Heer Soho Set To Become First-Ever Woman Tribal Chieftain in Sindh
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 March 2022
• Zanani Masjid, Built By Aurangzeb, in Aurangabad: An
Inspiration to Muslim Women to Reclaim Their Space in Mosques
• Taliban Order Afghan Girls' Schools Shut Hours after
Reopening: Spokesman
• Turkish Woman Makes History as 12th Superfetation
Case
• The Plan Is Hindu Rashtra, My Lords, the Hijab Is A
Smokescreen
• NEOM Empowers Women in Tabuk through Financial
Support
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/heer-soho-tribal-chieftain-sindh/d/126638
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Heer Soho Set To Become First-Ever Woman Tribal
Chieftain in Sindh
Pakistan Peoples Party
(PPP) member of Sindh Assembly Heer Ismail Soho
-----
Ghulam Hussain Khawaja
March 23, 2022
THATTA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member of Sindh
Assembly Heer Ismail Soho is going to become the first-ever woman chieftain of
any tribe or clan in Sindh, heralding a paradigm shift in the province’s rigid
feudal mind-set and the male-dominated society.
Astonishingly enough, her installation as the tribal
head has been endorsed by a clergy and spiritual leader, Saen Hafiz Ghulam
Muhammad Soho Mehmoodi Qadri, who wields considerable influence in the tribe
and has also great respect in the religious and political quarters in several
southern districts.
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had chosen him as the
Nikah registrar for the marriage of his daughter, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari.
The decision to install Heer Soho as the successor of
Comrade Ghulam Muhammad Soho was taken at a recent meeting of top Soho elders
presided over by the spiritual leader.
Comrade Soho died some time ago in his ancestral town
of Mirpur Bathoro in Sujawal district. The elders decided to hold the
traditional turban-tying ceremony in the town but did not announce a date.
Sources privy to the meeting said Hafiz Soho would
perform the first round of turban-tying and other Soho elders would perform one
round each to complete the tribal custom.
A large number of Soho tribesmen and members of the
subtribes are expected to attend the ceremony.
Heer Soho is an active political figure. She was first
given a reserved seat for women in the Sindh assembly by the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement (MQM) in 2002.
She contested for the NA-238 Thatta-II seat in 2008 on
the same party’s ticket but lost to Ayaz Shah Shirazi. In the 2013 elections,
she contested for PS-85 Thatta-II seat again on an MQM ticket but lost to Amir
Haider Shah Shirazi.
She left Muttahida in 2018 to join PPP and got a Sindh
Assembly seat reserved for women.
Source: Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1681306/heer-soho-set-to-become-first-ever-woman-tribal-head-in-sindh
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Zanani Masjid, Built By Aurangzeb, in Aurangabad: An
Inspiration to Muslim Women to Reclaim Their Space in Mosques
Women learning Quranic
lessons at Zanani Masjid in Aurangabad. | Picture by arrangement
------
March 23, 2022
AURANGABAD — There was a time when Muslim women in
India not only prayed in mosques but also got them built. Many mosques in
medieval India were built by royal women. The wives of the Mughal Emperors
played an important role and supervised the construction of mosques, madrasas,
and sarais in many parts of India. Historians say that they also adorned the
mosques on special occasions such as Eid.
In medieval India, several mosques are said to have
been frequented by women from royal families or noble families. Historical
evidence does not support the prohibition of women entering mosques.
The Muslim Personal Law Board has also acknowledged
that Islam allows women to join congregational prayers. Yet most mosques in
India do not accommodate women. An exception is Aurangabad which has three
mosques where women offer prayers and also learn recitation of the Quran along
with other Quranic courses.
One such Masjid is the Zanani Masjid which was built
350 years ago in the Mughal period by Aurangzeb. Many Muslim girls and women
gather at Zanani Masjid to study the Quran and Hadees. These courses are
offered for free and taught by qualified women Qaaris.
Girls studying in a nearby government college used to
offer namaz in this dilapidated mosque in the afternoons. Gradually other women
in the vicinity began gathering in a park near the mosque for prayers. And
recite the Quran after their morning walk.
When people objected, these women started visiting the
Zanani masjid.
They assessed that they would need around Rs. 20,000/-
to get the mosque repaired. They approached a builder for the same but he did
it without taking money from them. This was in the year 2012.
In 2013, Afsari Begum, a senior citizen who lived
close by joined the group of women to teach and took the initiative to mobilise
funds for the mosque. Soon, the small masjid was repaired, electricity and
water connection were also given after which it was ready for full-fledged
classes. A bore well was dug with support from a generous donor who also
connected pipelines so there was flowing water.
What had begun with ten women soon increased to close
to 40 women showing an interest in learning to read the Quran with tajweed,
learn the Hadith and memorise them.
“These classes are going on for the last 7-8 years and
very recently we have also built toilets and places for ablutions. Every
morning I and two other alimas teach the women for two hours. And we are happy
we have our masjid now” Afsari Begum, popularly known as Afsari Baji, told
TwoCircles.net. The first batch is for the women and then the second batch is
for adolescent girls who are taught the basics of namaz, good mannerisms and
Islam.
Most of the women who come here regularly are above 30
years and belong to BPL (Below Poverty Line) families.
The presence of Zanani Masjid and its activities has
inspired other Muslim management schools and masjids to provide Arabic
education in Aurangabad city to promote Islamic values.
The women students at this mosque appear for the
tajweed exam at the Darul Qirat Kalimiya, a seminary in Aurangabad.
On passing this exam, they are awarded certificates
that qualify them to become a qaari and teach others. These certificates are
beneficial for women who are looking for an alternate source of livelihood.
“About five of them are currently teaching at various
institutes,” said Afsari Baji.
Two women apart from Afsari Begum, who have passed the
tajweed exams, are Shakeela Begum and Nilofer. “I have been teaching here for
the last five years and after finishing classes here, I go to another institute
to teach. and teach the children there. I do not take any fee because I am
doing it for Allah,” said Begum.
Rizwana, 32, one of the women who learn Qirat at this
mosque said, “Earlier I did not know the right way to perform namaz or even
read Arabic. I am grateful to my ustada for helping me to walk on the right
path of Islam”.
While many of the girls here have studied up to 10th
or Intermediate there is also one lecturer from the Dr Zakir Hussain Junior
college named Nasira who comes on weekends to learn to read the Quran with
tajweed.
In addition to the Zanani Masjid in Aurangabad, there
are a few other mosques like Totiki Masjid and Mohammadiya Masjid in this
historical city that allow women to pray and study Islam as there is a space
allotted for women. However, the zanani masjid is the only one that is
exclusively for women.
Source: Two Circles
http://twocircles.net/2022mar23/445405.html
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Taliban
Order Afghan Girls' Schools Shut Hours After Reopening: Spokesman
Mar
23, 2022
KABUL:
The Taliban ordered secondary girls schools in Afghanistan to shut Wednesday
just hours after they reopened, an official confirmed, sparking confusion over
the policy reversal by the hardline Islamist group.
"Yes,
it's true," Taliban spokesman Inamullah Samangani told AFP when asked to
confirm reports that girls had been ordered home.
An
AFP team was filming at Zarghona High School in the capital Kabul when a
teacher entered and ordered everyone to go home.
Crestfallen
students, back in class for the first time since the Taliban seized power in
August last year, tearfully packed up their belongings and filed out.
The
international community has made the right to education for all a sticking
point in negotiations over aid and recognition of the new Taliban regime.
All
schools were closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic when the Taliban took over
in August last year -- but only boys and some younger girls were allowed to
resume classes two months later.
Women
are largely barred from government employment under the Taliban -- apart from
specialised areas such as health and teaching.
Source:
Times Of India
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Turkish
woman makes history as 12th superfetation case
March
23 2022
In
a rare medical incident ever recorded in Turkey, a Turkish woman from the
western province of İzmir experienced double pregnancy, becoming pregnant with
two babies conceived about a month apart.
“This
is the only case in Turkey and one of the 12 rare cases across the globe in the
last 100 years,” daily Milliyet reported on March 22.
According
to the report, the rare incident occurred in 2017 when Sevinç Çelik experienced
a phenomenon called superfetation, which is the simultaneous occurrence of more
than one stage of developing offspring in a body.
“I
was pregnant with my boy, Poyraz, when I learned that I got pregnant again with
another boy I named Ayaz. I gave birth to both on Oct. 6, 2017,” Çelik, who has
officially been registered in global medical records as the 12th superfetation
case, told the daily.
Technically,
the superfetation babies are not twins. But due to successive pregnancies, the
babies are “considered” twins.
“I
was worried when Ayaz was born weighing only one-and-a-half kilos. He stayed in
an incubator for 20 days,” she noted.
However,
those days are gone. The boys are 5 years old and healthy. “The development of
Ayaz is a little behind Poyraz’s. We make medical checks often,” she added.
When
asked about reasons behind superfetation, molecular biologist Korkut Ulucan
said, “It may be a hormonal incident.”
As
Çelik is the only case in Turkey to have experienced superfetation to date,
there is not enough data to know the reasons behind the phenomenon.
“Normally
ovulation stops after pregnancy. In this case, we see that it did not,” Ulucan
added.
Source:
Hurriyet Daily News
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-woman-makes-history-as-12th-superfetation-case-172407
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The
plan is Hindu Rashtra, my lords, the hijab is a smokescreen
MARCH
18, 2022
Sudipto
Mondal
The
order of the Karnataka High Court upholding the BJP government’s ban on the
hijab was delivered in an atmosphere charged with political passion. The
court’s 129-page judgement, however, is oblivious to the tense situation that
had been created outside, even as the proceedings were on.
The
three-judge bench threw out a raft of petitions that tried to make out a case
of public interest. Instead, it limited itself to the mandate set by the principal
contesting parties — the hijab wearing students and the authorities — and
concerned itself with four main issues:
First,
whether wearing the hijab is essential to the practice of Islam. Second, would
educational institutions be violating fundamental rights by imposing uniforms.
Third, was the Karnataka government order proscribing the hijab arbitrary and
bad in law. And fourth, whether the college authorities in Udupi were acting
outside the law.
Now,
one can point at the blindfolded ‘Lady Justice’ to argue that the court is an
impartial entity and should not be concerned with extraneous considerations.
But in this case, there was reasonable hope that the judiciary would not be
blind to the thuggery of those who literally held Karnataka’s streets and public
institutions to ransom in the lead up to the judgement.
The
order says that wearing the hijab is not essential to the practice of Islam, in
that it is not compulsory. By choosing to sit in judgement over the essential
practices of a 1,400-year-old religion and examining whether the hijab disrupts
public order, the court appears to have completely lost sight of the fact that
the government in power watched sympathetically as saffron-clad mobs harassed
women in hijab in full public view.
The
same judges who thought it fit to investigate the faith of those wearing the
hijab, did not find it necessary to go into the religious and political
motivations of those viscerally opposed to the hijab. By not taking into
account the social and political factors surrounding the case, the court
appears to have created an artificial bubble insulated from larger realities. A
wider view of the matter would have allowed the judges to see the incendiary
role played by elected representatives, ministers and even policemen during the
unrest.
The
court repeatedly invoked ‘public order, morality and health’ in arriving at the
conclusion that it is reasonable to impose restrictions on the hijab in public
spaces. Based on the order, are we then to assume that a woman in robes is a greater
threat to public order than a mob threatening to disrobe her?
By
reducing it to a dispute between a group of Muslim women and a bunch of
government officials, the court did not appreciate that the petitioners carried
the aspirations of an entire community with them. It also ignored the fact that
the college officials and the government are beholden to a theocratic ideology
that is sectarian, anti-Constitution, and more specifically in relation to this
case, anti-Muslim.
To
go into these matters would require a degree of subjectivity, maybe even
broadminded activism on the part of the judiciary. The court’s activist zeal is
instead invested in seeking out reasons to detach the hijab from the practice
of Islam in an unsolicited attempt to liberate Muslim women.
For
instance, it quotes the Muslim scholar and jurist, Abdullah Yusuf Ali: “The
object was not to restrict the liberty of women, but to protect them from harm
and molestation under the conditions then existing in Medina.”
Would
it be unreasonable to expect a Constitutional court to have a deeper
understanding of the conditions existing in India today? Could the judges have
also gone into the Hindutva ideology in search of the root of this hatred
toward hijabi women? Is there something essential to the practice of Hinduism,
or Hindutva, that is offended by a Muslim woman covering her head? What do
Hindutva ideologues say in their social media bubbles about Muslim women, the
hijab and Islam?
Such
an exploration would have led the court into a murky world built on the hatred
of every aspect of Muslim life and not just the hijab. There are any number of
popular social media handles that promote genocidal theories against Muslims
and, more specifically, encourage the sexual degradation of Muslim women. The
Sulli Deals, Bulli Bai apps were manifestations of an ideology that seeks to
emasculate Muslim men and enslave Muslim women. The latest viral sensation in
these spaces is the video of a man making open calls to beget children from
Muslim women at a theatre where the controversial film Kashmir Files was
screened.
The
repeated reference to public order by the court should also lead to an inquiry
into what constitutes public order and the nature of our public spaces. The
court says that in “qualified public spaces like schools, courts, war room s
and defence camps” the freedom of individuals is curtailed for the sake of
“discipline & decorum, and function & purpose.”
Every
year, for close to a week, a Ganesha pandal is set up by Hindu lawyers inside
the premises of the High Court of Karnataka. Would public order be disrupted if
Muslim lawyers started conducting Namaz in the same space for a month during
Ramzan? There is a Hindu temple inside the Vidhana Soudha. Can we countenance a
mosque or a church in the same space? Also, going by the definition of
‘qualified public spaces’, will Hindu fundamentalists now be emboldened to seek
a ban on the hijab in other public spaces too?
The
absence of a contextual pillar in the judgment is evident from the manner in
which it selectively quotes from a chapter on the social stagnation in Muslim
society in the 1945 book ‘Pakistan or the Partition of India’ by the architect
of the Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar:
“…A
woman (Muslim) is allowed to see only her son, brothers, father, uncles, and
husband, or any other near relation who may be admitted to a position of trust.
She cannot even go to the Mosque to pray, and must wear burka (veil) whenever
she has to go out. These burka woman walking in the streets is one of the most
hideous sights one can witness in India…The Muslims have all the social evils
of the Hindus and something more. That something more is the compulsory system
of purdah for Muslim women… Such seclusion cannot have its deteriorating effect
upon the physical constitution of Muslim women… Being completely secluded from
the outer world, they engage their minds in petty family quarrels with the
result that they become narrow and restrictive in their outlook… They cannot
take part in any outdoor activity and are weighed down by a slavish mentality
and an inferiority complex…Purdah women in particular become helpless,
timid…Considering the large number of purdah women amongst Muslims in India,
one can easily understand the vastness and seriousness of the problem of
purdah…As a consequence of the purdah system, a segregation of Muslim women is
brought about…"
It
is appalling that the court would choose to quote from a book by Ambedkar written
in the context of the two-nation theory where he was examining the competing
claims of two fundamentalist forces: the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League.
Ambedkar
was no doubt one of the tallest intellectuals and social reformers of his time.
But that does not make his views on the purdah any less problematic. Besides,
even his most ardent followers would be reluctant to describe him as an expert
on the question of Muslim emancipation.
In
the times of global Islamophobia and virulent Hindutva in India, countless
Muslim women have reinvented the Islamic veil as a cultural signifier and
symbol of resistance against the selective profiling of the community. The
young Muslim women who petitioned the court are not “helpless and timid” or
“weighed down by an inferiority complex” or “narrow and restrictive in their
outlook”.
They
are above average students. Fluent in at least three languages including
English. Their friends and teachers describe them as outgoing and mischievous
and not the pitiful creatures Ambedkar describes in his book. By selectively
quoting Ambedkar, the court appears intent on taking a moral position on the
hijab. But in its eagerness to champion Muslim women and sit in judgment over
Muslim society, it has flipped past important sections in the same book.
In
page 163, Ambedkar makes a scathing observation about VD Savarkar and his
theory of a Hindu Rashtra. It is very much relevant to our times and
specifically the hijab case:
“If
Mr Savarkar instead of studying the past — of which he is very fond — were to
devote more attention to the present, he would have learnt that the old Austria
and old Turkey came to ruination for insisting upon maintaining the very scheme
of things which Mr Savarkar has been advising his ‘Hindudom’ to adopt. Namely,
to establish a Swaraj in which there will be two nations under the mantle of
one single Constitution in which the major nation will be allowed to hold the
minor nation in subordination to itself…Suffice to say that that the scheme of
Swaraj formulated by Mr Savarkar will give Hindus an empire over the Muslims
and thereby satisfy their vanity and pride in being an imperial race. But it
can never ensure a stable and peaceful future for the Hindus for the simple
reason that Muslims will never yield to so dreadful an alternative.”
The
court fails to see the anti-hijab agitations in the context of the designs for
a Hindu empire. The inheritors of Savarkar’s ideology are in power today. They
are on a project to establish Hindu dominion over Muslims by stripping them of
their distinct cultural and religious identity. But there is no empathy from
the judges for the fact that the hijab has become a means for Muslim women to
not yield to the ‘Hindudom’ project of Savarkar’s followers.
The
court said:
“What
the Chief Architect of our Constitution observed more than half a century ago
about the purdah practice equally applies to wearing of hijab there is a lot of
scope for the argument that insistence on wearing of purdah, veil, or headgear
in any community may hinder the process of emancipation of woman in general and
Muslim woman in particular.”
It
is ironic that in the enthusiasm to play saviour, the judges failed to
recognise the political assertion of the Muslim women and their passion for
self-definition. The spirit of resistance in the young Muslim women and their
intelligence should be apparent to anybody who has watched them speak in
public.
By
taking the view that the hijab is a symbol of Muslim women’s oppression, the
court gave legitimacy to the absurd idea that the BJP, a rightwing Hindu
majoritarian party, is attempting to liberate Muslim women from the clutches of
fundamentalists. This view also prepared grounds for the court to come down
heavily on the Muslim political organisations that supported the hijabi
students.
The
order said: "The way, hijab imbroglio unfolded gives scope for the
argument that some ‘unseen hands’ are at work to engineer social unrest and
disharmony. Much is not necessary to specify. We are not commenting on the
ongoing police investigation lest it should be affected. We have perused and
returned copies of the police papers that were furnished to us in a sealed
cover. We expect a speedy & effective investigation into the matter and
culprits being brought to book, brooking no delay.”
It
is clear that the court has taken an unquestioning view of the BJP state
government’s claim that the trouble was created by Islamic fundamentalists. In
its submissions, the government said:
This
writ petition is filed under article 226 of the Constitution of India, praying
to direct the CBI/NIA and/or such other investigation agency as this hon'ble
court may deem fit and proper to make a thorough investigation with regard to
the massive agitation taking place all over the country and spiralling effect and
impact beyond the geographical limits of india in the aftermath of issuance of
government order dtd.5.2.2022 issued under Karnataka Education Act 1983 by the
state of Karnataka and to find out as to whether there is involvement of
radical islamist organizations such as PFI, SIO (Student Islamic Organization),
CFI (Campus Front of India) Jamaat-e-Islami which is funded by Saudi Arabian
universites to Islamise India and to advance radical islam in India and submit
the report of such enquiry/investigation to this hon’ble court within such
measurable period of time as this hon’ble court may deem fit and proper and
etc.
The
court makes no attempt to critically engage with the government’s demonisation
of legitimate Muslim political parties. If it could perceive “unseen hands”
that were “engineering social unrest and disharmony”, how could it fail to take
cognisance of those militant groups that made no attempt to remain unseen?
The
hate speeches against Muslims in the context of the anti-hijab agitations, the open
distribution of saffron shawls and incitement of impressionable young Hindu
students does not seem to have perturbed the judges. With the court lending
credence to the government’s conspiracy theories, it becomes important to ask
if it is illegal for a Muslim political organisation to back Muslim women who
want to wear the hijab.
In
the same chapter on social stagnation quoted by the judges, Ambedkar also
observed in page 256:
“It
seems to me that the reason for the absence of the spirit of change in the
Indian Musalman is to be sought in the peculiar position he occupies in India.
He is placed in a social environment that is predominantly Hindu. That Hindu
environment is always silently but surely encroaching upon him. He feels that
it is de-Musalmanizing him. As a protection against the gradual weaning away,
he is led to insist on preserving everything that is Islamic without caring to
examine whether it is helpful or harmful to society. Secondly, the Muslim in
India are placed in a political environment which is also predominantly Hindu.
He feels that he will be suppressed…”
The
High Court of Karnataka had a historic opportunity to address the feeling of
suppression among Muslims and apply the principles of social inclusion
introduced by Ambedkar into the Indian Constitution. Such an approach would
have allowed the judges to explore ways to remove barriers in the way of Muslim
women’s education, even if it meant making reasonable accommodation for a
garment that carries great sentimental and symbolic value for Muslim women. Far
from enabling their education, the court’s order has had the reverse effect
with thousands of Muslim women staying away from classrooms across Karnataka.
Sudipto
Mondal is the Executive Editor of The News Minute. A journalist with over 15
years of experience, Sudipto has reported on caste, communalism, and
corruption.
Source:
The News Minute
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/plan-hindu-rashtra-my-lords-hijab-smokescreen-162043
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NEOM
empowers women in Tabuk through financial support
March
21, 2022
NEOM
— NEOM announced on Sunday that it has signed an agreement with the Jana Center
for Building Productive Families, in an effort to support women in the NEOM and
Tabuk regions, to help set their business projects in motion and to accelerate
their progress by marketing their products and services through multiple
outlets.
Meshari
Almotairi, Executive Director of Government Affairs at NEOM, said: “NEOM has
helped streamline Jana Center’s operations in Tabuk by collaborating to
establish their branch and support the projects of productive families, seeking
to empower the sons and daughters of the NEOM and Tabuk regions and enhance
their quality of life.”
“Among
Jana’s numerous initiatives are programs supporting small businesses,
entrepreneurship, scholarships, education and training, in addition to
providing appropriate opportunities for youth and preparing them to enter the
job market. NEOM aims to empower women through this agreement and support the
projects of about 550 women over a period of two years.”
As
per the agreement, the Jana Center will manage the initiative, follow up on the
progress of the women benefiting from it and continuously supervise their
projects to facilitate their development. The center’s scope of work further
involves marketing and promoting the projects through various means, creating
periodic reports and measuring the impact of every project manager.
For
his part, Mahmoud Al-Shami, Executive Director of the Jana Center, expressed
his gratitude for NEOM’s generous contributions and immeasurable support to
further its mission and augment its impact in empowering the NEOM and Tabuk
communities by facilitating initiatives that benefit families and the upcoming
generation, offering them higher living standards and helping them achieve
social as well as financial stability. Al-Shami reiterated, “Contributing to
the success of micro-businesses and providing support for the families running
them will help foster a culture that embraces self-employment and
self-reliance.”
Founded
in 2010 to support women and their projects, Jana Center is a non-profit
organization affiliated with the Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Foundation for Development
Finance. Now with 20 branches operating across the Kingdom, the center has
provided support for more than 181,000 local women with more than SR1.8 billion
and achieved a stellar job localization rate that stands at 93%.
Likewise,
NEOM has consistently rolled out numerous social programs and initiatives, most
notably a recruitment platform that has helped employ 845 young men and women
from the NEOM and Tabuk region, a scholarship program that has benefited 387
students by providing international and local scholarships to the world’s top
universities, and a training program preparing young talent for entering the
workplace. Such initiatives reflect NEOM’s commitment to support the people of
the Tabuk region and ensure their advancement, creating valuable opportunities
through a wide range of programs to help them realize their goals and
aspirations.
Jana
Center’s new branch was officially launched in the city of Tabuk on Sunday.
Those who would like to benefit from the financial support program can visit
the branch to submit their applications.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/heer-soho-tribal-chieftain-sindh/d/126638