Jana Mousa , The Controversial Saudi Painter Aims To Make Her Mark In Modern Art
New
Age Islam News Bureau
23
July 2022
• Irish Islamic Convert Lisa Smith Jailed for ISIS
Membership
• Journalist Lynne O'Donnell, Detained By Taliban For
Her Reporting, Spared After 'Forced Apology'
•
Muslim Women Even Face Discrimination During Labour And Pregnancy in UK
• Russian Fashion Consultant Living In Riyadh
Celebrates Saudi Golden Age
• Kuwaiti Women To Play Vital Role In Business Fields
• Qatar's Policies Allow Women to be Active
Participants in Country's Development
• Bahrain Tops In Female Digital Skills Training And
Stem Education
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/jana-mousa-saudi-painter-modern-art/d/127553
--------
Jana Mousa , The Controversial Saudi Painter Aims To
Make Her Mark In Modern Art
Backed by her family and
buoyed by Saudi government support for the arts, Jana Mousa remains determined
to open her own modern art museum to showcase her work and that of other
up-and-coming artists. (Supplied)
-----
Rahaf Jambi
July 23, 2022
RIYADH: A controversial Saudi painter is aiming to
overturn traditional public perceptions of art with her modern abstract style.
Jana Mousa has been the subject of criticism for
portraying nudity and womanly shapes in her vibrant artwork.
But backed by her family and buoyed by Saudi
government support for the arts, she remains determined to open her own modern
art museum to showcase her work and that of other up-and-coming artists.
She told Arab News: “My art isn’t traditional, but
what makes me creative is that I don’t relate myself to an idea or a concept of
one agenda, because I don’t want to be in a box.
“I feel as though many people still hang on to
traditional art, the art of horses, Arabic calligraphy, and such, but when they
see modern art, it’s new to them, and the reaction varies. This is why I want
to introduce modern art to the public and let it have its space.”
It was during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown when
Mousa rediscovered her love of painting and with the help of her family, she
set up a social media account and started posting her work online.
She said: “I was criticized for portraying nudity and,
in general, for my modern style, and when I displayed my work in Al-Balad
(historic area of Jeddah), I got comments that my paintings were just doodles
that ruined the place. Because they did not show a horse or swords, then, to
society, it was not considered art.”
Undaunted, she has since gone on to exhibit her pieces
at Jeddah corniche, the port city’s Durrat Al-Arus, Culiart gallery — as part
of a collaboration with chef Joud Badr — and in March, the Silence art gallery.
“Chaotic and full of life is how I would describe my
artwork. I don’t have one direction, and I like to mix styles, but eventually,
a pop of color needs to be included in my paintings.
“I like to feel the painting and touch it. Art doesn’t
have rules or right or wrong; anything you do is art, and the possibilities are
endless,” Mousa added.
She plans to open her own modern art museum to
showcase her artistic style, support local artists, and provide a space for
them to exhibit their work.
“I am noticing a lot of support from the government to
empower art. The Jameel district in Jeddah is a good example of art
encouragement, and many local artists are invited to display their artwork in
Al-Balad,” she said.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2127736/saudi-arabia
--------
Irish
Islamic Convert Lisa Smith Jailed for ISIS Membership
Lisa Smith was convicted in May of being a member of
Isis (Niall Carson/PA)
(PA Wire)
-----
By
Lily Zhou
July
22, 2022
A
former Irish soldier who travelled to Syria and became an ISIS bride was
sentenced to 15 months in prison at a Dublin court on Friday.
Lisa
Smith, 40, from Dundalk, County Louth, was found guilty in May of her
membership with the ISIS terrorist group between Oct. 28th, 2015, and Dec. 1st,
2019, after a nine-week trial at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court.
But
she was cleared of a separate charge of financing the group.
Smith
is the first person to be prosecuted and convicted in Ireland over terror
offences committed outside the country.
Smith
served in the Irish Defence Force between 2001 to 2011. She converted to Islam
in 2010 and left the army the next year after she was refused permission to
wear the hijab.
According
to fellow Islam convert Carol Karimah Duffy, who testified in court, Smith
started speaking to an ISIS recruiter online and she was focusing on the “harsh
end of Islam.”
Smith
went to Syria in October 2015 after the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called
on Muslims to go to the country.
Despite
knowing she would end up being a housewife in Syria, Smith believed it was her
religious obligation to live in the Islamic country, she later told Irish
police officers.
In
Syria, Smith married British jihadist Sajid Aslam, who Smith said was killed
when fighting, and gave birth to a daughter in 2017.
After
the fall of ISIS in 2019, Smith and her daughter were repatriated to Ireland
and she was arrested at the Dublin airport.
Smith’s
lawyer previously argued Smith should be given a suspended sentence, citing the
abuse she had suffered during her marriage to Aslam, the detention she had
endured in a Syrian camp before being returned to Ireland, and the strict bail
conditions imposed on her for two-and-a-half years in Ireland.
O’Higgins
SC also asked the court to consider Smith’s child and argued psychological
reports on Smith presented “a picture of an extremely vulnerable person, but
accompanying that vulnerability is a great level of stoicism in terms of
dealing with whatever hand she’s been dealt with.”
Sentencing
Smith, presiding judge Tony Hunt said he’s satisfied Smith is unlikely to
re-offend.
The
judge acknowledged the evidence showed Smith had “followed rather than led,”
but said she had been determined to go to Syria.
“She
may have been easily led but then displayed characteristics of resilience—the
rejection of her family, travelling to Syria, and remaining there to the bitter
end,” he said.
He
also said that Smith had had a “tough time in Syria” but that it was a
“foreseeable consequence” of joining ISIS.
Hunt
said the three judges had taken into consideration Smith’s previous “good
character” and the fact that she had made a “positive contribution to society
during her military service.”
The
judges also accepted that life in the Syrian camps was “arduous” and the
“equivalent” of being in prison, and that they had given a “substantial”
discount off Smith’s sentence because of this.
The
maximum sentence for the offence is eight years.
Source:
The Epoch Times
https://www.theepochtimes.com/irish-islam-convert-lisa-smith-jailed-for-isis-membership_4615502.html
--------
Journalist
Lynne O'Donnell, Detained By Taliban For Her Reporting, Spared After 'Forced
Apology'
23rd
July 2022
KABUL:
Foreign Policy writer Lynne O'Donnell was detained by the Taliban for columns
accusing them of forcefully marrying teenage girls and using teenage girls as
sexual slaves.
The
terror outfit forced the writer to issue a Public Retraction after holding her
caged for three days, Khaama Press reported.
Lynne
O'Donnell, an Australian writer who writes a column for Foreign Policy magazine
presently, tweeted, "l apologize for 3 or 4 reports written by me accusing
the present authorities of forcefully marrying teenage girls and using teenage
girls as sexual slaves by Taliban commanders."
Notably,
O'Donnell was forced to make an apology by the Taliban, she revealed in a
statement on Wednesday.
"Tweet
an apology or go to jail, said Taliban intelligence," she tweeted.
"Whatever it takes: They dictated. I tweeted. They didn't like it.
Deleted, edited, re-tweeted. Made a video of me saying I wasn't coerced. Re-did
that too," she said.
The
agents disapproved of her reporting on LGBTQ persons and asserted that there
were "no gays" in the country, the journalist added.
Lynne
is an internationally acclaimed war journalist who has reported occasionally
from Afghanistan for over 20 years. However, following her alleged detention,
harassment, and threats she departed the war-ravaged country on Wednesday for
Pakistan, reported Khaama Press.
O'Donnell
was the Afghanistan bureau head for the Agence France-Presse wire service and
the Associated Press between 2009 and 2017, according to her biography on the
Foreign Policy website.
However,
the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture and intelligence authorities
have not reacted to the issue as of yet.
The
atrocities of the Taliban against Afghan women have been on an incessant surge
since the group seized power in Afghanistan in August last year.
The
Taliban had previously promised an inclusive society and equality during their
first press conference after the takeover of Afghanistan while on the contrary,
stopped girls from going to school beyond sixth grade on March 23 and a decree
against the women's dress code was issued after a month.
There
are restrictions on movement, education and freedom of expression of women
posing a threat to their survival.
According
to locals, the Taliban has prevented women from using smartphones, and the
Women's Affairs Ministry often extorts money for providing essential
protection.
Around
80 per cent of women working in the media have lost their jobs, it said adding
that almost 18 million women in the country are struggling for health,
education and social rights.
Source: New
Indian Express
--------
Muslim
Women Even Face Discrimination During Labour And Pregnancy in UK
By
Faima Bakar
23/07/2022
“I’ve
had a nightmare time during my pregnancy and I’ll be going in to labour with
the full knowledge that as a brown woman I face significant bias from medical
professionals,” says Mariam*, 41, a South Asian writer from London.
Mariam
isn’t alone in that feeling. According to a report by the Muslim Women’s
Network and the All-party parliamentary group (APPG), one in five Muslim women
say their maternity care is very poor, leading to a “culture of maternity
abuse”.
During
the research, 1,022 Muslim women completed an online survey, 37 women gave
in-depth interviews and one focus group was held with Somali women.
The
study suggests that Muslim women’s labour and birth is being over medicalised.
Women said they were being “bullied” into having labour inductions, without
“reasonable medical justifications”.
When
experiences were compared to national average statistics, data showed that
Muslim women from racialised minority communities were 1.6 times more likely to
have their labour induced, and 1.4 times more likely to have forceps or a
ventouse suction cup used to help deliver the baby.
They
are also 1.5 times less likely to be given an epidural for pain relief and 2.1
times more likely to be in a prolonged labour, with a 2.4% more likelihood of
postpartum haemorrhage.
There
was also evidence of bias against women from specific sub-ethnic groups, such
as Bangladeshi, Arab and Black women and other Asian women.
This
is something Mariam is worried about, as someone approaching the end of her
pregnancy.
She
tells HuffPost UK: “I’m dreading labour. I keep hearing that I’m ‘high risk’
due to my ethnicity, which makes me cringe.
“I’ve
been put on all sorts of random medications. For example, they have me
injecting myself with blood thinners twice a day because they are worried I
might develop a blood clot due to a family history.
“As
much as I tried to resist this, they insisted I have to take them…at one point
the doctor called my husband’s number and complained to him that I’m not taking
the medical advice they offered!”
Mariam
appreciates that some of it may be to do with age, but worries that as an Asian
woman, she’s also being over-medicalised.
The
research comes at a time when maternity care failings have dominated headlines.
It follows the Ockenden inquiry into the maternity scandal at the Shrewsbury
and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which found a “string of failures” – including
at least 304 cases where there was “avoidable harm”. Louise Barnett, the chief
executive at the trust, said she believes “services are safe,” but the report
will be used to guide future actions.
Elsewhere,
campaign groups including Five X More have continued to petition against the
maternity discrimination facing Black mothers, particularly the fact that they
are more likely to die than white counterparts during childbirth. The group say
grouping Black women under the ‘BAME’ label masks the problem and is costing
women their lives.
The
latest report has also flagged issues with the BAME label, suggesting it can
hide crucial differences between care and treatment among groups.
For
example, in the study, Arab women were amongst the groups with the worst
experiences and most likely to have a prolonged labour and vaginal tears. Of
the South Asian group, Bangladeshi women were most likely to have had their
labour induced, an instrumental birth, an emergency caesarean and to have
suffered from an infection after giving birth.
Pakistani
women were amongst those most likely to experience excessive blood loss. Black
women from all backgrounds were the least likely to be given pain relief. Black
people also have a long history of being thought to have a higher pain
tolerance – something that can be fatal.
Additionally,
Somali women provided the most unfavourable assessments of healthcare
professionals, with some even describing maternity experiences as “horror
stories”, calling care “dangerous” and expressing that they “felt lucky to be
alive”.
They
described being treated as “less than human” and spoke of excessive physical
forced being used. For example, one woman said she felt like her whole womb had
been pulled out.
Baroness
Shaista Gohir, author of the report said: “Every year, thousands of Muslim
women are having traumatic experiences and being put in life threatening
situations that are avoidable.
“Sub-standard
maternity is no doubt contributing to maternal mortality, neonatal deaths and
stillbirths. The lack of compassion, respect and dignity shown to women at
times was also shocking.
“Such
appalling treatment during such a traumatic time is unacceptable.”
Biased
attitudes could also stem from a phenomenon dubbed as Bibi syndrome –
stereotypes that assume South Asian women are exaggerating their health
concerns.
Baroness
Gohir added: “To effectively tackle the inequalities in maternity care, a
better understanding is needed in how multiple intersecting forms of
discrimination are associated with poor maternity outcomes. Urgent action must
therefore involve a cultural shift in attitudes towards how minority ethnic
pregnant women are perceived, cared for, provided with maternity information,
involved in decisions about their bodies and studied in maternity data – it
will prevent avoidable deaths.”
The
findings of the report were presented to the The Maternity Disparities
Taskforce, which was launched in February 2022 to explore inequalities in
maternity care and identify how the government can improve outcomes for women
from ethnic minority communities and those living in the most deprived areas.
In
response to the findings, patient safety and primary care minister James Morris
said: “We are committed to making the NHS the safest place in the world to give
birth, no matter someone’s religion or ethnicity.
“I
would like to thank the Muslim Women’s Network and Birthrights for sharing
invaluable insights on the maternity experiences of Muslim and ethnic minority
women, and I look forward to working with the system to set out actions on how
we can ensure better care for all women.
“Alongside
this, we are investing £95 million to hire 1,200 more midwives and 100
consultant obstetricians, alongside a further £127 million to help improve
maternity services.”
Source: Huffington Post
--------
Russian
fashion consultant living in Riyadh celebrates Saudi golden age
HUSSAM
AL-MAYMAN
July
22, 2022
RIYADH:
The Saudi fashion market is gold according to Karina Komill, a Russian fashion
consultant living in the capital.
Komill,
who has been in the Kingdom for the past six years and began her career in the
luxury aviation industry, is certain that this period is significant in Saudi
history and is glad to be in the Kingdom to be a part of events and watch them
unfold.
“I
could say that I am in the time when we create a story and I’m really blessed
to be here and remember this part of my life and history … because of the
evolution of fashion which is happening and also the evolution which is
happening in life, it’s great,” she said.
Komill
sees strong potential for local talent in the industry, for creators to make
their mark in the global market and compete with international brands. She sees
that local designers are creating worldwide apparel with an Arabic touch that
is distinctive.
“It
is easy to understand, from which region they are from, like beautiful dresses
with stones, and to share the experience. When you see the dresses, you can
feel that you visit Saudi Arabia or when you wear it, you can understand that
you are a princess,” she said.
Komill
said that in her experience the industry was world recognised yet reflected the
cultural heritage of the sub-regions of Saudi Arabia.
“Well,
OK, let’s say evolution of fashion. Before it all was maximum full makeup, even
if it’s daytime, a lot of stones. Now, girls are creating something minimal,
something classy, which they can wear to work with a beautiful tarhah (head
scarf). Of course, going out, dresses completely changed, and some of the
designers become worldwide well-known. So I think this is a big step for Saudi
fashion,” she said.
Komill
has been a cover model for Vogue Arabia, Hia, and Glamor Magazine. She is also
a singer and has performed many songs in Tajik, her native language, and sang
the anthem for FC Istiklol, a professional football club in Tajikistan.
She
is active on social media, creating content about Saudi Arabia in Russian to
educate her audience.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2127491/offbeat
--------
Kuwaiti
women to play vital role in business fields
KUWAIT
CITY, July 7: The Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Manpower,
headed by Minister of Justice, Minister of State for Integrity Promotion
Counselor Jamal Al-Jalawi, decided during its meeting Tuesday, to add a
paragraph to Article No 26 of the list of rules and procedures for granting
work permits pursuant to Resolution No. 156 of 2022, for the employment of
Kuwaiti women in business fields, including oil business, in order to achieve
the maximum benefit from her distinguished service, reports Al- Jarida daily.
This
is done in order to allow the Kuwaiti women to play the role and participate in
the labor market and to encourage them to perform the role entrusted to them in
the economic system. According to the decision the work of supervision,
management, followup and operation can be undertaken by Kuwaiti female
engineers and workers and which do not require hard physical effort.
Meanwhile,
Asrar Hayat, a Kuwaiti woman who obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer
Programming from the College of Science in Kuwait University, holds a Master’s
Degree in Business Administration with an academic distinction that landed her
a teaching job at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, reports
Al-Qabas daily. The daily interviewed Hayat about her success story, during
which she revealed that a Swedish professor hired her to teach at the
prestigious university. She said: “He was my Master’s Degree professor. He
chose me for my diligence, expertise and teaching abilities.” Hayat disclosed
that she specialized in teaching a business administration course for students
pursuing their masteral degree, where she explains the material in a practical
and detailed manner and then encourages students to discuss and debate on a
plethora of topics related to their specialization.
She
affirmed her commitment to transfer her knowledge and expertise to students of
different nationalities; while allowing them to share their opinions,
suggestions, experience and culture. She added the university accepts students
of all nationalities and cultures that contribute to the expansion of human
perception and acceptance of the other, pointing out the most important
characteristic of working in this great edifice is the large scope of trust
between university officials; away from mediocrity and bureaucracy.
Source:
Arab Times Online
https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/kuwaiti-women-to-play-vital-role-in-business-fields/
--------
Qatar's
Policies Allow Women to be Active Participants in Country's Development
July
04 2022
Qatar
has affirmed its interest in building a cohesive society based on justice and
equality among all its members and providing them with equal opportunities to
access quality education and quality work.
It
emphasised that government policies supporting Qatari women contributed to
building their capabilities and providing them with full opportunities to
effectively contribute to the comprehensive renaissance witnessed by the
country.
This
came in the statement delivered Monday by Second Secretary of the Human Rights
Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hissa al-Sulaiti, at the 50th
session of the Human Rights Council, during the annual thematic panel
discussion on technical co-operation and capacity-building.
Al-Sulaiti
said that promoting women's rights requires promoting the principle of equality
and equity and raising society's awareness of the important roles and
responsibilities of all its members.
She
added that Qatar has adopted, in this regard, specific initiatives directed at
promoting women's involvement in the labor market, in political participation,
and in decision-making positions, which was positively reflected in
strengthening its role as an active and essential partner in development.
Al-Sulaiti
noted the initiative of the Women's Work Group recently adopted by the Ministry
of Labour in Qatar with the participation of the public and private sectors and
academic institutions in the country to serve as a co-operation platform for
the exchange of experiences, information and best practices that ensure the
presence of women at all levels and enhance their active presence, especially
in the labour market.
She
stressed that Qatar has adopted relevant legislation in the field of protecting
women from all manifestations of violence, and has also established specialised
institutions such as the Aman center, which operates under the umbrella of the
Qatar Foundation for Social Work and seeks to protect and rehabilitate women
and children victims of violence and family breakdown and reintegrate them into
society.
Source:
Gulf Times
--------
Bahrain
tops in female digital skills training and Stem education
June
30, 2022
Bahrain
has ranked 1st globally in multiple subindices within Metas’ (Facebook)
Inclusive Internet Index conducted by Economist Impact. The kingdom came first
in national female e-inclusion policies, female digital skills training and
Stem education, open data policies, and privacy regulations.
The
Inclusive Internet Index 2022 measures whether the internet is accessible and
affordable in each country and how much it enables social and economic
mobility.
It
assesses the performance of 100 countries in four indicators of inclusion:
availability (usage, infrastructure and quality), readiness (literacy, safety
and policy), affordability (price and competitive environment), and relevance
(local and relevant content).
Equal
opportunities
Dalal
Buhejji, Executive Director of Investment Origination at the Bahrain Economic
Development Board (EDB) said: “Bahrain continues to focus on creating equal
opportunities within the tech and innovation sector, as well as leading on
female tech-inclusion with initiatives like Women in FinTech led by the Supreme
Council of Women.
“Prioritising
IoT and ICT comes naturally to us due to the kingdom’s availability of talent,
best-value operating costs, and its forward-thinking regulators - coupled with
the infrastructure that drew companies such as Citi to set up their Global Tech
Hub in Bahrain.”
Bahrain
was recently ranked first in the GCC for the availability of advanced computer
programming talent in Information and Computer Technology (ICT), according to
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Report 2020.
Sector
strategy
Telecommunications,
ICT and digital economy are considered vital sectors under the kingdom’s
Economic Recovery Plan. The sector strategy aims to establish a world-class
digital infrastructure by attracting big-tech companies, and making Bahrain a
regional digital innovation hub.
Source:
Zawya
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/jana-mousa-saudi-painter-modern-art/d/127553