Eighty Percent of Anti-Muslim Attacks In France against Women, Says Report
New Age Islam News Bureau
19
Feb 2015
An on-air banner was accompanied with a picture of Nutella jars, kittens and emojis
----------------
• ‘A
quarter of marriages in KSA end in divorce’
• Women
empowerment crucial for progress: Pak Punjab CM
• ISIS
uses ‘Nutella, kittens’ to lure women recruits
• What
happened to the 270 Nigerian school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram?
• In
Pakistan, vaccinating children has become a deadly battle
• ISIS
restrictions on women causing fear, resentment in Iraq and Syria
• Turkish
women post selfies wearing black to condemn Ozgecan Aslan murder
• Woman
arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of terrorism offences
• Two
Pakistan women killed for ‘honour’
• Islamic
State Modesty Police Beat Woman for 'Exposed Eyes'
• Saudi
Shoura ponders over dress code for women anchors
• Wedding
Bells Toll Wildly for Kids
• Dino
and Rotna, a future for the children from Dhaka’s slums
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/eighty-percent-anti-muslim-attacks/d/101599
------------
Eighty Percent
of Anti-Muslim Attacks In France against Women, Says Report
19
February 2015
The
commissioner, who produced the report after visiting France in September last
year, warned of increasing attacks directed at homosexuals, Jews and Muslims
and said that there should be more efforts to integrate and care for immigrants
and asylum seekers.
Muižnieks
recommends a national plan to promote and protect human rights as well as
ratifying Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights on the
general prohibition of discrimination in order to “further strengthen the legal
framework.”
Attacks
on Muslims have been on the rise in France since the Charlie Hebdo attacks in
January. Earlier this month the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM)
published data that showed that between the Charlie Hebdo attacks on 7th
January and the end of that month there were 147 ‘acts’ carried out against
Muslims.
In
the week following the attacks the CFCM reported that 26 separate mosques had
been attacked across the country. In some cases the buildings were firebombed
and in other grenades were thrown.
Fiyaz
Mughal, the director of UK-based interfaith thinktank Faith Matters says that
the term ‘acts’ covers a huge range of hostile actions. He says they have
received complaints from Muslim women which include: “Spitting, general abuse,
pulling and tearing at the niqab and the hijab, plus dog faeces being thrown at
women, as well as bottles from passing cars and people shouting things like
‘Muslim whore’ ‘Muslim bitch’ or ‘Muzzie’.”
On
why he believes Muslim women might face more abuse than their male
counterparts, Mughal says: “All our data... shows that visible women are the
ones that are targeted at a street level. This means that women who wear the
hijab are the ones that are sometimes targeted for abuse and those who wear the
niqab suffer more anti-Muslim hate incidents and more aggressive assaults.”
He
also believes that there is a gender imbalance in terms of anti-Muslim hate at
a street level, saying that victim data shows that perpetrators are usually
male and aged between 15-35, while their victims are mostly women and aged
between 15-45.
Sahar
Aziz, a professor who teaches about Middle East law at the Texas A&M
University School of Law wrote an article for American news site CNN in which she
condemned the lack of response to these increased attacks from French feminists
who had celebrated the 2011 ban on full face veils. “As Muslim women face
threats to their safety in the anti-Muslim backlash, one cannot help but notice
the deafening silence of French feminists,” Aziz writes.
Muižnieks’s
report addresses a wide-range of problems in France including racism and
discrimination against a variety of people including Roma, migrants and those
with disabilities.
Although
the commissioner commended France for combating the issues he raised in their
courts and institutions, he went on to suggest that the country “include the
fight against discrimination in a national plan to promote and protect human
rights”.
“It
is essential to put an end to such acts, including on the internet, and to punish
those responsible,” he wrote.
http://www.newsweek.com/80-anti-muslim-attacks-france-against-women-says-report-307389
--------
‘A
quarter of marriages in KSA end in divorce’
19
February 2015
RIYADH
— A divorce rate as high as 25% has
raised concerns among experts. “The divorce rate is too high to dismiss and is
extremely worrying,” said.
Princess
Sara Bint Musaed, executive head of Mawadah, which operates the first office
for women inside the Court of Personal Status in Riyadh. Princess Sara told Al-Hayat
Arabic daily that divorce cases account for two-thirds of all court cases.
“Our
legal system does not protect families from divorce. Often the couple is not
aware of their rights as spouses and the legal counsellors do not do their job
in educating the couple,” she said, adding that divorces are often the result
of domestic violence.
“That
is why Mawadah has the first office for women inside the Court of Personal
Status in Riyadh. The office is considered an official representative of women
in court by the Ministry of Justice,” said Princess Sara.
“We
receive hundreds of women on a daily basis via Mawadah’s office,” said the head
of the Court of Personal Status Sheikh Hamad Al-Zaid. “They come to receive
legal and judicial advice with regard to their psychological, social, and
financial statuses.” He added that the office helps the elderly, poor and
handicapped to write their court proposals.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150219234381
--------
Women
empowerment crucial for progress: Pak Punjab CM
February
19, 2015
LAHORE:
The country cannot progress without the empowerment of women, Chief Minister
Shahbaz Sharif said.
He
was presiding over a meeting of the provincial cabinet. The meeting approved
various steps for women empowerment and protection of their rights, including
amendments in family laws, setting up Punjab Working Women Endowment Fund and
establishment of a family courts’ complex in each district. The cabinet decided
to observe World Women’s Day on March 8. The meeting also decided to give three
years’ age relaxation to women in government employment. The meeting decided
that all columns relating to women’s rights in nikah nama (marriage deed)
should be filled.
The
chief minister said that more than 50 per cent of the country’s population
comprised women. “Women will have to display their talents and abilities. The
quota resumed for women in government jobs has been increased from five to 15
per cent. Laws have been introduced to ensure that women get their share of
inheritance,” he said.
Fighting
terrorism
The
cabinet also expressed its resolve to eliminate terrorism, extremism and
sectarianism from society. The members stated that all efforts would be made to
root out terrorism.
Shahbaz
Sharif said that terrorists had shed the blood of innocent people in Shikarpur,
Hayatabad and Lahore.
“The
people are united against terrorism. Victory is the only option in the war
against terrorism. The government has set up a Counter Terrorism Force. It will
play an important role in the elimination of terrorism from the country,” he
said.
He
said that the Punjab government was taking immediate steps to implement the
National Action Plan against terrorism. “Police have been directed to ensure
foolproof security of worship places,” he said.
The
chief minister said that work was underway on the Safe City Project. “The
project will start from Lahore. It will later be extended to Rawalpindi,
Multan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and other cities in the next three years. Modern
technology will be used for improving law and order,” he said.
The
meeting decided to include topics on tolerance, peace and brotherhood in school
syllabi. The government will also arrange essay-writing and speech contests in
educational institutions.
Chiniot-Rajwa
The
chief minister said that experts had collected samples from 10 sites in an area
spread over 24 square kilometres at Chiniot-Rajwa. “Besides iron reserves,
copper deposits have also been discovered. According to experts, these precious
reserves are spread over a much larger area. The Chinese company and German
consultants are trying to estimate the reserves. The work will be completed
soon,” he said.
The
chief minister said that natural resources could play an important role in the
progress of the country. “During a dictatorship, the rulers had tried to rob
the people of this precious wealth. This government has saved the project,” he
said.
The
chief minister congratulated Minister for Minerals Sher Ali Khan, Punjab
Mineral Development Company Chairman Dr Samar Mubarak Mand and Minerals
Secretary Dr Arshad Mahmood over the discovery and certification of the
precious mineral reserves in Chiniot.
The
meeting appreciated Punjab Education Foundation Chairman Qamarul Islam over his
performance.
The
cabinet offered special prayers for the people who had lost their lives in
terrorist attacks in Lahore, Shikarpur, Hayatabad and the Army Public School
Peshawar.
A
preliminary report regarding the suicide attack on the Qila Gujar Singh Police
Lines was presented in the meeting.
The
home secretary and inspector general of police briefed the cabinet members
about the steps being taken to beef up security.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/840621/cabinet-meeting-women-empowerment-crucial-for-progress-cm/
----------
ISIS
uses ‘Nutella, kittens’ to lure women recruits
19
February 2015
Want
to win a woman’s heart? Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants may
have the answer!
ISIS
reportedly appeals to female recruits using creamy Nutella chocolate jars and
pictures of kittens, according to CNN.
CNN’s
Carol Costello hosted a college professor in a program segment aimed at
discussing why women, particularly from the West, join the ranks of ISIS.
As
they both shared some insight on some of ISIS' recruitment tactics, Costello
claimed that kittens and the popular Italian hazelnut spread are being used to
lure women.
“ISIS
is talking online about jars of Nutella, pictures of kittens and emojis,”
Costello told viewers on Wednesday.
“They
want people to believe their life on the battlefield isn’t so different than
yours. They actually eat Nutella, and I guess they have pet kittens.”
An
on-air banner appearing on the bottom of the screen read: “ISIS lures women
with kittens, Nutella,” and was accompanied with a picture of Nutella jars,
kittens and emojis.
Costello’s
remarks stole the spotlight from the guest in the segment, Nimmi Gowrinathan,
who provided a more intellectual perspective on why women join the militant
group.
The
whole incident sparked a wave of reactions on social media.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2015/02/19/ISIS-uses-Nutella-kittens-to-lure-women-recruits.html
--------
What
happened to the 270 Nigerian school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram?
February
19, 2015
LOS
ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The 270 girls were kidnapped in April 2014; 219
of the 270 are still missing.
Although
the brutal and publicly horrific kidnappings became global news and many
organizations, including President Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama,
openly spoke out against the horrors creating the hashtag #bringbackourgirls,
no real progress in getting the young ladies back has been seen.
In
fact, Boko Haram sees the massive kidnapping as a win for them.
"It's
devastating," said Bukky Shonibare, and activist in Abjua, of the
kidnappings. "It makes you wonder, what is being done."
Boko
Haram has since abducted hundreds of other boys, girls and women.
At
times, more than 50 teenage girls are shoved into one house where they are
regularly beaten if they do not "study Quarnic verses or conduct daily
Muslim prayers," explained Daily Mail. The newly captured girls are shown
videos of the 219 kidnapped school girls, dressed in hijabs that only show
their faces.
According
to escaped captives, the militant group often brags about the Chibok girls,
saying they have been converted to Muslim, married to militants and are trained
to fight against women.
"They
told me the Chibok girls have a new life where they learn to fight,"
stated a 15-year-old escaped refugee, Abigail John, to Daily Mail. "They
said we should be like them and accept Islam."
John
was captured by the terrorists and kept for more than four weeks before
escaping after the Nigerian army liberated the town she was held in.
"They
said they are doing the work of God, so they will not touch us," explains
an anonymous 16-year-old on why they are not raping them.
"Do
you think you are better than those Chibok girls that we kidnapped?" the
militants would ask when their new captures would refuse marriage or change.
The
growing number of captured young boys, women and girls adds to Boko Haram's
more terrifying and violent attacks. According to U.S. Council on Foreign
Relations, the group has killed more than 10,000 people in the past year. This
terrifying number is compared to the 2,000 people killed in the previous 4
years.
Nigerian
President Goodluck Jonathan once again promised his people the girls would be
brought home alive. "Give us some time over the Chibok girls. The story
will be better in a few weeks."
Chad,
Niger, Cameroon and Benin have all pledged to join forces, creating a
multinational force in the African Union. 8,750 troops are geared up and
prepared to try to stamp out Boko Haram.
According
to Daily Mail, this multinational force is expected to be formally launched in
the next month, however, Chadian soldiers are already actively fighting Boko
Haram militants inside Nigeria and Cameroon.
http://www.catholic.org/news/international/africa/story.php?id=58822
----------
In
Pakistan, vaccinating children has become a deadly battle
19
February 2015
PESHAWAR,
Pakistan — While vaccine distrust has sparked debates amid a measles outbreak
in the United States, Pakistan is in a deadly battle to wipe out polio.
Long
eradicated in the West, polio remains endemic in Pakistan after the Taliban
banned vaccinations, attacks targeted medical staffers and suspicions lingered
about the inoculations.
The
persistence of this crippling, sometimes fatal virus shows just how difficult
wiping out a disease can be, even amid campaigns seeing thousands of
vaccinators go into the field to offer polio drops to children, sometimes under
armed guard.
“When
we leave in the morning, we do it at the risk of our life,” vaccinator Rubina
Iqbal said. “We don’t know whether we will come back alive or not.”
Polio
is a highly contagious virus generally transmitted in unsanitary conditions.
There is no cure for the virus, which mostly affects children under 5, though
it can be prevented with a vaccine.
In
the US, polio terrified mothers and fathers as outbreaks caused more than
15,000 cases of paralysis each year until Dr. Jonas Salk invented a vaccine in
the 1950s. After eradicating smallpox in 1980, authorities turned their
attention to polio. In Pakistan, the disease — and the backlash against
vaccinations — is mostly in its northwest and the port city of Karachi,
although the vaccination drive is country-wide.
The
scope of the vaccinators’ efforts in Pakistan is impressive. In January,
officials targeted some 35 million children during a nationwide campaign, said
Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, who oversees the country’s polio emergency operations
center. Smaller campaigns are held more frequently in areas where the virus is
believed to be especially prevalent. Workers at central bus stops and train
stations also vaccinate child travelers.
Neighboring
India was declared polio-free in 2014 — a massive logistical feat for the
country of 1.2 billion people. Many experts thought success was near in
Pakistan in 2012 but then the number of cases shot up last year.
But
instead of parents’ groups worried about autism and celebrities relying on a
discredited scientific article like in the US, Pakistan’s anti-vaccine campaign
has been waged at the end of the barrel of an assault rifle. The Pakistani
Taliban banned vaccinations in 2012 after US Navy SEALs launched a raid in
Abbottabad in 2011 that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Ahead of the
raid, the CIA sent in a local doctor who claimed to be conducting a hepatitis
vaccine program to collect DNA from children at bin Laden’s home. That sparked
widespread distrust, in a country where many also fear the inoculations are a
plot to sterilize Muslim children.
By
December 2012, militant gunmen began targeting vaccination teams in what became
a “horrendous serial killing,” said Elias Durry, the World Health
Organization’s point person in Pakistan on polio. An estimated 75 people
involved in Pakistan’s vaccination efforts have been killed since, Safdar said.
On Tuesday, authorities in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province found the
bullet-riddled bodies of four people who disappeared on Saturday while
preparing for a polio campaign.
Infected
children and others who travel outside of the region can lead to fresh
outbreaks in cities — and even other countries — where polio has already been
wiped out. Outside of Pakistan, only Afghanistan and Nigeria are countries
where polio remains endemic.
To
fight polio, Pakistan’s government has created emergency operations centers in
Islamabad and provincial capitals where officials meet daily, a tactic that
helped immensely in Nigeria. In certain high-risk areas they introduced a
longer-lasting, injectable vaccine instead of oral drops.
A
Pakistani military operation launched in June in the North Waziristan tribal
area also allowed vaccinators to finally access children there after hundreds
of thousands of people fled the region and settled elsewhere in Pakistan.
Vaccinators in November also started going door-to-door in South Waziristan for
the first time in two years, and the intensity of attacks against vaccination
teams has slowed, Safdar said. The number of people outright refusing the
vaccine has dropped, officials say.
Officials
also have implemented new security strategies to protect vaccinators.
“By
this time last year, nobody could go to North Waziristan. ... Vaccinators were
being killed left and right,” Durry said. “So those issues are improving, and
have improved dramatically.”
Vaccinators
say they use their own arguments to convince reluctant residents, such as
talking about how they give the drops to their own children. However, they can
also quickly recall stories of being harassed on the job. In northwest Pakistan
many people are suspicious of women working outside the home.
Bureaucratic
challenges also beset the vaccination drive. Vaccinators complain they don’t
get paid on time. Polio workers in the Bajaur tribal area recently protested,
saying they hadn’t been paid for five months.
To
change that, paychecks are now deposited directly into vaccinators’ bank
accounts, Safdar said. But delays still happen, he said.
Pakistani
officials also are reaching out to the religious community for help convincing
people to take the vaccine. Imams like Mohammad Israr Madni, who teaches at the
influential Haqqania religious school in the northwestern city of Nowshera, are
part of those efforts.
“I
want to reach every madrassa, every mosque, to convince (Muslim scholars) and
pave the way for awareness among people,” Madni said.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150219234368
--------
ISIS
restrictions on women causing fear, resentment in Iraq and Syria
19
February 2015
Increasingly
stiff restrictions on the activities and lifestyle of women living under the
rule of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq have caused local moderates
abundant fear, isolation and resentment.
In
recent interviews conducted by the British newspaper the Guardian, residents of
the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian cities of Raqqa and Deir al-Zor
explained the harsh conditions that are enforced with threat of punishment by
religious police.
Women
living under Islamic State are required to wear a niqab - a full face veil,
gloves and full body cloaks. They are also required to always have an
accompanying male guardian when traveling outside the home, according to the
testimonies gathered by the Guardian over Skype and by phone.
While
many women initially objected to the rules ordered by Islamic State, the
repercussions of beatings, fines and the punishment of family members caused
them to comply.
“They
forced women of all ages to wear a veil, even though the majority of the women
in Mosul wear a hijab,” 36-year-old pediatrician Maha Saleh told the Guardian.
She
added that if a woman was not wearing a veil, she would be subject to a beating
on the head by the Hisbah - religious police.
A
mother in Mosul, Samar Hadi spoke of the strict dress code also imposed on
young girls in primary schools and explained that many families have ceased
sending their kids to school in light of the current conditions.
“Families
are scared of Hisbah and Assad’s warplanes," she told the Guardian.
Earlier
this month, an all-female branch of the Islamic State issued a
"manifesto" revealing what the terror group expects of Muslim women.
The
document, which first appeared last month in Arabic, also sets out what is
permitted in terms of education and work.
Girls
may marry at nine, the "most pure" will be wed by 16 or 17 and all
women should consider motherhood the purpose of their existence, according to a
manifesto attributed to an all-female branch of the Islamic State terror group.
The
text states that women should be hidden and veiled, stay at home and shun
fashion boutiques and beauty salons as the work of the devil.
It
states that a woman may leave the house if she going to study theology, if she
is a woman doctor or teacher and if it has been ruled by fatwa that she must
fight jihad or holy war. Although, various female doctors and teachers spoke to
the Guardian of their difficulties arriving to their places of work due
restrictions on travel without a male guardian.
The
manifesto indicates that a girl's education ends at the age of 15.
Islamic
State, an offshoot of al-Qaida, declared an Islamic caliphate across parts of
Syria and Iraq last summer. It has killed thousands in what the United Nations
has called a reign of terror.
The
UK-based anti-terrorism thinktank Quilliam Foundation, which translated the
text, said no mention is made of the abuse of hundreds of women who human
rights groups say have been kidnapped, raped, tortured and forced to convert to
Islam or marry Islamic State fighters in the group's drive to create a
territory governed by Islamic law.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Islamic-State-restrictions-on-women-causing-fear-resentment-in-Iraq-and-Syria-391281
--------
Turkish
women post selfies wearing black to condemn Ozgecan Aslan murder
February
19, 2015
TURKEY:
As the United States and Canada condemn the brutal murder of a 20-year-old
female student in southern Turkey after an alleged attempted rape, Turkish
women have posted photographs of themselves wearing black across social media,
The Telegraph reported.
Özgecan
Aslan, a psychology student at Çağ University in Mersin, southern Turkey, was
missing for two days before her burned body was found on February 13 in a
riverbed.
Turkish
media widely reported that she was killed following an attempted rape and the case
has provoked anger from Turkish women’s rights activists.
Following
the news of her violent death, protests were carried out across the capital,
Ankara, as well as Istanbul.
As
well as the protests across the country, women also began posting pictures on
social media wearing black, starting Monday. More than 3,000 pictures were
posted on Instagram using the hashtag #ozgeceanicinsiyahgiy which means, wear
black for Özgecan.
Men,
parents and children also got involved in the campaign to show their support. A
campaign titles ‘Sende anlat’ – which means tell your story as well- was also
launched to encourage women to speak about their experiences of sexual
harassment.
The
campaign spread across on Twitter as well.
US
and Canadian embassies also took to Twitter to condemn the attack and offered
condolences on behalf of their countries.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/840784/turkish-women-post-selfies-wearing-black-to-condemn-ozgecan-aslan-murder/
--------
Woman
arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of terrorism offences
19
February 2015
A
25-year-old woman has been arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of Syria-related
terrorism offences.
The
woman, from Sparkbrook, Birmingham, was detained at the airport after arriving
on a flight from Turkey at around 9pm, West Midlands police said.
She
was travelling with her one-year-old son and was also arrested on suspicion of
child neglect and child abduction.
Her
arrest by officers from West Midlands counter-terrorism unit was pre-planned
and intelligence-led.
There
was no threat to the safety of the flight or the airport.
The
woman’s son is subject to a police protection order and measures are being
taken, in partnership with children’s services, to ensure his welfare.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/18/woman-arrested-heathrow-suspected-terrorism-offences
--------
Two
Pakistan women killed for ‘honour’
February
19, 2015
DERA
MURAD JAMALI: Two women were gunned down in the name of honour in Nasirabad and
Jaffarabad districts, police said.
Abdul
Khaliq allegedly shot and killed his wife in Goth Nawaz Khan Umrani near Usta
Muhammad area in Jaffarabad district.
At
Goth Rana Khan in Nasirabad district, one Adab Khan allegedly opened fire on
his sister. She died without receiving first-aid.
Suspects
in both cases fled after committing the crime and police termed both murders
incidents of honour killing.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1164543/two-women-killed-for-honour
---------
Islamic
State Modesty Police Beat Woman for 'Exposed Eyes'
19
February 2015
Woman
in Syria attacked despite wearing the veil dictated by sharia law.
The
so-called 'morality police' of the Islamic State reportedly beat a woman in
Syria for the crime of exposing her eyes too much, despite wearing the
full-face veil which is demanded by the group's interpretation of Sharia law.
According
to Israel National News, the NGO Al-Merced has documented a case in the city of
Albuhamal in the province of Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria, where a woman was
attacked by upholders of ISIL law for the crime of being overly exposed. Two
men who tried to protect her were reportedly also arrested.
There
have been repeated reports of ISIL's brutality towards women whom they deem to
have transgressed their laws on appearance and behaviour, even carried out by
all-female brigades of enforcers, al-Khansa, which was formed in February 2014
in the city of Raqqa.
In
July ISIL issued guidelines to women in the Iraqi city of Mosul on how they
should wear clothes and veils, warning that the latter should cover their
entire face, threatening "severe punishment" if the law is not
followed. ISIL also told women to never walk anywhere unless they were
accompanied by a male guardian.
Last
month an ISIL document entitled "Women in the Islamic State: Manifesto and
Case Study" surfaced on the internet:- it is reported by the Quilliam
Foundation to have been produced by the al-Khansa brigade. The manifesto sets
out how women should behave in the self-proclaimed 'caliphate.' Describing the hijab as "the greatest of
rights," it declares that the veil is "the first [garment] by which
women may recover their rights, and 'protection religion' is the first and the
foremost of the five necessities that the sharia came to uphold and
maintain."
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150218/1018429513.html#ixzz3SEcZL0Yf
--------
Saudi
Shoura ponders over dress code for women anchors
19
February 2015
The
Shoura Council is to review calls from media authorities for a uniform
conservative dress code for women appearing on Saudi channels, Al-Hayat
reported.
The
General Commission for Audiovisual Media sent a proposal on Tuesday to the
Shoura Council with a draft regulation for women to dress conservatively when
appearing in the media.
The
head of the council’s media committee Ahmad Al-Zilaie said the Shoura is still
reviewing the proposal and nothing has been approved yet.
He
said: “If the council approves the proposal, the commission will have control
over all media channels in Saudi Arabia.
“That
may pose as a problem as media must be as diverse as possible and it is a very
sensitive matter to have one party direct the media.
“I
personally prefer moderation and don’t really have anything to say about the
proposal.”
He
added the proposal, written by Ibrahim Abu Abat and Zainab Abu Talib on behalf
of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, did not receive much
opposition from the council so far.
Abu
Abat gave Manal Ridwan as an example of a Saudi woman who should not appear in
the media because she does not wear a headscarf.
He
also complimented Iranian women in the media for wearing headscarves. Speaking
at a meeting with council members, he said: “I receive a lot of questions from
Muslims all over the world wondering why our women appear without their hijab
(headscarf) in the media. It is embarrassing to not be the best representation
of Islam.
“Saudi
women must appear with their respectable hijab so we can have a Saudi media
that truly represents our beliefs and values.”
Shoura
Council member Saud Al-Shammary was one of the few members who objected to the
proposal.
He
said: “The media is a sensitive platform that caters to certain audiences and
follows certain policies.
“We
cannot have one party decide what our hosts and anchors should wear. This can
clash with some channels’ internal policies or aims.”
In
response, Al-Zilaie added that the attire specified would not be any different
from the requirements of having a passport photo taken. He said: “It is not
anything extreme but it is unified.
“If
the council approves the proposal we might not see the traditional clothes of
Saudi culture on TV anymore. “Whatever happens, the proposal needs to be
approved before anyone can protest against anything.”
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/television-and-radio/2015/02/19/Saudi-Shoura-ponders-over-dress-code-for-women-anchors.html
--------
Wedding
Bells Toll Wildly for Kids
19
February 2015
KOZHIKODE:
It is official now. Every year, on an average, close to 600 child marriages are
taking place in Kerala. Records accessed by Express from the ICDS (Integrated
Child Development Scheme) indicate an increase in the number of child marriages
in the state, which holds the reputation of being an educated and progressive
society, over the last five years.
ICDS
data shows that as many as 2,740 child marriages have been reported and another
545 number of attempts of child marriages were prevented by officials of the
Social Justice Department in the state since 2010.
The
practice is widespread among the Muslim community and majority of the victims
are girls. Of the total 2,740 child marriage cases, 2,338 incidents are
reported from the Muslim community. The rest is reported among certain Hindu
and tribal communities. A single incident of child marriage was reported from
the Christian community during the period.
With
2,619 incidents of child marriages since 2010, Malappuram district tops the
list while Palakkad is a distant second with 378 under-age marriages. From
Malappuram district alone, according to the ICDS, 2,186 minor girls were
married off in the past five years. And, 136 children from SC and 98 girls from
other Hindu community were also forced to get married in younger age in the
district.
Social
Justice Department Director V N Jithendran said the practice is common among
certain areas in the state despite strong efforts being undertaken by the
respective district administrations to curb the disturbing trend. “The only way
to prevent child marriage is to make the public aware of the matter and the
department is on this path,” he said.
However,
Jithendran feigned ignorance of the spurt in the number of child marriages in
the state. According to him, no detailed data is available in his department
regarding the number of such marriages. “The department is yet to collect
districtwise data and I can respond only
after getting it,” he said.
Meanwhile,
the fact that legal action has been mooted action against the wrongdoers only
in a few hundred cases exposes the laxity on the part of the authorities
concerned. As per data, when the state witnessed 2,740 child marriages, only
261 cases have been registered.
Besides,
only 139 incidents were reported before the court. As per rule, the onus of
preventing child marriages rests with the ICDS officials.
If
they get intimation about the marriage
of a minor, they should make efforts to prevent it by making the parents and
the children aware of the matter.
Legal
action must be taken against the parents if they fail to prevent the marriage.
K
Naseer, acting chairman, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said
though the Social Justice Department and other government agencies are mooting
initiatives to eradicate the practice of child marriage in the state, the
tendency is yet to be prevented effectively.
“It
is found that the trend is common among
some communities, especially backward societies, due to lack of awareness. It
is also noticed that parents have been choosing child marriage as a solution to
save their abused minor girls by forcing them to get married,” Naseer said.
A
slew of initiatives has been mooted jointly with other social organisations and
government agencies such as Kudumbashree Mission towards eradicating the
malpractice, Naseer added. He said that
official laxity in reporting incidents of child marriage before the court is a
matter of serious concern. “As per the
rule, the officials concerned should report the case before the court if their
intervention failed to prevent a child marriage. If the official fails to
report the case, it is a punishable crime”, he said.
“Even
now, the Commission has not noticed such cases. Legal steps will be taken
against such officers if we get any report in this regard,’’ he said.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Wedding-Bells-Toll-Wildly-for-Kids/2015/02/18/article2673748.ece
--------
Dino
and Rotna, a future for the children from Dhaka’s slums
February
19, 2015
Dhaka
(AsiaNews) - Nurjahan was 13 years old when she was given away in marriage by
her parents. After three months of marriage her husband abandoned her, while
she was two months pregnant. The family refused to take her back. This was in
2002 and in Dhaka, in a slum of the capital of Bangladesh.
Nurjahan
knocked on the door of a Catholic couple who lived nearby, for help and
hospitality. Dino and Rotna welcomed her home: This is how the missionary work
of these lay people began, dedicated to the women and poor girls of the city.
Today their apostolate is called Friends For The Poor and includes a sewing
school, a production center, a literacy school and an orphanage.
Dino,
whose name in Bengali means "poor thing", comes from a very poor
family from Khulna. At the time of his
birth his family was in dire straits. He
knew only hunger until he entered the minor seminary of a religious congregation.
After completing his higher studies he married Rotna, also in Khulna. The two
moved to Dhaka, where they found work as teachers.
"The
experience of hunger - says Dino - left a deep mark on me. The fact that you
did not eat yesterday or today, the feeling of an empty stomach and the
weakness of starvation however, are nothing compared to the anguish about the
future, not know if and when you will
ever eat". It is this sensitivity that drives man to show concern for the
poor living in the slums, especially girls, who in a very poor society like
that of Bangladesh are also the most vulnerable.
The
birth of a female is considered a burden to the parents, who do not see any
economic advantage in sending a child to school. Most remain illiterate and are
given in marriage as soon as they reach puberty, incapable of living an
"adult" life and not ready to face the demands of motherhood. The
husband, as in Nurjahan's case, may prove unreliable and abandon his young wife
for trivial reasons.
In
first helping this girl, Dino and Rotna decide to teach her to sew and
embroider: teaching her a trade will allow her to become independent and so
raise her child, even alone. After Nurjahan other girls begin to arrive, and
receive the same help from the couple. Dino begins to exploit its contacts -
especially foreign missionaries and nuns - to try to sell the girls creations
(tablecloths, linens etc.) and fund young girls upkeep. In the heart of the
slum, a sewing and embroidery center was born.
The
initiative is successful, Dino and Rotna open two more properties in Rajshahi
and Dinajpur, but the girls only succeed in selling their products abroad. At
the suggestion of the wife of an Italian industrialist in Dhaka, to stabilize
the revenue the center began to focus on dressmaking and tailoring, a product
that is more marketable locally. The new centers soon closed, due to management
difficulties and the couple decided to concentrate on the centre in Dhaka.
Over
the years, the structure has changed location several times - because of a lack
of water, or flooding problems, or because of a landlord demanding higher rent
- always within the slums and thus becoming an integral part of people's lives.
At
the same time, Dino and Rotna opened a literacy school. They rented a bigger
premises and the first female students were the girls from the sewing center,
whom they taught to read and write. Given the large number of poor and hungry
girls that roam the slums, they decided
to extend the teaching to younger girls. At first, to entice them to
attend school, they gave each 10 kg of rice per month. However, when they
realized that in many cases the food is sold by their parents to make money,
the couple changed strategy: every day the offer the girls a hot meal at the
school.
Thanks
to his network of contacts, Dino managed to find all sorts of help for his
little female students: not only money, but also teaching materials, often in
English. Two teachers from the American School in the capital agree to give
some lessons, with the result that these girls know English better than many
peers who attend regular schools.
Today
the center in the slums of Dhaka is divided into tailoring school, production
center and the literacy school. There are 10 students per course at the
tailoring school. Each course lasts three months. The environment is very
friendly and meets the girls' needs: almost all are already mothers and it is
very common to see them learning with their children by their side (see photo).
Once they have mastered the craft, they usually go to work in shops that offer
small tailoring repairs, or they buy a
sewing machine and open their own.
The
production center has a dozen workers, most of whom were the first young girls
saved by Dino and Rotna. In fact it was with a promise to give them a job so
they would no longer pose a burden, that many families allow these girls to
study. The literacy school counts 120 girls, divided into three shifts a day.
The
opening of the girls orphanage is a recent expansion for Friends For The Poor.
It is located on the outskirts of Dhaka, with 25 little girls who attend
schools in the area. Dino and Rotna now live here, along with their three
daughters who were born in these years. In order to manage and organize all of
their initiatives Dino has left teaching. A generous donor has guaranteed him a
monthly salary, the same as he had received when teaching, provided he
continues his work with the children of Dhaka.
Most
of the girls are Muslim, but there are also Hindus, tribal and Christian. While
living their faith in a conservative manner, being in a country with a Muslim
majority, Dino and Rotna have never hidden their religion and everybody knows
they are Catholic.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Dino-and-Rotna,-a-future-for-the-children-from-Dhaka%E2%80%99s-slums-33497.html
----------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/eighty-percent-anti-muslim-attacks/d/101599