India's Islamic 'One Month Wives' Sex Tourism
New Age Islam News Bureau
15 Apr 2013
Photo: More Women to Be Inducted In Traffic Police in Pakistan
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• Saudi prince AlWaleed bin Talal makes economic case for women drivers
• More Women to Be Inducted In Traffic Police in Pakistan
• Cops Promise Reward for Info on Leak about Girls Islamic Organization
• 750,000 Children to Get Residency Permits in Saudi Arabia
• Pakistan: A Woman’s Touch Wins over a Rural Electorate
• ‘Topless Jihad’: FEMEN Flashes Tunisian President during Paris Summit
• Tunisian Femen activist missing: family
• Malawi Government Labels Madonna ‘Uncouth’ Bully
• Belaid's Widow: My Husband's Death Can Unite Tunisians
• Bazaar for Handmade Items Inspires Female Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia
• Femi9 Announces Winners, Appreciates and Supports Women’s Business Ventures
• Rasoolan Bibi, Wife of 1965 War Hero Gets Rs 5 Lakh
• Australian Muslim Women Kick New AFL Goal
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/india-islamic-one-month-wives/d/11149
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India's Islamic 'One Month Wives' Sex Tourism
India's 'one month wives' sex tourism
By Dean Nelson
15th April 2013
A 17-year-old girl has exposed the scale of Islamic sex tourism in India where Muslim men from the Middle East and Africa are buying 'one month wives' for sex.
Campaigners for Muslim women's rights said while short term 'contract marriages' are illegal in India and forbidden in Islam, they are increasing in Hyderabad, in southern India, where wealthy foreigners, local agents and 'Quazis' – government-appointed Muslim priests – are exploiting poverty among the city's Muslim families.
The victim, Nausheen Tobassum, revealed the scale of the problem when she escaped from her home last month after her parents pressurised her to consummate a forced marriage to a middle aged Sudanese man who had paid around £1,200 for her to be his 'wife' for four weeks.
She told police she had been taken by her aunt to a hotel where she and three other teenager girls were introduced to a Sudanese oil company executive. The 'groom', Usama Ibrahim Mohammed, 44 and married with two children in Khartoum, later arrived at her home where a Qazi performed a wedding ceremony.
According to Inspector Vijay Kumar he had paid 100,000 Rupees (around £1,200) to the girl's aunt Mumtaz Begum, who in turn paid 70,000 Rupees to her parents, 5,000 Rupees to the Qazi, 5,000 Rupees to an Urdu translator and kept 20,000 Rupees herself. The wedding certificate came with a 'Talaqunama' which fixed the terms of the divorce at the end of the groom's holiday.
"The next day he came to the house of the victim girl and asked her to participate in sex but she refused. She is a young girl and the groom is older than her father," Inspector Kumar told The Telegraph.
Her parents reassured him they would persuade their daughter and told her she would be punished if she did not. Instead she ran out of their tiny one room home in Hyderabad's Moghulpuri neighbourhood and was rescued by a police patrol. The police arrested the groom, the victim's aunt and the Qazi, and issued a warrant for her parents' arrest – Nausheen is a minor under Indian law and cannot marry until she reaches 18. Her parents are now in hiding but will be charged with arranging a child marriage, 'outraging the modesty' of a woman, and criminal conspiracy.
Inspector Kumar said there are dozens of illegal short term contract marriages in the city, and that the Sudanese man they arrested had come to Hyderabad after a friend in Khartoum told him he had taken a '40 day wife' during an earlier visit.
"If a Sudanese wants to have sex, he has to pay three times more [in Sudan] because there are far fewer girls there, or he takes a second wife. In India the girls are coming for a cheaper rate and they are beautiful. Even if they are only staying for a few days they are doing this kind of illegal marriages for sex," he said.
He said the visitors want to marry because they believe prostitution is forbidden under Islam. Poor families agree to contract marriages because they have many daughters and cannot afford to pay for all their weddings.
Instead, they have a series of one-month contract 'marriages' to fund their own genuine wedding.
Shiraz Amina Khan of Hyderabad's Women and Child Welfare Society, said there were up to 15 'contract marriages' in the city every month and that the number is rising because.
"They come to Hyderabad because it has maximum downtrodden families. Thirty to forty per cent of families are going for the option of contract marriages to relieve their poverty. It has to be stopped," she said.
Nausheen Tobassum, who is now living in a government home for girls said in an interview before she was placed in care, that she had filed a complaint to stop the same thing happening to other girls.
"I didn't know what was happening and I agreed in ignorance. They forced me. They changed my date of birth certificate and made a fake one, where I was shown as 24 years old. They exploit girls and that's why I went to police. I had to show courage to go to police against my parents. I don't want to go back to my home, I am scared," she said.
http://newindianexpress.com/nation/Indias-one-month-wives-sex-tourism/2013/04/15/article1545579.ece
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Saudi prince AlWaleed bin Talal makes economic case for women drivers
Billionaire Prince AlWaleed bin Talal throws his support behind allowing Saudi women to drive, saying it makes economic sense
15 Apr 2013
Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince AlWaleed bin Talal, a nephew of King Abdullah, has thrown his support behind allowing Saudi women to drive, saying it makes economic sense.
Women are barred from driving in the Arab kingdom - leaving them reliant on mostly foreign drivers.
"(The question of) women driving will result in dispensing with at least 500,000 foreign drivers, and that has an economic and social impact for the country," the prince said on his Twitter account on Sunday.
He did not spell out the economic benefits, but Saudi officials have said they are worried about the amount of money being sent out of the country by foreign workers.
Many Saudi families would also have more disposable income if they no longer had to pay for drivers.
Saudi Arabia, home to about nine million foreign workers, began a crackdown on illegal immigrants this year to boost the proportion of Saudi citizens in private sector jobs from the current 10 percent.
In the same Twitter message, the prince said he supported that campaign.
Saudi Arabia is a conservative monarchy, backed by religious scholars. It follows an austere Salafist form of Sunni Islam and allows clerics wide powers in society where they dominate the judicial system and run their own police squad to enforce religious morals.
After pro-democracy protests swept through the region in 2011, dozens of Saudi women responded to the "Women 2 Drive" campaign, posting pictures and videos of their driving on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Some of the women were detained briefly and two faced charges, including that of "challenging the monarch".
One of them was let go after signing a pledge not to drive again, while the other was sentenced to 10 lashes. Reuters could not confirm if the lashing sentence was inflicted, but a Saudi princess tweeted that it had been revoked.
While there is no written legislation banning women from driving, Saudi law requires citizens to use locally issued licenses while in the country. Such licenses are not issued to women, making it effectively illegal for them to drive.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/69285/World/Region/Saudi-prince-AlWaleed-bin-Talal-makes-economic-cas.aspx
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More Women To Be Inducted In Traffic Police in Pakistan
15th April 2013
KARACHI: It was decided in a meeting to increase the quota of women up to five percent in the Sindh police department, and the recruitments would be preferably be for traffic police.
A meeting of policewomen and officers of Sindh police was held with Additional Inspector General Karachi Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh to discuss the professional issues and setbacks faced while performing duties. DIG Traffic Abdul Khaliq Shaikh was also present.
The meeting decided to post women police officers as SHO and section officer traffic check posts in areas where crime and traffic problems are relatively less. In the later phase, women cops would be posted in police stations and traffic posts with increased workload.
Shaikh said deputing women cops on important posts is aimed to improve gender equality in police, and for providing equal responsibilities in the policing process. He said after necessary training, the policewomen would be introduced in mainstream policing activities. He said policewomen would be trained to drive cars and motorcycles. He said presently there are about 900 policewomen and officers in the department, which is not an optimal situation. He said educated women are avoiding police jobs. He said suggestions would be made to improve the procedure of recruitment of women police and increase their quota in jobs up to five percent.
On this occasion, a questionnaire was distributed amongst women participant, seeking their feedback about job-related matters, problems they face during discharging routine responsibilities and their suggestions to improve the procedures.
It was observed that policewomen could easily work in the drug enforcement section, forensic division, central command and control centre and Madadgaar-15 call centre. It was decided to give woman postings of their choice.
DIG Traffic Abdul Khaliq Shaikh said training module for female cops is being upgraded and after its completion postings would be made in operation, investigation and traffic sections.
They would also be deputed as mobile officer, duty officer at police stations, investigation officers and additional SHOs.
He said if policewomen voluntarily offer to discharge job of traffic section officer they would surely be given a chance.
SSP Naseem Aara Panhwar said with cooperation of an international NGO a lady police network has already been set up in 10 cities of Pakistan to share experiences and solve their problems.
Additional IGP on the occasion approved a suggestion to open an office for the policewomen in the Central Police Office to improve networking and convey their suggestions and problems to police command.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\04\15\story_15-4-2013_pg7_21
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Cops Promise Reward for Info on Leak about Girls Islamic Organization
Mateen Hafeez, TNN | Apr 15, 2013
MUMBAI: The city police's intelligence backbone, the Special Branch (SB), has announced a reward for giving information on the policeman who leaked information about the Girls Islamic Organization (GIO) to a section of the media.
The agency is struggling to cope up with the damage after a circular, seeking information and verification about the GIO, was leaked two weeks ago.
Nawal Bajaj, special branch chief, said it was unfortunate that such sensitive information was leaked to the media and it had a negative impact. "We are looking for the person who leaked the Special Branch's fortnightly report to the media. We will punish him once he is caught. Whoever gives us a tip-off about the person will be rewarded," Bajaj said.
The SB had received an "intelligence alert" asking it to inquire about the GIO, Jamaat-e-Islami's sister wing. The input was among six others sent to several police stations. It stated that GIO was trying to "motivate girls towards Islam and asking them to practice the religion".
The report had indicated that GIO was preparing Muslim girls for a 'jihad'. Office-bearers of the organizations met Bajaj and expressed concern over the police terming GIO a radical organization.
"The Muslim community is feeling all the more insecure. Earlier, some of their men were caught for alleged terror activities. They are now thinking that their girls are also not safe and the police are trying to target them," said a senior police officer.
The circular had mentioned the names of two persons as recruiters.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Cops-promise-reward-for-info-on-leak-about-womens-outfit/articleshow/19551218.cms
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750,000 children to get residency permits in Saudi Arabia
15 April 2013
Demands made by hundreds of Saudi women married to non-Saudis for benefits have finally yielded a positive outcome.
According to a newly approved regulation issued by the Council of Ministers, children of mixed marriages between Saudis and other nationalities have the right to education, work opportunities, medical treatment and are to be treated as Saudis in the Nitaqat system.
The regulation, entitled “Organizing the marriage of Saudis to non-Saudis” has allowed 750,000 children born to Saudi mothers and non-Saudi fathers to be sponsored by their mothers and receive legal residency permits.
Mohammad Abdullah Al-Awas, general manager of Civil Status in the Eastern Province, said the new regulations clearly stipulate that the marriage contract must be approved and endorsed by local entities and that their children should possess personal identity documents.
“The state gave these rights to all Saudi women and it will bear the costs of their children’s residency fees,” asserted Al-Awas.
He confirmed that the children of Saudi women would be treated as Saudi citizens when it comes to education, medical treatment and Saudization laws.
Al-Awas explained further that “Saudi women have the right to bring their foreign husbands into the country and transfer their sponsorships to them,” adding that their husbands will even be allowed to work in the private sector under the special category entitled “Husband of a Saudi citizen” written on their residency cards, given that they have a valid passport.
“The objective of this step is to ensure the reunion, security and stability of Saudi families,” he said.
Meanwhile, other legal entities are studying the possibility of imposing fines on violators of this regulation amounting to SR 100,000, which will be allocated to charity organizations dedicated to assisting young Saudis to cover their marriage costs.
http://www.arabnews.com/news/448190
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Pakistan: A Woman’s Touch Wins over a Rural Electorate
15th April 2013
KUBEY CHAK: In an area dominated by men and the PML-N, Firdous Ashiq Awan is a double anomaly: a woman on a directly elected seat and a PPP MNA. But in this solidly rural constituency, adjacent to Sialkot city and hugely influenced by birdarism and thanna-katchery politics, Awan has fought her way to the top in the most old fashioned of ways. Since her maiden victory in 2008 — she entered parliament as a PML-Q MNA on a reserved seat in 2002 — Awan has adroitly meshed state resources and personal politics to establish herself as the woman to beat in NA-111.Her home and office are in a massive complex festooned with PPP flags and banners that dwarfs every other structure in the village — the very same complex whose front houses a Nadra and passport office, a signature accomplishment of Awan’s last term. Across the street are parked the dozen or so buses donated by former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani that shuttle between Sialkot city and this rural constituency, a free service provided to Awan’s constituents. Painted on the sides of the buses are portraits of PPP leaders, a handy mobile advertisement for Awan. Sui gas connections, a phenomenal number of Benazir Income Support Programme recipients, a relentless focus on accommodating her constituents, helping them navigate the fraught world of the thanna and katchery, and cannily courting the dominant Gujjar and Arain biradiris are further elements of Awan’s recipe for success. “Bibi has done a lot of work in her constituency and she will be the hardest to beat,” said Arif Mehmood, a local journalist. “She spent a lot of time in her constituency during the last parliament, is always accessible to the people and works very, very hard. THANNA-KATCHERY“Getting someone caught or getting someone freed. That’s it,” is how Firdous Ashiq Awan explained the imperative of a successful politician in NA-111. It took little more than a minute to witness an illustration. A young man with tears in his eyes walked in and took a seat across Awan. Thugs had barged into his home drunkenly the night before and roughed up the young man and his family because they had voted for Awan at the last election instead of their own Gujjar biradiri candidate. Immediately, Awan got on the phone, and for the next five minutes she spoke to police officers and sundry officials, demanding that an FIR be registered and the young man’s family and neighbourhood be protected.Since the caretaker Punjab government had just replaced the entire district administration, Awan had to alternately coax and be severe with the new voices on the other side of the line. Once done with working the phones, she turned to the young man and gently told him not to worry and that his family would be safe. Then she turned to an aide fervently scribbling in a notebook. “Get me a list of all the new SHOs, their names and their numbers and have it placed here,” she said, pointing towards the underside of the glass top on her desk.“I’m not expecting a tough fight, I’m comfortable,” Awan said when asked about her re-election prospects. “For 22 years, Chaudhry Ameer Hussain (the former PML-Q strongman) just focused on the politics of biradiri, not on facilities to the people.”“The people finally got a rescue in the form of my face. No one has to come to me through anyone, they have direct access to me and I listen to everyone,” claimed Awan. Rivals regroup The PML-N, which won the other three National Assembly seats in Sialkot in 2008, is not giving up without a fight in NA-111.
The party has drafted in Armughan Subhani, a scion of the once-powerful Variyo family, to challenge Awan, replacing the 2008 challenger who was deemed too weak and unlikely to win. Subhani has never contested the seat before and is known to have preferred another Sialkot constituency, but as a Gujjar from a well-known family and claiming ancestral roots in NA-111, he believes he will give Awan a tough time on her PPP ticket.“Just look at the bad governance, the load shedding, the unemployment, the inflation. It’s been an awful performance by the (federal) government over the last five years. People know this and they know who is responsible,” Subhani said.In a constituency otherwise regarded as indifferent to a candidate’s party affiliation, Subhani also believes the PML-N factor across Punjab will provide a fillip in NA-111. “Not at all, it’s not true the party doesn’t matter here. It’s an overall thing and it will have a role,” Subhani said.Awan, though, is already covering her flanks. She has drafted in a former PML-N MPA as her running mate on a provincial assembly seat, thus helping secure the Arain vote that traditionally goes to the PML-N. And while she regards Subhani as her main rival, she is counting on the Gujjar vote being split between Subhani and Ameer Hussain, the once-powerful politician whose son may contest on a PTI ticket.Yet, while Awan is a formidable candidate, a second victory is not a foregone conclusion. According to Arif Mehmood, the local journalist, “In a couple of weeks, if a PML-N wave materialises across Punjab, Subhani will give Firdous Ashiq Awan a very, very tough time.”Awan herself admitted the dangers of being a personally popular politician affiliated with a desperately unpopular party in central Punjab. “Loadshedding and gas shortages will hurt, it will cause damage,” Awan said. “I can only give hope but no one has a solution.”“What I can do, I have done: provided (gas) connections, fixed transformers, installed power lines. But if there’s nothing filling those pipelines and connections…” Awan continued, her voice trailing off.
http://dawn.com/2013/04/15/a-womans-touch-wins-over-a-rural-electorate-2/
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‘Topless Jihad’: FEMEN Flashes Tunisian President During Paris Summit
April 13, 2013
The Ukrainian-based feminist group FEMEN, famous for their international bare-breasted protests, stormed a conference in Paris attended by Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki in their recent 'Topless Jihad' campaign to protect Muslim women's rights.
The topless activists came to support Tunisian Amina Tyler, who has been threatened with death in her home country for posting a topless picture of herself online. They also demanded the names of those who shot and killed Tunisian opposition leader Chokri Belaid in February, chanting “Who killed Chokri Belaid?”
Amina Tyler, 19, wrote “My body is mine, not somebody's honor" across her chest in Arabic in a show of solidarity with FEMEN, and made the image public. The picture sparked rage among religious Muslimsm and ultraconservative Tunisian religious groups now say the girl deserves death by stoning.
Full report at:
http://rt.com/news/femen-paris-tunisia-president-813/
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Tunisian Femen activist missing: family
April 15, 2013
TUNIS: A Tunisian activist who sparked controversy by posting topless pictures of herself online in support of Arab women's rights has left her parents' home and her whereabouts is unknown, her mother said on Monday.
"My daughter left the house on Friday and we don't know where she is," the mother of the young woman, who goes by the name of Amina Tyler, told AFP.
"I fear for my daughter, who has been receiving psychiatric treatment for six years," added Tyler's mother, who refused to be identified.
She said she had consulted Tyler's doctor and planned to report her disappearance to the interior ministry later on Monday, while denying suggestions by women's rights groups that the activist had been kidnapped by her own family.
"Some groups are exploiting my daughter's story at her expense," the mother said, her voice choking with emotion.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Apr-15/213801-tunisian-femen-activist-missing-family.ashx#ixzz2QXgH0Ro2
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Malawi Government Labels Madonna ‘Uncouth’ Bully
By Reuters
April 14, 2013
Pop artist Madonna was branded as an ‘uncouth bully’ by the Malawi government after her recent trip to the African country. The Material Girl singer previously adopted two Malawian children and set up a charity called Raising Malawi to build new schools in the country.
The Malawi government accused her for bullying officials for making her join a check-in queue and go through security with ordinary passengers at the Malawi airport.
Madonna, however, dismissed the comments as “lies” in a statement on the website of her Raising Malawi foundation.”I did not ever ask or demand special treatment at the airport or elsewhere during my visit,” said Madonna.
She believes that the disagreement is rooted in her history with the Malawian President Banda’s sister, Anjimile Mtila Oponyo, who once headed Raising Malawi. Oponyo was fired and subsequently sued the charity for wrongful termination.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/535475/did-you-know-malawi-government-labels-madonna-uncouth-bully/
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Belaid's Widow: My Husband's Death Can Unite Tunisians
Salma Shukrallah
14 Apr 2013
Carrying on the legacy of her slain husband, leftist political figure Choukri Beleid, Basma Khalfaoui is confident his murder will eventually lead to another revolutionary wave.
Khalfaoui, speaking against An-Nahda Party and its inciting discourse, blames the ruling party for her husband’s death, saying Islamists have created an environment of hate and violence that Tunisians will unite against in their quest for a better future.
“We entered the circle of violence early ... Choukri could tell that a violent wave would eventually erupt, but he did not think it would start so soon,” Khalfaoui narrated to Ahram Online.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/69195/World/Region/Belaids-widow-My-husbands-death-can-unite-Tunisian.aspx
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Bazaar for Handmade Items Inspires Female Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia
15 April 2013
A bazaar was held by Saudi female entrepreneurs at the Mall of Arabia to provide an opportunity for citizens to display handmade items and to identify market trends.
The bazaar, entitled, “Show Me Where the Market Is?” was organized by Arabian Centres Limited Company as part of its corporate social responsibility program to help empower Saudi entrepreneurs.
Muna AbuSulayman, the organizer of the event, told Arab News that the initiatives were taken to help lower Saudi unemployment, encourage CSR and empower and assist creativity, productivity and entrepreneurship in the Kingdom.
“Almost 30 entrepreneurs participated in a three-month period of activity. The second phase of the program will begin in June. The initiatives were not limited to monetary gain but include training for marketing, skills development and self-confidence,” said Abu Sulayman.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/448188
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Femi9 Announces Winners, Appreciates and Supports Women’s Business Ventures
April 14, 2013
JEDDAH — Finally, the names of the three winners of the Growing Initiatives Award organized by Femi9 are out.
In honor of women’s progress in the Kingdom and to support women in their entrepreneurial ventures, Femi9 had celebrated March as the Women Appreciation Month each year and has hosted competitions targeted at encouraging women’s creativity and entrepreneurship.
This year the competition was on a larger scale, and the selected winners of the Growing Initiatives Award will receive legal consultation and business training to prepare them for a journey that is very new to them. They will be invited to attend workshops at the Jeddah Municipality that will help them get started, from selecting the right location for their business, to going through all the paperwork to be officially and legally registered, developing a financial plan, and finally managing finances.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130415161365
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Rasoolan Bibi, Wife of 1965 war hero gets Rs 5 lakh
Apr 15 2013
Lucknow: Rasoolan Bibi, wife of Param Vir Chakra awardee Abdul Hamid, was on Sunday given a cheque for Rs 5 lakh by Lieutenant General Anil Chait, Army Commander, Central Command, at a ceremony in Ghazipur.
The ceremony coincided with the receiving of Surya Kiran Torch in the district, a relay run which was flagged off from Bareilly on March 2 as part of Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Central Command.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/wife-of-1965-war-hero-gets-rs-5-lakh/1102571/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/india-islamic-one-month-wives/d/11149