Women Not Wearing Hijab 'Trying to Look like Animals', Say Taliban Religious Police Posters
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 June 2022
• Over 100 Malayali Women, Sold To Kuwaiti Families,
Still Stuck In Kuwait, Say Police
• Stop Teaching Patriarchal, Conservative Islam, Says
Rights Group Sisters in Islam
• UAE Minister Nahyan bin Mubarak Praises Sheikha
Fatima’s Support For Emirati, Arab Women
• Visiting Pakistani Women Entrepreneurs Urged To
Avail Of Opportunities In US To Expand Their Businesses
• UN Human Rights Session Discusses Afghan Women's
Condition
• Outgoing UN Envoy Laments Taliban Curbs on Rights of
Afghan Women, Schoolgirls
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijab-animals-taliban-religious/d/127266
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Women Not Wearing Hijab 'Trying to Look like Animals',
Say Taliban Religious Police Posters
Afghanistan Hijab:
According to the posters, wearing short, tight, and transparent attire was also
against Supreme Leader and Taliban chief Akhundzada’s directive.
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Jun 17, 2022
KANDAHAR: The Taliban's religious police have put up
posters across the southern Afghan city of Kandahar saying that Muslim women
who do not wear an Islamic hijab that fully covers their bodies are
"trying to look like animals", an official confirmed on Thursday.
Since seizing power in August, the Taliban have
imposed harsh restrictions on Afghan women, rolling back the marginal gains
they made during the two decades since the US invaded the country and ousted
the group's previous regime.
In May, the country's supreme leader and Taliban chief
Hibatullah Akhundzada approved a decree saying women should generally stay at
home.
They were ordered to cover themselves completely,
including their faces, should they need to go out in public.
This week, the Taliban's feared Ministry for Promotion
of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which enforces the group's strict interpretation
of Islam, put up posters across Kandahar city showing images of burqas, a type
of garment that covers a woman's body from head to toe.
"Muslim women who do not wear the hijab are
trying to look like animals", say the posters, which have been slapped on
many cafes and shops as well as on advertising hoardings across Kandahar -- the
de facto power centre of the Taliban.
Wearing short, tight and transparent clothes was also
against Akhundzada's decree, the posters say.
The ministry's spokesman in the capital Kabul was not
reachable for comment, but a top local official confirmed that the posters were
put up.
"We have put up these posters and those women
whose faces are not covered (in public) we will inform their families and take
steps according to the decree," Abdul Rahman Tayebi, head of the ministry
in Kandahar, told AFP.
Akhundzada's decree orders authorities to warn and
even suspend from government jobs male relatives of women who do not comply.
Outside of Kabul, the burqa, the wearing of which was
mandatory for women under the Taliban's first stint in power, is common.
On Wednesday, United Nations rights chief Michelle
Bachelet slammed the hardline Islamist government for its
"institutionalised systematic oppression" of women.
"Their situation is critical," she said.
After returning to power, the Taliban had promised a
softer version of their previous harsh system of governance, enforced from 1996
to 2001.
But since August, many restrictions have been imposed
on women.
Tens of thousands of girls have been shut out of
secondary schools, while women have been barred from returning to many
government jobs.
Women have also been banned from travelling alone and
can only visit public parks in the capital on days when men are not allowed
Source: Times Of India
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Over 100 Malayali Women, Sold To Kuwaiti Families,
Still Stuck In Kuwait, Say Police
For representational
purpose only. (Express Illustration)
----
17th June 2022
By Ajay Kanth
KOCHI: Probing the trafficking of three Malayali
women, who were rescued after being sold to Kuwaiti families, the state special
branch (SSB) has found that over 100 women are still trapped in the houses of
Arab families in the Gulf country. The investigators have learnt that the
racket recruited the women between December 2021 and February 2022 after
pasting posters across Kerala inviting applications for jobs as baby sitters
and hospital staff in Kuwait.
While there are no specific details about the women
who have fallen prey to the false offers, the police have managed to identify
two more women – one from Kollam and the other from Ernakulam — who escaped
from the racket in Kuwait and returned home following the intervention of a
Malayali organisation there. The two women told TNIE that the human-trafficking
racket seized their passports when they reached Kuwait.
“Only after reaching there did we realise that they
had taken us to work as domestic maids for Arab families,” said one among them.
“When we objected, the racketeers threatened to put us in jail by foisting fake
cases. We were scared and didn’t know what to do in a strange place. We saw
many other women who were brought to Kuwait in a similar fashion. A few were
even seen arguing with the racketeers.”
She said the Arab family for whom she worked agreed to
relieve her from the job when she threatened to kill herself at their house.
“But the racket wanted me to work in another place.
They sent me back home only when a Malayali organisation intervened after my
husband contacted them,” she said. The other woman said she was taken to Kuwait
via Dubai on February 5 but she protested and managed to return on March
4.“Life there was hell. I protested vehemently. Many like me are still trapped
there,” she said. The husband of another woman who escaped after he sought the
help of a Malayali organisation in Kuwait, said he has received many calls from
other women seeking help. Advocate Nishin George, who submitted complaints to
various agencies about the racket on behalf of him, said many women are unable
to share their locations.
Source: New Indian Express
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Stop Teaching Patriarchal, Conservative Islam, Says
Rights Group Sisters in Islam
Danial Azhar
June 16, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS)
urged Islamic schools to stop teaching patriarchal and conservative religious
values.
SIS outreach and empowerment programme officer Nurhuda
Ramli said the country must find the courage to have an open dialogue on Islam
to instil and popularise more progressive values.
“We must talk about Islamisation and where it has
brought our society because Islamisation projects have amplified the narrative
of patriarchal values and religious ideas and dogmas.
“However, we cannot expect change if we are not
preaching the right teachings of Islam that are based on values, rights,
justice and equality and not based on power,” she said at the launch of SIS and
Merdeka Center’s survey on Malaysian Muslim youth.
Citing the survey, Nurhuda said among the 1,216
respondents, 43% somewhat agreed that men made better political leaders than
women.
This, she said, suggested that the “pervasive idea”
that leadership was exclusive to men continued to be taught, which contradicted
the teachings of the Quran.
Commenting further, she said 44% of respondents
strongly agreed that a woman should not work if her husband told her not to,
adding that society had yet to debunk the narrative of an obedient wife.
“Pious women are misinterpreted as obedient women when
in truth, piety should not be tied to obedience.”
She said 60% of the survey’s respondents believed that
it was a choice for Muslim women to wear a headscarf but when asked through
further questions, 72% said it was compulsory.
Nurhuda questioned this, saying it was a contradiction
as it could not be both a choice and compulsory.
“Muslim youth have been taught that wearing a
headscarf is obligatory,” she said. “This is the prevalent narrative with no
diverse opinions being taught.”
Nurhuda added that the prevalence of religious conservatism
and patriarchal values had made it challenging for Muslim women in society.
She said public literacy on progressive Islamic values
was essential to allow the country to develop further and for women to be
granted better opportunities in life and their careers.
The Malaysian Muslim youth survey was conducted by SIS
and Merdeka Center between late October 2021 and January 2022, involving 1,216
Muslim youths nationwide aged 15 to 25. It seeks to determine the wellbeing,
education, economic condition and socio-political involvement of youths.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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UAE Minister Nahyan bin Mubarak Praises Sheikha
Fatima’s Support For Emirati, Arab Women
16-06-2022
DUBAI, 16th June, 2022 (WAM) -- Sheikh Nahyan bin
Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, said the UAE is proud
of the achievements of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the
General Women's Union (GWU), Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood
and Childhood, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF),
and Honorary Chairperson of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), including her
support to Emirati and Arab women.
The Emirati people believe in giving and tolerance and
the country’s leadership is exerting all possible efforts to ensure the role of
women in the process of development, he added, noting that President His
Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan always said that women’s progress
is key to the future of the nation.
Sheikh Nahyan made this statement during the
"Sustainable Development Forum" of the Arab Women’s Council held in
Dubai.
The forum is in line with the vision of the Mother of
the UAE aimed at empowering women and supporting their engagement in economic,
social and cultural areas, he said. The forum’s agenda is linked to several key
issues, most notably the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which cover the
needs of the entire community, empower women and ensure their role in the development
process.
Sheikh Nahyan also stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic
highlighted the importance of innovation and further learning to shape
communities capable of working together to address challenges.
Dr. Mohammed Issa Al Adwan, Ambassador for Arab
Cooperation Affairs at the Arab Council for Social Responsibility, highlighted
the key role of knowledge in serving strategic planning and achieving
sustainable human development, women’s empowerment and the integration of
people of determination, as well as the major role of social responsibility in
supporting and helping Arab governments pursue excellence, leadership and
services development.
After the event’s inauguration, Sheikh Nahyan honoured
several participating figures with the Arab Women Council's Golden Shield of
Excellence, followed by an academic forum chaired by Al Adwan, during which Dr.
Faraj Al Ajami, Head of the Organisations Administration of the Arab League,
presented a key working paper.
Source: WAM
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395303058144
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Visiting Pakistani women entrepreneurs urged to avail
of opportunities in US to expand their businesses
JUNE 16, 2022
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United
States, Masood Khan, has told visiting Pakistani women entrepreneurs to take
advantage of the opportunities to expand their businesses
through US development promotion entities as well as
International Financial Institutes (IFIs).
The entrepreneurs, numbering seven, are visiting the
United States as part of “Accelerator Programme for Women Entrepreneurs”,
sponsored by the US State Department, from May 10 to June 30.
The Ambassador, who hosted them on Wednesday, said
that such exchanges are vital in terms of providing networking opportunities
and outreach to new markets. “I am particularly impressed by the role our
women-led enterprises are playing.”
As women empowerment is a priority for Pakistan, he
said, their exposure to the US tech market would broaden their horizons and provide
them with a fresh stimulus for expanding their businesses.
The Ambassador said that such visits not only help
projecting Pakistan’s soft image globally, but also contribute to an already
thriving startup ecosystem in Pakistan.
Masood Khan informed them that many opportunities were
opening up for Pakistan’s private sector. “Microfinance for women empowerment
and female-led enterprises project is available. Pakistani women entrepreneurs
should avail themselves of these opportunities,” he said.
The visiting women entrepreneurs are leading diverse
startups. “My food takeaway venture aims at empowering the deaf youth by
creating enterprise and employment opportunities for them in one of the largest
industries (Hospitality) in Pakistan,” Ms Ayesha Raza explained while
introducing her startup.
Further, they shared their experiences and said that
they had the opportunity to attend major conferences, visited local US-based
incubators and offices of major companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook,
Twitter and PayPal.
They said they were provided with multiple networking
opportunities throughout the eight-week period and pitched their ideas to
selected US-based investors present on the east and the west coasts.
During their visit, they also called on US Special
Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs, Dilawar Syed, a
Pakistani-American businessman and entrepreneur.
The seven-member team travelled to San Francisco
(Silicon Valley), Austin, Seattle, Washington DC, New York and Boston. The
programme was aimed at providing training, networking opportunities and access
to global investors and venture capitalists.
Source: Daily Times Pakistan
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UN Human Rights Session Discusses Afghan Women's
Condition
17 June, 2022
Participants at the UN Human Rights session expressed
concerns over the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly the
women's condition.
The 15th regular session of the UN was held on June 13
and will last until July 8.
On day three of the session, the participants
discussed the situation of women around the globe, and voiced “deep” concerns
about Afghan women’s status.
Talking to the panel, UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres said that the “Taliban’s Government of men has resulted in nearly 20
million women and girls being silenced and erased from sight, as well as
deteriorating situations” in Afghanistan.
According to a UN press release, Guterres said that
the UN is unequivocal about the fundamental rights of women and girls. “That is
why we need full gender parity,” he stressed — including through quotas to
accelerate the inclusion of women across election monitoring, security sector
reform, disarmament, demobilization and justice systems.
Stella Ronner-Grubačić, Ambassador for Gender and
Diversity of the European Union, told the panel that the EU launch of the
Afghan Women Leaders Forum in March is providing a platform for Afghan women
from diverse backgrounds to contribute to the political dialogue of the
European Union and the wider international community on the future of that
country.
“In Afghanistan, since the Taliban’s violent takeover
in August 2021, women have been systematically erased from public life; in
Sudan, Myanmar and Mali, violence has threatened the lives and work of women
peacebuilders,” said Olta Xhaçka, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania as
cited in the press release.
The US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield,
said that “the Taliban has constrained, and in many areas, eliminated, women’s
participation in political, economic and social spaces” in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid,
denied there were violations of human rights in Afghanistan, saying that the
rights of Afghans have been ensured now better than before.
Meanwhile, the Indian ambassador to the UN, T.S.
Tirumurti, called for women’s meaningful participation in the governance of
Afghanistan and expressed particular concern about the discriminatory inferior
status being accorded to women there, which has, inter alia, adversely impacted
the education of Afghan girls.
Source: Tolo News
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-178502
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Outgoing UN Envoy Laments Taliban Curbs on Rights of
Afghan Women, Schoolgirls
June 16, 2022
ISLAMABAD —
The United Nations envoy for Afghanistan in her
farewell message Thursday expressed sorrow over the Islamist Taliban’s “extreme
policies” curtailing women’s rights, press freedoms and inclusive political
representation.
“I could not have imagined, when I accepted this job,
the Afghanistan that I am now leaving,” said Deborah Lyons, the head of the
U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The outgoing UNAMA chief arrived in the Afghan
capital, Kabul, two years ago, starting her stint when the now-defunct
Western-backed government was running the country and struggling to contain the
deadly Taliban insurgency.
“My heart breaks in particular for the millions of
Afghan girls who are denied their right to education, and the many Afghan women
full of talent who are being told to stay at home instead of using those
talents to rebuild a society that now experiences far less conflict but in some
ways as much fear as before,” she lamented.
The Taliban seized control of war-ravaged Afghanistan
last August and installed an all-male interim administration following the end
of almost 20 years of U.S.-led foreign military intervention in the South Asian
country.
The Islamist group has suspended secondary education
for most teenage girls and prevented female staff in certain government
departments from returning to their duties.
The Ministry for Vice and Virtue, tasked with
interpreting and enforcing the Taliban’s version of Islam, has ordered women to
cover up fully, including their faces, in public, and it has strongly advised
them not to leave their homes “to wander around aimlessly,” barring them from
traveling beyond 70 kilometers unless accompanied by a male relative.
“It is that much more painful as a woman to leave my
Afghan sisters in the condition they are in,” Lyons said. "It is an irony
that now that there is space for everyone to help rebuild the country, half of
the population is confined and prevented from doing so.”
The Taliban had excluded women from public life and
girls from receiving an education when they previously ruled the country from
1996 to 2001. Only three countries, including neighboring Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had recognized the Taliban government at
the time.
Lyons cautioned the fundamentalist group that a
"system that excludes women, minorities and talented people will not
endure.” She advocated for the international community to remain engaged with
what she referred to as Afghanistan’s de facto authorities.
The U.N. envoy pledged, however, that the world body
will not abandon millions of Afghans in need of urgent assistance in the wake
of years of war and persistent drought in the country.
No country has yet granted the new Taliban government
diplomatic recognition because of its harsh treatment of women and
terrorism-related concerns.
An already bad humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has
worsened since the return to power of the Taliban in the wake of international
financial sanctions on many senior leaders of the ruling group, pushing the
national economy to the brink of collapse.
The United Nations estimates that more than half of
Afghanistan’s 40 million people are suffering from acute hunger and urgently
need humanitarian aid. Some 1.1 million Afghan children are suffering from
malnutrition.
The Taliban have rejected repeated international calls
for reversing their women-related edicts, insisting they are in line with
Afghan culture and Islamic tradition. They also defend their administration as
fully representative of all Afghans.
Source: VOA News
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijab-animals-taliban-religious/d/127266