Seven Women Executed in Just One Month by Iran’s Mullah Regime
New
Age Islam News Bureau
28
December 2021
•
Rugby Player, Amreen Kadwa Named Most Valuable Player at Victoria Park
Collegiate Institute and the Yeomen Lions Rugby Football Club
•
Let the Virgin Mary Bring Christians and Muslims Together At Christmas
•
‘Benazir Bhutto Was Dominant Figure of Pakistani Politics’
•
UK Muslim Women's Council Food Initiative for the Homeless Celebrates 8 Years
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/women-execution-mullah-iran/d/126047
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Seven Women Executed in Just One Month by Iran’s Mullah Regime
(Representational Photo)
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December
21, 2021
The
seven executions of women in Iran in just one month is half the average annual
rate
The
clerical regime has stepped up executions in the past month with a shocking
rise in the executions of women in Iran.
Since
November 22, 2021, at least 39 persons, including seven women, have been hanged
in various prisons across the country.
They
include the execution on December 19, 2021, of a Kurdish political prisoner,
Haidar Ghorbani, 40, and the father of two, after five years of captivity.
The
Iranian Judiciary handed down his death penalty based on forced confessions
extracted from him under torture. They carried out the death penalty without
informing his family and/or lawyer. The intelligence services did not hand
Haidar’s body to his family and buried him secretly.
The
entire “legal” procedure, from the beginning to the end, violated all
international standards and humanitarian law.
On
the same day, two Baluch citizens were hanged in the Prison of Shiraz. One of
them was Na’eim Shahbakhsh, 38, the father of four, including two children
under ten years.
Again,
the authorities did not inform his family before the execution. Therefore, he
died without having a final visit with his family.
Seven
women were hanged in one month
Four
of the seven women hanged over the past month have not been identified.
The
authorities of the Central Prison of Yasuj carried out the death penalties for
a couple on November 23, 2021, on murder charges.
On
drug-related charges, Maryam Khakpour, 41, was hanged on November 25 in
Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan. She had repeatedly claimed innocence saying the
drugs belonged to her husband, sentenced to 18 years.
A
2017 amendment to the Iranian regime’s law strictly limits the use of the death
penalty for drug-related offenses. The executions on drug-related charges have
nevertheless continued.
On
December 9, 2021, six inmates, including three unidentified women, were hanged
in the Central Prison of Kerman.
Massoumeh
Zare’i, 40, was hanged in the Prison of Amol at dawn on December 14, 2021. She
had a 21-year-old daughter and was in prison for seven years for the murder of
her husband, a drug addict who often battered her and did not consent to
divorce.
Fatemeh
Aslani was hanged on December 19, 2021, in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan for
murdering her husband. She had been on death row for nine years despite
pleading not guilty.
Ebrahim
Ra’isi oversees surge in executions
The
seven hanging executions of women in Iran during just one month are noteworthy,
particularly because, since 2013, the average number of women executed in Iran
has been 15 per year.
The
Iranian regime has executed some 350 persons since January 2021, compared to
the 255 executed in 2020. Of course, the actual number of those executed by the
regime must be considered higher because the regime executes many in secret and
away from the public’s eyes.
The
significant rise in the number of death penalties carried out in Iran in 2021
is an outcome of the presidency of Ebrahim Ra’isi, who is notorious for his
direct role in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in just a few months
in 1988.
In
the face of growing societal discontent, The inhuman clerical regime has found
the only way to preserve its rule in intensifying executions, torture, and
repression.
The
Iranian Resistance has repeatedly urged the UN Security Council, the UN
Secretary-General, the UN Human Rights Council, and the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights, as well as the European Union and its member states, to strongly
condemn the growing number of executions in Iran and to take immediate action
to rescue prisoners on death row.
With
this month’s surge in executions, this imperative becomes ever more urgent.
No
talks, no ties with the world’s chief executioner of women
Iran
is the world’s chief executioner of women.
The
Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
genuinely believes that women are the force for change. It urges all women’s
rights advocates and activists worldwide to play an active role concerning the
fate of their sisters in Iran and help stop the executions of women in Iran.
Women
should urge their governments to make all economic and political relations with
Tehran contingent on a halt to executions, especially the executions of women
in Iran and torture of political prisoners.
They
should urge their governments to refer the dossier of the clerical regime’s
human rights abuses to the UN Security Council.
The
UN and its member states should form an international tribunal to hold the
leaders of the Iranian regime, especially its supreme leader Ali Khamenei, its
president Ebrahim Ra’isi, its Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, and
its parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, accountable for four decades
of crimes against humanity and genocide.
The
freedom-loving women worldwide must not withstand their governments negotiating
and shaking hands with a murderous regime, let alone appeasing it.
The
women of Iran look to their sisters around the world to lend them support in
their tortuous struggle for freedom and equality.
Help
stop executions of women in Iran!
Source:
Women NCR
https://women.ncr-iran.org/2021/12/21/rise-in-executions-of-women-in-iran/
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Rugby
Player, Amreen Kadwa Named Most Valuable Player at Victoria Park Collegiate
Institute and the Yeomen Lions Rugby Football Club
(Photo: @Thesupermaniak for @Niketoronto)
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Dec.
27, 2021
By
Tracey Tong
A
talented and passionate rugby player, Amreen Kadwa was named most valuable
player of her team at Victoria Park Collegiate Institute and the Yeomen Lions
Rugby Football Club.
“You
don’t get that kind of adrenalin and boost of energy through anything else,”
Kadwa said of the sport.
As
much as she loved rugby, she admits to having felt unwelcome in sports in the
past, due to her religion, culture and appearance — “especially in my youth
when I was navigating who I was as an individual,” said Kadwa, who emigrated
from India to Scarborough with her family at age 10, identifies as South Asian
Muslim and wears a hijab.
Although
her rugby teammates were open-minded and understanding, she said she would
still sometimes remove her hijab to fit in more during practices. Also, she
said, “Alcohol is a big part of rugby culture, so we would go to bars after
almost every game. It just wasn’t my scene, so I would feel very unwelcome
there.”
Four
years ago, Kadwa founded and became the executive director of the Hijabi
Ballers, an organization catering to the needs of Muslim girls and women —
regardless of whether they wear a hijab — in sports, through increasing their
participation levels while recognizing and celebrating their athleticism.
Now
26, Kadwa wasn’t alone in her feelings of exclusion. An Ontario Sport Network
survey of Ontarians aged 13 to 64 showed nearly a quarter of those polled
didn’t feel welcome in sports; three-quarters believed accessibility to be one
of the biggest barriers to participation in sports and just over a quarter said
body image issues were barriers. To encourage all Ontarians to see themselves
in sports, enrol in leagues and programs, and raise awareness of the benefits
of sports and recreation, the network has launched a provincewide awareness
campaign; the Hijabi Ballers is one of the groups spotlighted.
“This
is Your Sport” also brings attention to the barriers Ontarians say are
preventing their participation, including pandemic-related league closures,
accessibility issues (proximity, cost, bullying and not being welcomed) and
safety concerns around COVID-19 that caused a pandemic-related league closures
and a decline in enrolment rates across the province.
The
Hijabi Ballers addresses two of these barriers. The first is financial: most of
its programming — which includes drop-in basketball clinics, among other sports
— takes place in under-resourced neighbourhoods within Toronto, said Kadwa,
although some happen in the GTA or online.
For
some Muslim women, access to sports is met with financial challenges, said
Kadwa. And some, “come from immigrant families with conservative cultural
mindsets, where sports are not a priority. Access to free or low-cost sport is
key to engaging Muslim girls and women in sport and reigniting their passion
for sport.”
The
non-profit organization also addresses inclusion.
Scarborough-born
Mehnaaz Bholat, who identifies as South Asian, avoided participating in sports
for many years because there were no programs for women who wear hijabs. She
joined the Hijabi Ballers to stay active after having children.
“It
was amazing to find the sisterhood,” Bholat, 31, said.
“We
need to have sport recognized as a place where everyone is welcome,” said
Ontario Sport Network board chair Michele O’Keefe. “Sport needs to be seen as a
safe place where everyone gets to play and stay active.”
This
is important, she added, because “we’ve witnessed the toll of inactivity on not
only ourselves, but our children, our friends and our community.” That toll
includes health problems, both physical and mental, less opportunity to build
confidence, and develop leadership and teamwork skills.
The
network is working to provide the resources and the safe and inclusive spaces
Ontarians need today, O’Keefe said. Plans include building strategic
partnerships and organizing a regular speaker series, holding workshops for
sports administrators and developing an online hub with a curated collection of
sports policy resources.
Another
study, the Canadian Women & Sport’s “Rally Report: Encouraging Action to
Improve Sport for Women and Girls” found participation levels for Canadian
girls to be much lower than boys, with one in three girls dropping out of
sports by their late teens, compared to a one in 10 dropout rate for teenage
boys. Sport participation rates for Canadian girls decline steadily from
childhood to adolescence, with as many as 62 per cent of girls left out of
sports altogether.
In
many societies and cultures, girls and women are placed at a disadvantage in
almost every single aspect of their lives, said Hijabi Ballers member Humaira
Sedu. “For them to even think about playing (sports) — where they aren’t given
the same access to resources as their male counterparts — is a huge step. Women
in sport is not just about playing. It’s also about fighting for a chance to
play every single day. It’s fighting with the world to prove that what you are
doing matters, that you deserve to be respected and that you deserve the
resources to achieve your goals.”
Women
in sports build connections, develop confidence and are encouraged to push
boundaries, O’Keefe said.
Sports
changed the life of Kelsey Mitchell, who began competing in track cycling at
age 24 — “quite late in life to be starting a new sport,” she said. The now
28-year-old overcame the steep learning curve to win gold at the 2019 Pan
American Games in women’s individual sprint and gold in women’s track cycling
at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Keeping
sports in your life “doesn’t mean you have to try and go to the Olympics,” said
Mitchell. “It can mean signing up for that recreation league, trying out for
the new school team, (or) going to a gym or workout class you never tried.”
Four
years later, Kadwa has dabbled in many sports, including basketball, tennis,
golf and skateboarding. “Without playing sports, I would not have the
leadership and communication skills I have today,” said the Flemingdon Park
resident. “I feel very confident, not just as a leader but also as a woman.”
Source:
The Star
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Let
the Virgin Mary bring Christians and Muslims together at Christmas
December
24, 2021
By
Zahra N. Jamal
(RNS)
— Muslim-Christian relations are strained around the world, across the United
States and even in Congress. But at Christmas, the two faith communities whose
combined size represents more than half of humanity can look to their shared
love for a single figure to inspire them to love one another: Mary, the mother
of Jesus.
Mary
is more than the only woman named in the Quran; she has an entire chapter
bearing her name. She is mentioned more times in Muslim scripture, in fact,
than in the New Testament. She is lauded by God in the Quran as “chosen among
all women of the world,” “a sign for humanity,” and as “a model” of piety,
purity and patience.
Through
the centuries, from ancient artwork of the Middle East, South Asia and Far East
to the contemporary Iranian film “Saint Mary,” Muslims have lovingly captured
the mother of Jesus. We reflect on how we may be inspired by her — as a devotee
of the Lord, as a woman, as a single mother and as a role model for all Muslims,
men and women alike.
Christians
and Muslims have and continue to revere Mother Mary, standing shoulder to
shoulder as pilgrims and worshippers, at sites around the world from Syria and
Lebanon to Israel and the Philippines.
Over
the past few months, I’ve heard how the Blessed Mother has inspired spiritual
awakening among Catholic professionals, delivered peace to struggling single
Muslim mothers, inspired dialogue among Jewish and Christian empty-nesters,
offered solace to agnostics looking for meaning and helped a Muslim convert to
Christianity explain to her worried priest that loving both Islam and
Christianity is what Jesus would do.
Hearing
about Muslims’ love for Mary, Islamophobes and Islamophiles find that they are
bound by reverence for the mother of Jesus and grateful to her for bringing
them closer together.
Mother
Mary’s healing power is the beacon of hope and light we need right now.
Anti-Muslim
sentiments are held at an alarming rate by Christians. Two decades after 9/11,
75% of white evangelical Protestants and 58% of white U.S. Catholics believe
that Islamic values are at odds with American values, according to the Public
Religion Research Institute.
Half
of Americans believe, furthermore, that violence, rather than peace, is
encouraged by Islam, a faith practiced by 1 in 4 people in the world. (In the
months after 9/11, only a quarter of Americans believed this myth.)
Yet
for two decades Muslims in America have been the victims of hate and violence,
not its perpetrators. Since 2010, FBI hate crimes data shows, Muslims have been
the second most common target of religious hate in America (after Jews).
In
recent weeks and months, Islamophobic rhetoric has translated into bias or
violence against Muslims across the nation, as well as the emergence of allies
and calls for redress (for example, in Florida, New Jersey, Illinois,
California, New Mexico, Washington). Children are not spared. The 2020 American
Muslim Poll reveals that 55% of students in K-12 public schools face religious
bullying — 30% of the time by teachers or school officials.
Muslims
on campus don’t fare much better. A recent report examining Islamophobia at
California universities and colleges found that nearly 40% of Muslim students
report racial discrimination or harassment, including by professors (34%),
peers (54%) and student services (23%). More than 1 in 5 Muslim university
students have been denied accommodations.
Refuge
can’t be found at work, either. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
reports that Muslims have constituted 20%-28% of workplace religious
discrimination claims every year between 2002-2017 though they are only 1% of
the American population.
Research
shows a promising path out of this situation. A national longitudinal study of
Gen Z college students across the U.S. found that young people developed mutual
understanding by breaking bread together, touring one another’s houses of
worship, attending vigils and other informal encounters together and
volunteering side by side for common causes such as eradicating homelessness
and poverty.
Mary,
mother of Jesus the Messiah, who is upheld in the Bible and the Quran as a
righteous, humble servant of God to be emulated, can be our guide in finding
shared values such as compassion, generosity and care for the poor and the
weak.
Two
millennia after she gave birth to Jesus, Mother Mary has the power to unite
Muslims and Christians wary of one another. Lady Maryam (as she is called in
the Quran) is a symbol that can help us replace hardened hearts and burdened
souls with peace, love and understanding.
Nothing
about interfaith harmony detracts from our commitment to our respective
beliefs. In reaching out across lines of difference, we take a page from the
World Evangelical Alliance, the Vatican, the Ismaili Imamat, the Muslim World
League and the World Jewish Congress, each of which has supported interfaith
dialogue to foster peace and respect around the world.
At
Christmas, and all year long, let each of us find fellowship in listening
deeply and connecting spiritually. Let every one of us replace fear with hope
and recognize that “the Other” is not a bogeyman to fear, but a blessing to
learn from and to cherish. Let Mother Mary lead us in that process.
(Zahra
N. Jamal is associate director of the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance
at Rice University and CEO and founder of The Inclusion Expert, a culture and
diversity consultancy. The views expressed in this commentary do not
necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)
Source:
Religion News
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‘Benazir
Bhutto was dominant figure of Pakistani politics’
BY
ARSHAD YOUSAFZAI
DECEMBER
27, 2021
Shaheed
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had a unique personality. She was truly a public leader
and the most unique thing about Benazir Bhutto was that she became a symbol of
struggle and movement. Despite all the conspiracies she faced during her life
she never give up and did not back down from her goal.
She
did politics not for the sake of power but for the welfare of the people. She
spent her whole life on the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. Benazir
Bhutto wants to empower women and had taken many revolutionary steps in this
regard.
There
is no doubt that she wanted democracy to be flourished in the country so that
people could have power and Pakistan could have a rule of law and strong democracy.
The provincial minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahoo
expressed these views while addressing a seminar on ‘the visionary leadership
dynamic governance and services for the people of Pakistan: A tribute to the
first lady prime minister of Islamic World, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’ on
Friday.
The
SMBB Chair of the University of Karachi organized the seminar at the Auditorium
of the Karachi University Business School. It was organized in connection to
the 14th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.
The
speakers observed that Benazir Bhutto was the dominant figure of Pakistani
politics and had a vision about the progress and development of the country and
its people.
The
KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that the visionary
leader is one who empowers people. There are three visionary leaders in
Pakistan to date, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, and Benazir Bhutto.
He
mentioned that all these leaders believed that the future lies in adherence to
the constitution, protection of minorities, and women empowerment. He said that
the personalities are mortal, but their ideology and work for the betterment of
society always leave behind a mark.
The
KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi shared that there is a lot of talk about
minorities in Pakistan but hardly any of you know that the ministry of
minorities was started during the time of Benazir Bhutto.
He
informed the audience that earlier there was no ministry for minorities in
Pakistan. He added that similarly, there was no ministry for women’s rights and
it was established during the time of Bibi Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. “Pakistan
cannot develop unless true democracy is established because only through
democracy the provision of rights to all sections of society can be ensured.”
Meanwhile,
the Dean Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Director Shaheed Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto Chair Professor Dr Nusrat Idrees said that Shaheed Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic-minded leader, the reason being that she saw
the politics of her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
She
said that Benazir Bhutto wanted to take Pakistan forward. She is a role model
for Pakistani women as well as for the whole world. Benazir Bhutto fought for
the survival of democracy till her martyrdom. She wanted to give equal rights
to everyone in society and talked about it on every platform.
Member
Advisory Committee Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair Karachi University
Professor ND Khan while recalling the memories shared that all the political
training of Benazir Bhutto was done by her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and he
trained his beloved daughter for this country.
He
said that he was among those few people who asked Benazir Bhutto to delay her
return in 2007 as he among few others feared that her life would be in danger
if she returns to the country before the general elections.
On
this occasion, the member Syndicate Karachi University Sahibzada Moazzam
Qureshi said that the services of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto for Pakistan
are not hidden from anyone, her services are visible in different walks of
life. Benazir Bhutto is a well-known personality not only in Pakistan but also
around the world. Her services for the restoration of true democracy in
Pakistan are unforgettable.
The
member Sindh Assembly and member Syndicate Karachi University Sadia Javed said
that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was the first Muslim woman prime minister who
proved that women all over the world are no less than anyone.
The
Director Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai Chair University of Karachi Professor Saleem
Memon said that martyrdom is inherited by the Bhutto family, the martyrdom of
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shahnawaz Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, and then Benazir
Bhutto is a part of this link and this is Bhuttoism. Benazir Bhutto was a
seasoned politician and a brave and courageous woman.
Source:
Academia Mag
https://academiamag.com/benazir-bhutto-was-dominant-figure-of-pakistani-politics/
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UK
Muslim Women's Council Food Initiative for the Homeless Celebrates 8 Years
By
Haleema Saheed
28
December, 2021
The
scheme, which started in December 2013, offers a hot two-course meal for people
who are homeless or struggling to feed themselves.
During
a special session held on Thursday, December 23, the Bishop of Bradford Toby
Howarth helped to distribute the take-out meals, winter accessories and
Christmas treats to over 120 service users.
Donations
had been made by SaveCo Bradford, Islamic Relief, B & M Stores and Teal
Compliance Limited.
Together
with its catering partner MyLahore Bradford, Muslim Women’s Council has proudly
provided over 56,000 meals since the project was established.
Since
March 2020, the sessions have been changed to a hot meal take-out service from
the Manningham Library, from 4pm to 6pm on Thursdays.
The
Revd Dr Toby Howarth said “Week in, week out, come rain or shine, the Curry
Circle is meeting with people to offer food and a friendly chat.
“We
are so proud of all that the Curry Circle team do."
Bana
Gora, Chief Executive Officer of the MWC, said: “We thank all our volunteers
and supporters, especially our catering partner MyLahore and our donors, for
helping us distribute food, much-needed winter accessories & gifts at such
a special time of year.”
Source:
The Telegraph And Argus
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