India Echoes Saif Ali Khan’s View on Inter-Religious Marriage
New Age Islam News Bureau
16
Oct 2014
Kurdish female fighters of the Women's Protection Unit (YPJ) wage a battle to retain control over Kobani.Reuters
• Heroine
of Kobani: Kurdish Female Fighter Rehana 'Kills 100 Isis Jihadis'
Single-Handedly
'• Love Jihad' Case: In Latest Twist, Girl's Father Says She Can Marry Muslim
• A
Muslim, She Looks After 14 Hindu HIV Positive Kids
• In
Pakistan, Malala Is Seen As an Overexposed Poster Child of the West
• Women
Drivers in Afghanistan Must Brave the Traffic and the Stares
• Sufi
International Association: Continued Captivity of Nigerian Girls Is an Insult
to Islam
• Maldives-
Women against Drugs to Provide Vocational Training for Recovering Addicts
• Changing
Our World of Conflicts; the Role of Muslim Women
• Breaking
Muslim Stereotypes through Education, Dialogue
• Malaysian
Singer Yuna Is Far More Than Just a 'Muslim Pop Star'
• Muslim
Women Say the ‘Ban the Burqa’ Debate Is Inspiring Positive Conversation in
Adelaide
• Floods,
a Kashmiri Family, a 5-Year-Old Girl from Mumbai, And a Happy Ending
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/india-echoes-saif-ali-khan’s/d/99553
--------------
India Echoes
Saif Ali Khan’s View on Inter-Religious Marriage
16 Oct,
2014
Actor
Saif Ali Khan’s opinion on inter-religious marriage that appeared in
today’s edition of The Indian Express has been appreciated by people from
across the country. In the article titled Intermarriage is not jihad, it is
India, Saif argues that the fabric of India is woven from many threads –
English, Muslim, Hindu and many others. “A major concern in today’s India is
that we keep deleting our past. To say Muslims don’t have a role in India is
denying their importance and contribution,” he writes.
We
gleaned through the scores of comments and complied the best so far:
Malika
Kazi: This article answers all the questions of those who have problem with
intermarriage! It’s not necessary to fall in love with a person of your own
caste… after all love is an involuntary feeling… The most important aspect of
every person should be RESPECT for others and their religion.
Geeta:
Exactly Mr. Saif, we are talking about that one point “I think we should have
one law for all Indians, a uniform civil code, and we should all think of
ourselves as one nation”. Million Likes:) Ramesh Grover: Saif Ali Khan is clear
headed, sincere, direct, and well meaning. He has made many good points to
which most sane and rational beings will agree G. Arunima: Thank you Saif Ali
Khan for making a clear, succinct, and courageous statement. Also for your
reflective views on doubt, faith and the complexity that being ‘Indian’ means.
Saif has a good understanding of religion and secularism and India. His article
is inspirational and uplifting. Kiran: Excellent Saif, I can see our great
captain Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi smiling at you from heaven. Brahmananda
Sahoo: Absolutely marvelous piece. You are right. We give more importance to
religion than love and humanity. This must change. Ashok Raut: Great thinking –
“My conscience is my god”. and About Uniform Civil code. Let the God be a
personal thing. Let the country come first. Good Mr. Saif, I respect you more
today then yesterday. Amit: I thought it was a very well written article, and
more importantly well meant. I know the comments here are going to fly off in
all directions, so I hope people take it in the spirit intended. I was quite
moved by one particular line – “… I am more Indian than any Hindu or Muslim I
know because I am both.” Dhananjay: It can’t be put better – “My conscience is
my god, I think, and it tells me that that one tree in Pataudi near which my
father is buried is closer to god than any temple, church or mosque.” Shihab
Mohammed: First of all, those who practice any religion should be broad minded,
good hearted and caring. Then all problems will be solved. Religion is the
means to reach the destination (God). Just take it that way and help the needy
around you, love them, behave humanely. Just simple. Muslim: Good work Saif! People
like you are hope for the community and the country. Sridhar Raman: Saif I
haven’t seen much of your film so I can’t comment on your acting ability but
through this article you have shown to be true human being I salute you. Wish
you best in your life Anand Chandolu: Thanks Saif for writing on this and
taking a stand, which is unusual of Bollywood stars. In our country which takes
Bollywood quite seriously, Bollywood has the position, potential and power to
counter love jihad.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-echoes-saif-ali-khans-view-on-inter-religious-marriage/99/
-----------
Heroine
of Kobani: Kurdish Female Fighter Rehana 'Kills 100 Isis Jihadis'
Single-handedly
16 Oct,
2014
A
Kurdish female fighter has been hailed on social media for allegedly killing
over 100 Isis (Islamic State) militants single-handed in the battle for Kobani.
The
fighter, known only as Rehana, was named in a tweet which has already been
shared thousands of times since it was initially sent on 13 October.
However
some sources are reporting that Rehana has been killed by Isis, with one
graphic picture purportedly showing her beheading.
either
the news of Rehana's death, nor the number of people she has killed, can be
independently verified.
Several
Kurdish women have been lionised for the bravery and determination they have
shown in attacking Isis.
The
women belong to the Yekineyen Parastina Jin, or Women Protection Units (YPJ).
The female contingent earned international renowned after one of its fighters blew
herself up in Kobani killing several Islamic State (also known as Isis)
militants.
Dilar
Gencxemis, known by her nom de guerre Arin Mirkan, was a 20-year-old mother of
two who detonated herself as she ran towards Isis fighters, killing as many as
23 of them.
Kurdish
resistance is increasingly relying on its female fighters to save the town on
what appears as a desperate fight for survival. According to various estimates,
female fighters make up between 7,000 and 10,000 of the Kurdish forces fighting
in Syria.
The YPJ
is an all-female, independent militia which at the frontline embrace arms along
with their male "comrades" of the People's Protection Units.
Linked
to the Marxist-inspired Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed
organisation blacklisted in the US and the EU who fought the Turkish army for
30 years and caused 40,000 deaths, the YPG is desperately outnumbered and
outgunned by Isis, which boasts an arsenal of US weapons looted from the Iraqi
army in Mosul.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/heroine-kobani-kurdish-female-fighter-rehana-kills-100-isis-jihadis-single-handedly-1469989
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'Love
jihad' case: In latest twist, girl's father says she can marry Muslim
16 Oct,
2014
The
Meerut 'love jihad' saga continues to unfold with new twists and turns.
After
the 'victim' confessed that she was forced to give false statements of gangrape
and forcible conversion by her family and that she had willingly eloped with
her Muslim boyfriend, the father of the girl has now come out and said that she
can marry him if she wants.
This
statement comes even as the father was earlier quoted in news reports as saying
that his daughter was forced to change her statement.
He had
earlier told The Indian Express, “The police are working to to weaken the case
of my daughter’s abduction, forcible conversion and gangrape."
Now the
father of the girl has told Times of India, "We never tried to politicize
the matter. Ever since the issue was first brought to light on 3 August,
political parties started approaching us. She is an adult, free to marry
Kaleem. It may be a case of love jihad, but if she is happy that way, she can
marry him."
He added
that he wanted the case filed against Kaleem to be dropped and said that he had
not expected his daughter to file a case against them. The girl had filed a
complaint on Sunday with the Mahila Police Station against her parents, saying
that she had run away from her house on her own free will with Kaleem, a
Muslim, as there was "threat to her life" and alleged that she was also
"beaten up".
In this
complaint, she had also alleged that her family had forced her to file a false
rape case and when she objected, they threatened her with dire consequences and
that she ran away fearing danger to her life. Meanwhile the girl's father
insists that it was political parties who tried to play up the issue of 'love
jihad' and that he "had no intention to draw any publicity to his
daughter's affairs," adds the TOI report.
It was
earlier reported that a BJP leader, Vineet Agarwal had given her family Rs
25,000, although Agarwal claimed that he was only doing this to help the poor
family.
Agarwal
had earlier told TOI "My help should not be linked with politics. Had she
been of any other religion, I would have helped just the same."
The
report also quotes a neighbour Sandeep Bhardwaj as saying that the family was
already facing social ostracism in the village and that, "We initially
tried to help, but ever since we discovered that they've accepted money, we've
kept our distance."
But
Hindu groups it seems are not ready to accept that there was no 'love jihad' in
the first place. The TOI notes that members of Hindu Behen Beti Bachao
Sangharsh Samiti (Save the sisters and daughters struggle) were trying to talk
to the father as well.
Earlier
an Indian Express report had quoted Ajay Tyagi the head of this organisation,
who insisted that there was a conspiracy behind the girl changing her statement
and that the administration was protecting the accused.
He told
the paper, "Hum Hindu beti ko kisi keemat par police ke dabao mein doosre
dharm ke logon ko nahin saunp sakte (We cannot hand over a Hindu girl to
members of the other community under pressure from police)." He also
insisted that the police was working with the ruling SP to save the accused.
While
the fringe right-wing groups are continuing to play up this issue, it is
evident that for the parents of the girl the 'love jihad' matter is now over
and that they wish to drop the case.
And the
father's statements also make it clear that the issue was politicised by
political parties in the region including the BJP which had tried to capitalise
on the same in the UP bypolls.
http://www.firstpost.com/india/meerut-love-jihad-case-in-latest-twist-girls-father-says-she-can-marry-muslim-lover-1759327.html
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A
Muslim, she looks after 14 Hindu HIV positive kids
Bangalore
Mirror Bureau
16 Oct,
2014
Tabassum
faced tough opposition from family and society when she decided to work with
the children
Breaking
the HIV taboo is a challenging task. The moment a case is diagnosed, some
families choose to distance themselves from the victims. About ten years ago,
when a close friend of Tabassum died just two days after the doctors told her
that she was suffering from HIV, Tabassum saw that none of her friend's family
even wanted to touch her. At this point, Tabassum was left alone to perform her
last rites. That was when she decided to dedicate her life for the sake of HIV
positive children. Until then, her job with an NGO was nothing more than a
source of income.
Speaking
to Bangalore Mirror, Tabassum said, "For the past 14 years, I have been
working for HIV positive children and pregnant women. My outlook changed after
this incident." Recollecting her past, she said, "I hail from a very
poor family. I secured a distinction in SSLC and wanted to study further, but
my family could not afford to support my studies. I somehow managed to go up to
PUC, but by then, my family got me married. After marriage, I did not want to
stay at home and went on to do my degree, after which I took up a job with an
NGO for the sake of a living. It is never easy for a Muslim woman to come
forward and work, specially with an NGO where you deal all kinds of people. I
somehow fought opposition from family and went ahead. I continue to work at the
NGO even today, and at the same time since I enjoy working with kids, I took it
up as a challenge and went ahead to set up my own protection care centre called
'Snehadeep' about two years ago," she said.
"Strangely,
I received lot of opposition; some even said it was not right for a Muslim lady
to take up this responsibility. I can proudly say that at Snehadeep, I look
after 14 girls in the 7-12 years age group and all of them are Hindus. There is
no religion once these children fall sick. Often, their families prefers to
distance themselves from the children. More than their physical health, these
children suffer from psychological pain or want of company. The bigger children
scan through newspapers everyday looking for any new medicine that can cure
them. They know that they will die soon. At times, convincing them to study is
also difficult. When these kids are at their last stage and are shifted to the
hospital, nobody from their family wants to associate with the child. Often,
they are left to die alone. I try my best to be there with them during their
last stage though it is very painful and perform their last rites in the best
way I can. With every death, I only pray and hope that this is last child dying
before me. The initial days were a struggle. I used to go door-to-door on a
Sunday asking people for help. Even a packet of biscuits for kids would make a
difference. Getting funds for food is always a big task," she said.
For
Tabassum, spending time with the kids provides peace of mind. "Recently, I
was very happy when a child received 92 percent in PUC. "
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/A-Muslim-she-looks-after-14-Hindu-HIV-positive-kids/articleshow/44818209.cms
-----------
In
Pakistan, Malala is seen as an overexposed poster child of the West
16 Oct,
2014
SIALKOT,
Pakistan — To the rest of the world, Malala Yousafzai is a hero, but to many if
not most of our fellow Pakistanis, she is the West’s poster child, and someone
who is getting far too much attention.
You’d
think that being shot by the Taliban for speaking out for the right of all
girls to go to school would make her as celebrated here as in New York, where
on her 16th birthday last week, she spoke at the U.N. Youth Assembly. “Malala
Day,” they called it.
But
there are no such days here, and it is so disheartening to see this girl who
has so much passion for Pakistan being treated so harshly in the country she
loves. Over and over, we hear speeches that begin, “I support Malala and the
right to education for all, but…”
This but
disgusts me.
Nearly
66 years after independence from the British, we still haven’t managed to
decolonize ourselves, and so still have an angry, defensive attitude toward the
West. Which is why, the moment the West applauded Malala, we forgot all she’d
done for us and focused only on the West’s hypocrisy.
Yes, it
is hypocritical of the West, especially the United States, to celebrate one
girl when they are directly responsible for depriving millions of girls of
basic human rights in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Pakistan.
How so?
Much of the American public sees civilian victims of drone strikes and other
military intervention as collateral damage. And yes, there is something of the
white savior’s complex in the way the Western media have reported Malala’s
story; by glorifying her, they also use her as an excuse to justify drone
strikes and aggression against Taliban.
Still,
there are two major problems with this whole defensive approach. First, it puts
the entire blame for the Taliban’s hostility on the West. It is very convenient
to say that they are a product of U.S. policies in the 1980s, but the fact is
that although the funding was mostly American, the Taliban were supported by
Saudi Arabia and trained by the Pakistani army.
The
Pakistani state supported them at its own peril. When the Taliban infection
became contagious and incurable, we covertly agreed with the United States on
drone strikes.
The even
bigger problem I have with our defensiveness over Malala’s high profile in the
United States is that people take it too far, to the extent that they see her
as a helpless pawn– which is especially ironic because that’s exactly what they
blame the West for.
They
question why Malala’s friends, Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, who were shot
along with Malala, are not celebrated in the same way. What we forget is that
Malala’s achievement was not being shot, or even for surviving the attack. She
is celebrated for her passion for education — a cause she has been advocating
since the age of eleven.
She is
rightly celebrated for daring to stand up for her rights and unyieldingly doing
so even after an assassination attempt. Malala is not merely the West’s tool,
whose aim is to promote drone strikes. She has her own independent identity as
a young, fearless, indigenous activist whom we ourselves thwart when we focus
too much on her shooting and not enough on the reason behind it.
This
summer, on break from the college I attend in the United States, I’m back in
Pakistan and working in an underserved public high school for girls. The
passion and eagerness to learn that shines in their eyes has convinced me that
they are all Malalas, who don’t need to be saved by anyone.
The
eagerness to serve them, and Pakistan, is what Malala and I have in common.
When people belittle her, they undermine every girl who aspires to a quality
education. Yes, we are all Malala — and we are sick of whining victimhood.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/07/16/in-pakistan-malala-is-wrongly-derided-as-an-overexposed-poster-child-of-the-west/
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Women
drivers in Afghanistan must brave the traffic and the stares
16 Oct,
2014
Seventeen-year-old
Zainab Zawol Shahidy was driving her Toyota 4Runner home from school in Kabul
recently when she noticed two men in a vehicle following her. “One of them
pointed a gun at me and threatened me to drive along in their direction, but I
refused and kept driving faster to reach home as soon as I could,” she said.
She was
forced to pull over when they blocked her. One of the men threw a slip of paper
at her with his phone number and said if she didn’t call him, he would kidnap
her. She made it home and called security. Thankfully she has not seen these
men since.
Although
there are a growing numbers of women drivers in Kabul, the sight of Shahidy
behind the wheel is still unusual. Everywhere she goes, she gets curious stares
and frequent harassment, ranging from people making fun of her for driving to
threats. “I can’t drive to places too distant from where I live due to the risk
of kidnapping,” she told me through the translation of her brother, Ali
Shahidy, a psychology major at Norwich University in Vermont.
Despite
the risk and danger, Shahidy says she loves to drive. Besides, she said, she
faces more harassment when she walks or takes public transportation.
Some of
Shahidy’s relatives believe her driving is dishonorable and will reflect poorly
on them, but her immediate family strongly supports her decision, including her
older brother Ali. Although the cultural norm is that elders drive, Ali rides
as a passenger when he is with her because, he says, “I want both men and women
to see us together and to see her driving.”
“The
more people who see women driving on streets, the more common it becomes,” he
said. “It is changing now. One could rarely see a female driver in Kabul many
years ago. But today we have more women drivers than we ever had.”
Noorjahan
Akbar, an activist, blogger and American University master’s student, agrees.
When she learned to drive in Afghanistan a few years ago, she recalls passing a
group of children. One of the girls looked up and yelled in Pashtu, “Look, it’s
a girl!” For many youths, seeing someone like Akbar or Shahidy behind the wheel
is the first time they have seen a woman drive.
In 1992,
after the communist regime was ousted in Afghanistan, women were discouraged
from driving. When the Taliban came to power in 1996, women were banned from
driving; the penalty was death. Once the Taliban rule ended, a trickle of women
began driving. In 2002, for example, seven of the 8,698 driver’s licenses
issued were to women, and in 2003, Medica Mondiale, a German medical
organization, began teaching women to drive. Fast forward a decade and 20 times
as many women received a driver’s license, 140 in 2012.
Akbar
finds harassment and opposition today usually comes from “re-radicalized youth
who are influenced by Islamist propaganda.” In contrast, the older generation
who remember when women had more freedom and drove are “less combative,” she
said.
Islam
does not expressly prohibit women from driving, so the laws and cultural norms
vary across ultra-conservative Islamic countries. Although it is legal for
women to drive in Afghanistan, it is illegal in Saudi Arabia, where in recent
years, women have organized campaigns to challenge the law. Women can drive in
Dubai but the government supports women-only pink taxis driven by women for
women. In Qatar, driving is legal, but few families allow their female members
to drive. Cheryl Benard, sociologist and author of “Veiled Courage: Inside the
Afghan Women’s Resistance,” told me “Many Qatari women have a weekend hobby of
racing around the family’s private estate because they love to drive but are
not allowed out on the public streets.”
Benard
points out that the variation in laws and customs is, in part, because of
conservatives seeing pros and cons to women driving. On the one hand, not
driving “restricts women’s independent mobility, often supported by a moral
argument that this would leave women unsupervised and able to meet with a lover.”
On the other hand, she says, for women who need to leave the house at some
point, the reality is “taxis and public transportation throw women into close
physical proximity with male strangers.”
In
Afghanistan, the increase in women drivers is more a matter of necessity and
convenience than women consciously wanting to challenge cultural restrictions.
Also, more women today are making their own money and have the financial
freedom to buy a vehicle. In fact, Akbar sees the increase in women drivers as being
spurred by economics.
“Women
can now finally afford to buy their own cars and this economic shift is
preparing people’s minds for the cultural change,” she said. “It is the middle
and upper class women who have the privilege to buy cars and who by doing so
are creating the cultural shift, not the other way around.”
With
each new woman who drives – no matter her reason – it increases the likelihood
that people will see a woman navigating the streets from the driver’s seat and
with time, hopefully they will see it as commonplace. The Afghan Sisters
Driving School in Herat City is working toward that goal. They have trained
more than 300 women to drive over the past few years, and there are three other
driving schools that accept female students.
Shahidy
looks forward to the day when she can drive down the street without stares and
harassment. Not only does she love driving, she also sees it as a way she can
make a difference.
“By
driving my own car in Kabul, I want to be a role model for other girls and women,”
she said. “I always encourage other women to drive, too.”
Holly
Kearl is the author of “Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and
Welcoming for Women” and a consultant to UN Women.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/10/13/women-drivers-in-afghanistan-must-brave-the-traffic-and-the-stares/
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Sufi
International Association: Continued Captivity of Nigerian Girls Is An Insult
To Islam
16 Oct,
2014
(Vatican
Radio) The Sufi Alawiyya International
Association (AISA) says the 200 plus schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria by the
militant Islamic group Boko Haram must be released, calling their abduction “an
insult to Islam.” The communiqué
released by the Association came exactly six months after the girls were seized
by Boko Haram in the town of Chibok in north east Nigeria. It said the fate of these girls “is “a shame
and a disgrace to everyone endowed with a moral conscience.” The association also said it is “particularly
unacceptable and intolerable that a global coalition of political, religious
and association leaders” has not succeeded in resolving “this disgrace.” Describing Boko Haram as an “inhumane sect
terrorizing Nigeria and neighbouring countries,” the Sufi association urges the
members of the United Nations to convene on the sidelines of the General
assembly a special session on this kidnapping issue.
Based in
Paris, AISA is an NGO that seeks to promote peaceful co-existence,
non–discrimination, cultural cooperation and mutual understanding of religions
and human spirituality.
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/10/14/sufi_group_says_nigerian_girls_kidnapping_insults_islam_/1108546
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Maldives-
Women against drugs to provide vocational training for recovering addicts
By
Ismail Humaam Hamid
16 Oct,
2014
Local
drug prevention and rehabilitation NGO Society for Woman Against Drugs (SWAD)
has today initiated a programme to provide vocational training for recovering
female addicts in the Maldives.
This
programme – conducted in collaboration with the German embassy to Sri Lanka and
the Maldives – was launched today at the SWAD vocational training center by
chief guests Ambassador Dr Juergen Morhard and Home Minister Umar Naseer.
Speaking
at the ceremony, Umar Naseer thanked Dr Morhard for the generous contribution
which has allowed the NGO to buy the necessary materials as well as noting his
appreciation for SWAD’s extraordinary contribution to the fight against drugs.
“I am
sure that every country is struggling in this fight against drugs and so is Maldives,
but I am very hopeful that we will see progress in this fight with initiatives
such as this vocational training by SWAD,” said Naseer.
In his
speech, Dr Morhard stated that drug abuse and trade is the harsh reality of the
current world from downtown Berlin to the beautiful beaches of the Maldives,
and thanked SWAD for stepping up against drugs in the Maldives.
Speaking
to Minivan News after the ceremony, SWAD Chairperson Fathimath Afiya said the
aim of the training center is to provide skill building opportunities for
recovering addicts in order to make the transition back into society easier.
“Participants
will be taught a wide variety of skills such as sewing and carpet weaving which
could be marketed towards tourists which would enable the participants to earn
an income in a society where there is a lot of stigma towards former drug
addicts preventing them from obtaining work,” said Afiya.
The NGO
plans to make the project self-sustainable using the income generated by the
sales of the goods and has aspirations to have the whole programme run by
recovering addicts in the future.
A
national drug use survey published in 2012 by the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime reported that 48 percent of drug users in the Maldives feel
they are neglected and perceived as outcasts by the local community.
The
stigmatisation of drug addicts leads to the creation of a cycle of addiction
with recovering addicts relapsing back into drug abuse as an escape from
perceived ‘disgrace’ they have brought upon themselves and their families.
Work
done by NGOs such as SWAD and Journey – a support NGO for recovering addicts –
seeks to break the the addiction cycle with recovering addicts having
opportunities to successfully reintegrate into the society as useful and contributing
citizens.
The
UNODC survey reported that there were 7,496 drug users in the Maldives between
the age of 15 and 64 in the Maldives and that 48% of drug users in the capital
Malé were between the ages of 15 and 19 years.
http://minivannews.com/society/women-against-drugs-to-provide-vocational-training-for-recovering-addicts-90468
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Changing
Our World Of Conflicts; The Role Of Muslim Women
16 Oct,
2014
More
than 54 speakers and 3,000 delegates from around the world will meet for five
days at the International Feminine Congress for a Culture of Peace, to be held
from 27 October to 2 November in Oran and Mostaganem, Algeria, in order to seek
new approaches to end the fighting in the name of Islam and to promote the
emergence of a society of “living better together “.
While
the first day of the conference will focus on the feminine and masculine
stereotypes so rooted in the collective imagination, the second day will focus
on education and on the debate between tradition and modernity. How educating
the youth can contribute to the emergence of a culture of peace? Do tradition
and modernity clash in the Muslim world? How women and feminine values can help
resolve the conflicts that plague our societies?
“The
events that occupy the news show us that we must make fundamental changes in
how we live together. Muslim women must assume genuine leadership in order to
change this world of conflicts. Producing lasting changes must pass through
education and that is one of the reasons why women have such an important role
to play in the formation of a culture of peace. They are the ones who transmit
the values of equality, compassion, cooperation, and now they must get involved
in the debate of ideas to build the foundations of the culture of peace”
declared Sheikh Khaled BENTOUNES, spiritual leader of the Alawiyya Sufi path,
one of the organizers of this conference.
Organized
by AISA International NGO and by the Djanatu al-Arif Foundation, this
conference aims to provoke thought regarding the importance of women and the
feminine in the Muslim tradition and to generate a profound change in our
society where men and women must be equal and equally responsible. It will try
to highlight the key function of the feminine in the establishment of a culture
of peace that will promote “better living together”, essential to our humanity.
The
conference revolves around five axes: Axis 1 – Different Perspectives Axis 2 –
Ethics and Education; Axis 3 -Tradition and Modernity; Axis 4 – Veiling and
Unveiling: Axis 5 – Feminine and Culture of Peace.
The full
program of the International Feminine Congress is available on the website at:
www.congres-international-feminin.org.
The
detailed program of the second day, October 29, 2014
The day
of October 29 will be devoted to the study of Axis 2 – Ethics and Education.
In a
changing world, how to promote a conscious education in order to transmit human
values?
How to
make our children free and responsible beings in a society sick with
consumerism?
And Axis
3 -Tradition and Modernity
Tradition
and modernity: marriage or divorce? In this dehumanized world, it becomes
essential to consider the meaning of universal human values. How to highlight
the values and wisdom shared by all in order to build together a world of
peace.
Topics
to be discussed during the day are:
What
roles for ethical values in education ?, Hoda Darwish (EG), Dean of the
Institute of Asian Studies and Research at the University Zaqaziq (EG)
Media
and human values, Patrick Busquet (DRC), journalist, representative of the Hirondelle
Foundation (Media for Peace & human Dignity) in the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
Rethinking
the education system, what reforms? Mustapha Cherif (DZ), philosopher,
educator, researcher in the humanities and social sciences.
About
pedagogical awakening, Malika Boudalia (Ministry of Education, DZ), Nadia
Mimouni (University of Evry FR), Rachid Benzine (Institute of Political Studies
in Aix-en-Provence, FR).
How to
put information in the service of humanity? Patrick Busquet (Fondation
Hirondelle, DRC) Abrous Outoudert (Freedom, DZ), Cherif Lahdiri (ELWatan, DZ),
Kamel Daoud (Quotidien d’Oran, DZ), Bouziane Ben Achour (El-Djoumhouria, DZ),
Leila Boukli (Chain III and IV, DZ)
Intergenerational
debate without taboos: Youth and Politics: Aissa Belmekki (DZ), pedagogue:
Mustapha Cherif (Professor, DZ), religious: Tareq Oubrou (Theologian, FR) and
Abderrazak Guessoum (philosopher, DZ)
The
contribution of the feminine to peace, Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative
of the Secretary General of the UN for the plight of children in armed conflict
(DZ)
Tradition
and modernity, when one enriches the other, Fatma Oussedik (DZ), a feminist
activist, professor in sociology and consultant to UNESCO and the Ford
Foundation
Trans-modernity:
Vision of the future, Gunter Pauli (BE), ecologist, author and lecturer,
promoter of the concept of the blue economy.
Issues
between tradition, religion and modernity, Iqbal Gharbi (Zeytouna University,
TN), Karima Ramdani (CRESPPA / GTM, FR)
Transmission
in traditional societies, Farida Sellal (Save Imzad, DZ), Elisabeth INANDIAK
(Courrier International, UK, Indonesia)
Transmission
of customs and traditions today, Fatma Oussedik (DZ), a feminist activist,
teacher in sociology and consultant to UNESCO and the Ford Foundation
http://www.spyghana.com/changing-world-conflicts-role-muslim-women/
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Breaking
Muslim Stereotypes through Education, Dialogue
16 Oct,
2014
Girls
wearing multicoloured Hijabs in various styles, or no Hijabs at all, travel
from class to class, just more fish in a sea of college students.
Men in
jeans and t-shirts study for exams or hang out on The Strip, indistinguishable
from the masses save for their occasional transition from English to Arabic.
All
students, all Knoxvillians and all Muslims. Each of these individuals must face
the realities of living in a post-9/11 world filled with fear and
misunderstanding.
Knoxville
native Abdalla Husain is one such individual. As a teenager, he was one of only
two or three Muslims at his local high school, with the exception of his
sisters.
While he
played sports, hung out with friends and graduated as the valedictorian of his
class, pervasive stereotypes followed him in the form of questions both benign
and aggressive, from friends and strangers alike. In one particular instance, a
close friend asked him, "Why do all Muslims want to kill Americans?"
Similar questions included "When did you learn to speak English?"
Others inquired about human sacrifice, animal torture or whether everyone gets
70 virgins in heaven.
"Honestly,
I think it's purely ignorance," Husain said. "They just don't know.
That's why I don't get offended. They're just asking a genuine question."
Taking
the time to answer these questions gives Husain the opportunity to dispel such
myths and teach people the truth about Islam.
Amany
Alshibli, a freshman in chemical engineering, recalls being asked similar
questions, mostly pertaining to her Hijab. Like Husain, Alshibli not only
excuses the questions, but encourages them.
"As
much as some people are scared of a question sounding stupid, there aren't
really any stupid questions," Alshibli said. "I would rather answer
it than them go to other outlets where they may not be getting a good, accurate
representation."
Husain
views the average American's lack of exposure to Arabic culture and religion,
combined with constant news coverage of violence in the Middle East, as leading
to the formation of preconceived ideas and misunderstandings about Islam that
misrepresent a diverse and universal religion.
"If
they don't understand the language, and don't understand the culture, and don't
understand the religion, then it's so easy (for others) to manipulate their
beliefs," Husain said.
Alshibli
echoed this concern.
"A
lot of people who don't know Muslims personally, all they know about the faith
is what is being broadcast on the news," Alshibli said. "Muslims, or
anything related to Islam, is only in the news when it's something happening
overseas."
News
coverage of Muslims focuses almost exclusively on the Middle East, but 20.1
percent of all Muslims live there. Of those who live there, the extremists
covered by the media make up only a fraction of the overall population.
"The
.001 percent of Muslims who are extremist are given 100 percent of the news
coverage," Husain said.
Alshibli
and Husain, both members of the Muslim Student Association, feel these
misconceptions have forced them to grow up under constant scrutiny, and have
made them ambassadors for the majority of Muslim moderates.
"Because
of all the stereotypes around our faith, we have to stand upright and show
through our actions what Islam really is," Husain said.
Abdelrahman
Murphy, director of the Muslim youth group "Roots" and the first
Muslim chaplain at the University of Tennessee, believes that by humanizing
Islam "a lot of the stigma is dropped and people can really see it for
what it is."
Murphy
said the best way to accomplish this is to simply talk to one another as
students, friends and human beings.
"People
are very curious, and once they learn about what we believe, they don't hold it
against us," Murphy said. "Share some food with each other, and get
to know one another."
http://utdailybeacon.com/news/2014/oct/15/breaking-muslim-stereotypes-through-education-dial/
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Malaysian
singer Yuna is far more than just a 'Muslim pop star'
16 Oct,
2014
You
might know Yuna Zarai as simply, the singer behind the Pharrell
Williams-produced song “Live Your Life.”
On the
track, Yuna sings, “Find your light/Don’t hide from what you are.”
These
lyrics are sort of a mission statement for Yuna. She began writing songs at the
age of 14 and then landed a spot on “One in a Million," Malaysia’s version
of American Idol. She managed to get into the top 40 contestants before being
eliminated.
Would
people know her music without the show? "Probably not,” she answers, but
not in the way you'd think.
“When I
went for that audition, I remember I really wanted that opportunity to just
advance to the next round," Yuna says. "And I did not, and I got so
frustrated. I told myself, ‘Well, this is not the end. You know how far you
could go. People know that you can actually sing.’”
So Yuna
says she began to learn the guitar and really throw herself into her song
writing. It paid off: She quickly got noticed by an American record label, and
things snowballed from there.
But most
of the attention she gets in American media is focused on the fact that she is
a pop star wearing a hijab. That often leads to headlines like “The Muslim Pop
Star," which L.A. Weekly used in May.
“I mean,
I’m not going to run away from the person that I am,” she says. “It is what it
is. I am a Muslim singer songwriter. I practice Islam. It’s my religion, it’s
my belief — it’s normal. You know, everyone has their own thing, their own
beliefs. It doesn’t stop me from getting people listening to my music.”
Yuna has
filled clubs in Boston twice in the past year, where she says her audience is
diverse, consisting of “hijabi girls, hip-hoppers and the Asian-American boys.”
And she says she’s just grateful her music has been well-received.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-10-15/malaysian-singer-yuna-far-more-just-muslim-pop-star
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Muslim
women say the ‘ban the burqa’ debate is inspiring positive conversation in
Adelaide
16 Oct,
2014
MUSLIM
women in the southwest are feeling more accepted in the community than ever
despite negative publicity towards the religion in the past few weeks.
Park
Holme woman Kathryn Jones said the “ban the burqa” debate in Parliament House
had made the once taboo topic part of mainstream conversation.
Mrs
Jones, who converted to Islam 19 years ago, said the debate had helped to break
the stigma of female oppression associated with the religion.
She said
a positive conversation had started about the different coverings Muslim women
wore, whether it be a hijab, which covered the full body and head, the niqab, a
veil covering the face, or the burqa, which was rarely worn outside of
Afghanistan.
“I’m
used to being stared at because of how I’m dressed,” Mrs Jones, 42, said.
“Now
people are starting to smile and say hello.
“It’s
almost like they are trying to say they don’t agree with what is being said (in
Parliament).”
Mrs
Jones said new Facebook groups such as Women In Solidarity (with) Hijabis were
also helping Muslim women feel more accepted.
“It’s
really opened the door for conversations between Muslims and non-Muslims,” she
said.
The
mother-of-five said it was in stark contrast to just a month ago, when terror
raids in the eastern states prompted widespread racial abuse towards Muslim
women — worse than that experienced post-September 11.
“The
negative stuff is dying down and it has opened the door for the discussion that
had to happen.”
Clovelly
Park woman May Jassem said she had found Adelaide a more accepting place than
Melbourne.
The
37-year-old, who moved from Iraq in 2011, said it had been about five months
since she last felt uncomfortable in Adelaide.
In
contrast, she visited Melbourne for a holiday last week and had a man
deliberately tip his drink on her.
“I
became angry but then I didn’t care because he was not a respectful man,” Mrs
Jassem said.
“I feel
like I belong to Australia and dislike people who behave like this.”
Mrs
Jassem said she had noticed people in her neighbourhood were becoming more
accepting of Muslim women in the past few weeks.
“When I
am at work people are very kind to me, they are interested in where I am from
and they invite me to their homes and treat me in a lovely way,” she said.
“Even at
the market, people will smile at me and say hello.”
Ascot
Park woman Nadine Imran, 27, said support had grown for Muslim women since she
and a friend were verbally abused in Moseley Square last month.
“For
every bad comment we get there are more and more people coming out in support
of us,” Mrs Imran said.
She
volunteered at a Flinders University Islamic Awareness Week stall last week and
said non-Muslim women were fawning over different scarfs and trying on hijabs.
“So many
women have been supportive of us by wearing the hijab in solidarity,” she said.
Flinders
University emeritus professor Riaz Hassan said while there was no systematic
research on the treatment of Muslims in Australian society, general acceptance
had grown.
“With
the passage of time there will be more acceptance of religion and more
acceptance of diversity,” Professor Hassan said.
http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/muslim-women-say-the-ban-the-burqa-debate-is-inspiring-positive-conversation-in-adelaide/story-fnii5yv4-1227091513959
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Floods,
a Kashmiri family, a 5-year-old girl from Mumbai, and a happy ending
16 Oct,
2014
Ten days
ago, members of the Sheikh family in Srinagar found a girl wearing torn
clothes, crying and asking for food in the Dalgate area. They realised she was
one of the thousands of survivors of the floods that ravaged Kashmir the
previous month. But what really surprised them was the five-year-old’s answer
when asked where she was from — Bandra in Mumbai, and separated from her
parents for over a year.
Today,
Megha is living with the Sheikhs, like their own daughter, hours away from
reuniting with her family which has been traced in a slum. And giving a
sinister twist to this story is the clear indication that she may have been a
victim of child-trafficking.
“She is
missing her family,” said Dilshada Bano, wife of Abdul Rashid Sheikh, adding
that she has taken care of Megha like her own daughter Nifya. “During the
initial days, she refused to eat food but now she is better. We are treating
her like a family member,” she added.
Sitting
with Nifya inside Sheikh’s home, Megha told The Indian Express in Hindi that
she was brought to Kashmir on a train by a person she called Nazir who “took me
to Sopore, Ashmuqam and Anantnag where he would beg for money from people.”
\”He even cut my hair,” she said. “He (Nazir) kidnaps small children from
Mumbai. I went to Uttar Pradesh, Nizamuddin in Delhi, Jammu and then Kashmir,”
she said, adding that Nazir didn’t give her food for days. Recalling her days
in Mumbai, Megha said that her father “used to beat my mother after drinking
alcohol.” “I miss my mother so much and I want to go back to my home now,” she
said. The Sheikhs initially informed the local Nehru Park police station about
the child. “They told us to visit the Ram Munshi Bagh police station. But
there, they refused to accept the child, saying that this station is only meant
for women,” Dilshada Bano said. Masood Rashid, Station House Officer (SHO) at
Nehru Park, said that it was they who alerted police in Mumbai. According to
Rakesh Maria, Police Commissioner, Mumbai, “We got the information (from police
in Srinagar) and the missing persons bureau was put into action. In two hours,
the details were matched. The family lives in Nirmal Nagar and had registered
her as missing a year ago. The family is now being taken to Kashmir by our team
which will ensure they are reunited with the child.” According to Vasant
Dhoble, ACP in Mumbai police’s Missing Persons Bureau, they found at least 13
Meghas initially and the search was narrowed down only because the child could
remember where she lived. “Nirmal Nagar is a huge slum pocket. We sent teams to
track her hut and they showed people prints of her photograph doing the rounds
in social media. They confirmed the identity of the girl,” said Dhoble. Police
records have identified Megha’s father as Shardaprasad Chaudhury and her mother
as Seema. According to them, Megha was walking with her mother when she asked
Seema to get her something to eat from a roadside eatery. “Her mother paid for
the food and had begun walking. When she turned back after a minute, the child
was gone. This was in June 2013.” In fact, it was a member of the Sheikh
family, Parvaiz, a tour operator, who first posted Megha’s photo on Facebook.
Bashir Ahmad, Abdul Rashid Sheikh’s brother, said that the family is doing
everything to keep Megha happy. “In the evenings when we watch the news, she
comes and wants to switch the channel to Cartoon Network. We immediately change
the channel so that she can watch the Doremon cartoons,” he said. ”She is just
like my daughter and my only worry is that she should reach her parents,” Bano
said. And till that happens, Megha seems happy where she is. “Aunty (Bano) is
treating her like her own daughter and tries to keep me happy all the time.
They give me chocolates too, I am happy here.”
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/floods-a-kashmiri-family-a-5-year-old-girl-from-mumbai-and-a-happy-ending/99/#sthash.z1P6dw0l.dpuf
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/india-echoes-saif-ali-khan’s/d/99553