Iconic Afghan Girl, Sharbat Gula, Photo Sold For a Record Price
New
Age Islam News Bureau
17
October 2020
• TikTok Star Jannat Mirza to Leave Pakistan after it Banned China-Based Social Media Application
•
Middle East Airlines Runs First Flight With All-Female Crew
•
Pakistani Drama, “Churails”, or “Witches”, Hailed For Portraying Strong Women
Put Back On Air
•
Why Is China Shaving The Hair Of Uygur Muslim Women? American NSA Explained the
Reason
•
HRC Warns Against Depriving Young Women of Their Legitimate Rights
•
Iranian Women Facing Prison for Letter Asking Khamenei to Quit Say They Have No
Regrets
•
Two Additional Women Summoned To Prison for Calling On Khamenei To Step Down
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iconic-afghan-girl-sharbat-gula/d/123177
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Iconic Afghan Girl, Sharbat Gula, Photo Sold For a Record Price
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
17
Oct 2020
Iconic
Afghan Girl, Sharbat Gula, Photo Sold For a Record Price
-----
A
picture of an Afghan girl Sharbat Gula was auctioned off in Poland on Thursday,
setting a record high.
A
Polish company, Disa Unicum said in a report on Thursday, that a picture of an
Afghan immigrant girl had been sold for 283,000 Polish złoty, worth more than
70,000 US dollars.
The
Polish company said the image of the girl set a record for the highest price
sale in all of Poland.
Afghan
Girl is a 1984 photographic portrait of Sharbat Gula, a woman who became famous
for her photo taken by photojournalist Steve McCurry during the Afghan War when
12-year-old Gula was living in a refugee camp in Pakistan.
McCurry
took what was to become one of the most iconic cover photographs for National
Geographic Magazine.
In
2002, a national geographic team was on a mission to find the long lost iconic
girl, upon entering Nasir Bagh camp in Pakistan, the team found her brother
which led them to find her, Sharbat Gula had returned to her native country in
1992.
She
was 30 when identified by John Daugman with the help of IRIS recognition.
Sharbat
Gula a green-eyed Afghan girl’s photo, hailed as the Mona Lisa of the 21st
century.
https://www.khaama.com/iconic-afghan-girl-photo-sold-for-a-record-price-poland-8778576/
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TikTok
Star Jannat Mirza to Leave Pakistan after it Banned China-Based Social Media
Application
Sameer
17th
October 2020
Pakistani
TikToker Jannat Mirza
-----
Islamabad:
Pakistani TikTok star Jannat Mirza decided to leave the country days after the
country banned China-based social media application, The News International
reported.
Reaction
of fans after Pakistani TikTok star Jannat Mirza announces decision
As
Mirza is the first TikTok user to hit over 10 million fans in Pakistan, the
news has left millions of her fans are devastated.
The
News International reported one of her fans asking, “Jannat why u and Alishba
ignoring this text. ‘Why r u moving to Japan [sic].'”
While
replying the TikTok sensation said, “Ku k Pakistan bht pyara or acha hai lekin
Pakistan k logo ki mentality achi nhi (Though Pakistan is beautiful, but the
mindset of its people isn’t).”
Pakistan
banned TikTok
On
October 9, Pakistan joined the list of countries like India and the US — whose
differences with China are out in the open — in banning the Chinese app TikTok.
The
ban on the Chinese social media app on Friday citing “immoral content”, left
many wondering, if Islamabad’s dream of becoming an “all-weather ally” with
Beijing will ever become a reality. The Pakistan government has often been
accused of turning a blind eye towards human rights violations against Muslims
in the Xinjiang region of China in hope of having an “all-weather ally”.
The
ban by Pakistan comes at a time when there is an international outcry over the
short video-making app for compromising the nations’ security at the behest of
China.
The
video-sharing app, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, has been downloaded
almost 39 million times in Pakistan and is the third-most downloaded app over
the past year after WhatsApp and Facebook, according to analytics firm Sensor
Tower.
Lahore
High Court
Recently,
a miscellaneous civil application was filed in the Lahore High Court demanding
an immediate ban on TikTok.
Advocate
Nadeem Sarwar had moved the application on behalf of a citizen who is also a
petitioner in the main petition in this regard, pending with the court, The
Dawn reported.
The
lawyer contended that hearing of the main petition against TikTok had not been
fixed so far and the matter was of great importance. More than 10 deaths had
been reported in the country in incidents relating to the users of the
application, he said.
https://www.siasat.com/pakistani-tiktok-star-jannat-mirza-to-leave-the-country-2000777/
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Middle
East Airlines Runs First Flight With All-Female Crew
NAJIA
HOUSSARI
October
16, 2020
Lebanese
Middle East Airlines (MEA) female cabin crew posing for a picture on October
15, 2020. (Photo Courtesy: Social Media)
----
BEIRUT:
On October 13, an all-female crew staffed a Lebanese Middle East Airlines (MEA)
flight for the first time in MEA’s history.
Captain
Rola Hoteit piloted the round trip to Cairo and told Arab News that it was only
once the crew had boarded that they realized the plane was being flown by an
all-female staff.
“We
were all surprised,” Hoteit said. “Such an arrangement happened by coincidence.
We did not know that it was a pioneering event. The computer specifies the work
schedule and no one — neither in the management of the company nor in the
airport — knew that the crew would be an all-female one. We were very excited.
We took a lot of photos since coincidence only happens once.”
The
crew consisted of Hoteit, her assistant and six flight attendants. Hoteit
posted about the flight on social media on Wednesday and said she cannot
believe the amount of positive feedback she has received.
“It
was a full plane on the way to Cairo and there were around 100 passengers on
the way back to Beirut. However, none of the passengers knew that the whole
crew is made up of women only, and we did not inform them that, fearing that
some of them might be concerned,” she added. “We did our job perfectly and we
later found out, through comments, that people accepted the matter and that
everyone is ready to accept change.”
Hoteit
has been a pilot for 25 years, and said her ambition has always been to fly
with an all-female crew on board. “I had the privilege to be the pilot on
Tuesday, with a crew consisting only of women for the first time in Lebanon,”
she said. “I expected this event (to happen) on International Women’s Day, for
example, as a sign of women’s power in Lebanon and their ability to excel in
all areas of work. However, (my) dream was realized by coincidence.”
While
women account for more than 50 percent of MEA’s administrative staff, according
to airline management, Hoteit is the only female pilot currently on its books,
along with six female first officers. Over 85 percent of the airline’s flight
attendants are women.
Claudine
Aoun Roukoz, president of the National Commission for Lebanese Women, said women
are also playing an increasingly important role in the military, in line with
Lebanon’s commitment to international resolutions, including the United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, which urges the
increased participation of women in all defense and security forces.
Lieutenant
Rita Zaher, 27, was the first female pilot in the Lebanese Air Force, followed
by First Lieutenant Chantal Kallas, 28. Women have also joined the maintenance,
testing, and administrative departments. The percentage of women in the Air
Force is now 8.51 percent, Roukoz said.
Women
also account for 43 percent of students in Lebanon’s military academy and 5.5
percent of soldiers. Five women currently hold the rank of brigadier general,
according to Roukoz.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1749946/middle-east
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Pakistani
Drama, “Churails”, or “Witches”, Hailed For Portraying Strong Women Put Back On
Air
By
Zofeen Ebrahim
OCTOBER
9, 2020
Karachi
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Pakistani drama praised for its progressive
portrayal of women was put back on the air on Friday after being removed from a
streaming platform earlier this week following complaints to authorities.
The
10-episode series, which launched in August and tracks four women who set up an
undercover detective agency to expose unfaithful husbands, has won plaudits for
showing strong female characters taking control.
It
also shows women swearing, drinking and taking drugs, and tackles subjects seen
by many in conservative Pakistan as taboo, including sexual abuse, marital rape
and homosexuality.
Earlier
this week the series, called “Churails”, or “Witches”, was removed from Zee5,
an entertainment platform that was streaming it in Pakistan, without
explanation.
“The
show was taken off the platform in Pakistan purely in compliance with a
directive that we received,” a spokesman for Zee5 told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation in emailed comments.
“We
have now addressed the matter and reinstated the show on our platform”.
The
Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said it had contacted the platform after
receiving complaints about the programme.
Writer
and director Asim Abbasi hailed the show’s return.
“The
witches who wouldn’t burn... not for now, anyway. #Churails back on in
Pakistan,” he posted on Twitter.
Pakistani
film critic Omair Alavi said Zee5 had taken a “huge risk” in selecting
“Churails” as the first in a series of Pakistani-directed shows because the
drama was “miles apart from what the viewers were accustomed to”.
Women’s
rights are a contentious issue in Pakistan.
This
year, Islamists pelted marchers marking International Women’s Day with stones,
shoes and sticks.
Organisers
said they faced a backlash from conservative elements in the country, which a
2018 Thomson Reuters Foundation poll found to be the world’s sixth most
dangerous for women.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-women-television-idUSKBN26U288
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Why
is China shaving the hair of Uygur Muslim women? American NSA explained the
reason
by
Bhavi Mandalia
October
17, 2020
Beijing
China
is going to do some genocide again in its Muslim-dominated province of
Xinjiang. US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien claimed that China is
doing something akin to genocide to treat Muslims in its Xinjiang region. For this,
the Chinese administration is also shaving the heads of Muslim women held
captive in large detention camps.
America
uses the word ‘genocide’ for the first time
No
major US official has yet accused China of massacres like the one in Xinjiang.
For the first time, US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien has used the
term in the Aspen Institute’s online program. It is believed that many legal
implications of this term will also be removed and strict restrictions can be
imposed on China.
China
calls Detention Camp a vocational training center
According
to the UN report, China has kept more than 1 million Jiga Uygur Muslims
imprisoned in detention camps in Xinjiang province. Many human rights
organizations allege that China is committing genocide here and it is a crime
against humanity. While China has been denying these allegations since the
beginning. He says that camps in the region provide vocational training, which
helps fight extremism.
Eight
million Muslims imprisoned in detention camp of China, intelligence documents
revealed
China
is sending the things made of hair of Muslim women to America
The
NSA said that American border custom has recovered large-scale products made
from human hair from Xinjiang. He alleged that the Chinese government was shaving
the hair of Uygur Muslim women imprisoned in these camps and making products
from them and sending them to America. In June, the US US Customs and Border
Force reported that they had seized a shipment of hair products and goods
coming from Xinjiang. There was a possibility that it was prepared by
imprisoned Uygurs in Campo, Xinjiang.
China
is forcibly sterilizing Muslims
China
is already forcibly sterilizing and aborting Uygur Muslims. In the far western
region of Xinjiang, some experts are calling the campaign for the last four
years a kind of ‘demographic carnage’. Interviews and statistics show that the
province asks women of minority communities to undergo regular pregnancy
checkups, forcing them to undergo intrauterine devices (Intrauterine Device,
IUD) in addition to undergoing sterilization and for aborting millions of
women.
China
set up 400 detention camps in Xinjiang, 8 million Uygar Muslims living like
hell
China
calls it a vocational training center
However,
Chinese leaders deny this. They call this Detention Camps a vocational training
center. According to the Chinese government report, 415,000 Uygur Muslims were
imprisoned in southern Xinjiang from 2014 to 2019. Many of these people are
also imprisoned more than once. In total, more than 80 million people are
currently detained in detention camps in China.
What
is the trend of Muslim countries including Pakistan
No
Muslim country has so far openly opposed China over the oppression of Uygur
Muslims. Not a word has emerged from the mouths of Muslims around the world,
from the mouths of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. All these countries do
not want to fall prey to China’s enmity. However, their attitude towards
Muslims in any other part of the earth remains very strict.
China
continues to oppress Muslims for Haj, 42 new rules issued
America
took strict steps on Uygur case
The
US had on July 9 banned three senior Chinese Communist Party officials for
human rights abuses of Uygur Muslims. The US had already warned of stern action
against China. It is being said that the US is also planning to take action
against many other Chinese officials.
China
is forcibly contraceptive to reduce the population of Uygar Muslims
Who
are Uygur Muslims
The
Uygurs are a Turkic community living in Central Asia whose language Uygur is
also very similar to the Ottoman language. The Uygurs are inhabited in Tarim,
Jangar and part of the Tarpan Basin. The Uygurs themselves call all of these
areas as Ugistan, Eastern Turkistan and sometimes Chinese Turkistan. The region
borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India as well as China’s Gansu and Chinghai provinces and the
Tibet Autonomous Region. In China, it is known as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region (XUAR) and the area is about one-sixth of the area of China.
https://pledgetimes.com/why-is-china-shaving-the-hair-of-uygur-muslim-women-american-nsa-explained-the-reason/
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HRC
warns against depriving young women of their legitimate rights
October
12, 2020
RIYADH
— The Human Rights Commission (HRC) warned guardians against depriving young
women of their legitimate rights, especially by using pressure tactics or
leveling false allegations. The commission emphasized that young women must be
given their due rights guaranteed by the Islamic Shariah and the Kingdom’s laws
and regulations.
“All
the concerned authorities must follow these regulations and not bypass any one
of them. They must adhere to the regulations in line with the reforms
introduced by the Kingdom under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to empower women and
secure their rights,” the commission said in a statement while emphasizing that
the recent decisions and amendments made to many regulations, including the
regulations related to women’s travel, work, social insurance, and civil
status, fall within the framework of empowering women and promoting their
rights.
HRC
said that some families and parents resort to filing complaints about young women’s
absenteeism or absconding in a malicious way, and this happens especially in
the case of those who have reached the legal age.
The
Commission underlined the need to codify reports of absenteeism, absconding,
and deprivation of rights in line with the reforms adopted by the Kingdom in
the framework of empowering women, as well as in line with the amendments made
to many relevant laws and regulations in this regard.
HRC
cited instances in which the family or guardians violate the rights of young
women. These include exposing them to psychological or physical pressure and
harm, depriving them of their inheritance rights, and denying the rights
guaranteed to them by the Islamic Shariah and the Kingdom’s laws. The
Commission confirmed that it had come to the conclusion through the analysis of
a number of such complaints that most of the claims are malicious.
The
cordial atmosphere within the family, spreading the spirit of dialogue and
affection among family members, making young women familiar with their Shariah
and legal rights and duties, and educating them about these rules are among the
most prominent factors that prevent such incidents.
The
family has, however, the right to report about absenteeism or absconding of
young women so as to ensure their safety and exposure to any crime, the
commission noted.
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/599046
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Iranian
Women Facing Prison for Letter Asking Khamenei to Quit Say They Have No Regrets
By
Michael Lipin, Ramin Haghjoo
October
17, 2020
WASHINGTON
- Two female Iranian dissidents have responded defiantly to being summoned to
start prison terms in Iran, saying they have no regrets for signing the 2019
letter that called for the nation’s Islamist ruler to quit and triggered their
arrest.
In
exclusive Thursday interviews with VOA Persian from Iran, Shahla Entesari and
Shahla Jahanbin said they had received phone calls the previous day from
Tehran’s Evin prison, notifying them that they must report to the jail within
10 days. Iran’s judiciary has ordered the two women to serve 27-month prison
terms for signing the Aug. 9, 2019, open letter that demanded the resignation
of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Entesari
and Jahanbin were among 14 Iranian women who signed the letter and who were
later charged by Iranian authorities with spreading anti-government propaganda
and “gathering and conspiring against national security.”
The
signatories wrote, “We rise against this anti-woman regime that has wiped out
our human values and demand a complete departure from the Islamic Republic and
drafting of a new constitution for the establishment of a state in which women’s
dignity, identity and equal rights are recognized in all areas.”
Iran
has been led by Shiite clerics since they seized power in a 1979 Islamist
Revolution.
'Don't
regret' signing
Iranian
security agents arrested Entesari and Jahanbin in connection with the August
2019 letter later that month before releasing both on bail in November.
The
two women told VOA they “don’t regret” signing the letter, even though they
face the prospect of imminent imprisonment that could exacerbate their existing
medical problems and put them at risk of coronavirus exposure. International
rights activists have documented multiple coronavirus outbreaks in Iran’s unsanitary
and overcrowded prison system.
Jahanbin
suffers from osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease affecting both her
neck and shoulders, while Entesari has heart disease and tremors in her arm and
leg.
Jahanbin
said she had received an initial prison summons in May but asked authorities to
delay her incarceration so that she could undergo a needed back surgery and
have time to recover from the procedure. She said the authorities granted her a
two-month recovery period, but she was unable to schedule the surgery because
of the pandemic.
Iranians
who resist an initial prison summons can receive several follow-up notices over
a period of weeks or months, but also risk being arrested and sent to jail at
any time.
“We
stand by our words,” Jahanbin said in reference to the letter demanding
Khamenei resign. She said she remains concerned about the increasing problems
facing Iran as its Islamist rulers struggle with the Middle East’s worst
coronavirus outbreak and a two-year economic recession fueled by escalating
U.S. sanctions and government mismanagement.
'We
only made a request'
Jahanbin
also said she and the other signatories of the letter did nothing wrong. “We
did not gather or foment any violent movement. We only made a request (of
Khamenei) based on our constitutional rights,” she said.
Speaking
separately to VOA, Entesari said the more time that has passed since signing
the letter, the more she believes it was the right thing to do.
“Iran’s
worsening situation, whose main cause is the incompetence of its Islamist
rulers, shows how correct our statements were,” Entesari said. “It is because
of their weakness that they want to imprison anyone who seeks freedom and makes
the slightest criticism against them,” she added.
Iranian
state media have been silent on the cases of the two women in recent weeks.
The
letter signed by Entesari and Jahanbin was inspired in part by an earlier June
2019 open letter in which another 14 dissidents, mostly men, issued similar
demands for Khamenei to quit and for Iran’s Islamist constitution to be
changed.
Most
of the signatories of the first letter also were arrested and charged with
national security offenses. One of those detained in August 2019 was Jahanbin’s
husband, Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi. He was granted a temporary release from a
prison in Mashhad in July.
https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/voa-news-iran/iranian-women-facing-prison-letter-asking-khamenei-quit-say-they-have-no
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Two
Additional Women Summoned To Prison For Calling On Khamenei To Step Down
October
16, 2020
Two
additional names who signed the second statement of Iranian women calling for
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to step down have been summoned
to the "Revolutionary Court" to serve their sentences.
The
court is based in Tehran's infamous Evin prison.
On
October 15, the Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners reported that
Shahla Jahanbin and Shahla Entesari, two female signatories to Khamenei's
resignation statement, were sentenced to four years and two months in prison
with a two-year ban on membership in parties, political and social groups each,
in October 2019 by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Iman
Afshari.
A
"telephone call summoned Entesari and Jahanbin" last Wednesday.
The
report states that the two civil activists' sentences were reduced to 44
months' imprisonment for being mothers and for a lack of a criminal record.
The
report says, "the sentence was further reduced to 33 months' imprisonment
for the defendants' decision to refrain from contesting the verdict.”
According
to Article 134 of the Islamic Republic's Penal Code, 27 months' imprisonment
will apply to each of them.
Human
Rights Activists News Agency, HRANA, also reported that Jahanbin and Entesari
were summoned to Evin Prison last November and released on five trillion rials
(about $119,000 on official rate) bail each.
In
June 2019, 14 civil and political activists inside Iran issued a statement
calling for Ali Khamenei's resignation. Following their request, 14 female
civil and political activists issued a similar statement demanding Khamenei
step down.
"Four
decades of this theocracy has eliminated the rights of half of the country's
population," the women's rights activists asserted on August 5, 2019,
calling for "civil and non-violent measures" to leave behind
"this anti-women system" and compose a new constitution for Iran.
At
the time, Giti Pourfazel, an attorney and one of the signatories in Iran, told
Radio Farda in an interview on Tuesday “twenty million other Iranian women could
count themselves as the fifteenth signatory."
All
14 activists reside in Iran, which makes their actions extremely dangerous for
their freedom and safety.
In
addition to Jahanbin and Ansari, Giti Pourfazel and Zahra Jamali were also
sentenced to four years and two months in prison and a "two-year ban from
membership in political parties and social groups" each.
Pourfazel
was also released on five trillion rials bail. However, Jamali, arrested in
September 2019 at her sister's house, is still behind bars in the women's ward
of the notorious Evin Prison.
"We,
14 civil rights and women's rights activists, are determined to continue our
combat until victory through civil and non-violent measures. Like other
pioneers [of non-violent freedom fighters], we go ahead by chanting 'no to the
Islamic Republic,' the letter said.
Furthermore,
the letter singled out "systemic tyranny and irresponsibility" as the
leading cause of Iran's problems and the country's current chaotic situation.
"In
a world that women in most countries move side by side with men in science,
economy, culture, arts, and politics, under the Islamic Republic women still
fight for their basic human rights," the letter stressed.
Nosrat
Beheshti, Shahla Entesari, Shahla Jahanbin, Zahra Jamali, Ezzat Javadi Hessar,
Nargess Mansouri, Farangis Mazloum, Kimia Norouzi Saber, Parva (Sakineh)
Pachideh, Giti Pour Fazel, Fatemeh Sepehri, Maryam Soleimani, Soussan
Taherkhani, and Fereshteh Tasvibi were the signatories to the letter.
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/two-additional-women-summoned-to-prison-for-calling-for-khamenei-to-step-down/30896930.html
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