Eight-Year-Old Girl in Australia Asks Muslim Youth to Back Jihad
New Age Islam News Bureau
29
Sept 2014
Photo: 100 Couples Marry In a Mass Wedding in Daikundi Province, Afghanistan
• School
Hijab Ban Angers Kenya Muslims
• UN
Director Laud UAE Women’s Status during Meeting
• Australia
Prevents Suspected Jihadi Child Bride from Leaving Sydney
• Women as
Breadwinners: A Role Reversal on the Rise in Malaysia?
• New
Project for Businesswomen in Makkah
• Two
Thirds of Women Do Not Exercise and One Third Are Obese, UAE Mall Study Finds
• 100
Couples Marry In a Mass Wedding in Daikundi Province, Afghanistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Eight-Year-Old
Girl in Australia Asks Muslim Youth to Back Jihad
September
29, 2014
Sydney:
An incident has shocked not only the Australian security agencies who are
chasing the Islamists on the ground, but also the entire world. According to a
report in 'Australian', an eight-year-old girl has called the Muslim youths to
back jihad. The worst fears have come true. The report says, "As Julia
Gillard struggled to explain how Muslim children could be used to incite
violence, eight-year-old Ruqaya yesterday fronted a congress of Islamic
fundamentalists in Sydney to espouse her love for jihad. Addressing a
600-strong crowd at the Australian chapter of Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Bankstown in
the city's west, the young girl urged all Muslim youth to fight for the
restoration of the Islamic caliphate, a single global government for all
Muslims established under strict Sharia law."
The girl
said, "My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, as the world gathers against
the believers in Syria...seeking to hijack our sincere and blessed uprisings,
children in Sydney would like to send their message of hope and support to the
Muslims of (Syria), especially to the children and mothers," she read from
notes. "These uprisings have demonstrated that this Ummah (global Muslim
community) is alive and well, her love is for jihad, she is unshackled herself
from the fear which she held, and she yearns to once again live under the
banner of (the Islamic state). Children as young as myself can be seen on the
streets joining the uprisings, risking their lives to bring food, water and
medicine to their wounded family members, some of them never returning to their
mothers ... Nobody is too young," she said.
Ruqaya
was the seventh of nine speakers at the "Muslims Rise" conference.
Organisers of the event invited the media to report on her address. Julia
Gillard on Sunday expressed her horror at images showing Muslim children
carrying inflammatory placards at a protest in Sydney on Saturday, including
one that read "Behead all those who insult the Prophet".
Another
sign at the protest read, "Our dead are in paradise, your dead are in
hell." "I do not want to see in the hands of anyone, particularly
children, offensive signs that call for the killing of others," the Prime
Minister said. "This is not the Australian way.
"We
believe in freedom of religion and we believe that every religion should be
treated with respect."
Hizb-ut-Tahrir
is an international political movement devoted to restoring a caliphate, the
last of which collapsed in the 1920s. The movement hopes Islamic fighters in
Syria will replace the Assad regime with a caliph-led state that will
eventually annex other Muslim countries and promote Islam in the West.
The
caliphate would also threaten Western nations with jihad if they did not
prevent their citizens from defaming the Prophet Mohammed or Islam. It would be
established under the same constitution imposed under Mohammed, which could not
be reformed.
Ruqaya
said, "We must work hard to achieve victory. It is enough that your
generation and your parents' generation were raised in the absence of the
Khilafa (caliphate). Do not allow my generation to be added to that list."
Khaled
Sukkarieh, the chairman of the Islamic Council of NSW, said images of children
at the protest shocked many in his community. "Someone put that (banner)
in the hand of a child. "That is a poor, innocent child. It is abhorrent
and a very sad way of using children," Mr Sukkarieh said.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/eightyearold-girl-in-australia-asks-muslim-youth-to-back-jihad/500944-2.html
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School
Hijab Ban Angers Kenya Muslims
September
29, 2014
CAIRO –
A ruling by a Kenyan court to ban hijab in a church-sponsored school has
outraged Muslim parents and scholars, who deemed the ruling a setback for the
freedom of worship in the Eastern African country.
“In our
religion, all girls who have reached puberty have to cover all their body
except the face. This is to encourage self discipline," the Council of
Imams and Preachers of Kenya Tana River chairman Sheikh Abdullahi Gudo told the
Star.
The ban
came in response to a request by the Methodist Church of Kenya (MCK), which
claims to be the school’s sponsor, to stop allowing Muslims students to wear
hijab in the school.Gudo was commenting on an Isiolo court ruling on Tuesday,
September 23, that barred Muslims students at ST Kiwanjani High School from
wearing the Islamic headscarf, hijab, and long trousers.
“An
order is issued restraining the Teachers Service Commission, Isiolo County
director of education and district education officer from allowing Muslim
students to wear hijabs at St Paul Kiwanjani Secondary, contrary to school
rules and regulations,” Justice Nzioki wa Makau was quoted by the Daily Nation
last week.
Since
last term, the school, which 80% of its students are Muslims, has been hit by
several student protests over the hijab ban decision.
“The
students, including KCSE candidates, did not even sit for their mid-year
examination," a parent who requested anonymity told the Standard.
"There
had been minimal lessons offered this year due to this problem.”
Crisis
Meeting
A crisis
meeting gathered Muslim and Christian leaders under the umbrella of Interfaith
Council of Isiolo at Al-Falah Islamic Centre on Thursday, September 25.
“The
matter was a small problem blown out of proportion. Religion should not be
mixed with education,” Secretary Bishop Stephen Kalunyu of the National Christian
Council of Kenya (NCCK) said during the interfaith meeting.
The
Catholic Church in Kenya sponsors numerous private and public institutions,
particularly in the countryside where many cannot easily access services.
Opposing
the ruling, which was pushed by the church, Gudo, from the Council of Imams,
said: “All schools must adhere to the same rules and regulations set under the
ministry."
There
are nearly ten million Muslims in Kenya, which has a population of 36 million.
Islam
sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying
one’s affiliations.
Scholars
believe that it is up to women to decide whether to take on the veil.
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/477975-school-hijab-ban-angers-kenya-muslims.html
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UN
Director laud UAE women’s status during meeting
September
29, 2014
SHARJAH:
Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan
Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah,
Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, and Honorary Patron of
Sharjah Businesswomen Council, has said that women in the UAE have an elevated
status stemming from the respect and appreciation shown by the UAE’s wise
leadership for their effective presence in the community and significant role
in all areas of the development process.
The
statement was made during her meeting with Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the
Executive Director of UN Women at the entity’s headquarters in New York, during
the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.
She said
that this approach has significantly contributed to enabling women to
participate in decision-making processes and to attain the highest local and
international positions.
She
clarified that the historic approach adopted by the UAE in supporting and
empowering women is based on true Islamic Sharia, which appreciates women,
gives them full rights and instructs men to work in partnership with women.
She also
stressed that those extremist groups which degrade the value and dignity of women,
excluding women from the right of education, work and life, are not related to
true Islam, a religion of justice and tolerance.
Sheikha
Jawaher discussed the status of women at local, regional, and international
levels, and how to advance their social and economic roles in order to enable
them to be active partners in the development process in the regions where
women’s rights are restricted.
She
discussed recommendations to enhance the status of women in the Arab region and
provide access to education and healthcare, which are essential rights with an
impact not only on women but also on the family unit and community.
Sheikha
Jawaher also said that Emirati women have, in the last four decades, gained the
confidence of their people, showing an outstanding contribution and creativity
in all areas, and have been granted more rights and gains, thanks to the
support of the country’s leaders, adding that men and women in the UAE are
working side by side as partners in the development process to create a better
future for future generations.
“The UAE
has offered every possible means to women to help them unleash their potential
and reach new horizons with their families and people”, she said.
Sheikha
Jawaher added that the UAE ranks first in the Middle East region for treating
women with respect, according to the Social Progress Index report, launched by
the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council last April. This shows that
the economic development in the UAE is based on a similar social development, with
women’s contribution playing a key role in this development.
With
regard to women’s status at the regional and international levels, she
expressed confidence that the efforts exerted by international organisations,
including UN Women, will help accelerate the women’s empowerment process in
communities where women’s rights are not fully upheld. She also stressed the
importance of making education a top priority and ending any restrictions to
gender equality in higher education.
In her
capacity as UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children, Sheikh Jawaher was
briefed by the Executive Director of UN Women about the entity’s programmes and
services for refugee women, particularly in the Middle East region, stressing
the importance of providing education and rehabilitation to women in countries
of asylum, enabling them to continue life with hope, financial independence and
confidence.
Dr
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka welcomed the opportunity to discuss potential areas of
collaboration.
“Sheikha
Jawaher’s contribution to women’s leadership and to the economic empowerment of
women in Sharjah and beyond is exemplary. I salute her passionate commitment to
supporting women so that they are able to provide for themselves, their
families and communities. I have been most impressed by the inspiring examples
of initiatives in Sharjah under Sheikha Jawaher’s leadership that have
alleviated the suffering of women and fostered their empowerment. This is a
strong and sustainable way in which to support the growth not just of individuals,
but of society as a whole.”
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/11e460ba-ab35-4602-b643-fe7e9588c753.aspx
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Australia
Prevents Suspected Jihadi Child Bride from Leaving Sydney
September
29, 2014
A child
bride bound for Lebanon was intercepted by Australian authorities at Sydney
airport last Sept. 26. Reports said the 14-year-old girl was saved from an
arranged marriage in Lebanon at the last minute. The Daily Telegraph reported
that the teenager was with her uncle when the authorities arrived. A joint
investigation response team had learned about her plight.
After
questioning that lasted for hours, the two were released but were given strict
instructions not to leave the country, according to Immigration Minister Scott
Morrison. The young girl's name is understood to be on an airport watch list as
both the state and federal government keep track of children at risk.
The
Australian government has been on the lookout for cases of arranged marriages
following the social media campaign of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
extremists to lure young girls to marry terrorists. A spokesperson has
confirmed that one male adult and a female minor were stopped from boarding
their flight at Sydney airport. The
claim that it was related to counter-terrorism was denied. To protect the
privacy of the minor, no other details were revealed.
According
to Dr Eman Sharobeem from the Immigrant Women's Health Service, ISIS' public
appeal for young female jihadis as wives may leave young Australian girls at
risk since they may be taken against their will in response to the terrorists'
call.
ISIS-linked
Abu Bakr Al-Janabi had posted on social media to appeal to women to join the
extremist group. He encouraged the girls to find their future husband because
at the end, the rest of the women will become slaves.
Morrison
said arranged marriages are an "assault on Australian values" and
described the involvement of children as an abomination. Michaelia Cash,
Assistant Minister for Women, told News Corp that the government has taken a
"zero-tolerance" regarding the issue of force marriage and the threat
repeatedly posed by ISIS.
Sharobeem
said one of the Australian schoolgirls referred to the service revealed that
her parents told her she would be sent to Iraq to meet her husband. Sharobeem
was also aware of reports of Muslim girls being told by parents to obey or else
they will be sent off to Syria.
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/567933/20140929/australia-jihadi-isis-child-bride.htm#.VCnK8mddU4U
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Women as
Breadwinners: A Role Reversal on the Rise in Malaysia?
September
29, 2014
MALAYSIA:
News of husbands neglecting their duty to support their wives and families
seems to be on the increase if we can judge by the number of cases we hear from
daily news reports and also from first-hand experience. On the other hand more wives are now working
and contributing to support their households.
This
changing dynamics in family households has also been highlighted in the Harian
Metro news daily. However, this evolving social dilemma has been brewing for
some years globally as a women’s place in a nation’s economic development has
also evolved over the years.
The
involvement of women in the workforce and contributing to the nation’s economy
and development is set to increase even further in the future. Although the number of women in the workforce
compared to men is still lower, the total number of women participating in many
economic sectors is increasing.
According
to Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul
Karim, in a Berita Harian report recently, 68% of new students entering
tertiary education in Malaysia for the 2013/2014 academic intake were women.
“This is
clearly proof that the female population in Malaysia is increasingly highly
educated and making an impact in many employment sectors,’’she said.
UNICEFThis
is further supported by UNICEF’s findings in a statistics report that the
number of women who worked has increased from 44.7% in 1995 to 47.3% in 2004.
In the
same report, statistics show that government initiatives and the efforts of
NGOs have created greater opportunities for a larger percentage of Malaysian
women to access higher income employment.
Similarly,
statistics from the 8th Malaysia Plan (2001-2005) show that the number of women
lawmakers, executives and managers have also increased from 5% in 2000 to 5.3%
in 2002.
This is
encouraging news for a country that is trying to move towards a developed
nation status by 2020 but there is also a flipside of the coin to this
story. As women continue to play a
larger economic role in society, there have been an increasing number of women
who have found themselves as the sole breadwinner of their families. Is this an emerging trend in modern urban
families today?
Who
Should Be Responsible For Main Financial Support Of A Family?
Not
everything in life can be solved by money but it is a fact in life that
everything costs money, from food to lodgings, transportation and education
which is a reality faced by all households daily.
In many
couples and families, financial issues have the potential to trigger marital
discord leading to separation and divorce in many cases.
Chairperson
of The Muslim Women Consultative Council of Malaysia, Prof Madya Datin Noor
Aziah Mohd Awal said that the financial planning module in the Pre-Marriage
Course needs to be improved and given more priority given its increasing impact
in marriages today.
“The
Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) needs to take a more serious
view of this issue and put more focus in educating prospective couples on the
importance of financial planning and support to reduce the increasing divorce
rates caused by financial problems,” she said when contacted by Malaysian
Digest.
The
increasing number of divorces caused by financial problems was also highlighted
in a recent Berita Harian news report that 60% of divorces in Malaysia are
related to financial and economic factors.
The reality is with each divorce, another
single mother who is the sole breadwinner of the family is added to the
statistics.
In order
to bring more attention to this situation, Malaysian Digest interviewed single
mother, Farihan Yussof, 38, who lives in Bandar Mahkota Cheras, Kajang. She expressed how upset she was with her
ex-husband’s lack of responsibility.
Her
13-year marriage was abruptly ended when her husband divorced her.
“All the
problems started with money; we didn’t feel it was a problem when we first got
married but after our second child, the increasing demands on our finances
started to affect our marriage,” she reflected,’’ she said.
“We
argued everyday about money; the money needed to cover food bills and the
children’s needs kept increasing and we could no longer agree on anything
anymore so in the end we divorced,” she explained.
In order
to support her two children, Farihan has to eke out a living as a cleaner in a
local school to earn the basic minimum wage of RM900 a month and feels
financially stretched in trying to make
a living for herself and her children.
“After
the divorce, my ex-husband has completely abandoned us without a cent in
financial support so I have to be the sole breadwinner as well as be the mother
and father to my children,” she further added.
Another
sole breadwinner for her family is Rosnah Mohd. Tahir, 40 who found herself
having to support a child and her family; she views facing the daily challenges
as a test from God that she has to persevere.
“After
my husband met with an accident and was paralyzed, he could no longer support
our family so I have to be strong for everyone’s sake,” she explained.
The
Growing Women Workforce In Malaysia
The
traditional role of women in society has always been to nurture and care for
the family, The sacrifices and contributions by women to the development of a
nation is officially recognized and celebrated on Women’s Day held on 8 March
annually.
However,
in modern developing societies like Malaysia where industrialization is a
backbone driving economic progress, more and more women are finding job
opportunities in the industrial sector compared to men.
This is
the observation from Human Resource Manager, Tan Siak Er, 28 from an industrial
corporation based in Johor Bahru.
Siak Er,
when contacted, observed that in general he received more job applications from
women compared to men, and more than 70% of workers in the industrial sector
are women.
“If we
look at factory jobs, many more women are employed in inspection, monitoring
and managerial posts; men appear to be in a minority in this sector mostly
employed in the machine operators sections only,” she said.
The
younger generation today have also become more open to the view that women can
participate equally in the workforce like men according to a Universiti
Teknoloji Mara student when contacted by Malaysian Digest.
Amira
Ismail, 24, said that the majority of students currently pursuing further
studies in tertiary institutions are women.
“Honestly,
I have spent years studying and putting in a lot of effort in achieving my
career so I should not let all that effort go to waste if my husband asks me to
stop working after marriage,” she explained.
Malaysian
Digest ask her view of whether she was concerned about the increasing number of
women who have found themselves as sole breadwinners of their families.
“Not all
men are the source of the problem; there are many responsible men as well. It
is just that it is a fact today that more women have the opportunity to
progress further in their careers since they are highly educated. I would say
that some women can accept that their husbands might contribute less
financially to the family as long as they do not neglect their responsibility
to their family completely,” she further elaborated on her view,’’ she added.
According
to an employee of Jobstreet, Hasmah Morhibban, 38, she is of the opinion that
it is more in the nature of women to be able to make sacrifices for her
family’s sake due to rising living costs so women take the initiative to
compromise with their husbands for the sake of family unit’s harmony and
survival.
“Personally,
I have been working for almost 10 years now, and I am thankful that my husband
continues to fulfil his responsibility to our family as he knows that living in
KL means that his income as the sole breadwinner is not enough,” she said.
The
Trend Of ‘Breadwinner Moms’ Is Set To Grow Globally
If we
take a look at the many retail shopping malls in our country from MidValley,
Sunway Pyramid to KLCC, as well as in commercial and industrial hubs in every
city center, opportunities for employment for women are aplenty and necessary
to keep driving the economy forward.
A woman
as the main breadwinner of a family is a trend that is set to grow if we look
at the phenomenon globally. Reports have
emerged in US, Canada and the UK in 2010 to 2013 pointing to the rise in this
trend.
In March
2013, USA Today reported a US Census Bureau data that a record 23% of US
households in 2010 are supported by the working wife compared to just 6% in
1976.
Similar
The Guardian in UK reported in March 2013 that the number of ‘breadwinner
moms’ has increased over threefold in 50 years from just 11% in 1960 to 40% in 2013
according to data from Pew Research Centre.
In
Malaysia, we are also increasingly feeling the impact of this shifting economic
paradigm as more and more women are encouraged to enter the workforce or find
themselves forced to become sole breadwinners of their families due to
circumstances and poverty.
Going
forward, our country has to urgently address this changing dynamics in the
family unit as Malaysia moves ahead so that both economic and social
development is kept in harmony.
http://malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/282-main-tile/520568-women-as-breadwinners-a-role-reversal-on-the-rise.html
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New
project for businesswomen in Makkah
September
29, 2014
JEDDAH —
The Ministry of Labor will soon announce it's new project for Makkah region
businesswomen, said Eman Rajkhan, director of Department of Female Workers’
Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Makkah branch.
The
project comes in line with the department’s policy to provide facilities to
businesswomen and encourage them to invest in the private sector.
“The
ministry wants businesswomen to contribute to the private sector, which is a
big sector and yields a lot of profit. We want them to participate in
developing the nation’s economy,” said Rajkhan.
The
ministry invites businesswomen to its meetings with the female owners of
private and foreign schools, beauty salons, recruitment offices, and
private-sector businesses in order to allow them to increase their
participation in the private sector.
Rajkhan
said the private sector provides workingwomen and businesswomen with a lot of
opportunities that they previously did not have, thanks to the ministry’s
efforts. Businesswomen can focus on several fields to enhance female
participation in the workforce.
Businesswomen
and workingwomen can also benefit from the ministry’s programs and workshops
that shed light on the rights and duties of workers as per the Saudi Labor Law,
which is accessible on its website.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140929219675
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Two
thirds of women do not exercise and one third are obese, UAE mall study finds
September
29, 2014
ABU
DHABI // Almost two thirds of women take no exercise and are overweight, a new
health-screening survey suggests.
Nearly a
third of women screened were obese, more than a third had a family history of
heart disease and half had family members who were diabetic.
The
study of nearly 5,000 women consisted of a questionnaire and tests for the main
indicators of heart disease, which include smoking, high blood sugar,
cholesterol and blood pressure, and body mass index.
“In the
UAE, unbalanced diets, smoking and decreased physical activity are all
lifestyle factors that contribute to a population with one of the highest rates
of obesity in the world,” said Dr Tomislav Mihaljevic, head of the heart and
vascular institute at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Having a
family history of risk factors that cause heart disease can also make people
vulnerable to heart disease. The study found that smoking and diabetes were not
big problem areas for women.
Only 7
per cent were smokers, 9 per cent had diabetes and 70 per cent of those with
high blood sugar were healthy and controlled the issue with medication. Cholesterol
levels were high in 11 per cent of the women screened. More than half of those
did not manage their levels, and 43 per cent did so with medication.
Coronary
heart disease was the world’s single biggest killer in 2012, causing 7.4
million deaths, or 13.2 per cent of all deaths. Cardiovascular disease was
responsible for 30 per cent of deaths in the UAE, and 39 per cent in Abu Dhabi.
The
health screening was conducted by the retail conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim in
partnership with the Ministry of Health, the American Heart Association and
local health organisations across the region.
It took
place at shopping malls in Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah and Sharjah, and in Bahrain,
Egypt, Lebanon and Oman, and analysed health data from 4,742 women.
“The
data collected can be used by the medical community in the Middle East to
complement research efforts where data is scarce and costly to gather,” said
Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, senior director of Majid Al Futtaim.
arizvi2@thenational.ae
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/health/two-thirds-of-women-do-not-exercise-and-one-third-are-obese-uae-mall-study-finds#ixzz3Ek7sKSyS
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100
Couples Marry In a Mass Wedding in Daikundi Province, Afghanistan
29
September 2014
Around
100 couples got married in the mass wedding in Neli, the central city of
Daikundi province on Monday.
The
wedding was organized by a charitable non-governmental organization, provincial
women’s affairs chief Zakia Rezaye told the Radio Free Europe (RFE).
Rezaye
further added that the youths belong to various districts of Daikundi who were
unable to finance their wedding ceremony.
In the
meantime, a religious cleric in Daikundi has said the mass weddings are against
the principles of Islam and should be immediately stopped.
This
comes as Khairkhwah Foundation organized a mass wedding in capital Kabul on
Thursday to help the engaged individuals who were unable to bear the wedding
expenses due to weak economy.
An
official from Khairkhwah Foundation, Abdul Rahim Rashid said they are expecting
that similar wedding ceremonies are organized with the cooperation of
businessmen and wealthy individuals to assist the youths who are unable to pay
for their wedding ceremony.
The
foundation also vowed that employment opportunities will also be provided for
the youths who tied the knot today.
http://www.khaama.com/100-couples-marry-in-a-mass-wedding-in-daikundi-province-8739
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