Saudi Arabia To Allow Women Under 45 Years Old To Perform Hajj and Umrah Without ‘Mahram’
New Age Islam News Bureau
05 April 2022
• No Exams Duty For Hijab-Wearing Teachers, Says
Karnataka Govt
• British Council Trains 100 Emerging Young Women For
Leadership Role
• The Double Oppression Of Palestinian Women
• Lecture Series On 'Arab Women Artists Today' Begins
Tomorrow
• 23 Women Drown As Boat Capsizes In Blue Nile In
Sudan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hajj-umrah-mahram/d/126730
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Saudi Arabia To Allow Women Under 45 Years Old To
Perform Hajj and Umrah Without ‘Mahram’
Pilgrims pray on Mount
Arafat near Makkah. Photo: Saudi Ministry of Media
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April 4, 2022
The former vice chairman of the Chamber of Tourism
Companies Basem al-Sisi has confirmed reports that Saudi Arabia will now allow
women under 45 years old to travel without a ‘mahram’ to perform the Hajj and
Umrah rites.
Sisi added, in a telephone interview to the “Masaa
dmc” program on dmc channel, that while the decision has been confirmed it has
not yet been applied by Saudi officials.
The requests for women under the age of 45 are still
rejected in the absence of a mahram until the Saudi authorities officially
announce applying the decision, he noted.
A member of the Egyptian Tourism Federation Ahmed
al-Bakry attributed the price increase for Ramadan Umrah to the small number of
visas.
Bakry added, during an interview with journalist
Khaled al-Miry, on Sada al-Balad channel, that the Umrah pilgrimages were
halted for two years and returned with a limited number of visas.
The number of visas provided in Ramadan is 20,000,
whereas the total number of visas during Rajab, Sha`ban and Ramadan is 60,000,
he said.
He expected that the Hajj will return again with full
capacity this year after lifting the precautionary measures in Saudi Arabia.
Source: Egypt Independent
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No Exams Duty For Hijab-Wearing Teachers, Says Karnataka
Govt
Representative photo
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4th April 2022
In another blow to hijab-wearing Muslim women in
Karnataka, the state government has decided to prohibit teachers who insist on
wearing hijabs from exam duty.
“As hijab is not allowed inside the examination hall
for students, to be morally right, we are not forcing teachers who insist on
wearing hijab to take up exam duty. Such teachers are relieved from exam duty,”
the Times of India quoted Education minister BC Nagesh as saying.
Over 22,000 students remain absent in the ongoing SSLC
exams, a huge spike in numbers as compared to last year, as the high court
stayed the state’s ban on religious symbols within educational institutions,
including headscarves.
A number of Pre-University are also bound to miss
crucial exams that are scheduled to begin later this month.
A teacher who was scheduled for SSLC exam duty in the
Mysuru district of the state was removed from duty after she insisted on
wearing the hijab, although there is no prescribed dress code for government
employees.
A large number of petitions have been filed in the
Supreme Court challenging the hijab ban that has been imposed.
Hijab ban:
The Karnataka high court on March 15 passed its
judgement over the hijab row upholding the ban on hijab putting at stake the
future of over 230 hijabi Muslim girls, who choose to wear headscarves as a
part of their religious obligation.
The girls who chose to wear their hijabs despite the
court’s orders will be prevented from attending classes and writing their
exams.
According to data compiled by the Muslim Okkoota, a
coalition of organisations representing the Muslim community in Udupi, over 230
Muslim students, from Udupi only, will miss their examinations this month.
The data was compiled after inviting students missing
their classes, to fill up an online form. It was found that 160 students were
studying in pre-university colleges whereas the remaining are from degree
colleges. Sixty-one of them are appearing for board examinations in their second
PU year, a crucial stage that paves the path for undergraduate courses.
Source: Siasat Daily
https://www.siasat.com/no-exams-duty-for-hijab-wearing-teachers-says-karnataka-govt-2302661/
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British
Council trains 100 emerging young women for leadership role
April
4, 2022
Celebrating
the launch of its ‘Women in Leadership’ programme in South Asia, the British
Council has reiterated its commitment to take more effective initiatives to
increase women contribution towards nation building through women empowerment.
The
British Council hosted a digital event across South Asia to celebrate the
launch of its ‘Women in Leadership’ programme, a training programme for women
in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The
training programme was launched under which a network of 100 young women
leaders in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom was
built.
The
programme offered 100 emerging young women leaders (25 each from the four
states) a learning opportunity through an eight-week online, self-access
leadership course to become more effective in leading interventions to support
gender equality and women’s leadership within their sectors.
Representatives
from British Council, Clore Social Leadership UK, SoLF, Women in Leadership
participants, and other experts participated in the event.
The
event was moderated by Sidra Iqbal, a celebrated broadcast journalist and media
personality from Pakistan while Jehan Ara, Founder and CEO of Katalyst Labs was
the keynote speaker.
A
panel discussion also took place where stakeholders shed light on the factors
hindering gender parity and women decision-making roles.
The
discussion called for more vigorous efforts to ensure an enabling environment
for capacity building of women.
The
panellists included Coordinator Nijera Kori, Bangladesh, Khushi Kabir; Member
of Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, India, Archana Soreng; Country
Director Marie Stopes Society, Pakistan, Asma Balal; and CEO Chrysalis, Sri
Lanka, Ashika Gunasena.
During
the event, inspirational stories of women, who have been part of the Women in
Leadership programme, were also showcased.
The
British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations
and educational opportunities. It builds connections, understanding and trust
between people in the United Kingdom and other countries through arts and culture,
education and the English language.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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The
double oppression of Palestinian women
Emad
Moussa
02
Apr, 2022
Shoulder
to shoulder Palestinian women, with men, have been an active part of the
struggle for liberation, going as far back as the beginning of European Jewish
influx into Palestine in the late 19th century.
The
progress, however, was never linear. The societal collapse that followed the
1948 Nakba saw women’s political engagement change from visible activism, to
the role of mainly preserving collective memory and national identity, often
through the maintenance of cultural artefacts and oral history.
With
the coming of age of the post-Nakba generation and the establishment of the PLO
in the 1960s, the Palestinian national movement was rejuvenated, and so was
much of women’s activism. The period saw the emergence of the PLO’s General
Union of Palestinian Women, whose feminist revolutionary approach soon became
part of the operational and ideological framework of many Palestinian political
factions, especially on the left.
The
formation of the Palestinian Authority following the 1994 Oslo agreement with
Israel prompted the building of civil society institutions, leading, among
other things, to further recognition of women’s rights and increased female
political participation.
In
the language of statistics, Palestinian women have indeed come a long way, but
on the ground, this is yet to translate to actual gender equality, or at least
a semblance of equal partnership in decision-making.
According
to UN figures, women represent only 8% of the PLO’s National Council, they hold
3 out of 24 ministerial positions in the West Bank, and only 1 in Gaza. The
electoral quota for women, although increased from 20% to 24% in 2021, still
does not meet the minimum requirement of 30% requested by women activists. In
higher education institutions, 60% of students are women, yet they represent
only 26% of the members of university student councils.
As
such, efforts to increase women’s representation have been either superficial
or aesthetic. Very little thought was given to the fact that meaningful
progress is contingent upon dismantling the deeply rooted patriarchal attitude.
Palestine
is a patriarchal society - much like the neighbouring Arab societies, sometimes
more so. But the dynamics sustaining the traditionalist patriarchy are more
convoluted than simply an entrenched social order. They are entwined with the
political complexities that, among other things, continue to grant primacy to
an overhyped form of masculinity.
Palestinian
men, as their peers in most societies, are expected to align with gendered
norms of hegemonic masculinity, one conceivably dominated by practical
expectations such as provision and protection.
But,
unlike most societies, the performance of these three quintessentially
masculine acts is regularly undermined by the superior power of Israel’s
military occupation. Men are often the main targets of questioning,
imprisonment, and abuse by the IDF. Their overall context of masculinity,
therefore, is one of political subjugation and coercion. This effectively
erodes some of the socially approved components which they believe make them
men, not least is their ability to act as the protectors and providers.
This
dynamic has led to the overcompensation of masculinity, one directed either
inwardly and manifested as domestic abuse and/or curbing women’s independence,
or in most cases, outwardly at Israel through muqawama (resistance).
Either
way, this is a defence mechanism; and for many Palestinian men, it is their way
of restoring the social role that they have lost to the occupation. And, since
nationalism and masculinity are closely entwined, masculinity is viewed as a
form of national survival.
But
that comes at a high price.
The
need to constantly reassert this type of masculinity has sustained the
patriarchal order and limited women’s liberation as well as political
participation.
Most
recently, clan leaders in the occupied West Bank called for the Palestinian
Authority to withdraw from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). They went as far as calling for a ban on
all feminist organisations. The justifications for this were weak and included
citing traditions, presenting a narrow interpretation of Islam, and framing the
treaty as a Western conspiracy to corrupt Muslim women.
On
the other side of the issue is the occupation, which is a comprehensive form of
oppression, applied to all Palestinian regardless of gender. But, because women
are already in a vulnerable societal position, certain Israeli practices are
doubly oppressive to them. The closures and restrictions on the freedom of
movement, all render Palestinian women incapable of taking part in national or
international activities, through which they would otherwise get more
politically involved. These restrictions also hinder women's associations and
trade unions from developing a strategy to promote women in the decision-making
positions.
Palestinian
women detainees in Israel are particularly vulnerable to systematic violations.
They are routinely physically searched
and roughened up by Israeli male guards; as such, their basic human rights are
violated and they are stuck with the weight of social stigmas surrounding
notions of honour and dignity.
Pressed
between the patriarchal hammer and the occupation’s anvil, many women have
grown to believe that they are less able to play a meaningful part in the
decision-making process, much less make a tangible change. Others have internalised
the belief that political involvement cancels their feminine identity.
Palestinian
women are glorified for being mothers and wives and told that these roles are
as important as male militancy and political dominance. They are propped up as
the genesis of the revolution and the biological weapon against Israel for
rearing children who will one day march towards liberation.
This
has also resulted in women voting for male candidates who they believe are more
capable of political action and bearing responsibility than women candidates.
Society
remains somewhat blind to the prospect of women’s equal integration into the
political system, and the fact that this would actually aid state-building and,
eventually, national liberation.
Meanwhile,
the system continues to limp on one leg, the male leg, thinking it is all there
is to reach the finish line.
Dr
Emad Moussa is a researcher and writer who specialises in the politics and
political psychology of Palestine/Israel.
Source:
The New Arab
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/opinion/double-oppression-palestinian-women
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Lecture
series on 'Arab Women Artists Today' begins tomorrow
05
Apr 2022
Doha:
A talk on “Arab Women Artists Today” is set for tomorrow, April 6 virtually
featuring the artist Youmna Chlala.
This
is part of a lecture series entitled Decolonising Art Narratives: Arab Women
Artists Today, which is a collaboration between Virginia Commonwealth
University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) Painting and Printmaking
Department, and the Fire Station.
The
lecture series brings together critical female Arab voices in Art and Design.
It was launched February last year and featured 14 acclaimed artists including
Chlala.
According
to VCUarts Qatar, the series will ask how Arab women artists can revisit and
re-think existing narratives in contemporary art, and will explore issues of
gender, politics, colonialism, culture, and identity.
The
artist Youmna Chlala was born in Beirut and is based in New York. She is an
artist and a writer whose work investigates the relationship between fate and
architecture through drawing, video, sculpture, prose and performance.
She
has exhibited at the Hayward Gallery, The Drawing Center, Rotterdam
International Film Festival, Dubai Art Projects, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Henie
Onstad Kunstsenter and MAK Center for Art and Architecture.
Chlala
participated in the 33rd Bienal de São Paulo, 7th LIAF Biennial in Norway, and
11th Performa Biennial. Chlala is the author of the poetry collection, The
Paper Camera (Litmus Press, 2019).
She
is the recipient of a 2018 O. Henry Award and a Joseph Henry Jackson Award. She
is co-editing a new series for Coffee House Press entitled Spatial Species.
Interested
individuals who wish to participate may register via Fire Station website. The
free lecture will be via Zoom at 7:30pm.
Source:
The Peninsula Qatar
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23
women drown as boat capsizes in Blue Nile in Sudan
April
04, 2022
KHARTOUM
— At least 23 women who work in agriculture have died when their boat capsized
on the Nile in central Sudan, the Sudanese Red Crescent has confirmed on
Monday.
There
were 29 people on board the vessel when it capsized and sank on Friday in
southeastern Sennar province, according to the state-run SUNA news agency.
All
of the passengers were women except for the captain, who survived, along with
five passengers.
The
ship capsized off the coast Tarirah al Marfaa town, in Sennar province.
The
Sudanese Red Crescent has so far managed to recover eleven of the 23 bodies, in
cooperation with the civil defense and the local community.
The
Sudan Civil Defense continued to make repeated calls to citizens not to
approach or swim in the Nile given the latest incidents that occurred as a
result of the recent rise in waters in recent days.
Sudanese
authorities reported Monday the sinking of a boat last week on the Blue Nile
and said at least 23 women are believed to have drowned.
The
Blue Nile is an important transport route for people and goods in the African
nation. It joins with the White Nile just north of the capital of Khartoum to
form the Nile River, one of the world’s longest rivers.
Accidents
on overloaded boats are not uncommon on waterways in the African nation, where
safety measures are often disregarded.
At
least 22 people — 21 students and a woman — drowned in 2018, when a boat sank
in the Nile in Sudan.
The
boat’s engine failed in a high current while it was crossing the Nile to a
school in Kabna, a small village in northern Sudan. — Agencies
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hajj-umrah-mahram/d/126730