Scholars Divided On Women Attempting Haj without 'Mehram'

New Age Islam News Bureau

16 Oct 2017

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Sunday, Ms Assaad (pictured) revealed she whispered an Arabic prayer every time she pulled the trigger

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•  The 'Huntress' In a Hijab

•  Iraqi Turkmen Woman Recalls Horrors Of IS Captivity

•  Cairo Named Most Dangerous Megacity for Women; London Best — Poll

•  Karachi Named Second-Most Dangerous Megacity for Women: Poll

•  Syrian, Turkish Women Find Vocations That Give Back In Southeastern Turkey

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/scholars-divided-women-attempting-haj/d/112902

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Scholars divided on women attempting Haj without 'mehram'

Oct 16, 2017

The recommendation of the Central Haj Committee to the Ministry of Minority Affairs to allow women in groups of four above the age of 45 years of age to travel for Haj without a mehram (a close male relative), has led to several Muslim scholars to oppose it, saying Islam does not permit. The recommendations were submitted for the drafting of the new Haj Policy of 2018-22.

Uzma Naheed, part of the Markazi Majlis-e-Amla (Central Working Committee) of the All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat (AIMMM), feels that the move might prove to be problematic for women.

"Travel to Haj is not easy. It requires a lot of physical exertion, and is one of the main reasons why women prefer having a male companion," said Naheed.

Maulana Wali Rehman of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said that the controversy is unnecessary. "Some schools of thought allow women to travel without a mehram while others do not. The report of the Central Haj Committee does not compel anyone," said Rehman.

Kamal Farooqui of the AIMPLB, who was part of the Central Haj Committee, says that there is no compulsion. "Saudi Arabia allows women to travel alone, and there has been no compulsion on anyone in India," said Farooqui.

Zakia Soman of the progressive Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) said that the recommendation is in itself regressive in nature.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-scholars-divided-on-women-attempting-haj-without-mehram-2553190

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The 'Huntress' In a Hijab

15 October 2017

A Muslim woman who hunts wild animals and butchers them for meat is teaching her four children the same trade.

Single mother-of-four Kadeja Assaad, 36, takes to bush land in regional NSW to hunt goats, foxes, rabbits and deer before lugging the carcasses back home and preparing the meat for her children's dinner.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Sunday, Ms Assaad revealed she whispered an Arabic prayer every time she pulled the trigger.

'Before I shoot I say a blessing, thanking God for the food,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

She also prayed to Allah after the kill.

'I thank God and thank the animal for giving its life away to provide for us,' she said.

'I just sit and hold the animal and I stroke it.

'It's an indescribable feeling you get afterwards. Not happiness, but gratitude.'

The former hair stylist and beauty therapist, who dubs herself a 'proud hunter', boasts of her hunting prowess online.

Photos show the huntress crouching alongside her kills with rifle in hand.

Ms Assaad said hunting was her passion, and she saw the animals as a 'blessing'.

She also revealed she appreciated the animals' beauty and sometimes sat and watched deer rather than hunting them.

'Sometimes when I'm bored I drive out there and just watch them. They're glorious creatures,' she said.

Ms Assaad revealed she mainly hunted deer because she loved halal venison.

Ms Assaad said she was extremely proud to pass her passion onto her children.

'I teach my children hunting is a blessing. It's not a game,' she said.

'My son is really looking forward to becoming a shooter when he turns 12 next year.

'I like to show my kids that you've got to work hard to achieve in life, including their food.

'If they choose to do it, by all means. But I've never forced them into doing anything. It's their choice.'

The Sydney mother maintained she hunted ethically.

'I kill with one shot to the head or heart, an instant kill. If it's a doe and I can tell she's pregnant I don't shoot no matter what,' she said.

Ms Assaad said she never shot more than what she needed for food.

'There's no wild hunting or killing spree,' she said.

She said her weapons of choice included a Tikka T3 Hunter 243 and a Savage 22 Magnum.

She said she used a handmade Russian Kizlyar knife to butcher the animals for meat once they were dead.

The Sydney woman said she did everything herself from start to finish.

'I hunt them in the bush, and if they're too big to hold the whole carcass (in the car), I butcher them on the land and bring back as much meat as I can,' she said.

'I sometimes prepare the hide to make it into a rug.'

According to Islamic Law, Muslims are allowed to hunt non-meat eating animals such as deer and wild rabbits.

While Muslims are permitted to hunt, Islamic law sets out some very strict rules.

'The name of Allah must be pronounced when the hunting weapon is discharged',' the law states.

The law also prohibits hunting for sport.

The person must also be 'sane'. 

'Game hunted by a pagan or an insane person is not lawful (halal),' the law states.

In keeping with halal, the law states 'if the hunted game is still alive, it must be slaughtered straight away'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4981828/Muslim-mother-Kadeja-Assaad-hunting-wild-animals-Sydney.html

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Iraqi Turkmen woman recalls horrors of IS captivity

16 October 2017

Members of Iraq's Shia Turkmen community have been the targets of brutal persecution by so-called Islamic State (IS). One woman, who asked not to be named, told BBC Turkish's Mahmut Hamsici about her ordeal at the hands of militants from the Sunni jihadist group.

Warning: Some readers may find details of this story upsetting

"We lived in the al-Alam district of the city of Tikrit before IS came into our lives.

I am a Shia Turkmen and my husband is a Sunni Arab. He was an imam and a well-respected person in our community. The mosque where he would lead the prayers was just next to our house.

We didn't know who was a Sunni and who was a Shia before. Nobody would talk about that. There wasn't any kind of hostility in our community.

We had a big house in which a few young female Turkmen teachers lived as my tenants. One of them had a baby.

I have two children - a girl and a boy. They attended the same school where the teachers worked. Every day, they would go to school together.

'They took my husband'

When IS entered Tikrit [in June 2014], they executed many soldiers at Camp Speicher.

Some soldiers who escaped the massacre began arriving in our town after crossing the River Tigris [which flows between al-Alam and the city centre]. Then IS came after them.

There were Turkmens among those escaping. A few of them took refuge in my house when they realised that I was also a Turkmen.

We helped some of them to flee by dressing them in women's clothes. My husband hid three soldiers - who were Shia from Basra - in the mosque.

They found the youths from Basra immediately and killed them. They took my husband, too. I haven't received any news from him since then.

They came back again later, blew up our house and told us to leave.

I started to walk with my two children, the Turkmen teachers and the baby, my stepdaughter - the daughter of my husband's other wife. But later, IS stopped us and took us to a garage along with other women from the area whom they had rounded up.

'One by one, the girls died'

We were about 22 women and children. They separated the girls from the women who were married. There were five girls and they started to rape them in front of our eyes.

"My big sister, please help us, save us from them," the girls cried.

I tried to cover them with my body and said to the men: "I swear on the Koran that they are not virgins, I am begging in the name of Allah, please don't do it."

One of them hit me and another one bit my shoulder really hard.

They raped my stepdaughter, who was 18 years old, as well. She died immediately afterwards.

The other girls were in their early 20s. The men raped and hit them at the same time. They were bleeding profusely. One by one, they too died.

I looked at the faces of the men raping them and realised that I knew two of them.

They were from a Sunni Arab village close to al-Alam. Many people had joined IS from there, but many other Sunni Arab villages strongly resisted IS.

'I didn't feel a scorpion bite me'

We were then left alone in the garage.

There was nothing to eat. I lost so much weight that a crust formed over my face. Our brains stopped working properly. Once, a scorpion bit me and I didn't even feel it.

IS left an old man in charge of the garage. But he liked us a lot and would give us water after the rapes.

Once, he brought a goat and milked it for our children. It was so nice for my children that they felt it was like sugar.

One day they came to us, divided the group into two and took one group away.

I stayed with my two children, one woman and the baby of the Turkmen teacher, who had died after being raped.

"They will take you too, you must leave here straight away," the old man told us one night.

He took us to a road out of the area, and went back to the garage.

Later, I would find out that IS had executed the old man because he helped us run away.

'The baby died in my arms'

We started walking through a desert area. It was raining, everywhere was muddy and we didn't have proper clothes on us. There was nothing to eat, so we had to eat grass.

The teacher's baby, who was wrapped in a blanket, died in my arms on the way.

After five days, we reached the Maktab Khalid area of Kirkuk. We had managed to escape.

I initially stayed at my old aunt's house in the city.

But the family of the young woman who escaped with me rejected her, saying that it was a matter of honour for them. She is now in Iran and getting psychiatric treatment.

Later, I searched for my husband but could not find any trace of him.

I also looked in vain for the graves of my stepdaughter and the old man who helped me escape.

The families of the victims are to be found everywhere. They are united in sorrow.

My children still feel bad. My son has been very silent since witnessing the events in the garage.

I eventually tried to return to al-Alam, but I could not manage it. There was nothing left.

I am now trying to survive on the money I earn from caring for an old woman.

At the moment, I am just living for my children."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41594012

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Cairo named most dangerous megacity for women; London best — poll

16 October 2017

LONDON: Cairo is the world’s most dangerous megacity for women while London is the best, according to the first international experts’ poll on how females fare in the rising number of cities with over 10 million people.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation survey asked experts in women’s issues in 19 megacities how well women are protected from sexual violence, from harmful cultural practices, and if they have access to good health care, finance and education.

Cairo, the capital of the Arab world’s most populous country, fared worst globally, followed by Karachi in Pakistan, Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of the Congo, then the Indian capital New Delhi.

London was ranked as the most woman-friendly, then Tokyo and Paris.

Women’s rights campaigners in Cairo said traditions dating back centuries made it a tough city, with discrimination rife.

“We’re still operating under a conservative country and it’s hard to take any radical progressive steps in the area of women and women’s laws,” said Omaima Abou-Bakr, co-founder of the Cairo-based campaign group Women and Memory Forum.

“Everything about the city is difficult for women. We see women struggling in all aspects. Even a simple walk on the street, and they are subjected to harassment, whether verbal or even physical,” said high-profile Egyptian journalist and women’s rights campaigner Shahira Amin.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Delhi and Sao Paulo emerged as the worst cities when respondents were asked if women could live there without the risk of sexual violence, including rape, attacks or harassment.

The fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012 led to a wave of public protests and jolted many in the world’s second most populous country out of apathy over the treatment of women, forcing the government to toughen penalties for sex crimes.

Since then a spike in media reports, government campaigns and civil society programs, have increased public awareness of women’s rights and emboldened victims to register abuses.

Authorities recorded four rapes every hour in India in 2015.

“Even after the Delhi gang rape, we are seeing rising cases of sexual violence. All the measures taken so far are welcome, but they are not enough,” said lawyer Rishi Kant from Shakti Vahini, a charity that supports rape victims.

“These rapists act because they know they won’t get caught. So strengthening the police and courts to effectively investigate, prosecute, convict and punish is key.”

In Sao Paulo, women are increasingly using social media to denounce sexual violence, including writer Clara Averbuck, who launched an online campaign in August after she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver.

A poll conducted by Datafolha for the Brazilian Forum of Public Security this year found one in three Brazilian women aged 16 or over had suffered physical, verbal or psychological violence in the previous year but 52 percent did not report it.

“I’ve never been so violated as in Brazil,” Averbuck told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I’m not speaking only about physical rape. In London, in New York, I feel very comfortable because they treat me like a human being. Here they treat you less than a human being.”

LONDON BEST, TOKYO SAFEST

Lima in Peru came out worst when participants were asked if women had good access to health care, including control over reproductive health. Abortion is illegal in Peru except to save the life of the mother and the teenage pregnancy rate is high.

Conflict-ridden Kinshasa, where growing violence has sparked fears of a repeat of civil wars two decades ago in which millions died, was the worst city in terms of female access to education, ownership of land and obtaining financial services.

At the other end of the scale, London was named the best city, buoyed by Britain’s free and universal National Health Service, as well as coming top for economic opportunities.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said women were now leading at every level of society in London — in public service, the arts, politics, science and business — but there was more to do.

“The progress we’re making as a city is not happening fast enough,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “We must redouble our efforts to remove any barriers to women’s success and to unlock their full potential.”

Tokyo was ranked as the safest city in terms of sexual violence and harassment, though some women’s rights campaigners said sexual violence remained a hidden problem.

Moscow outperformed New York on a range of measures, and was named the most female-friendly city judged solely on cultural practice, perhaps a nod to its avowedly egalitarian Soviet past.

URBAN JUNGLES

The Thomson Reuters Foundation’s seventh annual perception poll was conducted as cities grow rapidly and the future looks increasingly urban, with 66 percent of people expected to live in urban areas by 2050, up from 54 percent currently.

The United Nations says the number of megacities has tripled since 1990 to 31, including six in China and five in India, and forecast this will rise to 41 by 2030. The poll was only conducted in the largest city in each country.

Campaigners said understanding and preparing for key trends in urbanization in coming years is crucial to meet the UN’s latest set of global goals to end poverty and inequality by 2030. The poll was designed around UN targets.

Billy Cobbett, director of the Cities Alliance, a global partnership for urban poverty reduction that promotes the role of cities in sustainable development, said the success of Agenda 2030 would be substantially dependent on the role played by women in cities of all sizes.

“The opportunity for women to play a full and leading role cannot be taken for granted, but requires reliable data, sound policy and decisive actions by city leaders,” Cobbett told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The poll of 380 people was conducted online and by phone between June 1 and July 28 with 20 experts questioned in each of the 19 cities with a response rate of 93 percent. The results were based on a minimum of 15 experts in each city.

Respondents included aid professionals, academics, health care staff, non-government organization workers, policy-makers, development specialists and social commentators.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1178301/middle-east

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Karachi named second-most dangerous megacity for women: poll

Oct 16 2017

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation): Cairo, the capital of the Arab world’s most populous country, is the world’s most dangerous megacity for women, followed by Karachi in Pakistan, according to the first international experts’ poll on how females fare in the rising number of cities with over 10 million people.

London was ranked as the most woman-friendly, then Tokyo and Paris.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation survey asked experts in women’s issues in 19 megacities how well women are protected from sexual violence, from harmful cultural practices, and if they have access to good healthcare, finance and education.

Karachi, a city of around 16 million people (according to provisional results of 2017 Census), fared the second worst globally, followed by Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of the Congo, then the Indian capital New Delhi.

Women’s rights campaigners in Cairo said traditions dating back centuries made it a tough city, with discrimination rife.

“We’re still operating under a conservative country and it’s hard to take any radical progressive steps in the area of women and women’s laws,” said Omaima Abou-Bakr, co-founder of the Cairo-based campaign group Women and Memory Forum.

“Everything about the city is difficult for women. We see women struggling in all aspects. Even a simple walk on the street, and they are subjected to harassment, whether verbal or even physical,” said high-profile Egyptian journalist and women’s rights campaigner Shahira Amin.

Sexual harassment

Delhi and Sao Paulo emerged as the worst cities when respondents were asked if women could live there without the risk of sexual violence, including rape, attacks or harassment.

The fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012 led to a wave of public protests and jolted many in the world’s second most populous country out of apathy over the treatment of women, forcing the government to toughen penalties for sex crimes.

Since then a spike in media reports, government campaigns and civil society programmes, have increased public awareness of women’s rights and emboldened victims to register abuses.

Authorities recorded four rapes every hour in India in 2015.

“Even after the Delhi gang rape, we are seeing rising cases of sexual violence. All the measures taken so far are welcome, but they are not enough,” said lawyer Rishi Kant from Shakti Vahini, a charity that supports rape victims.

“These rapists act because they know they won’t get caught. So strengthening the police and courts to effectively investigate, prosecute, convict and punish is key.”

In Sao Paulo, women are increasingly using social media to denounce sexual violence, including writer Clara Averbuck, who launched an online campaign in August after she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver.

A poll conducted by Datafolha for the Brazilian Forum of Public Security this year found one in three Brazilian women aged 16 or over had suffered physical, verbal or psychological violence in the previous year but 52 percent did not report it.

“I’ve never been so violated as in Brazil,” Averbuck told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I‘m not speaking only about physical rape. In London, in New York, I feel very comfortable because they treat me like a human being. Here they treat you less than a human being.”

London best, Tokyo safest

Lima in Peru came out worst when participants were asked if women had good access to healthcare, including control over reproductive health. Abortion is illegal in Peru except to save the life of the mother and the teenage pregnancy rate is high.

Conflict-ridden Kinshasa, where growing violence has sparked fears of a repeat of civil wars two decades ago in which millions died, was the worst city in terms of female access to education, ownership of land and obtaining financial services.

At the other end of the scale, London was named the best city, buoyed by Britain’s free and universal National Health Service, as well as coming top for economic opportunities.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said women were now leading at every level of society in London - in public service, the arts, politics, science and business - but there was more to do.

“The progress we’re making as a city is not happening fast enough,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “We must redouble our efforts to remove any barriers to women’s success and to unlock their full potential.”

Tokyo was ranked as the safest city in terms of sexual violence and harassment, though some women’s rights campaigners said sexual violence remained a hidden problem.

Moscow outperformed New York on a range of measures, and was named the most female-friendly city judged solely on cultural practice, perhaps a nod to its avowedly egalitarian Soviet past.

Urban jungles

The Thomson Reuters Foundation’s seventh annual perception poll was conducted as cities grow rapidly and the future looks increasingly urban, with 66 percent of people expected to live in urban areas by 2050, up from 54 percent currently.

The United Nations says the number of megacities has tripled since 1990 to 31, including six in China and five in India, and forecast this will rise to 41 by 2030. The poll was only conducted in the largest city in each country.

Campaigners said understanding and preparing for key trends in urbanisation in coming years is crucial to meet the UN’s latest set of global goals to end poverty and inequality by 2030. The poll was designed around UN targets.

Billy Cobbett, director of the Cities Alliance, a global partnership for urban poverty reduction that promotes the role of cities in sustainable development, said the success of Agenda 2030 would be substantially dependent on the role played by women in cities of all sizes.

“The opportunity for women to play a full and leading role cannot be taken for granted, but requires reliable data, sound policy and decisive actions by city leaders,” Cobbett told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The poll of 380 people was conducted online and by phone between June 1 and July 28 with 20 experts questioned in each of the 19 cities with a response rate of 93 percent. The results were based on a minimum of 15 experts in each city.

Respondents included aid professionals, academics, healthcare staff, non-government organisation workers, policy-makers, development specialists and social commentators.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/162929-karachi-named-second-most-dangerous-megacity-for-women-poll

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Syrian, Turkish women find vocations that give back in southeastern Turkey

October 15, 2017

At a clothing workshop in southern Turkey, 400 Turkish and Syrian women produce goods that will be given free of charge to educational institutions in need, especially in Turkey and Syria.

The workshop, in the Akçakale district of southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, recently opened through a partnership between the Kuwait-based Al Salama Association and the Turkish Akçakale Hilful Fudul business association.

Receiving in on-the-job training, women at the workshop learn a trade, provide for their families and give back to others in need.

The products produced at the workshop will be given to educational institutions in Turkey and other regions.

"Our aim is to provide women with both jobs and a profession," Akçakale Hilful Fudul Association Chairman Hamit Ataman told Anadolu Agency. "We want to teach them fishing instead of giving them fish."

Adil El Gun, vice president of the Al Salama Association, said the workshop hires without regard to language, race or color, and without expecting a profit.

On a visit to the Akçakale district, Gun and his associates realized Turkish and Syrian women would be helped by jobs in clothing production. Al Salama proposed the idea to Akçakale Hilful Fudul, which accepted the partnership.

With 12 new projects planned for the coming year, the organization hopes to employ up to 3,000 women in the future.

"Our next project of opening a carpenter's workshop will employ 200 Syrian and Turkish sisters. We will also set up a migrant hospital where 25 doctors will work. When all our projects are completed, we will be able to offer 3,000 jobs," Ataman said.

https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2017/10/15/syrian-turkish-women-find-vocations-that-give-back-in-southeastern-turkey

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