Princess Diana Considered Converting To Islam For Love
New
Age Islam News Bureau
21
January 2022
• Jamaat-i-Islami
Women Hold Sit-In On Karachi's University Road
• Saudi
Women Soldiers Graduated; Graduation Ceremony Held At The Armed Forces Women’s
Cadre Training Centre
• France
Votes To Ban Muslim Women From Playing Sports With Headscarves In A Major
Setback For Human Rights In The Country
• Iran
Hails ‘Significant’ Progress In Empowering Women Despite US Sanctions
• Dawoodi
Bohra Women Organize First-Ever Business Expo In U.S. To Showcase Female
Entrepreneurship
• Saudi
Woman Gives Birth To 5 Sets Of Twins
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/princess-diana-uk-love/d/126207
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Princess
Diana Considered Converting To Islam For Love
Princess Diana visits Kinnaird College For Women, Lahore, Pakistan, Sept. 25, 1991. (Getty Images)
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January
20, 2022
LONDON:
The late Princess Diana considered converting to Islam, according to a royal
photographer whom she asked for advice about the religion and interfaith
marriage.
The
princess reportedly approached Anwar Hussein, 83, the royal family’s
longest-serving snapper, during a flight.
Hussein
told People magazine: “All the lights were dimmed and she came and whispered:
‘Can I have a chat?’
“She
knew that I was married to an English girl, Caroline. She wanted to know about
Islam. She was asking about being married when one person is Muslim and another
is Protestant.”
He
added: “She was interested because of what she was going through with (then
boyfriend) Dr. Hasnat Khan. She didn’t mention him, but she assumed I knew it.
I think she was wondering how the family would react to him and things like
that.”
Diana
is said to have been besotted with Khan — a heart surgeon and Muslim — in the
1990s and according to the Daily Mail considered converting to Islam so the
pair could marry.
A
close friend said she was so “madly in love” that she even thought about moving
to Pakistan to be with Khan but abandoned the idea when he decided their
relationship was doomed to fail.
His
father, Abdul Rasheed Khan, said his son told the family: “If I married her,
our marriage would not last for more than a year. We are culturally so
different from each other.
“She
is from Venus and I am from Mars. If it ever happened, it would be like a
marriage from two different planets.”
Princess
Diana died in 1997 in a car crash alongside film producer Dodi Al Fayed.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2008706/offbeat
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Jamaat-i-Islami
Women Hold Sit-In On Karachi's University Road
A
view of JI's women protest at Karachi's University Road on Thursday. — Photo
credit: JI/Facebook
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January
21, 2022
KARACHI:
Women activists and supporters of the Jamaat-i-Islami on Thursday staged a
sit-in on main University Road in protest over the Sindh Local Government
(Amendment) Act 2021 and demanded that the Pakistan Peoples Party government
withdraw it forthwith.
The
protest by JI women was part of the party’s ongoing campaign under which it has
been staging a sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly for the past three weeks.
A
good number of women assembled near Bait-ul-Mukarram Masjid on University Road
and staged the sit-in that continued for a few hours. The protesters carried
placards and banners inscribed with various slogans and demands.
A
track of University Road was blocked for vehicular traffic because of the
sit-in causing a traffic mess on various arteries in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.
JI
Women Wing General Secretary Durdana Siddiqui, Rukhshinda Muneeb and Asma
Safeer led the sit-in.
Speaking
on the occasion, city chief of JI Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman announced that the
party would organise a convention on Sunday outside the Sindh Assembly and JI
chief Sirajul Haq would address it.
Source:
Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1670571/ji-women-hold-sit-in-on-karachis-university-road
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Saudi
Women Soldiers Graduated; Graduation Ceremony Held At The Armed Forces Women’s
Cadre Training Centre
January
20, 2022
RIYADH
– Maj. Gen. Hamed Al-Omari, director of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces,
attended on Thursday the graduation ceremony of the women’s cadres of the Armed
Forces held at the Armed Forces Women’s Cadre Training Centre.
The
women cadres were graduated in a number of second phase courses for the
training year of 1443.
Speaking
on the occasion, Maj. Gen. Al-Omari thanked the staff members, especially
female staff, of the center for their distinguished work in carrying out the
center’s mission.
Chief
Sergeant Suleiman Al-Maliki, commander of the Women’s Cadre Training Center for
the Armed Forces, also spoke on the occasion. This was followed by a speech on
behalf of the graduates and then the oath was taken, after which the results
with the names of winners and those who made outstanding performance were
announced.
The
ceremony was also attended by Maj. Gen. Adel Al-Balawi, head of the Armed
Forces Education and Training Authority, and Maj. Gen. Sattam Bin Faris,
director general of the Public Relations and Moral Guidance Department of the
Armed Forces.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/616104
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France
Votes To Ban Muslim Women From Playing Sports With Headscarves In A Major
Setback For Human Rights In The Country
ELIS
GJEVORI
Jan
21, 2022
France
moves closer to barring Muslim women from playing sports in a major setback for
human rights in the country.
The
French Senate has voted to ban conspicuous religious symbols in sports, a move
primarily aimed at the country's Muslim women - some of whom may play sports with
a headscarf.
According
to right-wing politicians who voted for the decision, the move targeting the
country's Muslim women was taken in the interest of so-called religious
neutrality.
"This
measure aims to suppress all forms of Muslim subjectivity regarding faith and
worship, culture and political expression," says Maria De Cartena, a human
rights defender in France.
In a
rare move, the controversial decision was opposed by Emmanuel Macron's
government, which has presided over some of the restrictive clampdowns on
Muslims in recent years.
Approved
by 160 votes to 143 in the upper house of parliament on Tuesday, the decision
is a demonstration that Islamophobia is institutionalised," added De
Cartena, speaking to TRT World.
De
Cartena has also been an important activist working with a group known as the
Coordination Against the Separatism Law, a piece of legislation that the French
government claims is aimed at fighting "Islamists extremism", but
critics say limits religious freedom and unfairly targets Muslim.
The
latest move by the French Senate follows a string of restrictions in recent
years that have systematically clamped down on Muslims. De Cartena says that in
voting through the latest decision, the Senate is "showing that
Islamophobic policies and the fight against Islam and Muslims; is permanent and
omnipresent in the political, legal, media field."
Earlier
this month, a study in France found a strong tendency by the country's media to
give far-right voices airtime and amplify their fringe views.
Last
year the French parliament moved to ban Muslim women from attending their
children's school trips while wearing the hijab, a symbol it sees as a threat
to all the things the Republic stands for.
The
move was supported by Macron at the time and forms part of the government's
narrative "that the struggle against ‘Muslim separatism’ is an everyday
struggle," says De Cartena.
Macron's
laser-like focus on the country's Muslim minority of 5.4 million, even as
France continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, has also had the
unintended impact of amplifying French insecurities about its place in the
world and sense of identity.
These
intersecting issues have only amplified with the presidential elections only
months away and parties on the left and right of the political spectrum vie to
appear tough on Muslim practices.
The
latest measures voted by the right-wing Les Republicains party amended Macron's
Anti-Separatism Law to mention "the wearing of the veil explicitly."
De
Cartena fears that the latest move to forbid women from playing sports unless
they comply with state dictates will only increase the "segregation of
Muslims from the rest of the society."
"The
goal here is to forbid more and more all Islamic markers," added De
Cartena.
More
broadly, says De Cartena, "Islamophobia in France has nothing to do with
the parties but with the system! It's present at all levels of society: at the
government level, police and judiciary level."
Source:
Trt World
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Iran
hails ‘significant’ progress in empowering women despite US sanctions
19
January 2022
Iran
hails making considerable progress towards empowering women and girls, despite
the United States’ illegal and inhumane sanctions targeting the country.
The
Islamic Republic’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations, Majid
Takht-Ravanchi made the remarks during a United Nations Security Council
meeting addressing the issue of women, peace, and security on Tuesday.
The
envoy reminded how the bans not only violated the international law, but also
breached the basic rights of women and girls, especially their right to
development.
“However,
the Islamic Republic has made significant progress in enablement of women and
girls, especially in the field of education,” he said.
The
United States reimposed the sanctions in 2018 after illegally and unilaterally
leaving a 2015 deal between Iran and P5+1 group of countries.
Washington
has refused to lift the bans, even in the case of foodstuffs and medicine,
despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“The
Islamic Republic attaches much importance to the women’s role in socioeconomic
development and the Iranian society’s sociopolitical life,” the envoy stated.
Takht-Ravanchi,
meanwhile, touched on the situation of women in West Asia, expressing dismay
over the destructive effects of occupation and foreign intervention, as well as
terrorist activities targeting girls and women in the region.
He
said the oldest case for such impairment would be the Palestinian women, who
continued to suffer the consequences of decades of Israeli occupation and human
rights violations.
“In
disputes and conflicts, efforts should be focused on addressing the root causes
of violence against women,” the Iranian official said.
Source:
Press TV
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/19/675051/Iran-United-Nations-women-girls
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Dawoodi
Bohra women organize first-ever business expo in U.S. to showcase female
entrepreneurship
January
20, 2022
In
Arabic, the word “mashtal” means a nursery.
“It’s
where seeds are planted and young saplings are nurtured so they can be planted
in a bigger garden where they can grow and thrive,” said Batul Fidaali of
Tustin.
Mashtal
is also the name Fidaali and several other women from the Inland Empire and
Orange County have given to their free Business Expo: For Women By Women, to be
held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, at the Dawoodi Bohra Anjuman-e-Qutbi
mosque in Ontario.
Organizers
say the business expo in Ontario will feature the work of women business
owners, entrepreneurs and artisans from across North America, many of them from
the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sect of Shia Islam that comprises 400 families
in Southern California and 5,000 nationwide. Most members of the communities
have roots and live in India, Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa and the Middle East
and follow the teachings of the sect’s leader and spiritual guide Syedna
Mufaddal Saifuddin, who lives in India.
Three
mosques serve the community in Southern California. The Ontario center serves
Orange County and the Inland Empire, while mosques in Woodland Hills and San
Diego serve communities in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
The
expo, which has been held in Mumbai in previous years, is being brought to the
United States for the first time and the Ontario mosque was chosen because of
the robust community in Southern California, said Fareeda Zakir, one of the
event’s organizers. The Dawoodi Bohras are known as a community of business
owners and professionals, she said, adding that women have historically played
an important role in family businesses.
“We
have a long line of women business owners we can look up to, going all the way
back to Prophet Muhammad’s wife Khadijah who took over her father’s trading
business when he died and still inspires us today as an empowered woman who ran
a business in a male-dominated society,” said Zakir, an Anaheim resident.
Zakir
has strong role models in her own family as well. Her grandmother was active in
the family glass business in Nairobi, Kenya, where her mother also worked. Now,
Zakir owns a residential glass and glazing business in Orange County.
“When
it comes to entrepreneurship, it’s a multi-generational effect and once it’s in
there, it’s there,” she said.
Zakir’s
daughter, now 12, already dreams of owning a bakery and bookstore.
The
expo is a space to lift women up, showcase their work and offer networking
opportunities, Zakir said. Sunday’s event will feature a variety of business
owners in the community from real estate agents to women selling baked goods,
jewelry and home decor, she said.
Zakir
said organizers have also put “strict COVID protocols in place” and will
require full proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test 48 hours prior to the
event for entry. She said all dining at the event will be held outdoors.
The
main goal is to offer support to each other as a community, Zakir said.
“When
women support each other, it results in profound growth and inspiration,” she
said. “It can do wonders for your confidence. I’m a woman in construction. Most
of the time, I’m the only woman in the room. Often, it’s about making other
people believe in me. Our hope is to help a new generation of women grow as
business owners.”
Among
the new generation is Arwa Nomani of Corona who recently started Arwa Coffee,
importing premium coffee from Yemen. Nomani, who is from Mumbai, India, said
she used the Dawoodi Bohra network in Yemen to forge a relationship with a
coffee company that sources coffee from community farms and pays fair prices to
farmers who grow the crop in Yemen.
“Yemeni
coffee has a rich, deep flavor, like Ethiopian coffee,” she said. “It also has
to do with how the beans are roasted.”
Nomani
and her coffee business are named after Arwa Al-Sulayhi, a queen who ruled
Yemen in the 11th century. Inspired by the history of the country where her
coffee comes from, Nomani said she is hoping to find women-owned business to
distribute the coffee across the United States.
Irvine
Mayor Farrah Khan said she plans to attend the expo and is impressed to see
“women uplifting one another.”
“The
biggest challenge for women business owners is having a network of support,”
said Khan, the first Muslim and first person of color to be elected mayor of
Irvine. “It’s always a struggle to get started and build themselves up. I think
this event also sends a message to the men of the community about how important
it is for them to understand women need the support to be successful.”
The
fact that such an event catering to women is necessary shows that parity and equity
is lacking in the business world, Khan said.
“That’s
true across the board, for all communities,” she said.
Event
details
What:
Mashtal, An Expo for women by women
When:
Sunday, Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where:
Dawoodi Bohra Anjuman-e-Qutbi mosque, 1027 E. Philadelphia St., Ontario.
Admission:
Free
Information:
909-295-5362 or oc.mashtal@gmail.com
Source:
Daily Bulletin
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Saudi
woman gives birth to 5 sets of twins
January
19, 2022
TABUK
— In an extraordinary event, a Saudi woman gave birth to 5 sets of twins on
Jan. 12, where the medical team supervising her condition at King Salman Armed
Forces Hospital succeeded in conducting a natural birth for her.
She
gave birth to 5 sets of healthy twins with the weights of the infants ranging
between 950-1100 grams.
In
the 28th week of pregnancy, the 34-year-old mother, and the Saudi Ministry of
Defense was keen to share the news with citizens through its official account
on the social networking site Twitter.
The
followers eagerly praised the medical staff efforts, as worded by a supporter
Mjahed Alatawi, “The unsurprising achievement of a great team, may God grant
them success and all thanks and appreciation to the hospital director.”
For
his part, Maj. Gen. Attia Al-Zahrani, head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department, won thanks and appreciation from the followers.
King
Salman Armed Forces Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. It was established in August 1980.
It
includes all the different medical specialties and subspecialties, which made
it a reference for hospitals in the northwestern region and it is the first
government hospital to introduce endoscopic technology into the Kingdom in
1991.
Many
hospitals are affiliated with it, such as King Khalid Armed Forces Hospital.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/616041
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/princess-diana-uk-love/d/126207