Loujain Al-Hathloul, Saudi Women’s Rights Activist Sentenced to Nearly Six Years
New
Age Islam News Bureau
28
December 2020
• Sports for All Federation Announces First Ever Global Goals World Cup Saudi Arabia; Encouraging Women to Participate In Sports
•
Missing Bangladeshi Woman Returns Home after 13 Years with Nepali NGO’s Help
•
Palestinian Authority’s Grand Mufti: Women May Not Visit Dubai without Male
Relative
•
International Appeal After Hundreds Of Kurdish Women Kidnapped And Transferred
To Libya
•
Yazidi Woman Once In ISIS Captivity Reunited With Family In Duhok Province
•
Peshawar’s Women Polio Workers Accuse Seniors Of Harassment, Threaten To
Boycott Vaccine Drive
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/loujain-al-hathloul-saudi-womens/d/123902
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Loujain
Al-Hathloul, Saudi Women’s Rights Activist Sentenced to Nearly Six Years
By
Aya Batrawy
28
December 2020
Loujain al-Hathloul, Saudi women’s rights activist
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DUBAI,
United Arab Emirates (AP) — One of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent women’s rights
activists was sentenced on Monday to nearly six years in prison under a vague
and broadly-worded law aimed at combating terrorism, according to state-linked
media.
Loujain
al-Hathloul’s case, and her imprisonment for the past two and a half years,
have drawn criticism from rights groups, members of the U.S. Congress and
European Union lawmakers.
Al-Hathloul
was among a handful of Saudi women who openly called for the right to drive
before it was granted in 2018 and for the removal of male guardianship laws
that had long stifled women’s freedom of movement and ability to travel abroad.
State-linked
Saudi news outlet Sabq reported that al-Hathloul was found guilty by the
kingdom’s anti-terrorism court on charges including agitating for change,
pursuing a foreign agenda, using the internet to harm public order and and
cooperating with individuals and entities that have committed crimes according
to anti-terror laws. She has 30 days to appeal the verdict.
A
rights group called “Prisoners of Conscience” that focuses on Saudi political
detainees said that al-Hathloul could be released as early as the end of March
2021 based on time served. She has been imprisoned since May 2018 and 34 months
of her sentencing will be suspended.
The
judge ordered her to serve five years and eight months in prison for violating
anti-terrorism laws, according to Sabq, which said its reporter was allowed
inside the courtroom during Monday’s session.
Sabq
reported that the judge said the defendant had confessed to committing the
crimes and that her confessions were made voluntarily and without coercion. The
judge said the verdict was issued in the presence of the prosecutor, the
defendant, a representative from the government’s Human Rights Commission and a
handful of select local media representatives.
https://apnews.com/article/dubai-saudi-arabia-united-arab-emirates-womens-rights-terrorism-8efe30413089eaf4eee574d76eb7bfd2
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Sports
for All Federation Announces First Ever Global Goals World Cup Saudi Arabia; Encouraging
Women To Participate In Sports
December
27, 2020
Sports for All Federation announces the first ever Global Goals World Cup Saudi Arabia
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RIYADH
— The Sports for All Federation (SFA) announced its first ever Global Goals
World Cup (GGWCUP) Saudi Arabia, encouraging women across the country to
participate in sports, boosting overall health of the community.
The
SFA is inviting women across the Kingdom to take part in GGWCUP Saudi Arabia by
forming teams and hosting events, activations and programs based around the United
Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thereby using sport to engender
social good and create lasting positivity in their local communities.
The
initiative will take place over a series of months in 2021, culminating in a
5v5 (five-a-side) community football tournament that will give participants a
final opportunity to advocate for their chosen SDG. The winning team of the
tournament — based on how well they take action for their goal on and off the
field — will go on to compete at the final Global Goals World Cup in New York
City with the team travel and gear fully sponsored by the SFA.
Launched
in 2015, GGWCUP is described as the ‘social good world cup’, featuring
all-women community level teams from around the world — united by a drive to
create meaningful social impact and a love of physical activity. The initiative
uses the power of sport to take action on the UN’s 17 SDGs; motivated by a love
of the game and the desire to improve local communities.
“The
initiative is aligned with SFA’s own focus on wellness, community
participation, and the SFA’s desire to play a leading role in fostering
positive impact and lasting change. GGWCUP Saudi Arabia will be delivered as
part of the Quality of Life program, a vertical of Vision 2030, and as part of
the Federation’s ongoing commitment to increase participation in physical
activity,” said SFA Managing Director Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini.
“The
close guidance of the Ministry of Sports together with the support of the Saudi
Arabian Olympic Committee has allowed this program to lift off with extreme
excitement matched by preparedness,” Al-Husseini added. “GGWCUP Saudi is ready
to bring the UN Sustainable Development Goals to life!”
“We
are proud to bring the GGWCUP to Saudi Arabia for the first time in strong
partnership with the Sports for All Federation. They are truly advocates in
their way of recognizing the value of sports for the Global Goals,” said GGWCUP
Founder Majken Gilmartin, adding that the Saudi Greens’ impressive
participation and dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals distinguished
the female athletes as sports leaders.
Indeed,
the overall aims of the SDGs run parallel to Vision 2030 and the SFA. Adopted
by all of the United Nations Member States in 2015, the goals are a universal
call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people
enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
The
clearest alignment between the SDGs and SFA are goals No. 3: “Ensure healthy
lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”, and goal No. 5: “Achieve
gender equality and empower all women and girls”. By activating public spaces,
launching community programs, and encouraging the participation of everybody in
society, regardless of age, gender, ability or location, the SFA is helping to
achieve the-se particular goals.
Other
SDGs that stand out as aligned with SFA are goal No. 8: “Decent work and
economic growth”, goal No. 10: “Reduced inequalities”, goal No. 11:
“Sustainable cities and communities”, and goal No. 17: “Partnerships for the
Goals”.
A
further link between the SDGs, GGWCUP and SFA is the Saudi Greens — the
Kingdom’s first team to compete in the global challenge that was formed under
the auspices of the Federation — clearly advocating for SDG No. 5.
The
Greens secured second place in GGWCUP 2019 in New York, having had a successful
showing at the semifinal GGWCUP event in Denmark earlier that year.
Made
up of members from different community sports groups from across the Kingdom,
the Saudi Greens came together to play for UN SDG No. 15: “Life on Land”. They
focused on reusable plastics and the devastating effect these plastics have on
the environment.
The
Greens continued their association with the Global Goals World Cup earlier this
year when team players held online workout session as part of the GGWCUP Club
House virtual fitness program.
Participating
alongside athletes from all over the world, three of the Greens team members
staged a total of 10 online training sessions each themed with a different SDG.
The team’s link with GGWCUP will take on a more local angle next year, as
official ambassadors of the inaugural GGWCUP Saudi Arabia.
The
applications process for the program is already open for women aged 18 years or
older who interested in take part in the event. Registration closes on Feb. 1,
2021.
To
apply, simply form your team of eight including one coach, choose a team name
and SDG, and register. Once you have applied, start to brainstorm with your
team on how use your SDG to do good in the community, and start planning your
community work.
When
your team has been accepted, submit your team photos, player names, and a
description of your SDG initiatives on the website. There is no requirement on
the number of initiatives that you must exe-cute.
Teams
are encouraged to beginning planning and executing innovative community social
good events, and share the results and progress on Instagram and Twitter
tagging @Saudi_SFA @Greens Saudi @GGWCup and using these hashtags #GGWCUP and
#GGWCUPKSA.
Finally,
teams will participate in the GGWCUP community tournament, competing in games
lasting eight minutes each. The winning team will be decided by a combination
of factors, including the number of goals scored during the games, how they
engage the crowd during the games, how well their uniforms reflect the team’s
theme, and the positive impact their efforts had on their communities prior to
the tournament. — SG
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/601859/SAUDI-ARABIA/SFA-announces-first-ever-Global-Goals-World-Cup-Saudi-Arabia
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Missing
Bangladeshi woman returns home after 13 years with Nepali NGO’s help
Tajul
Islam Reza
December
26th, 2020
Children
ecstatic seeing mother after 13 long years
A
Bangladeshi woman, who went missing from Gaibandha about 13 years ago after
losing her mental balance, has finally returned home with the help of Manav
Sewa Ashram (Human Service Ashram), a Nepali non-governmental organization.
Momena
Begum, 50, returned home on Thursday thanks to the efforts of some workers of
the Nepali organization.
Workers
of the NGO’s Chitwan city branch restored her health with long-term medical
care and brought her back to her relatives.
But
time did not wait for Momena.
Abdul
Kuddus Ali, her husband, remarried two years after she went missing. Both of
her parents also died. Meanwhile, her five children found new homes at the
residence of their two maternal aunts.
In
such circumstances, Momena took refuge in the home of her elder sister Afroza
Begum in Ghoramara village of Kamardaha union in Gobindaganj.
Kamardaha
union parishad Chairman Syed Shariful Islam said: “Momena used to go missing
from her husband's house from time to time due to her mental illness. One day
she went missing for what would be years, leaving behind her 2 daughters and 3
sons.
“She
crossed the border on foot and went to a forest in Ramnagar, Chitwan. Some
workers of the Manav Sewa Ashram saw her around five years ago and took her to
their shelter. After she was nursed back to health by the workers, Momena told
them her address.”
The
young workers of Manav Sewa Ashram then returned Momena to her family on
Thursday, Shariful added.
The
UP chairman continued: “As her husband’s second wife was unwilling to let her
stay in their house, Momena was taken to her father’s house in Ghoramara
village. Her children and other family members were ecstatic at seeing her
after all these years.”
Momena’s
children expressed their gratitude to the staff of Manav Sewa Ashram for
bringing back their mother.
Gobindaganj
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ramkrishna Barman said Momena would be rehabilitated as
she was helpless.
“Momena
will be given a piece of land and we will see to it that she has a roof over
her head,” said Abdul Latif, chairman of Gobindaganj upazila parishad.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/12/26/missing-bangladeshi-woman-returns-home-after-13-years-with-nepali-ngo-s-help
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Palestinian
Authority’s Grand Mufti: Women May Not Visit Dubai without Male Relative
December
28, 2020
Palestinian
women may not travel to Dubai with their daughters unless accompanied by a male
family member, according to the Palestinian Authority’s grand mufti.
Mufti
Muhammad Ahmad Hussein’s remarks came during a Dec. 16 interview on Fatwa, a
program broadcast on official P.A. TV, according to Palestinian Media Watch.
Hussein was appointed to his post by P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas in 2006.
While
the P.A. is often considered religiously moderate, its top religious leaders,
including Abbas’s adviser on Islam, have been given air-time on official P.A.
TV over the years to advance fundamentalist religious positions, according to
PMW.
For
example, in one interview regarding the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Hussein
was asked whether a woman could refuse to have sex with her husband if he
failed to fast and pray as required. Hussein replied: “That is not a reason …
It is his right [to have sex]. …This woman may not and has no rights to deny
him this right, especially during the permissible time, which is night time.”
In
the same broadcast, the program’s host asked whether women could go shopping at
night during Ramadan. Hussein replied: “In general, a woman must [only] leave
home at the discretion of her husband.”
In
2016, P.A. TV broadcast an interview with an academic lecturer on Islam and
mufti Sheikh Samih Hajjaj in which he laid out the Quran’s rules for beating
women.
“Let’s
say that a husband senses that his wife is lying,” Hajjij tells the host.
“First he needs to rebuke her and quote the Quran and Hadith on the ban on
lying.”
Only
afterwards can he proceed to beat her.
“The
[Muslim] scholars said that the beating can be with a small brush or a
handkerchief, and the number of blows should not exceed 10,” says Hajjij.
“Not
with a stick or pipe,” the host clarifies.
“No,
no,” Hajjij replies. “Not in the face. Even when we hit with a handkerchief or
small brush, Prophet [Muhammad] said: ‘Do not hit the face, and do not make her
ugly.’ If you want to hit, hit [her] back or leg, hit in places that are not
seen, and do not cause a permanent mark.”
https://www.jns.org/top-pa-religious-official-women-may-not-visit-dubai-without-male-relative/
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International
appeal after hundreds of Kurdish women kidnapped and transferred to Libya
DECEMBER
27, 2020
AN
INTERNATIONAL appeal has been launched to rescue hundreds of Kurdish women and
girls that have been kidnapped by jihadist mercenaries in northern Syria and
taken to Libya to be sold as sex slaves.
A
shocking new report also describes a gruesome pile-up of womens’ bodies after
their execution by Turkish-backed militia.
“The
fugitives from Afrin speak of Afrin hospitals littered with the corpses of
kidnapped women and children, [killed] after being accused of terrorism and
threatening the security of the Turkish state,” said Ibrahim Sheikho, director
of the Afrin Organisation for Human Rights.
Others
are raped and sexually abused by the jihadists, who take the women prisoner
while fighting as part of Turkish-backed militia on the side of Libya’s
UN-supported government.
According
to the Afrin Report news network, Salwa Ahmed Shasho, a young Kurdish girl from
the village of Dar Kara, was kidnapped and taken to Turkey where she was to be
sold as a sex slave to Qatari merchants and transferred to Libya.
She
was rescued by her family, but according to those on the ground hundreds have
been kidnapped and trafficked via Turkey.
One
Kurdish man with the pseudonym Bengin Darwish explained: “The captives are
transported to Turkey either through the military crossing (Hawar Kilis) at the
Syrian-Turkish border or through the border village of al-Khalil with Turkey,
as well as from the military post (Al- Hamam) in the district of Jindersse,
which links Afrin to the Turkish state.”
Women’s
organisations in the largely Kurdish enclave known as Rojava have called for
the international community to take action to secure the safe return of those
kidnapped and have drawn comparisons with the treatment of Yazidi women in
Sinjar in 2014.
More
than 3,000 women and girls remain missing after being abducted by Isis as it
swept to power across large swathes of Syria and Iraq.
They
have been abandoned by the international community despite the United Nations
designating the slaughter and kidnappings as a genocide.
More
than 1,000 women and girls are believed to be missing from the Afrin canton,
which has been subject to invasion and subsequent occupation by Turkey and its
jihadist allies following the Turkish army’s Operation Olive Branch in 2018.
The
Missing Afrin Women Project maps the details of those kidnapped, with some of
them held by mercenaries for a ransom before being returned to their
communities.
In
May, the Morning Star reported the discovery of a “torture camp” in Afrin where
mainly Kurdish and Yazidi women were held by militia from the Hamza Division.
Amid
allegations of rape and sexual abuse, footage circulated on social media
appearing to show the women being stripped naked and tortured in the northern
Syrian camps.
According
to Afrin News report a network of such camps has been established across the
canton.
“After
Turkey occupied Afrin … institutions and schools turned into secret hostage
centres. Testimonies from survivors have revealed that violent crimes of rape
have stained the ground,” it said.
But
the kidnappings have been deemed “legal” by the occupying forces, with Turkey’s
courts complicit in the detention at torture camps.
A
UN report in February found that Turkish-backed militia were guilty of the “war
crimes of hostage-taking, cruel treatment, torture and pillage” in Afrin.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/international-appeal-after-hundreds-kurdish-women-kidnapped-and-transferred-libya
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Yazidi
woman once in ISIS captivity reunited with family in Duhok province
28
December 2020
ERBIL,
Kurdistan Region — A Yazidi woman arrived in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok
province on Sunday to be reunited with her family, two months after being rescued from a camp
from northeast Syria (Rojava).
Rafida
Naif Issa, 22, was abducted by the Islamic State (ISIS) when the group attacked
her hometown in the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in the summer of 2014.
Issa
was found in al-Hol camp in Hasaka, northeast Syria (Rojava) in October when
she was moved to a Jazira branch of the Yazidi House, an umbrella organisation
in Rojava for the protection of the ethnoreligious minority's people and
culture.
Issa's
mother, Ilhan Yousif Mato, visited Rojava one week ago to be reunited with her.
They both came back to Duhok province on Sunday, where the young woman was
officially handed over and reunited with the rest of her family.
“I
am very happy. I have not seen her for seven years,” her mother told Rudaw.
Issa
spoke good Kurdish, but did not want to speak to media about her traumatic
experience.
According
to the Office for Abducted Yazidi Affairs, affiliated to President of the
Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, there are as many as 500 Yazidis at al-Hol
– home to thousands of families suspected to have links with ISIS.
Hussein
Qyi, head of the office told Rudaw that they have rescued 3,543 of the Yazidis
that were held in ISIS captivity, but 2,872 still remain missing.
Another
Yazidi woman, 27-year-old Nasrin Ibrahim, was reunited with her family in Duhok
in late November after being rescued from al-Hol.
Abdullah
Shiren, based in both Shingal and Duhok, has faciltated the rescue of 399
Yazidi women and girls since November 2014, when he help rescue his own niece
from ISIS captivity.
Shiren
told Rudaw’s Shahyan Tahseen on Sunday that his rescue work has become more
difficult because ISIS is now spread over a wider area, albeit more thinly.
“When
Daesh [ISIS] was destroyed we thought we would be relieved, but actually our
work became harder... Daesh used to be present in some specific areas, but now
they have spread over cities, villages, camps and countries.”
However,
rescues of Yazidis have become less costly.
“When
Daesh was in control of Baghouz, Raqqa and other places, we spent a large
amount of money which ranged from $5000 to $10,000 [per case]," Shiren
said. "Sometimes it was even higher. But the cost is not high anymore,
thanks to al-Hol camp, Yazidi House and Rojava [administration].”
Asked
what is hindering the release of Yazidi women and girls still at al-Hol, Shiren
said they have been “brainwashed” by other residents of the camp who are
affiliated with ISIS, who tell them "that life is better in the camp."
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/28122020
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Peshawar’s
women polio workers accuse seniors of harassment, threaten to boycott vaccine
drive
UNNATI
SHARMA
28
December, 2020
New
Delhi: A group of women polio workers from the Hayatabad Union Council in
Peshawar, staged a protest against harassment by senior officers Saturday. The
polio workers alleged that officials called them for meetings at any time and
threatened them with removal if they did not oblige.
The
protestors also submitted a written application against the officers
responsible.
The
workers highlighted how several women had lost their jobs because they refused
to entertain the demands of seniors and many suffered from mental stress due to
the rude behaviour of the officers.
The
workers urged the health minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district, Taimur
Khan Jhagra, to take note of the situation or threatened to boycott the entire
polio campaign.
According
to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Pakistan is the only country with
consistent barriers preventing vaccination and the eradication of polio, which
are linked to religious extremism and harassment of polio workers.
Polio
workers are often harassed, and even killed in some cases, due to the narrative
that vaccination is a western agenda forced upon Pakistan.
Local
carpet industry in Pakistan adversely affected by pandemic
Pakistan’s
hand-made carpet industry is in shambles due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The
carpet industry in Pakistan’s northwestern province — the areas of Peshawar and
across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — has been badly hit by the economic downturn of the
past year and close to 17 large and small carpet factories have closed down,
putting over 200 artisans out of work.
According
to Hassan Khan, an Afghan businessman associated with Peshawar’s carpet
industry for the past 40 years, the few remaining skilled weavers in the region
are now finding other means of work amid the economic slowdown.
“Much
of this is owed to Covid-19, which has put so many people across so many
sectors in straitened circumstances. Our handmade carpets once sold like hot
cake across western markets. But in the last eight months, with travel bans and
falling economies, we’ve barely sold a carpet locally let alone in foreign markets,”
he said.
The
carpet industry in Peshawar is mainly driven by highly-skilled migrant Afghan
workers, who came to Pakistan during the refugee movement in the late 1970s.
Now, the sector has recorded a drastic fall in business. Carpets that were
being sold for $150 (around Rs 11,000) some eight months ago are now being sold
for as low as $50 dollars (Rs 3,700), according to Khan.
Pak
regulatory body issues notice to Google, Wikipedia for ‘sacrilegious content’
The
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) — the country’s telecommunication
regulatory body — has issued notices to Google Inc. and Wikipedia for
“disseminating sacrilegious content” through the platforms.
The
authority said it has received complaints regarding misleading search results
associated with “Present Khalifa of Islam” and an unauthentic version of the
Holy Quran uploaded by the Ahmadiyya Community on Google Play Store.
PTA
said that the matter is of a very serious nature, and thus it has approached
Google Inc with directions to immediately remove the “unlawful” content.
It
added that in case the platforms remain non-compliant, PTA shall be constrained
to initiate further action under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016
(PECA) and Rules 2020.
Seven
deer die mysteriously in zoo
Seven
spotted deer (Chital) mysteriously died in Bahawalpur zoo in the Punjab
province of Pakistan Friday. According to eyewitness accounts, the deer
collapsed while having their food and died soon after.
The
zoo curator said they provided first-aid to the deers after their condition
worsened, but seven out of 22 deers died. Spotted deer (Chital) are a rare
species.
Wildlife
Bahawalpur Division Deputy Director Rai Zahid Ali told a leading daily that it
was premature to say anything about the cause of deer casualties but the
“possibility of mischief could not be ruled out”.
He
added that a three-member committee had been formed to probe the incident.
Wildlife societies in Pakistan have condemned the action and have demanded
action against those responsible.
This
comes a day after an African giraffe worth $10 million died in a Peshawar zoo
under mysterious circumstances.
The
Islamabad High Court had earlier compared the condition of Pakistan’s zoos with
concentration camps. The high court had also scolded the government for
depriving two Himalayan bears of their natural habitat in the Margazhar zoo in
Islamabad. The zoo also housed Kaavan — who was termed as world’s loneliest
elephant — and was sent to Cambodia on 1 December after spending 35 years in
the zoo.
https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/peshawars-women-polio-workers-accuse-seniors-of-harassment-threaten-to-boycott-vaccine-drive/575069/
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/loujain-al-hathloul-saudi-womens/d/123902
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