Indonesian women vow to preserve diverse cultures amid rising Islamic conservatism
06 November 2022
•
Indonesian women vow to preserve diverse cultures amid rising Islamic
conservatism
•
Kankor Results Out; What Happened to Brilliant Afghan Girls?
•
The Taliban wants to segregate women. So it’s training female doctors.
•
Hijab debate turns up heat at Odisha Literary Festival
•
Azerbaijan is the first Muslim democracy in the world, says educationist
ShafagMehraliyeva
•
Cleric Calls for Establishment of A Muslim Women World Network
•
Jordanian Woman Using Virtual Reality to Educate People about Islam
•
10 including children killed in anti-hijab protest in Iran
•
Afghan female student injured in suicide attack passes university entrance
exams
•
Princess Basma hails Arab women's role in media
•
Bahraini prisoners’ families hold small protest during pope visit
•
First Flight Of The Tallest Woman In The World! Turkish Airlines Made It By
Removing Six Seats To Make Room For Her Travel To San Francisco .
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Indonesian
women vow to preserve diverse cultures amid rising Islamic conservatism
Johannes
Nugroho
6
Nov, 2022
Women
from the Perempuan Peduli Budaya (Women for Cultural Preservation) group at one
of their public functions. Photo: Handout
-----------
When
it comes to the classics, dance teacher RiniWidiastuti is a stickler for
tradition. She says she has no time for her fellow Indonesians who have been
trying to “modify” Javanese dance costumes to satisfy Islamic modesty rules.
“For
centuries, our female dancers have been bare-shouldered, their heads
unencumbered. Now people want to cover them up,” said Widiastuti, from
GunungKidul in Yogyakarta, the centre of Javanese culture.
While
most Javanese people are also Muslims, the hijab is not a mandatory cultural
garment for women. Of Indonesia’s 275 million people, about four in 10 belong
to this ethnic group.
The
50-year-old is among the Indonesian women at the forefront of efforts to
preserve the many cultures and traditions in the country. And she’s far from
the first, according to local historian J.J. Rizal, who pointed to the example
of prominent 19th-century women’s rights activist R.A. Kartini.
Now
these efforts have taken on more urgency given the increasing social pressure
being felt by Muslim women and girls in Indonesia to wear the hijab.
Centuries-old customs offer a way to fortify their sense of identity in the
face of Islamic conservatism.
“As
I watched, it occurred to me that Indonesia has a rich tradition in classical
dance, too. So why not learn our own dances instead?” she said.
Today
Wijayanti chairs a foundation – BelantaraBudaya Indonesia (BBI) – to preserve
the country’s diverse cultural traditions. BBI operates 16 studios offering
free lessons in local dance traditions to almost 5,500 students, including one
school for people with disabilities.
Wijayanti
also rejects the idea that classical dance should bow to religious norms. “Our
students can wear whatever they want during rehearsal but once they step onto
the stage for a performance, they must wear the costumes as dictated by
tradition,” she said.
KusumawardaniWijayanti
chairs the BelantaraBudaya Indonesia foundation, which is committed to
preserving Indonesia’s diverse cultural traditions. Photo: Handout
“If
they wish to observe religious dress code, why not come up with a new creation
instead of making changes to classical repertoires? We should respect how our
ancestors choreographed these masterpieces,” he said.
Julia
Suryakusuma, a women’s rights activist and director of the Gender and Democracy
Centre, noted that instead of wearing Western-style clothing, Indonesian women
had chosen to “go back to our own roots” as a response to the pressure of
having to don the hijab.
This
is reflected in efforts such as Wijayanti starting Perempuan PeduliBudaya
(Women for Cultural Preservation) in 2017, a community committed to preserving
Indonesia’s sartorial heritage and promoting garments such as the various
batiks found throughout the archipelago and traditional spun cloths like the
kaintenun of Nusa Tenggara Timur.
“Indonesian
women are conditioned to think that traditional costumes are for formal
occasions such as wedding receptions but it doesn’t have to be like that.
Modern clothes for daily wear inspired by tradition are now aplenty,” Wijayanti
said.
Jakarta-based
entrepreneur Ria Glenn, 54, is also doing her bit to protect Indonesia’s
jewellery-making traditions, motivated by the lack of quality traditional
jewellery on the market.
Glenn
and her friend Terry Wijaya Supit started their own jewellery line, Manjusha,
in 2011. The name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning “jewellery box”.
“Manjusha’s
collection is entirely made up of replicas of old traditional Indonesian
jewellery handmade by our partner craftsmen,” Glenn said, adding that the items
were typically made of copper plated with gold or silver, combined with stones
sourced locally.
Amid
the current climate of identity politics and the debate over an Islamic dress
code in the country, Glenn said it was important for Indonesian women to assert
their national identity through wearing traditional garments and accessories.
“Our
country is so rich in batiks, traditional spun cloths, jewellery and other
attributes unique to our culture. If we don’t appreciate these things
ourselves, who will?” Glenn said.
In
the last few years, more regulations have been passed in favour of making the
hijab compulsory in public places. According to the Human Rights Watch NGO,
since 1998 at least two regulations at the national level, about 60 regional
ones at both provincial and municipal levels, and thousands issued by
individual state schools across the country can be interpreted as supporting mandatory
hijab-wearing.
An
employee throws batik fabric in an industrial area in Sukoharjo, Central Java
province, Indonesia in July 2021. Photo: Antara Foto via Reuters
An
employee throws batik fabric in an industrial area in Sukoharjo, Central Java
province, Indonesia in July 2021. Photo: Antara Foto via Reuters
Islamic
orthodoxy is also often at odds with Indonesia’s artistic traditions. Wayang,
or Javanese shadow puppet performances, which combine singing and storytelling
based on Hindu mythology, are on the wane due to their non-Islamic nature.
Ultraconservative but popular preacher Abdul Somad, for instance, has
stipulated music is not “forbidden” so long as its lyrics are used to spread
Islam.
While
Suryakusuma said “going traditional” was laudable, people should bear in mind
that traditional clothing was not always an emblem of women’s rights in the
past.
The
Javanese traditional garment, known as kain kebaya, was adopted as “women’s
national costume” by former presidents Sukarno and Suharto. However, it came to
symbolise female subservience, Suryakusuma said.
“It
became compulsory wear for women on formal and patriotic occasions and there
was no other choice for us in those days,” she said.
Suryakusuma
described how the traditional kebaya costume, which consists of a long piece of
cloth wrapped tightly around a woman’s body, physically “constricted” the
wearer such that she was only able to walk in mincing steps. The corset also
made breathing difficult.
“I
doubt that [kebaya] came to be as a social nod to Islam,” Rizal said. “The
kebaya itself shows off a woman’s body contours, which is forbidden in Islam,
not to mention considerable cleavage.”
Despite
this, there have been efforts geared towards promoting the kebaya. On Sunday,
more than 100 local communities dedicated to cultural preservation are expected
to take part in an event in Jakarta titled “Bela BangsaDengan Kebaya” (Defend
the nation with kebaya).
Co-sponsored
by the The National Agency for the Prevention of Terrorism, the event is
expected to break the current national record – 18,000 people – for the largest
public gathering of people wearing traditional costumes.
Beyond
asserting one’s identity, preserving tradition has also helped stimulate the
local economy. Indonesia’s creative industries sector made up 7.38 per cent
(166.3 trillion rupiah or about US$10.5 billion) of gross domestic product in
2020, 18.15 per cent of which came from the fashion industry while the
handicraft subsector contributed 15.7 per cent.
“My
5,000-plus students all require dance costumes, accessories, traditional hair
buns and so on,” Wijayanti said. “These items are made by hand mostly by
artisans whose livelihoods we indirectly support.”
Glenn
of Manjusha makes it her company’s mission to help ensure the survival of
Indonesia’s shrinking population of traditional silver and goldsmiths. “We have
already lost a lot of goldsmith techniques because in some cases older smiths
died before they could pass on their expertise to the younger generation,” she
said.
Glenn
believes Indonesian women can help turn around the currently struggling
small-scale silver and goldsmith industry by choosing to buy traditional
jewellery.
“To
ensure the survival of our ancient jewellery-making techniques, the industry
must become viable so that the younger generations are able [to make it] a
vocational choice,” she said.
Source:
Scmp.Com
-----
Kankor
Results Out; What Happened to Brilliant Afghan Girls?
By
SaqalainEqbal
November
5, 2022
With
the Kankor university entrance exam results announced on Saturday, many Afghan
social media users expressed disappointment as no girl’s name is seen in the
list of the top 10 Kankor scorers, while girls have consistently topped the
exam before the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
-----------
The
top 10 students on the Kankor entrance exam 2022 are “all-male,” similar to the
Taliban government in Afghanistan, while two brilliant Afghan girls, Shamsia
Alizada and Selgai Baran, won the top places on the Kankor exams in 2020 and
2021, prior to the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan.
The
results of the Kankor exam 2022 were released on Saturday, November 5, by the
National Examination Authority, which the Taliban govern. Suleiman, Mohammad
Shabir, Hedayat, Mohammad Zia, Mohammad Aziz, Mansoor Bek, Sayed Mohsen,
Najibullah, Mustafa, and Mohammad Abdullah received the first through tenth
scores, respectively, according to the results that were made public.
Afghan
users on social media have voiced their discontentment that girls were sharply
removed from academic sectors, especially the list of entrance exam winners
after the results were announced in addition to a list that features 10 of the
top candidates from the 2022 entrance exam, all of whom are boys.
The
writer and one of the users, AfsanaWahidyar, wrote on her Facebook page, “I
wish success to all these students. However, the cloud in my eyes began to pour
when I looked at this list (which contained the names of the top 10 students
for the entrance exam).” She continued by stating that Afghan girls were forced
to stay at home and that attending school and studying had become their dream.
How
can you expect girls to take exams with enthusiasm and receive outstanding
scores when girls are banned from schools for any pretext, a journalist named
Nilofar Langar wrote on her Facebook page?
Langar
added that despite the disappointment, even if girls made it to the top 10 “do
the mullahs allow a girl to come out on top and be an inspiration for the
girls?”
This
comes as girls ranked top in the previous years’ entrance tests. The top
student in 2021’s national exam was Selgai Baran, who scored 352 points, making
her the top scorer. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Baran was granted a
scholarship from Turkey despite being accepted into her desired study program
at Kabul Medical University.
Shamsia
Alizada also achieved the highest score (353 points) and took first place in
the 2020 exam. Although she was also accepted into the Kabul Medical
University’s medical program, she moved to Turkey to pursue her education.
Source:
khaama Press
https://www.khaama.com/kankor-results-out-what-happened-to-brilliant-afghan-girls-57375/
-----
The
Taliban wants to segregate women. So it’s training female doctors.
By
Claire Parker
November
5, 2022
Medical
residents watch and assist during a Caesarean section at the Rabia Balkhi
public women’s hospital, one of Kabul’s busiest, on Oct. 23. Despite the
ongoing training of 55 residents, the hospital is facing an uptick in patients,
which has spread the remaining doctors thin. (Elise Blanchard for The
Washington Post)
----------
KABUL
— After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last year, nearly a third of
the resident doctors in OmeidaMomand’s class at a Kabul women’s hospital fled
the country, she said, leaving the staff stretched thin.
Momand
decided to stay, to finish the last step in her 11 years of training to care
for Afghanistan’s women. By day, she examines gynecology patients and monitors
mothers with high-risk pregnancies in a room sometimes so crowded that patients
lie on the floor. Night shifts are spent performing emergency Caesareans.
Her
determination to practice medicine in her home country has aligned, ironically,
with the Taliban’s own interests. In the highly conservative Islamic society
the Taliban hopes to create, officials say, women should be cared for by other
women. That means educating more female doctors.
This
marks a rare instance of the Taliban publicly and loudly promoting women’s
education and employment. Training female doctors and nurses is part of the
movement’s effort to prove it can provide essential services while building a
society structured on gender segregation.
Muhammad
Hassan Ghyasi, acting deputy minister of public health, said in an interview
that his ministry has received “clear instructions from the top level” to bring
policies in line with the Taliban’s strict interpretation of sharia, or Islamic
law. A new policy submitted recently to the Taliban’s supreme leader,
Haibatullah Akhundzada, for approval would formalize a rule already applied in
some hospitals that female health workers should treat women, while male health
workers should treat men.
Ghyasi
said the policy will stipulate that if there is no qualified female doctor
available, a female patient can see a male doctor. But with Afghanistan’s
health system under strain — and an economic crisis fueled by Western sanctions
exacerbating hunger and sickness — the need for qualified medical professionals
of both genders is greater than ever.
Source:
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/05/afghanistan-women-doctors-taliban-medical/
-----
Hijab
debate turns up heat at Odisha Literary Festival
06th
November 2022
By
Anup Nayak
Kaveree
speaks to Madhu Kishwar and Ghazala Wahab | Express
--------
BHUBANESWAR:
The audience could feel the heat as the hijab debate took centre stage on day
one of the 10th edition of Odisha Literary Festival here on Saturday. At the
session ‘The Hijab Question: Who Decides Who wears What’, academic and
researcher Madhu Kishwar stirred up the crowd by saying Muslim women need to
wear ‘hijab, niqab and burqa’ for the safety of Hindu men. “Muslims keep their
women in burqas to keep them away from the eyes of Kafirs (non-believers). In
Islam, there is only one punishment for a Hindu boy if he marries a Muslim girl
- to be throttled to death. So, Hindu boys will not meet such a fate if Muslim
women are in hijab or niqab.”
Opening
the debate initiated by festival coordinator Kaveree Bamzai, editor and author
Ghazala Wahab said India being a secular country, no organisation or
institution should tell anybody not to flaunt their religious identity in
public. It is everybody’s right. The Constitution guarantees it. “No
institution forbids you from coming to work or study wearing a Kalaba (sacred
thread around wrists). If that is acceptable, then why is another form of
religious flaunting suddenly unacceptable. Why should anybody object to someone
wearing a head scarf?” she asked.
Ghazala
said Muslim women are among the least powerful members of the community. They
are not allowed to venture outside by their parents, especially fathers,
without a hijab. Patriarchy and the Ulemas have been manipulating the community
in enforcing such rules on women. “The state can show a little magnanimity, can
do a little bit of hand-holding so that this religious conservatism does not
stop Muslim women from having access to education and workforce,” she said.
Countering
Ghazala, Madhu said India’s secular courts should not ‘waste time’ on religious
issues like wearing hijab. “Why is India’s secular government so eager to free Muslim
women from Islam’s ways of life. The police and Army are afraid of Muslim women
as they are very skilled in pelting stones. Why do such empowered women, who
are fighters, need sympathy and help of the government. They are capable of
fighting for their rights.”
She
further said Muslim leaders openly declare that for them, Sharia is above all
laws. If that is the case, why do they approach secular courts seeking
permission to wear hijab which, for them, is an essential practice in Islam.
“Besides,
this essential practice is applicable on a section of Muslim women. There are
many celebrities and activists who don’t wear hijab but back such practices in
the name of freedom of choice. Do these women not know that the concept of
freedom of choice is not there in Islam?” questioned Madhu.
Source:
New Indian Express
-----
Azerbaijan
is the first Muslim democracy in the world, says educationist ShafagMehraliyeva
KallolBhattacherjee
NOVEMBER
05, 2022
Shafag
Mehraliyeva, School of Public and International Affairs Fuculty, Instructor,
ADA University, Azerbaijan, during an interview in New Delhi. | Photo Credit:
Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
---------
Azerbaijan
is the first Muslim democracy in the world, said leading educationist
ShafagMehraliyeva to The Hindu. In an exclusive interview, Ms. Mehraliyeva who
represents the ADA University of Azerbaijan, a leading centre of liberal
studies in the South Caucasus region, highlighted Azerbaijan’s ancient cultural
links with India as evident in the fire temples near capital Baku and urged
closer educational and cultural ties between two sides.
Source:
The Hindu
-----
Cleric
Calls for Establishment of A Muslim Women World Network
November
06, 2022
TEHRAN
(IQNA) – The representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran’s
southwestern province of Khuzestan called for formation of a world network of
Muslim women.
Hojat-ol-Islam
Seyed Mohammad Nabi Mousavifard said it is necessary to protect the rights of
Muslims in all Islamic countries.
A
working group should bet set up to pursue the establishment of such a network,
the cleric added.
Referring
to the recent riots in Iran, he said the enemy hatched plots to make the issue
of women a central theme in the unrest.
“We
should not allow secularism and the Western model for women’s life to become
materialized (in the country),” he stated.
Hojat-ol-Islam
Mousavifard also called on security apparatuses to decisively confront those
who have insulted the sanctities during the unrest.
Leader
of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has described the recent
sparse riots in Iran as part of the enemy’s passive and amateurish plot in
response to the great Iranian nation’s progress and major initiatives.
Ayatollah
Khamenei said enmities toward Iran will continue in various forms as long as
the people of Iran take up the flag of Islam and accompany the Islamic
Republic. “The only solution is to stand firm,” he stressed.
Source:
Iqna.Ir
-----
Jordanian
Woman Using Virtual Reality to Educate People about Islam
Samah
Safi Bayazid
November
06, 2022
TEHRAN
(IQNA) – With the help of virtual reality films on Islamic history, Samah Safi
Bayazid, a Jordanian filmmaker and producer, is fighting stereotypes about
Muslims.
"We've
been producers and filmmakers for over 10 years but we never thought that we
will go into entertainment until we were in Disney," Bayazid told Anadolu
Agency.
Bayazid
is co-owner of LightArt Media Productions and Light Art VR, a company she
describes as “for Islamic entertaining virtual reality experiences.”
The
idea for VR films about Islamic culture came when she and her husband were
visiting the theme park. “We were having so much fun,” she said.
“What
if we can tell our stories and our heritage? And the Islamic history in a super
entertaining way, using cutting edge technology, we develop our software,” she
said.
The
company produces films in eight languages, has four VR films about Islamic
heritage, and is producing a fifth and sixth within the next year.
The
33-year-old was in Istanbul to attend a two-day conference hosted by the Women
and Democracy Association (KADEM), an Istanbul-based women's advocacy group,
together with Turkey’s Family and Social Services Ministry.
“I'm
here to talk about the image of women and the presentation of women in the
media,” Bayazid said on the sidelines of the summit.
“I've
worked in this industry for over 12 years and living in the US I see how the
way women, specifically Muslim women, are being represented in the media
directly affects how we are being treated and this sometimes causes
Islamophobia,” she added.
Bayazid
cited the importance of “telling our stories as a Muslim producer and
filmmaker” and said she will be talking about the importance of telling the
stories of Muslim characters.
Along
with her husband Muhammad, Bayazid founded Light Art VR five years ago. “We
decided that we want to produce entertainment for Muslim audiences around the
world,” she said.
They
started producing a Virtual Reality computer-generated company to show 8k
resolution films “that take you back in time 1,400 years ago, to witness the
story of Islam,” she said.
The
director based in Washington also discussed reactions from audiences. “So, we
have completed two different reactions because we have our Muslim audience and
non-Muslim ones.”
Non-Muslim
audiences had similar reactions but were surprised to learn facts about Muslim
culture they did not know until watching the film.
“We
did our project in New York just to share our Islamic culture," she said.
"They loved it and they said 'we didn't know all this information because
it's very informative.”
“For
example, they thought that Islam is a religion of violence. They told us that
before watching our VR experiences they thought that women are second-class
citizens in Islam and they are controlled by men,” she said.
“It's
one of the reasons to educate people and to tell them about our Islamic
heritage and culture, to tell our own story and on our narrative,” said
Bayazid. “Because we're not going let other people tell our story the way they
want. It's our job to tell it the right way.”
Source:
Iqna.Ir
https://iqna.ir/en/news/3481141/jordanian-woman-using-virtual-reality-to-educate-people-about-islam
-----
10
including children killed in anti-hijab protest in Iran
05-11-2022
The
group said it was "gravely concerned about further bloodshed amid internet
disruptions and reports of authorities bringing more security forces to Khash
from Zahedan."
"Iran's
authorities must immediately rein in security forces. Member states of the UN
must immediately raise concerns with Iran's ambassadors and support the
establishment of an independent investigative mechanism by the UN Human Rights
Council," the human rights watchdog said.
A
video shared with CNN by the activist outlet IranWire from Khash appears to
show several protesters wounded and unconscious on the ground, after loud
gunshots rang out in the background.
Meanwhile,
the country's semi-official Fars News Agency posted images on Twitter showing
charred cars and damaged buildings, with a caption that blamed the damage on
"rioters."
"The
governorate, the building of Jihad Agriculture and several other government
buildings, several kiosks and police cars, people's private cars, and almost
all banks were set on fire by rioters," Fars added.
The
violence Friday comes amid nationwide protests against the death of MahsaAmini,
a 22-year-old Kurdish women who died after being detained by morality police in
Tehran.
Largescale
demonstrations have also taken place recently in Zahedan, the state capital of
Sistan and Balochistan, following the alleged rape of a Baloch girl by the
police chief, reported CNN.
The
province, neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to members of the
long-oppressed predominantly Sunni Muslim Baloch ethnic minority and has a
history of unrest.
Authorities
removed the head of police in Zahedan last week, but protests continued and on
Thursday, a high ranking Shia cleric was shot dead by masked gunmen in Zahedan,
according to state news agency IRNA.
The
Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations (CCITTA) also
tweeted on Friday that at least 16 protesters were killed, and dozens more were
injured after Iranian security forces opened fire on protesters in Khash,
reported CNN.
However,
the death toll cannot be verified. A precise death toll is impossible for those
outside Iran's government to confirm. Numbers vary by opposition groups,
international rights organizations, and local journalists.
Source:
Awazthe Voice
-----
Afghan
female student injured in suicide attack passes university entrance exams
By
Khalil Noori
06-11-2022
An
Afghan teenager who was severely injured in a suicide attack in September has
passed her university entrance exams with high marks.
Students
had been sitting a practice university exam when the bomber struck the tuition
centre in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of the Afghan capital.
Eyewitnesses
told the BBC that most of the victims were girls, who were seated in the front
row, near the blast. A student who was injured told AFP that there were around
600 people in the room when the attack happened.
Ms
Amiri spoke about its impact on her: "On the day of the exam, I was
affected by the Kaaj attack - my eye was in pain, I couldn't see the question
papers properly."
She
said losing her eye in the attack only made her stronger: "The tasks I was
not able to do with both eyes, now I will do it with one eye."
"I
got really sad in the first stage, as I expected to be among the top 10. I
didn't want to see my result afterwards," she said.
"If
I was not among the top 10, one or two other girls should have been there... I
am sure there are girls among the top 10, but I don't know why it was not
announced," Ms Amiri added.
Ms
Amiri said she would be determined to study regardless: "One hundred
percent I will do computer science, I loved it and I am sure I will be able to
go ahead with it," she said.
The
Kaaj tuition centre is a private college which teaches both male and female
students. Most girls' schools in the country have been closed since the Taliban
returned to power in August last year, but some private schools are open.
Source:
Bbc.Com
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63526483
-----
Princess
Basma hails Arab women's role in media
Jordan
News
06-11-2022
AMMAN
— HRH Princess Basma, honorary president of the Arab Women Media Center (AWMC),
on Saturday commended the key role women play in media, citing their
professionalism, dedication, and adherence to journalism ethics, the Jordan
News Agency, Petra, reported.
During
the opening of the 18th AWMC conference, held at the Madaba Institute for
Mosaic Art and Restoration in partnership with the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge
Forum, Princess Basma spoke at the opening ceremony to attendees on the role of
digital media in enhancing change.
Arab
women have made a remarkable and prominent presence in the media field in all
its forms, including news production and program content, said Princess Basma.
An
Arab media woman, said Princess Basma, plays a role no less important and
dangerous than her male counterpart when delivering a story, especially in war
zones and hotspots, noting the many female journalists killed in the line of
duty.
At
the conference, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nayef Al-Fayez pointed to
the positive impact of the partnership between the media and national
institutions working on promoting tourism and Arab countries' cultures,
attracting more tourists, and direct and indirect investment.
Minister
of Culture Haifa Al-Najjar, Governor of Madaba Nayef Al-Hidayat, and head of
office and UNESCO Representative to Jordan Min Jeong Kim attended the
conference.
Source:
Jordan News
https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-109/News/Princess-Basma-hails-Arab-women-s-role-in-media-24162
-----
Bahraini
prisoners’ families hold small protest during pope visit
5
Nov 2022
Relatives
of death row and life inmates in Bahrain have held a small protest along Pope
Francis’s motorcade route calling for the freedom of political prisoners in the
Gulf Arab state.
It
was not clear if the pope saw the placards as his motorcade moved from his
residence to a school in Isa Town where he later addressed students and teachers.
About 30,000 flag-waving worshippers attended an open-air mass on Saturday.
A
video of Saturday’s protest, which included several women and children, was
posted online by the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy
(BIRD) and by Bahrain’s dissolved opposition al-Wefaq group.
Hajer
Mansoor, the mother of jailed activist Sayed Nizar al-Wadaei, held a placard
reading: “Tolerance does not exist for us here in Bahrain.”
One
of the placards read “Tolerance, Coexistence is a practice not just slogan.
#Free Hassan Mushaima #Free Political Prisoners #End Sectarianism”.
Hassan
Mushaima, an opposition leader, was given a life sentence in 2011 for
anti-government protests, led mostly by the Shia Muslim community. The Sunni
monarchy cracked down on the unrest.
In
the video, a policeman can be heard telling the demonstrators, who included a
small boy, “If you please, if you have demands, if you have anything, not in
this way and not in this manner”.
A
government spokesperson said that a group of nine individuals were asked to
disperse by uniformed police and “acceded to the request,” according to the
Reuters news agency.
“No
further action is being taken in this regard,” the spokesperson said in a
statement, adding that there “have been no arrests or apprehensions related to
the Papal visit”.
Before
the pope arrived in Bahrain on Thursday, families of death row inmates asked
him to speak out against capital punishment and defend political prisoners
during the trip.
It
is vital that “fundamental human rights are not violated but promoted”, the
pope said on Thursday at the Sakhir royal palace on his first visit to the Gulf
Arab state, where the Shia Muslim opposition and rights groups accuse the Sunni
monarchy of overseeing human rights abuses, a charge authorities deny.
Bahrain
was the only Gulf state to see mass Arab Spring upheaval. It has imprisoned
thousands, some in mass trials, since the uprising.
The
kingdom has rejected criticism from the United Nations and others over its
conduct of trials and detention conditions, saying its prosecutions were in
accordance with international law.
Last
year, Bahrain conditionally released tens of prisoners under new rules allowing
electronic monitoring and home detention instead. Mushaima’s son said then that
his father had declined a conditional release offer.
Source:
Aljazeera
-----
First
Flight Of The Tallest Woman In The World ! Turkish Airlines Made It By Removing
Six Seats To Make Room For Her Travel To San Francisco .
05-11-2022
That
was a moment for her and the Turkish Airlines as well , the tallest woman in
the world has made her first trip by plane with the help of Turkish Flag bearer
in the month of September.
RumeysaGelgi
, who is the holder of Guinness Book of Records for her 2.15-meter (about
7-foot) height , boarded the San Francisco (SFO) - bound Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with her wheelchair before laying on
the stretcher for the 13-hour flight.
To
make the travel possible , Turkish Airlines came forward and converted 6-seats
on the aircraft into stretcher for Gelgi to lie-down throughout the flight.
With
the required seating adjustment ,RumeysaGelgi finally boarded a plane at
Istanbul International Airport (IST) for the first time in her life accompanied
by her mother. Though not an easy task for co-ordination , the tallest woman in
the world finally made her very first trip by plane.
The
24-year-old travelled to San Francisco for her career interests in software
development , but she will also co-ordinate with Guinness World Records to
promote various events.
Gelgi
has to travel by stretcher due to Weaver syndrome, a rare genetic disorder
characterized by rapid bone growth . Although there is no cure, people with
this condition can live healthy lives. She normally gets around by wheelchair
but sometimes walks for short distances.
She
mentioned at Istanbul Airport that she was very excited to travel by plane for
the first time , and that this flight was important for patients like her who
need a stretcher.
"This
will be my first flight as well as my first travel overseas. But I believe that
this experience will be a first for many individuals, not just me. Because as
you know, the option of traveling as a stretcher passenger is generally
reserved for patients who are being transferred from one intensive care unit to
another."
"It
is an alternative for patients who are referred from one hospital to another
and need an ambulance. However, because I couldn't sit for lengthy periods of
time due to my scoliosis, or spine curvature disorder, I had to fly on a
stretcher" .
Gelgi
lives in Karabük, Türkey , that's about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north
of Ankara. She wants to use her world
record title to advocate and raise awareness of both Weaver syndrome and
scoliosis.
If
one checks the records , the tallest woman ever recorded was Zeng Jinlian from
Hunan Province of China , who measured 246.3 cm (8 feet, 1 inch) at the time of
her death in February 1982.
Source:
Fl360aero.Com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/indonesian-women-cultures-islamic/d/128346