‘Alone’: Afghan Activist Rita Safi Fault West for Lack of Support from Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan
New Age
Islam News Bureau
28 December 2023
·
‘Alone’:
Afghan Activist Rita Safi Fault West for Lack of Support from Taliban-Ruled
Afghanistan
·
Argentinian
Filmmaker’s Gaza Aid Plane Ordered to Remove Mahsa Amini's Image
·
Jamaat-e-Islami
slams Electricity Giant K-Electric for ‘Maltreatment’ Of A Woman Consumer
·
Parliament
Breach: Accused Neelam Azad Calls Cop Remand Illegal, Moves HC
·
NYC
Hate Crimes Task Force Investigating After Muslim Girl, 15, Attacked with
Pepper Spray
·
Iran's
Supreme Leader Tries to Sway Women for March Elections
·
UN
Efforts to Strengthen Girls’ Student Skills in Afghanistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-activist-rita-safi-taliban/d/131405
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‘Alone’:
Afghan Activist Rita Safi Fault West for Lack of Support from Taliban-Ruled
Afghanistan
Afghan women walk along a street at a market in the Fayzabad district of
Badakhshan province on December 12, 2023. — AFP
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2023-12-28
PARIS:
Afghan activist Rita Safi has harsh words for western governments she said have
failed to deliver on promises to help women from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Safi
herself has made it to France where she is seeking asylum, but her sister
Frozan was not so lucky. She died in a hail of bullets back home because she,
too, was a defender of women’s rights.
Speaking
in a shelter outside Paris, the 29-year-old Rita Safi said her sister would
still be alive had the promised help been forthcoming.
“They
were saying that they would support us, but these were just words,” she said.
“They left us alone. This is the reason why I lost my sister.”
Safi had
hoped for more support from Western powers after the Afghan capital Kabul fell
to the group in 2021.
But a
large majority of Afghans did not make their evacuation lists following the
takeover, leaving them at the mercy of their new rulers.
Safi’s
older sister Frozan was a prominent human rights defender in the northern
Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Her body
was found in October 2021, just over two months after the Taliban takeover. She
was 29.
“She was
killed so brutally by the Taliban,” she said, showing AFP an image of her
coffin draped in a red cloth on her phone. “She was shot with seven bullets.
Her face was totally destroyed.”
The
Afghan authorities said that four women died that day and that they had
arrested two people in connection with the killings.
After
speaking to the media about the killings Safia said that she, too, received
death threats.
Safi
managed to escape to Pakistan in December 2021. She only had a two-month visa
but hoped a Western nation would soon give her refuge.
Instead
she was forced to spend two years in the Pakistani capital, living in constant
fear of deportation.
During
this time, the Taliban authorities continued to exclude Afghan women and girls
from ever more spheres of public life, including high school and university, as
well as parks, fairs or gyms.
It was
not until a French journalist highlighted Safi’s plight in an article and
vouched for her request for a French visa that things started to look up.
She was
among around a dozen Afghan women to land in Paris on December 8. All have
sought asylum and will likely be given it.
Rights
groups have said many Afghans have been left in limbo in Pakistan, at risk of
deportation.
Some
600,000 people have fled across the border to Pakistan since the Taliban
returned to power in 2021.
But
since October, some 345,000 Afghans have returned home, including after being
deported.
“There
are so many women like Rita in Pakistan who have had relatives killed or
abducted in Afghanistan, who have been threatened,” said French journalist
Margaux Benn, who is member of a collective trying to help these Afghan women.
“But
they haven’t met a Westerner who wanted to help them, so their cases stay at
the bottom of the pile.”
TcherinaJerolon,
from Amnesty International, said the visa application was so “long and complex”
that Afghan women had basically been “abandoned to their own fate”.
Since
2021, France says it has handed over 15,000 visa to Afghans, “mostly women,
rights defenders, journalists and magistrates”.
But
Delphine Rouilleault, the head of the France Terre d’Asile (“France Land of
Asylum”) association, said that hardly anyone had landed in France over the
past year.
“No one
has arrived from Afghanistan, and only very few Afghan women have landed from
Pakistan,” she said. The French foreign ministry did not reply to a request for
comment.
Source:
brecorder.com
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40280836/alone-afghan-women-fault-west-for-lack-of-support
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Argentinian
Filmmaker’s Gaza Aid Plane Ordered to Remove Mahsa Amini's Image
A view of a photograph of Mahsa Amini on the tail of the charter plane
of the Brazilian women's football team in Brisbane, Australia
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Dec 27,
2023
Argentinian
filmmaker and former pilot Enrique Piñeyro was forced to remove the image of
Mahsa Amini from his Boeing 787 to land in Egypt delivering aid to Gaza.
The
social activist unveiled the livery to raise awareness over the crisis in Iran
following the "Woman Life Freedom Movement" movement last year which
challenged the regime and its religious authority.
The
nationwide protests were sparked by the death in morality police custody of
22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022, now an icon of the uprising.
“To fly
a humanitarian cargo to El Arish for Gaza, the Egyptian government would not
allow the livery with the photo of Mahsa Amini and the legend,” Piñeyro wrote
on X.
The
Boeing aircraft also featured an image of Iranian footballer Amir Reza Nasr
Azadani and the following slogans: “No woman should be forced to cover her
head. No woman should be killed for not covering her head. No man should be
hanged for saying this”The footballer was sentenced to 21 years in prison after
he was arrested during the protests.
Enrique
Piñeyro also helps Ukrainian refugees get to safety, using a Boeing 787 that he
owns and operates as part of Solidaire, his charitable organization.
Source:
iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202312279893
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Jamaat-e-Islami
slams Electricity GiantK-Electric for ‘Maltreatment’ Of A Woman Consumer
2023-12-28
KARACHI:
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Wednesday condemned the K-Electric (KE) for its alleged
maltreatment of woman, calling the private electricity supply entity a ‘mafia’
imposed on citizens.
“The KE
should put its house in order; otherwise 3.2 million consumers will take it to
the task,” Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, the JI Karachi Chief warned during a news
conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq here.
Referring
to a recent video clip appeared on the social media, in which KE officials were
seen maltreating a woman he demanded that the KE administration should be sent
behind the bars over their criminal conduct, adding that the these “white
collar criminals” have been imposed on public.
However,
about the Palestine war, he reiterated that the governments of the Muslim world
were showing a hypocrisy for leaving the people of Gaza at the mercy of cruel
Jewish occupation army which enjoys support from the US and Europe.
Disapproving
the products of multinational companies in local market, he said that there is
a dire need for rebuilding the local brands to boost the national economy. In
this connection, Hafiz Naeem announced that the JI will hold an expo on January
21 and 22, 2024 at the Expo Centre to help promote the local brands.
“The JI
will gain a huge mandate in the general elections 2024 to form the next
government in Sindh without any coalition support,” he claimed, saying that his
party will show a strong political representation after Feb 8 polls.
The JI
is the sole option for the citizens, whom should trust in his party to help
bring about the true representation in the assembly for the larger interest of
the city, he said.
Source:
brecorder.com
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40280822/ji-slams-ke-for-maltreatment-of-a-woman-consumer
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Parliament
breach: Accused Neelam Azad calls cop remand illegal, moves HC
27th
December 2023
New
Delhi: Neelam Azad, an accused arrested in the December 13 Parliament security
breach case, Wednesday approached the Delhi High Court alleging her police
remand was illegal as she was not allowed to consult a legal practitioner of
her choice to defend her during the trial court proceedings.
In her
petition seeking a writ of habeas corpus directing her production before the
high court as well as an order to “set her at liberty”, Azad said not allowing
her to consult a lawyer of her choice amounted to a violation of her
fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution, making the remand order
unlawful. The trial court has remanded her in police custody till January 5.
The
matter is likely to be mentioned for an urgent hearing before a vacation bench
of the high court on Thursday.
How
habeas corpus works
Under
Indian laws, a detainee or a person on their behalf can file a habeas corpus
petition in a high court or the Supreme Court for their production if they feel
they have been detained illegally. Upon production, if the court concerned
concludes that the detention is illegal, it can order their release.
“Upon
her arrest, the petitioner’s family wasn’t informed. It was informed only on
the evening of 14.12.2023. Further, she wasn’t permitted to meet any person
including advocates which is mandatory under Article 22(1) of the Constitution
of India. Even at the court a single DLSA (Delhi Legal Services Authority)
counsel was appointed to all the accused persons without giving them any choice
among counsels,” the plea, filed through lawyer Suresh Kumar, alleged.
Remand
order illegal, violates Art 22(1): Neelam’s plea
“The
remand order dated 21.12.2023 is illegal and violative of Article 22(1) of the
Constitution of India which mandates the accused person to be defended by a
legal practitioner of his choice whereas in the present case, the petitioner’s
advocate wasn’t permitted to take instructions and defend the petitioner before
the disposal of the remand application,” the plea added.
The
petition also said she was produced before the trial court on December 14
“after 29 hours from the time of arrest”.
Neelam
cites Article 22(2)
Article
22(2) of the Constitution says every person who is arrested and detained in
custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within 24 hours of such
arrest excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to
the court of the magistrate and no such person shall be detained in custody
beyond the said period without the authority of a magistrate.
On
December 21, the trial court extended till January 5 the police custody of four
accused, including Azad, arrested in the Parliament security breach case after
the city police said they needed to uncover all those involved in the
conspiracy. While the four were arrested on the day of the incident itself, two
others were apprehended later.
Recently,
the high court stayed the trial court’s direction to the police to supply a
copy of the FIR to Azad, noting that it is a case of “sensitive nature” and,
according to a judgment of the Supreme Court, the FIRs in sexual offences,
offences pertaining to insurgency, terrorism and of that category, and those
under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act are not to be
uploaded on website of the authorities.
History
of the case
In a
major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack
on December 13, two of them- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D- jumped into the Lok
Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas
from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by some MPs.
Around
the same time, two others- Amol Shinde and Neelam Azad- also sprayed coloured
gas from canisters while shouting “tanashahinahichalegi” outside the Parliament
House premises.
Besides
the four accused, police have also arrested Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat in the
case. All are being interrogated in police custody.
Source:
siasat.com
https://www.siasat.com/parliament-breach-accused-neelam-azad-calls-cop-remand-illegal-moves-hc-2942980/
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NYC hate
crimes task force investigating after Muslim girl, 15, attacked with pepper
spray
DEC. 27, 2023
Patrick
Hilsman
Dec. 27
(UPI) -- New York City Police are looking for a woman suspected of attacking a
15-year-old Muslim girl with pepper spray in New York City, police say.
The
attack took place on Dec. 19 in the Bensonhurst neighborhood. The suspect
reportedly fled on foot after the attack.
"At
1:50 p.m. the 15-year-old victim was walking in front of 7919 New Utrecht Ave.
when she was approached by an unknown individual who made anti-ethnic remarks
and pepper sprayed the victim in the face," NYC Crime Stoppers posted to X
Tuesday.
WPIX
reports that the assailant called her a "terrorist" during the
attack.
The New
York City Police Department's Crimestoppers hotline has released security
images of the suspected assailant, who was wearing blue jeans and a dark hooded
jacket while carrying a bright blue backpack.
The
attack is being investigated by NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force.
Source:
upi.com
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/12/27/9231703711029/
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Iran's
Supreme Leader Tries to Sway Women for March Elections
2023-12-28
Iran's
Supreme Leader has told an all-female audience "you can play an important
role in the elections" with voter turnout expected to be as low as 15
percent.
In a
direct appeal for the upcoming March elections, Ali Khamenei said, "In the
home, you play the most important role. Mothers can play a role in educating
their children and spouses about the importance of being involved in the
electoral process.”
Khamenei's
hardliner supporters have used various methods to prevent other regime factions
from competing in parliamentary and presidential elections since 2020.
The same
tactic is being used for the March 1 legislative elections, and voters have
lost interest in what they see as Islamic Republic's electoral machinations.
Many do not see if going to the ballot box would make any difference to their
futures.
Khamenei
also stated that women have a greater capacity for details and a “better
ability to recognize people and strategies ... The women are better able to
identify the most qualified candidates than the men.”
In what
seemed like a premeditated bid to engage a disenfranchised female population
amidst the Women, Life, Freedom uprising as elections approach, the Iranian
dictator added that, “A woman may hold any type of position, including
managerial, governmental, and parliamentary positions. Meritocracy is the
criterion for selection”.
However,
cementing what he sees as women's main function, he added, “There is, however,
a crucial requirement that women won’t be ‘deprived’ of that important and
fundamental ‘feminine task’, i.e. housekeeping and childbearing ...
Fortunately, there are some men who are willing to ‘assist women’, with
housekeeping.”
While
defining “housekeeping” as a “woman's job” and saying some men “happily help
women with that”, he also said, “We should not say housekeeping is women’s
job.”
The
inconsistencies present in just a few minutes of Khameni's speech may stem from
his attempt to use modern concepts of equality to superficially appeal to
women, his sole audience at Hosseiniyeh, after the 2022 women-led uprising
sparked by the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini.
His
emphasis on meritocracy comes at a time when, according to the Global Economic
Forum's 2023 Global Gender Gap Report, Iran ranks 143rd out of 146 countries in
terms of gender equality.
"Pakistan,
Iran and Afghanistan are at the bottom of both the regional and global ranking
tables," wrote the report.
Also in
the Women’s Workplace Equality Index, published by the Council on Foreign
Relations, Iran is among the 5 bottom-ranked countries regarding women’s
workforce equality, alongside Sudan, Qatar, Syria and Yemen.
After
praising women's progress in a variety of scientific and artistic fields, he
emphasized the importance of revolution and Islamic values as decisive factors.
In praise of the hijab, he said: “Hijab doesn’t mean discrimination and
exclusion, but rather safety.”
In the
meantime, the new division of the regime that enforces the hijab is violating
the privacy of citizens by searching their personal belongings and imposing
surveillance on them to take away their freedom of choice in how they dress.
Only in
Iran and neighboring Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is wearing a hijab for
women still mandatory.
The fact
that these hijab enforcers are in plain clothes without permits or documents
increases the possibility of criminals exploiting the situation. The harsh
behavior of these agents has led to nationwide protests last year that lasted
for months.
Mahsa
Amini, 22, died in the custody of the morality police last September sparking
the biggest uprising in recent history. A similar incident occurred this year
with Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old student who was severely injured by
Tehran's hijab police. She died while in hospital in October.
Source:
iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202312274303
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UN
efforts to strengthen girls’ student skills in Afghanistan
Fidel
Rahmati
December
28, 2023
An
organization known as the Women’s Social Activities and Services Association,
or “WASA,” has announced that, in collaboration with the support of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, they have assisted over 150 female
students in the Herat and Badghis provinces.
They
helped these students complete a training program in English language, computer
skills, and job placement.
This
organization, through a post on its social media platform X, has referred to
the graduation of these individuals after participating in the “job placement”
program in Herat province as a “new journey in their professional path.” The
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has also cited one of the
students, saying, “We have overcome feelings of hopelessness and found hope in
our lives.”
According
to the “WASA” organization, the achievements of 16 women and 12 men in Badghis
and more than 150 women in Herat demonstrate their dedication and determination
in pursuing their professional goals.
This
comes at a time when it has been one year since the ban on women working in
foreign and domestic non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan, and the
exclusion of girls from education has continued since the inception of the
Taliban administration’s rule.
Several
international organizations and NGOs are working tirelessly to combat the ban
on girls’ education by establishing schools and hidden educational centres
throughout Afghanistan or providing financial support for what is referred to
as “home-based education.”
Source:
khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/un-efforts-to-strengthen-girls-student-skills-in-afghanistan/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-activist-rita-safi-taliban/d/131405