New Age
Islam News Bureau
24 January 2024
·
Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania Is First Arab Woman to
Gain Two Oscar Nominations
·
Faiza Ahmed Fashion Activist: Protest through Art A
Dhaka Fashion Designer for Palestine
·
Zionist Enemy Media Says 50 Female Soldiers Refused
Military Service At Border since
·
October 7 Muslim Women IAS, IPS Should Wear Hijab:
Uncovered Hair Is Devil’s Thread: AIUDF Chief in Assam
·
Afghan Women Treated Based on Islamic Law: Deputy
Minister
·
Iranian Women Inmates to Launch Hunger Strike against
Death Penalty
·
Amnesty International Launches Campaign to Support
Girls’ Education in Afghanistan
·
Kabul's Stance on Women's Rights ‘Unacceptable’: US
State Dept
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/tunisian-kaouther-ben-hania-arab-oscar/d/131579
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Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania Is First Arab Woman to
Gain Two Oscar Nominations

Director
Kaouther Ben Hania's Four Daughters has been nominated for Best Documentary
Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards. Getty
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January 24, 2024
DUBAI: Renowned Tunisian filmmaker
Kaouther Ben Hania has made history as she got her second Oscar nomination – a
first for an Arab woman.
Her latest film, docudrama “Four
Daughters,” has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2024
Academy Awards.
Her previous film, “The Man Who Sold His
Skin,” won her a nod for Best International Feature Film at the 2021 awards.
“Four Daughters” tells the true story of
Olfa Hamrouni, a heart-broken Tunisian mother of four daughters. The two
eldest, aged 15 and 16, disappear in 2015 after being radicalized by
extremists.
In an earlier interview with Arab News,
Ben Hania said, “It’s not about one scene or another. It’s about how to
translate all the complexity of this story, all the layers of this story,
because it’s a movie about motherhood.
“It’s a movie about transmission between
generations, transmission of trauma also. It’s a movie about Tunisia. All those
themes were very important to me.”
Ben Hania started working on “Four
Daughters” in 2016, when she first heard the story on the news in Tunisia.
“I started thinking about making a
documentary about it. But when I met Olfa and her daughters, I thought that I
could do a fly-on-the-wall documentary. It took me some years to come up with
the actual form of the movie,” she added.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2447111/lifestyle
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Faiza Ahmed Fashion Activist: Protest through Art A
Dhaka Fashion Designer for Palestine

Faiza Ahmed
Fashion Activist
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Jan 24, 2024
Art as a form of activism can at times
stand against oppression and discrimination. It has always been a medium of
expression for struggles that personally or socially affect the artist. In
recent times, fashion activism has come to the fore in Dhaka.
Fashion need not always be about glitz
and glamour; rather it can convey strong messages against discrimination.
Designers are now turning garments into canvases to express their grief,
sadness, or happiness; fashion activism is finding its way into clothing. This
kind of artwear makes a powerful statement, conveying the designer's message or
perspective. It's a form of self-expression that goes beyond typical fashion.
Faiza Ahmed is an artist who turned into
a fashion activist and she express her voice through fashion. She talks about
things that touch her heart through her work. She is the owner of the
sustainable fashion venture, Manas, and a vegan restaurant, Shanchayita.
Manas is a canvas for activism where
Faiza makes a limited collection of select pieces that resonate with her inner
turmoil, about social responsibilities and global disputes. Her collection is
not always for sale, but if they are, then the proceeds go to charities dear to
her.
"Social negativity hurts me and
there are times I need therapy to heal. I decided to make my weakness my
strength and speak my mind through fashion activism. Even though I make clothes
to sell and fashion is my bread-earner, not all collections need to be about
glamour and praise.
"There is a responsibility inside
me and I want to desensitise stigmas like divorce, menstruation, domestic
violence and such. I want to incorporate my responsible soul in my work. It
heals me, like my therapy," she says.
Her latest collection, Palestine in My
Mind, is a visual representation of bruises and scars that linger on the bodies
and hearts of those affected by war. Using her artistry, Faiza has tried to
print the sorrowful and woeful looks of Palestinian children on each of her
wearable pieces. It is not a commercial venture; instead, it is a deep-rooted
protest against violence, war, and the tragic deaths of thousands of civilians
in Palestine.
"The decision to keep this
collection unavailable for purchase underscores my commitment to using my art
as a form of activism, channelling my creativity to raise awareness and provoke
thought on urgent global issues," she adds.
"Crimson Pride", brought
menstruation to the spotlight, it spoke about the celebration of womanhood and
showed that fashion can have a voice to speak of issues far beyond aesthetics
and make bold statements.
"Atma Bala: Where the Soul Finds
its Strength", is a fashion line that pays tribute to the strength within
each of us. Atma Bala represents the essence of womanhood in its ability to
break free from societal stigmas and a reminder that these experiences are not
shackles, but mere stepping stones in our individual and collective journey.
Fashion is essentially wearable art and
evokes its maker's artistic expression and aesthetic taste. Thereby, fashion
activism is a declaration to make a bold statement on relevant issues, and more
specifically issues related to women.
Source: thedailystar.net
https://www.thedailystar.net/my-dhaka/news/unraveling-stories-behind-iconic-footpath-3524986
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Zionist Enemy Media Says 50 Female Soldiers Refused Military Service At Border since October
[24/January/2024]
OCCUPIED AL-QUDS January 24. 2024 (Saba)
- The Zionist enemy media has revealed that Zionist soldiers refused to serve
after Hamas launched al-Aqsa flood since October 7, 2023.
The Zionist newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth
reported that 50 female soldiers refused military service in the border
reconnaissance units, following the events of October 7.
A few days ago, the official radio of
the Zionist enemy confirmed that a number of reserve forces soldiers in the
enemy’s “army” refused to participate in the fighting inside the Gaza Strip.
The radio reported that the soldiers who
refused to participate in the fighting spoke of serious gaps in the level of
training, and they also considered that they were trained to fight inside the
occupied territories, not in Gaza.
It is noteworthy that Zionist media
spoke earlier about the increase in psychological injuries among Zionist
soldiers in light of the continuation of the Al-Aqsa flood epic.
Source: saba.ye
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3298887.htm
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7 Muslim Women IAS, IPS Should Wear Hijab: Uncovered
Hair Is Devil’s Thread: AIUDF Chief in Assam
24 January, 2024
All India United Democratic Front
(AIUDF) president Maulana Badruddin Ajmal who is notorious for his contentious
statements stirred another major row after his controversial recommendation
that Muslim women in prestigious professions like IAS, IPS and the medical
field should be obligated to put on the hijab during a recent rally in the
Karimganj region of Assam on 23rd January.
He maintained that a hijab must be worn
by women in these sectors to be acknowledged for their Muslim identities. “If
Muslim women do not know how to wear hijab or cover their hair, how will they
be recognized as Muslims,” he questioned and added that hijab is compulsory and
not an option for Muslim women. He proclaimed, “Hijab is a must. Hair is the
devil’s thread, and makeup is the devil’s work.”
He proclaimed, “I’ve seen young women in
the other areas go to study with their heads covered in the hijab. They walk
with their eyes lowered and head downcast. Nonetheless, girls must continue to
wear the hijab in Assam. Our faith requires us to wear a headscarf and keep our
hair covered.”
He placed the cornerstone for a mosque
and cemetery in Karimganj. Ajmal has courted controversy in Barak before. He
previously gained headlines for wearing a lungi, an unusual piece of clothing
at the North Karimganj constituency’s foundation stone-laying ceremony.
On 27th October last year, the
politician declared that he would repeal the proposed law in Assam that
prohibits polygamy if his party were to attain power. He urged, “Those with the
ability should consider marrying two wives. I am elderly and unable to take on
two wives at this point in my life. They (Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP
government in Assam) will not stay in power forever. At some point, we will
come into power and overturn the restrictions imposed on second marriage by the
government,” while addressing the media.
A few days earlier on 20th October, he
bemoaned that Muslims rank “number 1” in terms of committing crimes like
robbery, rape, murder, eve teasing and jail time. The
businessman-politician-cleric attributed the high crime rate among Muslims to their
lack of education. “Crimes like robbery, dacoity, rape, loot we are No.1 in
all. We are also No.1 in going to jail. Our children find no time to go to
schools and colleges, but find enough time to gamble, to cheat others. For all
such wrong things, ask who’s involved. It’s Muslims and that’s sad.”
He further lamented, “People are going
to the moon and the sun, and we are doing a PhD on how to go to jail. Walk into
a police station and you would know who’s in absolute majority, Abdur Rahman,
Abdur Rahim, Abdul Majid, Badruddin, Sirajuddin and Fakruddin. Isn’t it a sad
thing,” while speaking at an event at the Dalgoma Anchalik College, a private
institution in Assam’s Goalpara district.
Source: opindia.com
https://www.opindia.com/2024/01/hijab-compulsory-for-women-hair-is-the-devils-thread-aiudf-chief-badruddin-ajmal/
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Afghan Women Treated Based on Islamic
Law: Deputy Minister
Hadia Ziaei
The deputy Minister of Vice and Virtue,
Mohammad Faqir Mohammadi, said that whatever is enforced on women in Afghanistan
is based on Islamic law.
In an interview with TOLOnews, Mohammadi
referred to the detention of women and said that the women were arrested by the
female forces of the Interior Ministry because they had not observed hijab.
He argued that the detainees were
gathered in one place and provided with advice.
“Hijab is not an order from the Islamic
Emirate nor from the Vice and Virtue Ministry, it is an order from almighty
God. One hundred percent of the people of Afghanistan want to observe Hijab. No
one denies that they don’t accept Hijab” he said.
Mohammadi said that the ministry
launched various seminars for its employees to treat the people with good
behavior.
“We have provided advice for them. We
have instructed them to treat the people in a way that you earn the hearts of
the people,” he said.
Mohammadi said that the international
sanctions on the Islamic Emirate will not bring any result and that the world
should avoid interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
“They should have good engagement with
the Islamic Emirate and not interfere in the Islamic Emirate’s internal
affairs. They cannot stop vice and virtue through these certain restrictions,”
he said.
The detention of several women in
various parts of Kabul earlier faced widespread reactions by the international
community.
Source: tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187098
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Iranian Women Inmates to Launch Hunger
Strike Against Death Penalty
JANUARY 23, 2024
In a defiant act of resistance against
the Islamic Republic’s clampdown on dissent, 61 political and ideological women
incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison are set to launch a hunger strike on
January 25.
The protest, spurred by the execution of
Mohammad Ghobalou and the plight of hundreds of convicts on death row in Iran,
aims to denounce the increased use of capital punishment by the country’s
authorities.
Jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges
Mohammadi shared the women prisoners' message on her Instagram page.
"The imprisoned women will resist
in order to keep the names of those executed alive and spare the lives of the
hundreds of individuals awaiting execution in the prisons of the Islamic
Republic. On January 20, they will express their protest through a hunger
strike." Mohammadi wrote.
The Mizan news agency, which is
affiliated with the judiciary, announced on January 23 that Ghobadlou, a man
who was handed capital punishment in 2022 for allegedly killing a police
officer during nationwide protests, had been executed.
It was the ninth execution reported by the
authorities in connection with the Woman Life Freedom movement.
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/124611-iranian-women-inmates-to-launch-hunger-strike-against-death-penalty/
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Amnesty International launches campaign
to support girls’ education in Afghanistan
Fidel Rahmati
January 24, 2024
On the occasion of World Education Day,
which falls on January 24th, Amnesty International has launched a campaign to
support girls’ education in Afghanistan.
The organization stated on Wednesday,
January 24th, that on this day, Afghan girls share their stories and express
both their heartbreak and hope, as their fundamental human right to education
continues to be violated by the Taliban.
Amnesty International has initiated an
online petition to support girls’ education and called on education advocates
and its audience worldwide to sign this petition to expand the campaign for
girls’ education protection.
World Education Day is being celebrated
while girls in Afghanistan have been forcibly deprived of their most
fundamental rights, and this deprivation continues for the second consecutive
year, affecting women and girls.
According to the United Nations report,
millions of girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of access to secondary and
higher education. This deprivation not only denies girls their right to
education but also exposes them to gender-based violence, forced and early
marriages, mental health issues, and continued vulnerability to abuse.
Madina, a seventh-grade student in 2021,
had to discontinue her education when the Taliban took over, and in early 2022,
her family decided to marry her off.
Medina told Khaama Press, “My family had
no choice. If I couldn’t continue my education, I had no purpose or place in
the family, so they had to marry me off.”
Multiple reports indicate that women
have experienced increased domestic violence after the Taliban came to power.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/amnesty-international-launches-campaign-to-support-girls-education-in-afghanistan/
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Kabul's Stance on Women's Rights
‘Unacceptable’: US State Dept
January 24, 2024
The United States has once again
expressed concern over women's rights and the human rights situation in
Afghanistan.
The deputy spokesperson for the State
Department said that the US government has made it clear to the
"Taliban" that the current situation in Afghanistan is
"unacceptable" for Washington.
“Its [Islamic Emirate's] treatment of
women and girls, its lack of human rights, basic human rights in everyday
society, continues to be something of great concern to us and something that we
have continued to make clear to the Taliban is unacceptable to us as it goes
about its own desired journey for legitimacy,” said Vedant Patel, the deputy
spokesperson for the State Department.
The Islamic Emirate has said such
concerns are baseless, and that women’s rights are respected.
“Women are enjoying the rights given to
them by Islamic Sharia. As far as the rights to education and work are
concerned, they have not been denied totally and efforts are underway for them
to be granted. This is an internal issue of Afghanistan and has nothing to do
with the US,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate.
Although the Islamic Emirate has always
denied women’s rights violations, women’s rights activists asked the caretaker
government to remove restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls.
“These concerns of the US and other
countries will not be effective until the Islamic Emirate makes a decision
about women’s rights,” Tafseer Seyaposh, a women rights activist said.
UNAMA in its January 22nd quarterly
report expressed deep concerns about Afghanistan, women's and human rights, the
expulsion of Afghan refugees, the continuation of detentions and other related
issues but the Islamic Emirate reacted to the report saying that they [the
interim government] will not compromise on implementing Sharia law in the
country.
Source: tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-187104
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/tunisian-kaouther-ben-hania-arab-oscar/d/131579