‘Girls Belong in School’ Says UN Chief, Calling Closure of Afghan Girls’ Schools ‘Unjustifiable’
04
September 2022
•
‘Girls Belong in School’ Says UN Chief, Calling Closure of Afghan Girls’
Schools ‘Unjustifiable’
•
Tamil Nadu Woman, Subiksha Subramani,
Marries Bangladeshi Girl, Tina Das, In Chennai
•
Saudi Female Philanthropist, Ibtisam Fadel Al-Enezi, Wins Excellence Award for
Arab Youth
•
Pizza Hut Opens Its First All-Women Operated Store In Bangladesh
•
Female Police Councils Established To Empower Female Officers in Pakistan
•
Banned Bangladeshi Islamic Organizations Influencing Islamists To Trap, And
Convert Hindu Women
•
Red Sea International Film Festival Celebrates Women From Arab Film Industry In
Venice
•
Saudi Arabia Investigates Video Of Men Attacking Orphaned Women And Girls
•
Over 47,000 Pregnant Women In Shelter Camps Across Sindh: Provincial Health
Minister
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/school-girls-un-afghan/d/127872
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‘Girls
Belong in School’ Says UN Chief, Calling Closure of Afghan Girls’ Schools
‘Unjustifiable’
Photo: Tolo News
----
By
Saqalain Eqbal
03
Sep 2022
The
UN chief, Guterres, raised alarm over the closure of the schools for Afghan girls,
stating that the girl’s inability to access education would be detrimental to
the country and its future.
Afghan
girls locked out of the classroom is a breach of equal rights, which in the
opinion of Guterres “damages” the entire country.
Earlier,
the officials from the Ministry of Education of the Taliban administration
claimed that the group is working on a plan to reopen the schools.
According
to the spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Education, the ministry has
made “adequate” efforts in this area, but some procedures take years to
complete and the issue with schools cannot be resolved quickly.
Despite
the Taliban’s commitment to reopen schools for girls, since the group took
control of Afghanistan in August of last year, Afghan girls are still not
permitted to attend school past the sixth grade.
Source:
khaama Press
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Tamil
Nadu Woman, Subiksha Subramani, Marries
Bangladeshi Girl, Tina Das, In Chennai
Subiksha Subramani (L) and Tina Das during their
wedding in Chennai. Photos by Picturemakers
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04
September, 2022
A
Tamil Nadu woman, Subiksha Subramani, married a Bangladeshi woman, Tina Das, in
a traditional wedding ceremony in Chennai on Wednesday (31 August).
Tina
hails from a conservative Hindu family in Bangladesh and Subiksha belongs to a
Tamil Brahmin family settled in Canada. Both of them are settled in Calgary,
Canada.
On
her wedding day, Subiksha sat on her father's lap in true Tamil Brahmin style,
and exchanged garlands with Tina, the love of her life. And after a
'traditional' wedding ceremony, they walked hand in hand -- as wife and wife.
"After
years of soldiering through, we had our loved ones standing by us, cheering for
us and fulfilling every ritual as per our respective customs – just how we've
always wished," says Subiksha. "We are blessed."
The
29-year-old works as a chartered accountant in Deloitte and identifies as
bisexual. She opened up to her parents when she was 19 years old.
"I
grew up in Madurai and later lived in Qatar. It was only after moving to Canada
that we even learned about the queer community, says Subiskha's mum
Poornapushkala Subramani, who runs a playschool in Calgary.
"Our
first and immediate fear was that our extended family in India would cut ties
with us and our daughter. Our next fear was how Subiksha would be treated in
society and manage prospects of motherhood," she added.
Subiksha
countered every 'why' from her parents with 'why not', and didn't stop until
they saw where she was coming from. When they ran out of answers, the parents
turned to counselling where their worldview gradually changed.
"We
were like, what does our family's solidarity or societal validation mean in a
future where our daughter is not going to be happy," says Poornapushkala.
"I
grew up in Moulvibazar, a small town in north-eastern Bangladesh. My parents
and I came to Montreal in 2003, hosted by my sister who was living here post
marriage," she says.
"My
parents had no exposure to the LGBTQIA+ community; they believed I had a
disease and got me married when I was 19, hoping that would set it right,"
says Tina, a working lead at Patient Care at Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary.
Around
four years into dating Subiksha, Tina's eldest sister cut all communication
with her, and her family kept their distance. But as she healed and stood her
ground, so did they warm up to Subiksha a little more, and on the day of the
wedding, her cousin brother was by her side, as Sanskrit scholar and teacher,
Saurabh Bondre presided over the rituals.
Saurabh,
who studied Vedic literature as part of its his Masters in Sanskrit from the
University of Mumbai, says this is the fourth LGBT wedding he is conducting,
and yet, one-of-its-kind in the solidarity for the cause and camaraderie among
family members, who hosted a traditional nitchiyathatram (engagement ceremony),
followed by all the customs of a traditional Hindu wedding.
"But
from a business perspective, priests work out of a closely knit community,
which is also their networking space. As a result, although willing, the risk
of being ostracised or losing work is high when they sign up for these
ceremonies," he says.
"Head
priests of well-known temples and scholars with a strong following can initiate
change by sensitising others in the community. But this has to be a
choice."
Subhi
and Tina's wedding has opened a tiny but exciting window in Chennai for
creative departments involved in weddings to explore new prospects too - be it
their wedding planner Krishna Bezawada or photography and film company
Picturemakers.
"Customary
family and ritual shots are the staples, but at every wedding, we keep an eye
out for honest human interactions," says Praveen Padmanabhan of
Picturemakers.
"We
found our story unravel quite organically in this case, in the sheer honesty
and joy with which the family celebrated the couple's union. That it was a hard
earned victory after a long struggle for identity and love, was undeniable in
every moment we captured."
Their
allies include Subiksha's 84-year-old grandmother S Padmavathy, who can't stop
beaming about the new daughter-in-law, after months of communicating with her
with "a little Hindi here, and some English there." "When in
doubt, choose love," says the grandma. "We chose to have our children
happy and here by our side, rather than disheartened and away."
The
couple, who registered their marriage in Canada, is now set to travel across
Southeast Asia, before flying back to Calgary.
Source:
Tbs News
https://www.tbsnews.net/world/south-asia/tamil-nadu-woman-marries-bangladeshi-girl-chennai-489950
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Saudi
Female Philanthropist, Ibtisam Fadel Al-Enezi, Wins Excellence Award for Arab
Youth
04-09-2022
“An
Hour For Your Health”, this is the initiative that got Ibtisam Fadel Al-Enezi
an award for her community work. Al-Enezi comes from Arar, north of Saudi
Arabia and throughout her years she has always been passionate about working
for her community, and specially in sports since 2018.
Among
her accomplishments were establishing and chairing the first not for profit
sports body in the Northern Borders province. She also set up two female sports
team titled “An Hour For Your health” and “I Walk”. Al-Enezi has also won an
award back in 2014 from the Saudi Ministry of Education, in 2019 a merit from
Prince Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, KSA’s ambassador to the US, and the past year
she has been awarded the first place in the Kafu Awards.
In
2022, she was awarded third place in the Excellence Award for Arab youth for
her youth volunteer work, and the amazing thing is that she was the only Saudi
Arabian in the competition and the first Saudi Arabia women to win this award.
Ibtisam
Fadel Al-Enezi shared a moving statement to Arab news: “The moment my name was
announced as a winner gave me a beautiful feeling, indeed reaping the fruits of
one’s labor can be literal,” she told Arab News. “I feel proud and honored to
be one of the honorees in this award, and I am happy to represent my beloved
country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
This
award’s objective is to create healthy competition among young Arab people in
order to push more creative ideas, empower their initiatives and efforts. It
was founded by the Minister of Youth and Sports in Egypt to help rally the
efforts of young Arab people everywhere and specifically in sports.
The
young sports philanthropist stands as inspiration to many young Saudi women
around her as she participates in several committees in the Northern Border,
including prestigious names like The Saudi Red Crescent. Her passion for the
sports and helping her community has truly made her stand out, as she and
several women like her continue to break glass ceilings and participate in the
volunteering and non-profit sector.
Source:
Abouther
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Pizza
Hut opens its first all-women operated store in Bangladesh
Sep
3, 2022
Pizza
Hut, Bangladesh's most loved and trusted pizza brand, has opened its first
all-women operated store in Bangladesh, located at Jamuna Future Park,
furthering its commitment to induct and empower more women in the workforce and
ensure an Equal Slice for Everyone.
In
the store handover ceremony, Amit Thapa, CEO of Transcom Foods Limited, said,
"Last 2 years has been a challenging year for Pizza Hut due to the
pandemic. This year with opening our 20th store at Gulshan 2, we are on a
steady growth trajectory and plan to enter several new areas by the end of
2022. Today, we are proud to step in a new chapter and create history by
opening our first all-women store in Bangladesh that puts women at the front
and centre of action. The store will have all women staff, where they will
handle all aspects of the restaurant, right from customer service, managing the
store, day to day administration to food preparation.
We
are truly humbled and grateful for the unwavering love and trust of our
customers and thank them for this momentous achievement. Pizza Hut is a
continuously growing brand, and as we plan to open numerous stores in the
coming days, we look forward to continuing this initiative of having a greater
number of stores be all-women operated. My best wishes to the team and kudos
for the example they are setting by breaking boundaries and inspiring other
women."
Transcom
Foods Limited continues the global Pizza Hut initiatives in Bangladesh to champion
greater gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. With 20 outlets across the
country servicing for Dine-In, Take-Away, and Delivery, Pizza Hut has the
largest footprint amongst all pizza chains in Bangladesh. Pizza Hut in
Bangladesh has spread the love for pizzas by making them more accessible to all
customers by offering unbeatable value and continuously opening new stores. The
Pizza Hut brand experience resonates generosity, friendship and fun making it
stand for much more than pizza.
Source:
The Daily Star
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Female
Police Councils Established To Empower Female Officers in Pakistan
Ikram
Junaidi
September
4, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Female police councils in all provinces of the country have been established in
order to create a more inclusive working environment for women in the police
force by training them so they are given equal opportunities like male
officers.
This
declaration was issued at the end of the three-day National Fellowship for
Women Police Council 2022 conference in Islamabad. The conference was organised
by the Parliamentary Commission for Human Rights and Police Awam Sath Sath in
Bhurban.
The
purpose of the three-day programme was to train members of police councils
nominated by the department and to prepare the annual plan of the councils. The
councils will work for the welfare and professional capacity building of female
police officers, and the supply of equal resources and opportunities along with
proactive efforts for the maximum induction of women in police.
Inspector
General of Police Punjab Faisal Shahkar said he wished that female police
officials would get promotions and their inclusion should be mandatory in
policy making.
Aamir
Zulfiqar of the Anti-Narcotics Force said that women had been facing drastic
issues while performing their professional responsibilities in the police
force. He said change would be visible in the performance of female officers
once their issues are addressed. IGP Azad Jammu and Kashmir Amir Ahmed Sheikh
said that it was the need of the hour to establish these councils. Furthermore,
he said, women are half of the country’s population and without figuring out
their issues the country would not be able to progress.
Senior
PTI leader Riaz Fatyana said it is the requirement of the contemporary scenario
to rethink things for effective management and persistent reliability. In the
past, many initiatives were shelved.
Another
speaker, Mohammad Shafique Chaudhary said that senior police officials and
representatives of the civil society contributed tremendously towards the establishment
of these councils. He stressed that crime rate would decrease and proper
investigation report of women centric cases would be logged before the
judiciary after this initiative.
Dr
Adnan Rafique said that the speed of change is slow but we are going in the
right direction and establishment of these police councils is the first step
towards it. In addition to this, he said that recommendations will also be
taken for further progress.
Senior
leader of the PML-N Shaista Pervez Malik said that the impression that women
are providing their services in the police department under compulsion must be
dissolved. Kashmala Khan, federal ombudsman for protection against harassment,
advised participants that women should not remain silent about any kind of injustice
because times have changed now and women must fight for their own rights
bravely.
Addressing
participants of the conference, former judge of Lahore High Court Justice
Nasira Javed Malik appreciated establishment of the councils and expressed hope
that through these councils will help in resolving complex problems of women in
the country.
Director
General Legal and Justice Authority Dr Rahim Awan said that women have set
examples of being great governors in the history of both Islam and the subcontinent.
Our police officers should also be aware of their constitutional and legal
rights which will help in empowering them, he said, adding after establishment
of the councils, female citizens coming to police stations during investigation
will feel safe.
Source:
Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1708269/police-councils-established-to-empower-female-officers
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Banned
Bangladeshi Islamic Organizations Influencing Islamists To Trap, And Convert
Hindu Women
3
September, 2022
Days
after the arrest of the second accused named Naeem Ansari in the murder case
involving a minor, the Jharkhand police have made shocking revelations about
the accused. The investigating officer in the case said that Naeem was highly
influenced by a banned Islamic Jihadi organization from Bangladesh named
Ansar-ul-Bangla.
According
to the reports, the Police confiscated the mobile phone of the accused and
traced the suspected contacts from his phone list. The Police, after checking
Naeem’s phone, said that he often used to watch the activities of
Ansar-ul-Bangla on his mobile. Naeem is a resident of Jaruwadih Mohalla of
Dumka and works as a painter.
He
used to watch the jihadi activities of the banned Bangladeshi organization and
was highly influenced by their content. Reports mention that the main objective
of the banned organisation is to incite Islamic men to trap non-Islamic women
in a love affair, marry them, and further force them to convert to Islam.
Team
Dainik Bhasker conducted an exclusive investigation in the case to learn that
there are many non-Islamic girls in several areas of Dumka, Jharkhand including
Pakuda, Godda, Dangalpada, Saanidangal, Jaruvaadih, and Banderjodi who have
been duped by the Islamists. These women were further forced by Islamic men to
marry and convert to Islam.
One
of the victim women residing in the Saanidangal area of Dumka talked to team
Dainik Bhasker. She said that she fell in love with a man, later she learned
that the man she loved was an Islamist. “He forced me to marry him. I was left
with no other option. Now, it’s been 10 years that we are married. Our children
have also started going to school”, she said.
The
father of another victim lady residing in the Gandhi Nagar area of Dumka said
that his daughter was similarly cheated by an Islamist. “She fell in love with
the man and left us to marry him. This happened 8 years ago. Later she came to
know that he belonged to some other religion, but by then she was left with no
option but to marry the man”, he added.
Reports
mention that many Islamists residing in the area are influenced by
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Popular Front of India, and Ansar-ul-Bangla.
The Jharkhand Home Department took cognizance of this and discovered that
illegal Bangladeshi migrants were residing in the areas like Shaibganj and
Pakur and they possessed fake identity cards including voter ID, Aadhaar cards,
and driving licenses.
Advocate
Priya Dutta Singh from Dumka confirmed that there is an organized gang
involving illegal migrants who trap minor girls from Dumka in love affairs and
force them to convert to Islam. “This happens more in Dangalpara, Dudhani,
Bandarjodi and Jaruwadiha of Dumka. I am sure if the police conduct a proper
investigation in the case, they’ll discover shocking facts”, she added.
The
15-year-old minor was a resident of Dumka and was burnt alive by two accused
named Shahrukh and Naeem. The accused allegedly poured petrol on her from the
window of her bedroom when she was fast asleep. She was taken to the hospital
shortly after the incident and on August 28, she succumbed to her burn
injuries.
Earlier,
Naeem, the second accused in the case had confessed to the Police that he was
supporting prime accused Shahrukh at every step in his harassment of the now
deceased minor. During the interrogation of Naeem, he stated that Shahrukh was
his best friend and that they both had met on the evening of August 22 (hours before
the attack). He said that Shahrukh was upset as the girl was not responding
positively to his (Shahrukh) friendship.
“Shahrukh
told me that he would burn her if she refuses to talk to him”, Naeem had said
during the interrogation. He further confessed that he supported Shahrukh’s
idea saying that it was the only punishment she deserved.
The
Police have arrested both the accused and have also collected evidence against
them. The Police confirmed that the accused Shahrukh knew the girl for a long
time and used to harass her frequently.
Meanwhile,
condemning the murder, the Dumka District Advocates Association has decided not
to fight the case of both the accused. President Vijay Kumar Singh said that
the union has decided not to take the case of the accused. A condolence meeting
will be held on September 3 at 3 pm to pay tribute to the girl.
Source:
Op India
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Red
Sea International Film Festival celebrates women from Arab film industry in
Venice
ARAB
NEWS
September
03, 2022
DUBAI:
Six women from the Arab film industry have been jointly honored by the Red Sea
International Film festival and Vanity Fair to “celebrate visionary female
talent both on and behind the camera.”
At
a gala event hosted alongside the 79th Venice International Film Festival at
the Palazzo Rocca, the RSIFF and Vanity Fair first shone the spotlight on a
trio of trailblazers from Saudi Arabia, including filmmaker Haifaa
al-Mansour (“Wadjda,” “Perfect
Candidate”), award-winning actress and filmmaker Ahd Kamel (“Collateral,” “Honour”)
and actress Sumaya Rida (“Rupture,” “Rashash”). They were joined by three
Tunisian stalwarts: Oscar nominee Kaouther Ben Hania (“The Man Who Sold His
Skin”), actress Hend Sabry (“Finding Ola,” “Noura’s Dream”) and Dorra Zarrouk
(“Walls,” “Zombie Goes Zombie”).
About
the recognition, Al-Mansour said: “I am incredibly honored to return to Venice
Film Festival for the Women in Cinema Gala. I am very thankful to Vanity Fair
for including me in this incredible event with all of these extraordinary
women. Venice has been my ‘home’ festival since the launch of my first film
‘Wadjda’ here 10 years ago. I was overjoyed to return to Venice for my
follow-up Saudi film, ‘The Perfect Candidate,’ and hope to return with another
Saudi film very soon!”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2155601/lifestyle
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Saudi
Arabia investigates video of men attacking orphaned women and girls
By
Leila Sackur
Sept.
3, 2022
Authorities
in Saudi Arabia have launched an investigation into a video that showed a group
of men beating women with belts and dragging them by their hair at a
residential facility.
The
footage which began circulating on Wednesday shows a group of men, some of whom
appear to be in uniform, chasing women into the courtyard of the facility in
the southwestern Asir region of the country.
At
several points, men can be seen grabbing women by the hair before their feet
and hands are forcibly cuffed. At other points, men wielding what appear to be
belts lash out at some of the women, most of whom are wearing black abayas and
niqabs which cover the body and face. NBC News was unable to verify the ages or
identities of women in the video which was widely circulated on social media.
ALQST,
a British-based rights group which focuses on Saudi Arabia, said in a statement
that the attack was a retaliation against women staging a sit-in and strike
over living conditions inside the facility.
“According
to the person posting the video material, the attack on the women came after
they staged a sit-in and strike in protest over poor living conditions and the
various ways in which the rights of young women kept in the home even on
reaching adulthood are violated,” the statement said.
The
state-run social care facilities are functionally no different from prisons for
women who “disobey” male guardians, the statement added.
Prince
Turki bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, governor of the Asir region said in a statement
Wednesday that he had authorized the formation of a committee to “investigate
with all parties, and refer the case to the competent authority.”
Social
education houses are used as orphanages for women and girls who do not have
families or husbands, victims of domestic violence, or for people expelled from
their homes by male family members.
Duaa
Dhainy, a spokesperson for the European Saudi Organization on Human Rights
(ESOHR) told NBC News that she had “concerns” for the girls who filmed the
incident “and for the protesters.”
Source:
Nbc News
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Over
47,000 pregnant women in shelter camps across Sindh: provincial health minister
Nadir
Guramani
September
4, 2022
Sindh
Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho has shared alarming statistics of women
affected by the unprecedented floods, saying at least 47,000 women were
pregnant in shelter camps in the province.
Several
districts in Sindh are facing massive devastation, misery and pain. Monsoon
rains have affected millions. But thousands of peasants, including women and
children, are the worst hit and homeless.
On
Aug 30, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a sexual and reproductive
health agency, said that at least 650,000 pregnant women, of whom 73,000 were
expected to deliver this month across the country, in the flood-affected areas
were in dire need of maternal health service.
The
UN agency had also warned that many women and girls were at an increased
risk of gender-based violence (GBV) as almost one million houses were
damaged in the floods that spelled suffering for millions across Pakistan.
“Up
to 73,000 women expected to deliver in September will need skilled birth
attendants, newborn care, and support,” the agency had said, adding that
pregnancies and childbirth cannot wait for emergencies or natural disasters to
be over as this is when a woman and baby are vulnerable and need the most care.
The
government had on Aug 25 officially declared a “national emergency” in light of
the rain-induced floods which have killed more than 1,200 people.
Source:
Dawn
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/school-girls-un-afghan/d/127872