Aafia Siddiqui: Pakistani Prisoner in the United States At Centre Of Texas Siege
New
Age Islam News Bureau
17
January 2022
• Taliban
Pledge To Allow All Afghan Girls To Return To School After March 21, the Afghan
New Year
• Taliban
Fighters Pepper Spray Women Protesters Calling For Rights
• Saudi
Female Billiards Team Prepares For International Tournament In Egypt
• Kabul
Protest Calls Attention To Recent Killing Of Two Hazara Women
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/aafia-siddiqui-united-states-texas-siege/d/126176
URL:
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Aafia
Siddiqui: Pakistani Prisoner in the United States At Centre Of Texas Siege
File
photo of Aafia Siddiqui. (Facebook/Free Aafia Siddiqui)
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Jan
16, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani prisoner in the United States whose release was
reportedly demanded by a Texas hostage-taker this weekend, is serving an
86-year sentence for the attempted murder of American soldiers.
Four
people were freed unharmed on Sunday following a more than 10-hour standoff at
a synagogue in the US state. Their suspected captor was killed.
Media,
quoting a US official briefed on the matter, reported that the man was calling
for the release of 49-year-old Siddiqui.
Her
lawyer said in a statement to CNN that she had "absolutely no
involvement" in the hostage situation, and condemned the man's actions.
A
US-educated Pakistani scientist, she was jailed in 2010 for attacking American
soldiers in Afghanistan.
She
was the first woman to be suspected of Al-Qaida links by the US, but never
convicted of it.
At 18
years old Siddiqui travelled to the US, where her brother lived, to study at
Boston's prestigious MIT, later earning a PhD in neuroscience at Brandeis
University.
But
after the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001, she came up on the FBI's radar for
donations to Islamic organisations and was linked to the purchase of $10,000
worth of night-vision goggles and books on warfare.
The
US suspected she joined al-Qaida from America, returning to Pakistan where she
married into the family of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- an architect of the 9/11
attacks.
She
disappeared in around 2003, along with her three children, in Karachi.
Five
years later she turned up in Pakistan's war-torn neighbour Afghanistan, where
she was arrested by local forces in the restive south-eastern province of
Ghazni.
During
her interrogation by US forces, she grabbed a rifle and opened fire, while
screaming "Death to America" and "I want to kill
Americans".
The
soldiers escaped unhurt, but she was injured.
Her
imprisonment sparked outrage in her home country and her supporters claim she
was the victim of a secret Pakistan-US plot.
After
she was sentenced, al-Qaida's then number two called on Muslims to
"avenge" the decision.
Her
release has previously been at the centre of militants' demands, including
during two hostage crises in Pakistan as well as the capture of James Foley, an
American journalist who was beheaded by the Islamic State in 2014.
Michael
Kugelman, a South Asia analyst, tweeted: "Siddiqui isn't well known in the
US, but in Pakistan she's a big name -- many view her as an innocent
victim."
In a
previous article, he described her as a cause celebre among Islamist militants,
and said she was viewed as a "powerful symbol of how poorly Americans
treat innocent Muslims in the global campaign against terror".
The
issue has remained a matter of long-running tension between Pakistan and the
US.
During
his election campaign, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, an open critic of US
action linked to the war on terror, vowed to get her released. He offered to
free Shakeel Afridi, who is languishing in Pakistani jail over his role in
helping Americans trace al-Qaida founder Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.
Source:
Times Of India
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Taliban
Pledge To Allow All Afghan Girls To Return To School After March 21, the Afghan
New Year
Since
taking power, the Taliban has only allowed girls of primary age to attend
school (Photo: AFP)
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January
16, 2022
Afghanistan's
new Taliban rulers say they hope to be able to open all schools for girls
across the country after late March, their spokesman told The Associated Press
on Saturday, offering the first timeline for addressing a key demand of the
international community.
Since
the Taliban takeover in mid-August, girls in most of Afghanistan have not been
allowed back to school beyond grade 7. The international community, reluctant
to formally recognise a Taliban-run administration, is wary they could impose
similar harsh measures as during their previous rule 20 years ago. At the time,
women were banned from education, work and public life.
Zabihullah
Mujahid, who is also the Taliban's deputy minister of culture and information,
said their education departments are looking to open classrooms for all girls
and women following the Afghan New Year, which starts on March 21. Afghanistan,
like neighbouring Iran, observes the Islamic solar Hijri Shamsi calendar.
Education
for girls and women “is a question of capacity,” Mujahid said in the interview.
Girls
and boys must be completely segregated in schools, he said, adding that the
biggest obstacle so far has been finding or building enough dorms, or hostels,
where girls could stay while going to school. In heavily populated areas, it is
not enough to have separate classrooms for boys and girls — separate school
buildings are needed, he said.
“We
are not against education,” Mujahid stressed, speaking at a Kabul office
building with marble floors that once housed Afghan attorney general's offices
and which the Taliban have adopted for their culture and information ministry.
The
Taliban dictates so far have been erratic, varying from province to province.
Girls have not been allowed back to classrooms in state-run schools beyond
grade 7, except in about 10 of the country's 34 provinces. In the capital,
Kabul, private universities and high schools have continued to operate
uninterrupted. Most are small and the classes have always been segregated.
“We
are trying to solve these problems by the coming year,” so that schools and
universities can open, Mujahid said.
The
international community has been skeptical of Taliban announcements, saying it
will judge them by their actions — even as it scrambles to provide billions of
dollars to avert a humanitarian catastrophe that the UN chief this week warned
could endanger the lives of millions.
With
a breakdown of services and only sporadic electricity in the bitterly cold
Afghan winters, most people rely on firewood and coal for heat. Among the
hardest hit are some 3 million Afghans who live as refugees within their own
country, having fled their homes because of war, drought, poverty or fear of
the Taliban.
Earlier
this month, the United Nations launched a $5 billion appeal for Afghanistan,
the single largest appeal for one country.
Washington
has spent $145 billion on reconstruction and development projects in
Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime. Yet
even before the Taliban recaptured the country, the poverty rate was 54 per
cent —and a 2018 Gallup poll revealed unprecedented misery among Afghans.
Mujahid
appealed for economic cooperation, trade and “stronger diplomatic relations.”
So far, neither Afghanistan's neighbours nor the United Nations seem ready to
grant formal recognition which would help open up the Afghan economy. However,
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for greater economic
development, saying it's critical to rapidly inject liquidity into the Afghan
economy “and avoid a meltdown that would lead to poverty, hunger and
destitution for millions.”
The
international community has called for a more representative government that
includes women as well as ethnic and religious minorities. While all members of
the new Taliban Cabinet are men and most are Taliban members, Mujahid said
there are exceptions, such as the deputy finance minister and officials in the
economics ministry who are holdovers from the previous, US-backed
administration.
Mujahid
also said 80 per cent of civil servants who have returned to work were
employees under the previous administration. Women are working in the health
and education sector and at Kabul International Airport in customs and passport
control, he added. He did not say if or when women would be allowed to return
to work in government ministries.
He
also told the AP that most of the new government's revenue will come from
customs that the Taliban will collect at border crossings with Iran, Pakistan
and the Central Asian nations to the north. Without offering figures, he
claimed the Taliban have brought in more revenue in their first four months in
power than the previous government in over a year.
He
appealed to Afghans who have fled to return to their homeland. Since the
takeover, there have been cases of opponents arrested, journalists beaten,
rights workers threatened and demonstrations by women dispersed by heavily
armed Taliban troops firing in the air.
Mujahid
acknowledged incidents of Taliban members harassing Afghan civilians, including
humiliating young men and forcibly cutting their hair.
“Such
crimes happen, but it is not the policy of our government," he said,
adding that those responsible were arrested.
“This
is our message. We have no dispute with anyone and we don't want anyone to
remain in opposition or away from their country.”
Source:
India Today
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Taliban
fighters pepper spray women protesters calling for rights
January
17, 2022
KABUL:
Taliban forces on Sunday fired pepper spray at a group of women protesters in
Afghanistan’s capital demanding rights to work and education, three
demonstrators told AFP.
Since
seizing control of the country by force in August, the Taliban authorities have
imposed creeping restrictions on Afghans, especially on women.
Around
20 women gathered in front of Kabul University, chanting “equality and justice”
and carried banners that read “Women’s rights, human rights,” an AFP
correspondent reported.
The
protest however was later dispersed by the Taliban fighters who arrived at the
scene in several vehicles, three women protesters told AFP.
“When
we were near Kabul University three Taliban vehicles came, and fighters from one
of the vehicles used pepper spray on us,” said a protester, who asked not to be
named for security reasons.
“My
right eye started to burn. I told one of them ‘shame on you’, and then he
pointed his gun at me.”
Two
other protesters said that one of the women had to be taken to hospital after
the spray caused an allergic reaction to her eyes and face.
An
AFP correspondent saw a fighter confiscate a mobile phone of a man who was
filming the demonstration.
The
hard-line Taliban group have banned unsanctioned protests and frequently
intervened to forcefully break up rallies demanding rights for women.
The
Taliban authorities have blocked women public sector employees from returning
to work, many secondary schools have still not reopened for girls, and public
universities are shut.
Long
distance trips for women who are not accompanied by a close male relative have
been banned.
The
authorities have also issued guidelines that prevent television channels from
broadcasting serials featuring women actors.
Meanwhile,
many women are living in hiding, fearful of a regime notorious for human rights
abuses during their first stint in power between 1996-2001, before being ousted
by a US-led invasion.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2005736/world
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Saudi
female billiards team prepares for international tournament in Egypt
January
03, 2022
RIYADH
— The Saudi women’s team for billiards and snooker has started their
preparations to participate in their first international tournament.
The
team members are engaged in intensive practicing at their indoor training
camps, which are being held in Riyadh and Dammam. Those who performed well in
the camp will be selected to represent the Kingdom in the international
friendly tournament, scheduled to be held in Egypt in the end of January.
Several
training sessions and technical workshops are being held as part of the camps,
which are directly monitored by Dr. Nasser Al-Shammari, chairman of the Board
of Directors of the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation, and under the
supervision of the first billiard team coach Mansour Al-Khanfari.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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Kabul
protest calls attention to recent killing of two Hazara women
Jan
17, 2022
KABUL:
The Kabul protest organised by Afghan women on Sunday called attention to the
recent killing of two Hazara women.
"(The
protest is) for the Sake of Zainab Abdulahi and Zainab Ahmadi, those who were
killed in the night without committing any crime," said a protestor,
reported Tolo News.
"While
I am alive and have one drop of blood in my body, we will stand, we will fight.
The bullet that hit the Hazara Girl's chest- hit my chest as well,"
another protestor said.
The
Hazara minority in Afghanistan are regularly subjected to targeted killings,
violence, and discrimination based on their religious and ethnic identity.
The
targeted attacks have increased exponentially and the Hazara minority has been
subject to daily violence by the Taliban.
Soon
after the Taliban seized much of Afghanistan in a matter of days, the group
destroyed and blew up slain Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari's statue in Bamiyan,
a grim reminder of the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas during its previous
tenure.
The
demonstration was launched in the Debori area of Kabul and ended in the
vicinity of Kabul University, reported Tolo News.
The
protestors expressed anger over the murder of two women in Kabul city. They
also said that two women were "shot dead by the Islamic Emirate
forces."
Protestors
also said that three high-profile women have been taken into custody by the
Islamic Emirate. According to the protestors, three women were taken into
detention during a demonstration in the northern province of Balkh. The three women
are yet to be released, the protestors said, reported Tolo News.
The
protestors expressed alarm over spiking food prices amid high unemployment in
the country and called on the international community to help Afghanistan.
"We
want to raise our voices so that our voices could be heard by the international
community, which is against injustice and oppression," said a protestor.
Earlier,
a family claimed that Zainab, a young girl, was shot dead at a security
checkpoint while she was on her way home from a wedding party along with other
relatives.
The
Islamic Emirate has repeatedly said that it is committed to ensuring women's
rights based on Islamic and Afghan traditional values.
Following
the Taliban's power grab in Kabul, Afghan women have repeatedly protested in a
number of cities in the country, asking that their rights be respected and for
representation in the government and local authorities.
Source:
Times Of India
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/aafia-siddiqui-united-states-texas-siege/d/126176