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'The Kerala Story’ Actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee Called Her Husband a ‘True Indian Muslim’ and Her Marriage a Love Jihad

New Age Islam News Bureau

19 May 20123

'The Kerala Story’ Actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee Called Her Husband a ‘True Indian Muslim’ and Her Marriage a Love Jihad

Oxford Swears In First Muslim Womanof Colour, Lubna Arshad, Lord Mayor

India’s Most Prolific Ultra-Runner Sufiya Sufi Eyes Her Fifth Guinness Record

Islamic Women’s Organization Asks for Protection from Kidnappings in Mozambique

Iranian Leader of Women Trafficking Network Executed By Islamic Republic

ICT Community Development to Get £157,000 To Create A 'Mecca' For The Women's Game At The Former IRA Pitches

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:  https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/actress-devoleena-jihad-muslim-kerala/d/129818

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 'The Kerala Story’ Actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee Called Her Husband a ‘True Indian Muslim’ and Her Marriage a Love Jihad

 

Devoleena Bhattacharjee got married to husband Shanwaz Shaikh last year.

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May 19, 2023

Devoleena Bhattacharjee in a new tweet extended support to The Kerala Story once again. She also called her husband a ‘true Indian Muslim.’

Days after actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee said she and her husband, Shanwaz Shaikh watched The Kerala Story together, a user on Twitter criticised her for her marriage on the pretext of love jihad. Responding to it, the actor clarified called her husband a ‘true Indian Muslim.’ Also read: Devoleena Bhattacharjee on The Kerala Story: ‘My husband is Muslim, he didn't find it offensive or against his religion'

It all started when the right-wing leader, Sadhvi Prachi, posted pictures from a screening of The Kerala Story in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. She wrote, “'The Kerala Story' was shown free of cost to daughters in Haridwar.” In the comment section, someone talked about Devoleena and mentioned her husband Shanwaz Shaikh. The same user also wrote, as per Google translation, “Love Jihad is like that.”

Replying to it, Devoleena Bhattacharjee tweeted, “Arey Khan saabmujhebulaanekozarooratnahipadhi. Main aur mere husband pehle hi dekhkaragaye the The Kerala Story aurbohot hi acchilagi hum donoko hi. TRUE INDIAN MUSLIM naamsunahaikya ? Mere patiunme se hi haijogalatkogalatkehnekitaqataurhimmatdonorakhtehai (There was no need to invite me to the film screening as I and my husband had already seen it and we both liked it very much. Have you heard about a true Indian Muslim? My husband is one of them who can take a stand against wrong things and we both have the same guts).”

Previously, Devoleena had responded to a post that narrated the story of a woman, who allegedly broke up with her boyfriend after watching The Kerala Story. The actor has been tweeting in support of the film. She shared her take on the film and said, "It's not always like that. My husband is a Muslim and came with me to watch the movie and he appreciated it. He neither took it as an offence nor he felt it was against his religion. And I feel thats how every Indian should be like.” She also used the hashtag ‘The Kerala Story.’

Devoleena Bhattacharjee got married to her gym trainer Shanawaz Shaikh in December 2022. The actor is best known for playing the role of Gopibahu in Saath NibhaaanaSaathiya from 2012-17.

Source: hindustantimes.com

https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/devoleena-bhattacharjee-responds-to-user-who-calls-her-marriage-love-jihad-the-kerala-story-bohot-hi-acchi-lagi-101684494364468.html

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Oxford Swears In First Muslim Woman of Colour, Lubna Arshad, Lord Mayor

 

Lubna Arshad will hold the role of lord mayor for one year

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19-05-23

Oxford's new lord mayor is the first in the city's history to be a woman of colour and a Muslim.

Labour councillor Lubna Arshad was sworn in at a ceremony in Oxford Town Hall, during which the retiring lord mayor James Fry stepped down.

Ms Arshad said it was the "honour of a lifetime" to serve in the city where she was born and raised.

The term of office for the role is one year and the position can only be awarded to an elected councillor.

Ms Arshad said her appointment was a "momentous occasion".

"I am deeply humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the lord mayor of the city of my birth," she added.

In a statement, Oxford City Council said: "Lubna has made history as the first woman of colour, first Muslim woman of intersectional background, and the youngest Lord Mayor representing the city.

"Her achievement is ground-breaking and represents significant progress towards diversity, inclusivity, and representation in leadership roles."

She was elected as a city councillor in 2018, representing Cowley Marsh initially and later, due to electoral boundary changes, now serves the Temple Cowley ward.

The Lord Mayor's charities for the coming year are Humanity First, Oxford Community Action and Asylum Welcome.

Source: bbc.com

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-65646618

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India’s Most Prolific Ultra-Runner Sufiya Sufi Eyes Her Fifth Guinness Record

Nakul Shivani/ New Delhi

India’s most prolific ultra-runner Sufiya Sufi is on the road again. This time, she is aiming to get herself a fifth Guinness record by running from Manali to Leh in under 100 hours. This will be her second run on this route.

“I did this in 2021 in 156 hours. I challenged myself to cut it down to under 100 hours,” said Sufiya speaking to Awazthevoice.in from her base in a Manali village.

She is currently training from a village called Majach, about 10 kilometres from Manali town. Planning to reach peak preparedness by June, Sufiya plans to embark on this arduous task in the first week of July. “I need time to be mentally prepared. That is why I am giving myself enough time,” she says.

During her last challenge, Sufiya feels she did not give herself enough time to acclimatise in the mountains. “That’s the reason I took more than 150 hours to accomplish the feat. I have learnt from my mistakes and this time I set-up base in a village here.”

Based in a village is allowing her to calmly prepare for her challenge without distractions. Majach is a small village with about 70 families. “People are very helpful here. Staying in a homestay helps me stay grounded. I get to eat fresh food and the mentoring of village elders,” Sufiya chuckles talking about the decision to shift base to a remote village. “Maybe I will stay here for the next year or so, even after the run,” she adds with a smile.

Sufiya’s day begins early. Up even as the snowfall adds to the beauty of the place, she runs about 10 kilometres every day. On a given day this extends to about 30-40 kilometres. “Running in mountains is far more difficult than running on plains. For every 5-6 kilometres I do in the mountains, I can do 20 kilometres in the plains.”

Her regimen for this special task resolves around increasing her lung power and mental strength. “Oxygen levels are low at places here. So, I need to strengthen my lungs.” Add to that her requirement to be mentally strong enough to accept the challenge. For this she does meditation and gives enough time to do yoga.

For this challenging run, Sufiya is hoping to get the support of a physiotherapist and a doctor. “I hope someone can sponsor this part. This will make my preparation easier,” she says in the hope that a few more hands in her challenge will allow her to finish the task with more ease.

This upcoming run by Sufiya comes a few months after she completed the Qatar circuit in under 200 hours. And it comes a few months before she will embark on another challenge in the desert – the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates in 7 days.

But for now, its running on the mountainous, curvy roads of Manali that is keeping her busy. “I love challenges. I don’t feel scared. It’s not just about preparing the body but it is also about the mind. I am setting some tough benchmarks, am I not?” she asks before turning to prepare her run on the path covered with fresh snowfall against the backdrop of the majestic Himalayas.

Source: awazthevoice.in

https://www.awazthevoice.in/sports-news/sufiya-sufi-eyes-her-fifth-guinness-record-21521.html

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Islamic women’s organization asks for protection from kidnappings in Mozambique

By

RT Staff Reporters

May 19, 2023

The Islamic Women's Organization, based in Maputo, asked today for protection for women against kidnappings in Mozambique in reaction to the kidnapping of one of its members on Tuesday, reads a note received today by Lusa.

"Attitudes and crimes of this nature cannot and should not go unpunished."

"We are women, we want protection, we want peace and dignity, we want to study, work and walk freely without fear," says the organization in a joint statement with the Muslim Community of Mozambique.

At issue is the kidnapping of a 47-year-old businesswoman outside her firm on Tuesday in . . .

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Source: riotimesonline.com

https://www.riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/lusophone-world/islamic-womens-organization-asks-for-protection-from-kidnappings-in-mozambique/

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Iranian leader of women trafficking network executed by Islamic Republic

MAY 20, 2023

Iran on Saturday executed two men who were convicted by an Islamic Republic court of the sex trafficking of Iranian women and girls across the Middle East and Asia, Iranian state media said.

Sara JarefDriszadeh was found to have run a branch of the trafficking network run by SharouzSokhnori, better known by his alias 'Alex.'

It is said that the trafficking gang had also transported large quantities of drugs to be handed over to other gangs.

The network was discovered by the Islamic Republic, it said, who arrested and charged four of the victims with corruption and prostitution. One of the traffickers was found working in a school in Malaysia, where Iranian media alleged that they distributed fake qualification certificates to sex workers.

The Iranians behind the sex trafficking ring

It is claimed that 'Alex' created a fake international company, where he was able to provide false student visas to potential trafficking victims, which enabled the victims to retain residence in countries such as Malaysia. This process was allegedly sped up by an employee of the Iranian embassy in Malaysia, according to Iranian media.

The embassy connection allowed for false stamps to be placed on the victims’ passports so that they could then be trafficked to other countries.

In 2019, 'Alex' was extradited to Iran and, according to state media, responded to questioning by stating that he "came to Iran from Dubai nine years ago. Before entering Iran, I was in prison for five years and several months in the United Arab Emirates, when I was deported and came to Iran.

"After arriving in Iran, I met a girl named Sabia, who offered me to design a website,” 'Alex' was quoted by state media as saying.

“I started the site for her, and she used to upload pictures and numbers of girls on the site for prostitution. To improve my work, I took extensive measures and slowly got to know Sabia's main networks in Dubai, Malaysia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan.

How were victims selected for trafficking?

It is alleged that 'Alex' found some of his victims through their social media profiles. It is also alleged that some local celebrities had used their influence to bring girls to 'Alex.'

According to the report, 12 celebrities were involved in the ring, one of whom was identified as Masih who was said to have recruited 30 victims. For every victim they introduced, they were allegedly paid a sum of money.

Members of the trafficking ring had changed their contact details to avoid arrest but 123 different phone numbers were recovered, exposing the network. Alex’s phone also contained images of passports, birth certificated, national identity cards and photos of the victims. Iranian media also implied that a large number of pornographic videos and photos were held on Alex's device, which he reportedly used to blackmail his fellow traffickers.

It is alleged that Sokhnori's US-based mother was involved in the network. She is said to have founded a company in 2004, which enabled investments in the United Arab Emirates. It was through this company that funds were allegedly transferred to a company in Dubai.

Human trafficking in Iran

Former US President Donald Trump’s administration in 2017 added Iran to a US list of countries accused of failing to crack down on human trafficking. Two years later, the US State Department again designated Iran as a so-called Tier 3 country, the report's ranking for countries that do the least to tackle the crime.

Under a 2000 US law called the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the United States does not provide non-humanitarian, non-trade-related foreign assistance to any country that does not comply with minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and is not making efforts to do so.

“The government of Iran does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so,” said the 2019 State Department report.

Source: jpost.com

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-743647

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ICT Community Development to get £157,000 to create a 'Mecca' for the women's game at the former IRA pitches

20 May 2023

ICT Community Development's ambitious plans for the women’s game have taken a massive leap forward after the UK government's "game changing" investment of £157,000.

The company with charitable status has received over £157,000 for a grass pitch upgrade at the former Inverness Royal Academy playing fields which was handed over by Highland Council in a community asset transfer last September.

It was one of 23 projects to receive a share of £2 million as part of the UK government’s ongoing investment in multi-sport facilities in collaboration with the Scottish Football Association.

The government programme is an ongoing UK-wide £300 million capital investment that seeks to build capacity in under-served areas and provide for underrepresented groups, such as women’s football.

As part of the Government’s 2022/23 commitment, 23 sites in Scotland will see their facilities improved, significantly increasing the availability and access to high quality facilities for football and other grassroots sports.

A key priority for the government is to level-up access to community sports facilities to help as many people as possible get involved and to deliver all of the mental and physical health benefits associated with active and healthy lifestyles.

Gordon Fyfe, joint chairman of ICT Community Development Trust, said: “The grant from the UK government via the Scottish Football Association is very welcome indeed and enables us to start work on the drainage works that are required to bring the 10-acre site back into life and provide our city with a hub that is safe and accessible to the many and varied groups we work with.

“It is such an exciting project and we are looking forward to completing the funding required to create something special for our community.”

Scottish secretary Alister Jack travelled to Caledonian Stadium – home of Caley Thistle – for the announcement where he met with two footballers and the club chief executive Scot Gardiner.

“What will be created at the former Inverness Royal Academy playing fields will be a Mecca for women’s football in Scotland,” Mr Jack said.

“It will set a very high bar for the other clubs because there will be a permanent base there for the women’s team, there will be a vibrant girl’s academy, there will be opportunities through different projects they are running for young people and also for people with disabilities.

“As a community hub it is going to be an incredible facility. It has been in a constant state of decline, so there will be new buildings there, the whole site will be properly drained and there will be six new pitches there.”

Mr Gardiner said: "We are very grateful to both the SFA and to the Dept of Culture, Media and Sport to receive such a huge grant for our ICT Community Trust Hub at the Royal Academy.

"This amazing sum is a real game changer for our fundraising efforts which will go a long way towards helping us make a real difference to our sporting community both here in Inverness and beyond.

"We were very happy to thank the Secretary of State for Scotland Alastair Jack and Cameron Watt of the SFA when they visited Caledonian Stadium on Thursday morning."

Scottish FA Vice President Mike Mulraney, said: “The Scottish FA’s grassroots strategy, Football for All, aims to increase participation at all levels by removing barriers and improving accessibility to the game.

“Helping clubs to improve their infrastructure and facilities is central to this strategy and we are grateful to the UK Government for their support.

“Clubs are the beating hearts of communities across Scotland and through partnerships like these, we will help reinforce the power of football locally and in doing so develop our national game.”

Source: inverness-courier.co.uk

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/caley-thistle-trust-to-get-157-000-to-create-a-mecca-for-314278/

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URL:  https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/actress-devoleena-jihad-muslim-kerala/d/129818

 

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