
found, our natural surroundings, and the context of an architectural site,”
Alissa said.
As
well as examining the effects of urban expansion in central Riyadh and
celebrating the cultural diversity in the capital’s old neighborhoods, the Um
Slaim Collective is determined to explore the relationship between architecture
and its surrounding environment, with new research into the preservation of
architectural heritage through sustainable constructions.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1996156/lifestyle
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Top
eight Saudi women’s football teams to contest national championships on New
Year’s Day
December
31, 2021
King
Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah will welcome the eight top women’s football
teams in Saudi Arabia on New Year’s Day as they compete for the national
championship of the inaugural Regional Football League.
The
16-team competition — organized by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF)
— was split into three divisions, with the top three teams in the Central and
Western regions and the top two from the Eastern region qualifying for national
championships.
Central
champions Al-Yamamah, Western champions Jeddah Eagles and Eastern title winners
Eastern Flames will be among the favorites for the tournament. Miraas, The
Storm, Sama, Al-Mamlaka and Challenge Al-Tahadi are the five other teams
competing.
The
championship kicks off on Saturday with two matches, Al Yamamah play Miraas at
6 p.m. local time, and at 9 p.m. Jeddah Eagles face Sama.
Sunday,
January 2 will see The Storm face Al-Mamlaka, and Eastern Flames taking on
Challenge Al-Tahadi.
The
final will be played at 9 p.m. on Saturday, January 8.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1996001/sport
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