Activist Exposes “Inhumane” Rectal, Vaginal Searches in Iran Jails
New Age
Islam News Bureau
03
June 2023
• Activist Exposes “Inhumane” Rectal,
Vaginal Searches in Iran Jails
• Kashmir's Trailblazer All-Women's
Sufiyana Group Is Making Waves
• PTI Female Workers, Including Khadija
Shah, Aliya Hamza, Sanam Javed Khan and Tayyaba Raja, Deny Mistreatment in Jail
• Saudi Speech-Language Pathologist
Marya Al-SunbulColours Her World with Crochet
• ‘Women in Tech’ Competition Brings Saudi
Female Entrepreneurs to The Fore
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/activists-inhumane-iran-jail/d/129917
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Activist Exposes “Inhumane” Rectal,
Vaginal Searches in Iran Jails
Photo:
IranWire
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JUNE 2, 2023
Numerous reports continue to emerge of
women being subjected to horrid treatment in Iran's detention centres,
including acts of torture, sexual abuse and humiliation.
A children’s rights activist in the
north-western city of Tabriz told IranWire that many detained women have been
compelled to expose their naked bodies in front of cameras, without knowing the
purpose of these videos and who would have access to the recordings.
Interrogators have also subjected women
inmates to invasive physical contact, including rectal and vaginal
examinations, to make sure the prisoners did not conceal anything, said Nargis,
which is a pseudonym to protect her identity.
Nargis, who was detained during
nationwide protests last year, is herself a victim of such invasive and
humiliating body searches. She said that the authorities are subjecting women
inmates to such “unlawful" and “inhumane” treatment to “mentally break”
them.
Nargis said she had been subjected to a
total of eight strip-downs and body searches before her transfers between the
detention center and the intelligence departments.
"Every morning throughout my
interrogation, when they transported me from the detention center to the intelligence
department and back, I underwent the same kind of physical search. In the final
two days, when I was taken to prison, I underwent two more physical
searches."
"They meticulously searched our
clothes and inspected our bras and panties. They emptied the pockets of our
pants and other garments, and if we were wearing a belt, they would examine it
too."
Narges said the three-year-old daughter
of one of the agents attended at least one of the strip-searches.
"I protested, refusing to undress
in front of the child, and [the mother] instructed me to step aside. Some
women, arrested on drug-related charges, were also subjected to inspections
before me.”
Narges said that some strip-downs were
filmed: "I was transferred from one intelligence department to another.
The intelligence office had a small space devoid of cameras where we were
instructed to undress. Once fully naked, we were expected to sit down and
perform specific movements to ensure that if we had concealed anything, it
would be expelled. I vehemently protested against this degrading
practice."
Narges said that such physical
inspections are in contravention of Article 53 of the code regulating the
Prisons Organization.
The activist said this article requires
such inspections to take place in a designated room and that, when possible,
electronic devices should be used for body searches.
"The regulation explicitly forbids
body inspections without clothing or intimate examinations…Yet, these
violations persist. I was searched without the use of electronic devices since
they are not available there."
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/117153-activist-exposes-inhumane-rectal-vaginal-searches-in-iran-jails/
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Kashmir's Trailblazer All-Women's
Sufiyana Group Is Making Waves
Irfana with
other group members (Courtesy: Kashmir Wallah)
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03-06-23
At a time when popular music seems to be
getting better of the traditional genre like Sufiyana, some young Kashmiri
girls have formed a musical group to make inroads into this male-dominated
field.
Their task is not so easy, as Kashmir’s
traditional Sufiyana music which is part of its age-old Sufi culture propounded
by mystics and divine seekers has always been dominated by men.
Five years ago, Irfana, a young girl in
Gunistan, a remote village in North Kashmir's Bandipora district, founded the
group and asked her father to teach her the art of Sufi music.
Her father is a Santoor player and he
offered to teach the music to Irfana at their home.
As Irfana and her younger sisters
started singing Sufi Kalam (poetry) with traditional tunes at her house, the
girls in her neighbourhood also took an interest. Two more girls joined her
father’s class.
Five of them together named their
association Sufiyana Group and offered to hold concerts at social functions.
All the members of Sufiyana Group are
from normal families with not enough incomes. As offers for singing started
pouring in they used the money made in some of these programs to buy the
musical instruments.
So far neither the government nor any
major NGO has helped them and the girls are managing on their own.
Irfana, who heads the group, is
currently studying in the Department of Music at the University of Kashmir. She
told Awaz-the Voice that she got interested in music after realizing that
Sufiyana music was close to extinction.
Irfana said "Although we faced a
lot of difficulties in starting this initiative. That is beside the financial
difficulties. There was a lot of hate spread against us on social media from
some quarters, but overall our initiative was appreciated and many people
showered us with a lot of love and affection."
All the girls in the Sufiana group are
being trained by Irfana's father Muhammad Yusuf. He exposed the girls to
various aspects of Sufi music and made them aware of its rules and regulations.
Muhammad Yusuf told Awaz-The Voice.
"Sufi poetry and music are the real identity of Kashmir. This tradition
has been carried forward by the saints and elders here, which we must preserve
forever - my heart breaks when I see this art slowly dying and this. No
concrete steps are being taken for its survival.”
"He believes that the efforts of
his daughters and other girls in the Sufiyana group will surely bear fruit one
day. “ He feels the support of the government and non-governmental
organizations working on art and music is also important for taking the Sufi
Group forward.
“Government institutions should provide
support to them,” he says.
The Sufiana group has also performed
outside Kashmir, where people have appreciated their music. The girls feel
encouraged as the Group has received several awards.
Rehana, another member of the Sufiyana
group also seeks support from the State and NGOs to support groups like theirs
and help in the preservation of a dying art form.
Speaking to Awaz-The Voice, Irfana said
that it was the love for Sufi music that brought the five of them together. Now
we are working for the revival and preservation of Sufi music.”
Gunistan, a backward village of North
Kashmir, resonated with the sound of
Sufi music gatherings from a half-built mud house.
Today these girls have taken the sound
of music from their humble village to all the corners of Kashmir and outside as
well. National and international media including BBC and Voice of America also
reached this village and broadcast programs on this effort of the Sufiyana
group.
Source: awazthevoice.in
https://www.awazthevoice.in/india-news/kashmir-s-trailblazer-all-women-s-sufiyana-group-is-making-waves-21835.html
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PTI Female Workers, Including Khadija
Shah, Aliya Hamza, Sanam Javed Khan andTayyaba Raja, Deny Mistreatment in Jail
June 03, 2023
LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
female workers including Khadija Shah, Aliya Hamza, Sanam Javed Khan and
Tayyaba Raja Friday denied torture or any rape attempt in jail.
However, they said that putting them in
jail was wrong at first place, as they were not involved in any kind of
vandalism. Aliya Hamza, Sanam Javed and Tayyaba, along with others, were
presented before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) over their alleged involvement
in the May-9 riots.
They said they were protesting peacefully
and they did not indulge in any kind of violence.
“Keeping us in jail without any evidence
is injustice,” they added. During the hearing, the investigation officer sought
time to submit report about identification parade of the female workers, which
was granted by the court. The court extended judicial remand of the accused for
one day.
Source: thenews.com.pk
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1076467-pti-female-workers-deny-mistreatment-in-jail
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Saudi Speech-Language Pathologist Marya
Al-SunbulColors Her World with Crochet
June 02, 2023
RIYADH: A Saudi speech-language
pathologist with a passion for the arts has made a name for herself creating
dolls for children with special hearing needs.
Marya Al-Sunbul’s interest in art began
at a young age when she started drawing and painting as a hobby but initially
her career path took a different route.
She said: “I did not get encouragement
... because it was during a time when most artists either became art teachers
or had trouble finding a job.
“So, I decided to take the medical route
and studied to become a speech-language pathologist and completely stopped
drawing and painting.”
Al-Sunbul had a moment of epiphany five
years ago when her father passed away. She described it as being “in a state of
shock,” and she asked herself, “why wait? Why don’t I go back to doing what I
adore and fulfil my dreams?”
She returned to painting and joined a
workshop with Saudi artist Zaman Jassim, but it was no longer the same for her.
“I felt as if painting wasn’t my passion,” she added.
Her admiration for handmade crafts and
love of “color and creating things by hand” sparked her interest in learning
how to crochet.
She said: “After scrolling through a
website with the most beautiful, crocheted shawls decorated with flowers and
bursting with color, I decided not to purchase anything, but instead create
them myself.”
The world of crocheting became an “ocean
of lessons” for her.
“Every time I learned something new,
before I could even finish learning it, I was anticipating the next thing,”
Al-Sunbul added.
At the peak of her fascination with
crochet she was learning six or seven techniques at a time.
“It took me to another dimension and all
the colors were so joyful. Whenever I looked at crochet shawls, I would be
amazed.”
She discovered amigurumi, a Japanese
method of crocheting that is used to create stuffed dolls and animals.
Al-Sunbul said: “Amigurumi is a more
complex method than crocheting a shawl because it requires a lot more tugging
and calls for a particular type of yarn.
“My hands hurt for an entire week due to
the intricate work, stitching, and manual strength needed, but I really enjoy
making them.”
She also took an online course to
improve her skills and to learn how to make specific styles of amigurumi with
detail that gives the impression the dolls are drawn.
In her work as a speech pathologist,
Al-Sunbul often makes dolls for her young patients.
“My focus is on children’s hearing
rehabilitation using cochlear implants, so I made a doll that is wearing a
cochlear implant to represent a child with hearing impairment. It made me
really happy to have done that,” she added.
Al-Sunbul makes custom-made dolls for
customers throughout the Kingdom, along with pieces using macrame, a type of
crocheting technique that involves knotting instead of weaving.
She is currently working on expanding
her collection of crocheted items and dolls for a future exhibition.
“Creating handcrafted art made me calmer
and more focused. It offers a great sense of relaxation and I absolutely adore
that,” she said.
For more information on her work visit
Instagram at @crochetmarya20.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2314861/saudi-arabia
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‘Women in Tech’ competition brings Saudi
female entrepreneurs to the fore
June 03, 2023
CAIRO: Going by the success of the
“Women in Tech” competition, it is evident that female-led startups are set to
revolutionize Saudi Arabia’s technology sector.
The competition that was recently held
in Riyadh saw entrepreneurs undergo an eight-week incubator program, showcasing
innovative ideas in various sectors, including fintech, health tech, property
tech and edutainment.
In collaboration between global banking
group Standard Chartered and Saudi-based investment firm Falak Investment Hub,
the program hosted eight startups with the top three being awarded a total of
$50,000 in equity-free grants.
Sahm, a stock trading app, claimed first
place and received $25,000. Nqoodlet, a fintech company, bagged second position
with a prize of $15,000, and Chefaa, a health-tech platform, secured third
place and received $10,000.
Speaking with Arab News, Jawaher
Al-Yahya, the CEO of Sahm, said that the company will continue to optimize and
refine its product to achieve the right market fit.
She further added that women faced
difficulty in gaining experience in leadership positions in addition to a lack
of funding and resources.
Sahm will utilize its funding to invest in
marketing initiatives to increase brand awareness as well as enhance product
capabilities, Al-Yahya reiterated.
Replying to a question regarding hurdles
women in the technology sector are faced with, CEO of Falak Investment Hub Adwa
Al-Dakheel attributed the pursuit of perfection as the major barrier for women
entering the tech scene.
“Seeking perfection in innovation and
startups means not launching in the right market timing and waiting for extreme
validation instead of building upon continuous yet smaller validations,”
Al-Dakheel told Arab News.
DoaaAref, CEO of Chefaa, and Mai
Abdulwahab, founder of Nqoodlet, both said that lack of funding is the main
barrier for women in tech globally.
Awards were distributed during a special
event, under the patronage of the Small and Medium Enterprises General
Authority, known as Monsha’at, in the presence of its Deputy Gov. Saud
Al-Sabhan.
Al-Sabhan delivered a speech during the
event about the importance of women entrepreneurs stating that Monsha’at
contributed to increasing the number of female-led enterprises to more than
467,000.
“The most significant shift in our
landscape in the Kingdom will be the change in sentiment, investment appetite
and innovation. Top founders will move to Saudi Arabia to grow and start their
businesses here, and the world’s biggest investors will follow,” Al-Dakheel
said.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2314971/business-economy
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/activists-inhumane-iran-jail/d/129917