Morocco Bans Film About Daughter Of Prophet Muhammad, ‘The Lady of Heaven’
12
June 2022
• Afnan Almarglani, First Saudi Woman Obtains Autocross Trainer License
•
Malaysian Politician Kasthuri Patto: Living Through Her Father’s Lens, While
Charting Her Own Course
•
Academy For Women Entrepreneurs 2022 Launched In Pakistan
•
Experts in Pakistan Call For Immediate Steps To Ensure Women’s Inheritance
Rights
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/morocco-bans-film-lady-heaven/d/127228
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Morocco
Bans Film About Daughter Of Prophet Muhammad, ‘The Lady of Heaven’
Film, Lady of Heaven Poster
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12
Jun 2022
RABAT,
June 12 — Morocco announced yesterday it had banned a British film about the
daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, which Muslims in a number of countries have
denounced as blasphemous.
The
Lady of Heaven will not receive a licence to be shown in the country, the
Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM) said in a statement issued late Saturday.
The
drama is billed as the first film on the life of the Prophet Muhammad's
daughter Fatimah, and draws links between the Islamic State group in the 21st
century and historical figures in Sunni Islam.
The
CCM's ruling comes hours after Morocco's Supreme Ulema Council, the kingdom's
highest religious authority, firmly condemned the film in a statement
yesterday.
The
film was released in Britain on June 3 but after protests outside cinemas, the
world's second-largest cinema chain, Cineworld, cancelled all screenings.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Afnan
Almarglani, First Saudi Woman Obtains Autocross Trainer License
Afnan
Almarglani
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Saleh
Fareed
June
11, 2022
JEDDAH:
After a number of years of competing in various local autocross competitions,
Afnan Almarglani recently became the first Saudi woman to hold an autocross and
safe driving skills trainer license.
Her
journey in the sport began when her motor sports-mad brother brought home a
brand new PlayStation when they were growing up. The two competed in video
games such as Gran Turismo 3, a racing title.
“From
when I was young, I used to see my older brother Fahd interested in sports
cars, modifying them and buying car parts from abroad. We used to race with
each other in video games. I was so fascinated by cars, by the shape of the
cars, the sound of engines and how they were driven incredibly fast. I played
the game every day until it got to the point that I couldn’t beat my own
fastest lap times,” she said.
Almarglani
works in biomedical engineering. She previously took part in the first women’s
race in Saudi Arabia during time off from her work at a project management
office at the Ministry of Health.
One
of the difficulties which I faced was the criticism of our society, the fact
that a girl enters the field of cars which is dominated by men. But now the
situation is developing and changing.
Her
blending of roles as a biomedical engineer and racer makes her unique, and her talent
in both careers has allowed her to take opportunities that most women do not
have.
Almarglani,
who holds a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from a US university,
told Arab News that her love and passion led her to work with sports cars, and
that she chose to enter the field to gain experience.
She
said: “Medical engineering is one of the most beautiful and rare disciplines in
the world, because it combines engineering and medicine, which results in
solutions to healthcare problems. Because of the amount of pressure and stress
that I face in my work, I need to unload my energy, and enjoy and practice my
hobby in motorsports.
“Alhamdulillah,
we live in a great country with the decision to allow women to drive. So, I
participated in the first women’s autocross championship and won second place
in the qualifying round,” she added.
After
her first foray into the sport, Almarglani took part in various local autocross
championships held in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar. “After gaining experience
and skills, I moved to a higher level in the autocross racing, which enabled me
to take part in the Toyota Autocross Championship in Alkhobar, and I was able
to win the best time in the women’s category.”
When
asked about the challenges she faces as a woman in motorsports, Almarglani
said: “Like any hobby you practice, you need training and knowledge of the
basics. In the beginning, it was somehow difficult for me, especially since
there were no academies for women, but without the efforts and support of my
colleagues in the circuit, I would not have reached this level I am at right
now.”
She
added: “One of the difficulties which I faced also was the criticism of our
society, the fact that a girl enters the field of cars which is dominated by
men. But now the situation is developing and changing, especially when women
are becoming more involved in the sport of auto racing starting at a young age
and training determinedly to become professional drivers.”
The
other biggest challenge for Almarglani is finding sponsorship opportunities.
“Motor sports is an expensive sport and finding a sponsor is very difficult, so
to maintain that training and to have a good team, and a good car, requires a
lot of investment and you need both if you want to do well. The way to find sponsorship
is through exposure and by winning races,” she said.
Almarglani
is often asked how her parents feel about the dangers of her sport. She said:
“Of course, at first, they were concerned about me, especially that motor
sports has risks, so the level of safety in it is high, and it is expensive in
terms of preparing the driver and the car. After I explained to my family all
the means of protection and safety, and after they observed my passion and
happiness after each race, they supported me and told me to continue, and they
were always in the first ranks to encourage me.”
Recently,
the official account of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, via
Twitter, congratulated Almarglani for obtaining a training license.
She
said: “I feel indescribably proud that I was able to achieve one of my biggest
ambitions, thanks to God, and then thanks to Vision 2030, which empowered Saudi
women and made them able to move forward in writing their achievements.”
Almarglani’s
goal is to support every woman who wants to enter motor sports and to build a
professional women’s motor sports team to represent Saudi Arabia in the world
championships. “To achieve this goal, I hope there will be sponsorships offered
to me as well as other Saudi female drivers in order to participate locally and
regionally, to represent our beloved country.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2101416/saudi-arabia
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By
Yiswaree Palansamy
12
Jun 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 12 — Kasthuriraani Patto may not be your average politician, but
she is just like everyone else when life throws her a curveball.
For
example, finding herself in a parking pickle after being hemmed in by a narrow
lot and desperately attempting to exit her vehicle from the passenger side
while in formal attire for an interview with this writer recently.
The
newlywed hails from a political dynasty. Her late father, P. Patto, was a
teacher who left his job to fight injustice, while her mother, Mary Patto, was
a DAP trailblazer.
In
his political heyday, the senior Patto was detained under the now defunct
Internal Security Act (ISA) twice. Once, in 1978, followed by a second time on
October 27, 1987, under Ops Lalang, when he was placed in solitary confinement
for 60 days.
During
this period, he was the state assemblyman for Gopeng. Later, he would become
Sungai Pari assemblyman as well as the MP for Menglembu, Ipoh and Bagan, before
his death in 1995.
When
she first entered politics, Kasthuri, now in her second term as the DAP MP for
Batu Kawan, was invariably compared to her firebrand, multilingual father by
constituents and supporters, who questioned if she could measure up to his
legacy.
Kasthuri
understands that these doubts arose because she was a political newbie, but the
ardent abolitionist, women and children’s rights advocate and human rights
defender is determined to fill her father’s shoes one policy at a time.
“I
was fortunate to have been exposed to politics from a young age. My father and
mother took my sister and I on campaigns, and to protests, rallies and ceramah.
We had already seen what political life was about.
“The
conversations at home always revolved around politics as well. All sorts of
people came over to talk politics with my father and mother. Apart from DAP, we
had other coalition members like Semangat 46. We always heard bits and pieces
of the conversations.
“I
think one of my biggest exposures or understanding of politics was inequality
and social justice. We were never a rich family, and I always wondered what it
was like to have a house with a swimming pool because we never had that growing
up. We were comfortable. We had what we needed. But we did not live a luxurious
life.
“Yet,
when I followed my father on the campaign trail, I could not understand why
some families lived the way they did — in wooden huts with the earth as the
floor of their houses, and not cement. Particularly in Sungai Siput,” she said,
adding that the experience left a deep impression on her.
This
was one of the many incidents that eventually led the microbiology graduate
into politics, although she originally aspired to be a teacher like her father.
“I
am often reminded about this by my primary school teacher, even to this day, on
Facebook. I wore a DAP T-shirt for PE one day. I think it was to provoke the
teacher. I knew what DAP stood for, but it was also when my father was detained
under the ISA.
“I
think children, who have experienced seeing their mother or father being
detained under the ISA, or any oppressive laws where there is detention without
trial, do not know what their parent is in for. Which made me ask the wardens
many times when I visited my father in Kamunting: Why is my father in? He
didn’t steal. He didn’t kill. He didn’t rob. He didn’t cheat. He didn’t fight
with anyone. Why is he in?
“It
wasn’t like I was wearing the T-shirt because it had a rocket symbol on it. I
knew what DAP stood for, and I also knew the government didn’t like the party
at that time.
“I
felt angry, cheated that the state would take my father away from us for what
he stood for. In the movies, the good guys save people, and they get praised
for it. Why was my good guy treated that way?” she said.
As
a reminder of those dark days, Kasthuri got her father’s detention number as
her car registration plate, to signify her drive to continue fighting against
oppressive laws and marginalisation.
To
her, it is also a sharp reminder of the same fate that befell other DAP
leaders, including Lim Kit Siang and the late Karpal Singh.
“I
am glad that it did not turn into bitterness for us, as the children of
circumstances. I am glad that it turned into a lot of hope, a lot of courage to
see my mother going through it. Mrs Karpal going through the ordeal, having
just birthed their youngest child, Markarpal Singh Deo,” she added.
Looking
back, however, Kasthuri realises that her father’s detention left her
traumatised as a child, owing to the 10pm curfew imposed on those who were
detained, and then freed.
“It
was very real. Very scary. I started looking at my watch. At that age, you
imagine a police truck coming and hauling your dad up again, in handcuffs and
all,” she added.
The
Ops Lalang security crackdown took place during former prime minister Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamad’s administration. During the 1987 dragnet, 119 people were
detained under the ISA, while four newspapers were also suspended.
To
this day, Kasthuri said many still ask for her thoughts on how her father might
have done things differently in the current political climate, and she
understands why: His gargantuan impact on people.
“All
the time. All the time. But I must mention that my exposure to politics also
came because mum was the first secretary of the Women’s wing of DAP when it was
formed. I also saw a lot of women coming to the house and working together for
campaigns and all, so it was not just dad, but mum too.
“When
I was fielded as a candidate for Batu Kawan, as you know, the decision was made
very late, and I came in as a new face but carrying my father’s name and my
party on both shoulders. I was virtually an unknown,” Kasthuri, who was then
Lim’s political secretary, said, adding that she had only emceed DAP events up
to that point.
“On
the campaign trail, many asked me: Can you speak like your father? My father
spoke Cantonese, Mandarin, a fair bit of Hokkien, Tamil, of course, very
fluently, and his Bahasa Melayu was very fluent too.”
She
added that she laughed it off until the realisation hit: Her father was the
only one from the Patto clan who had made it to mainstream politics, setting
the bar high, and that the same was expected of her.
Kasthuri
said it was a challenge to answer such questions being repeatedly thrown at
her, but, in the end, something dawned on her.
“Who
can speak like Patto? No one. After that, on my campaign trail, when people
asked me, ‘Can you speak like your father?’ I asked them, ‘Who can speak like
my father?’ And they would laugh and say, ‘Yes, you are right. Nobody can speak
like Patto. Indeed. Can anybody speak like Karpal? No. Can anybody speak like
Kit (Lim Kit Siang)? No. Similarly, no one can speak like Patto so I embraced
that.
“My
father was a hero in his time, in his generation, at that moment, and I
consider myself dust under my father’s feet. But it was a different era, and
politics was different back then. The dissemination of information was
different. The government was very heavy-handed. It was ruled by a leader who
didn’t subscribe to the idea of free speech. I think the media went through one
of its bleakest periods in the 80s under this leader too.
“I
am privileged today, but it is difficult to compare. There are different issues
with more information now. I mean, we didn’t even have Google back then!” she
added.
“Of
course, his principles were intact till the end, but there are times when you
must bend backwards to make things happen in this country. You have to
manoeuvre, and you have to find ways to realise your dream,” she added.
Kasthuri
pointed out that during her father’s time, the Opposition only worked in one
way, which was “to hammer the government, expose and wait for a reaction”.
For
example, she said issues regarding civil service workers, who are unhappy, must
be addressed holistically, with the Opposition working with them to address the
problems effectively, instead of merely offering up criticisms.
“What
I am doing now is living through papa’s lens but adapting to the needs of the
current era to address the issues of the day.
“I
do ask myself: What would papa have done? I discuss it with my mum too. It is a
path that he created. As we walk on it, we discover and branch out to other
paths, but always with the same goal for a better Malaysia,” she said.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Academy
For Women Entrepreneurs 2022 Launched In Pakistan
By
Mian Abrar
June
11, 2022
ISLAMABAD:US
Embassy Islamabad’s Counsellor for Commercial Affairs John Coronado on Saturday
congratulated more than 115 Pakistani women entrepreneurs on their selection to
the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) 2022 in a virtual launch event on
June 11.
This
U.S. training program supports women worldwide in building their own
businesses. The move is part of the 75th
anniversary celebrations of U.S.-Pakistan bilateral relations and an ongoing
effort to empower Pakistani women to realize their economic potential and
increase prosperity for all Pakistanis.
“When
women are economically empowered, they reinvest in their families and
communities, strengthening the social fabric and improving education and skill
levels of the workforce.? This multiplier effect spurs economic growth and
enhances stability.”
With
mentoring and guidance from established Pakistani entrepreneurs, the AWE
participants will undertake a three month, rigorous online training program
developed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management
and American natural resource company Freeport McMoran.
Through
AWE, participants learn core business skills and will meet weekly to discuss
the material with experienced local mentors and U.S. experts. AWE is designed to cultivate entrepreneurial
know-how, help women entrepreneurs connect with funding opportunities, enhance
opportunities for business expansion, and increase the likelihood of entrepreneurial
success.
Four
of the U.S. Mission to Pakistan’s Lincoln Corners in Multan, Muzaffarabad,
Khairpur, and Peshawar will lead AWE Pakistan 2022, with support from the
Pakistan American Cultural Center and the DOVE Foundation. Lincoln Corners in Peshawar, Lahore,
Rawalpindi, and Larkana took part in AWE Pakistan 2021.
Toward
the end of their AWE journey, participants will have the opportunity to compete
for seed funding from the U.S. Mission to Pakistan to further grow or establish
their enterprises.
Upon
completion, the participants will join the global AWE network, which offers
further growth opportunities, as well as the community of U.S. exchange program
alumni.
Source:
Pakistan Today
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/06/11/academy-for-women-entrepreneurs-2022-launched/
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Experts
in Pakistan Call For Immediate Steps To Ensure Women’s Inheritance Rights
By
Staff Report
June
11, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Experts at a provincial conference Saturday called upon the stakeholders to
take immediate steps to ensure women’s inheritance rights.
The
Community Appraisal and Motivation Program (CAMP), in association with the
Provincial Ombudsman for Anti-Harassment, organized a one-day provincial
conference to protect and promote women’s inheritance rights in the newly
merged tribal districts of Peshawar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Addressing
the conference, Provincial Ombudsman Ms. Rakhshanda Naz appreciated the role of
CAMP in raising awareness among the tribal people for protection of women’s
inheritance rights. She said the laws should be easy to understand and equal
for women.
She
emphasized that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Investment of Women’s Property Rights 2019
ensures women’s share in the inheritance of all types of property and property.
Can’t be deprived Addressing the participants in the conference, Mufti Ghulam
Majeed, Senior Research Officer, Islamic Ideological Council, highlighted the
hereditary rights of women in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Mufti
Sahib said that in the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty has given severe punishment
to those who usurp the rights of women. She also briefed the participants on
the steps taken by the Reform Ideological Council to protect the inherited
rights of women.
Dr.
Noorin, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the
University of Peshawar, called for an end to all forms of discrimination
against women in the name of tradition in the tribal districts.
Dr.
Noorin further said that women should be given equal rights as human beings. He
said that the proportion of women in the newly merged districts is 51% and it
is a matter of time before this large section of the population becomes
economically stable.
Dr
Samina Afridi, another lecturer at the University of Peshawar, said in her
address that protection of women’s hereditary rights could not be ensured
without creating awareness among the people. She said that since the formation
of Pakistan, some traditional legal practices in the tribal areas have been
termed as ‘customs’.
Dr.
Samina said that these traditional laws often lead to women’s rights or
finances. She said that due to lack of legal demarcation of land in the tribal
districts and inadequate capacity of state institutions at the district level,
it was difficult to determine the share of women in the distribution of land
and property.
Union
Afridi of the Khadim-ul-Amalq Foundation, representing social organizations,
highlighted the ongoing district-level awareness activities under the “Dakhor
Surkha” project and also spoke about the interest and positive results of local
conferences in these activities.
Other
speakers at the conference included CAMP CEO and Naveed Shinwari Director
Programs Maryam Khan and Project Manager Asad Ali. The one-day provincial
conference was attended by representatives of lawyers forum, media, NCHR,
social organizations and education sector.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/morocco-bans-film-lady-heaven/d/127228