Afghan Female Singer Zalala Hashemi Missing For Over Two Weeks In Kabul
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 June 2025
· Afghan Female Singer ZalalaHashemi Missing For Over Two Weeks In Kabul
· A Woman, Ellie, A British-Iranian, Tried To Call Her Mom In Iran, A Robotic Voice Answered The Phone
· Guernsey Elects First Muslim Woman Deputy Munazza Malik
· Alaina Beresford's Message In A Bottle Gets Reply 31 Years Later
· Women Leading The Way: Tristar Group’s Commitment To Sustainable Change
· Woman Says She Was Beaten On New York Subway After Being Asked ‘Are You A Muslim?’
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-female-singer-missing-kabul/d/135944
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Afghan Female Singer Zalala Hashemi Missing For Over Two Weeks In Kabul
By Fidel Rahmati
June 20, 2025
Afghan singer Zalala Hashemi has been missing for over two weeks in Kabul, with no updates on her whereabouts.
Local sources in Kabul have reported the disappearance of ZalalaHashemi, a well-known Afghan female artist, who was allegedly abducted by unidentified individuals nearly two weeks ago. Her whereabouts remain unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
Sources said on Friday, June 20, that Hashemi has been missing for over 15 days. Despite ongoing efforts, her family has received no leads regarding her location or well-being. The case has sparked growing public concern over the safety of civil society figures in Kabul.
A family insider revealed that Hashemi’s husband has formally requested assistance from Taliban authorities, but as of yet, no official response or investigation update has been provided.
In a heart-wrenching development, a video of Hashemi’s four-year-old son pleading for his mother’s return has gone viral on Afghanistan’s social media. The emotional footage has drawn significant public attention and renewed calls for action to locate the missing artist.
The disappearance comes amid growing concerns about freedom of expression, personal safety, and women’s rights under Taliban rule. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have previously warned about the shrinking space for artists, journalists, and activists in Afghanistan.
Unless swift and transparent action is taken by local authorities, trust in Afghanistan’s ability to protect its citizens—especially women in public roles—will continue to erode. The international community is urged to raise its voice and pressure for accountability in Hashemi’s case and others like it.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-singer-zalala-hashemi-missing-for-over-two-weeks-in-kabul/
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A Woman, Ellie, A British-Iranian, Tried To Call Her Mom In Iran, A Robotic Voice Answered The Phone
June 21, 2025
This picture shows a general view of Iran's capital Tehran on June 16, 2025. (AFP)
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DUBAI: When Ellie, a British-Iranian living in the United Kingdom, tried to call her mother in Tehran, a robotic female voice answered instead.
“Alo? Alo?” the voice said, then asked in English: “Who is calling?” A few seconds passed.
“I can’t heard you,” the voice continued, its English imperfect. “Who you want to speak with? I’m Alyssia. Do you remember me? I think I don’t know who are you.”
Ellie, 44, is one of nine Iranians living abroad — including in the UK and US — who said they have gotten strange, robotic voices when they attempted to call their loved ones in Iran since Israel launched airstrikes on the country a week ago.
They told their stories to The Associated Press on the condition they remain anonymous or that only their first names or initials be used out of fear of endangering their families.
Five experts with whom the AP shared recordings said it could be low-tech artificial intelligence, a chatbot or a pre-recorded message to which calls from abroad were diverted.
It remains unclear who is behind the operation, though four of the experts believed it was likely to be the Iranian government while the fifth saw Israel as more likely.
The messages are deeply eerie and disconcerting for Iranians in the diaspora struggling to contact their families as Israel’s offensive targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites pounds Tehran and other cities. Iran has retaliated with hundreds of missiles and drones, and the government has imposed a widespread Internet blackout it says is to protect the country.
That has blocked average Iranians from getting information from the outside world, and their relatives from being able to reach them.
“I don’t know why they’re doing this,” said Ellie, whose mother is diabetic, low on insulin and trapped on the outskirts of Tehran. She wants her mother to evacuate the city but cannot communicate that to her.
A request for comment sent to the Iranian mission to the UN was not immediately answered.
Some of the messages are bizarre
Most of the voices speak in English, though at least one spoke Farsi. If the caller tries to talk to it, the voice just continues with its message.
A 30-year-old women living in New York, who heard the same message Ellie did, called it “psychological warfare.”
“Calling your mom and expecting to hear her voice and hearing an AI voice is one of the most scary things I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “I can feel it in my body.”
And the messages can be bizarre. One woman living in the UK desperately called her mom and instead got a voice offering platitudes.
“Thank you for taking the time to listen,” it said, in a recording that she shared with the AP. “Today, I’d like to share some thoughts with you and share a few things that might resonate in our daily lives. Life is full of unexpected surprises, and these surprises can sometimes bring joy while at other times they challenge us.”
Not all Iranians abroad encounter the robotic voice. Some said when they try to call family, the phone just rings and rings.
It’s not clear who is behind this — or what the goal is
Colin Crowell, a former vice president for Twitter’s global policy, said it appeared that Iranian phone companies were diverting the calls to a default message system that does not allow calls to be completed.
Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity expert based in the US, agreed and said the recordings appeared to be a government measure to thwart hackers, though there was no hard evidence.
He said that in the first two days of Israel’s campaign, mass voice and text messages were sent to Iranian phones urging the public to gear up for “emergency conditions.” They aimed to spread panic — similar to mass calls that government opponents made into Iran during the war with Iraq in the 1980s.
The voice messages trying to calm people “fit the pattern of the Iranian government and how in the past it handled emergency situations,” said Rashidi, the director of Texas-based Miaan, a group that reports on digital rights in the Middle East.
Mobile phones and landlines ultimately are overseen by Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. But the country’s intelligence services have long been believed to be monitoring conversations.
“It would be hard for anybody else to hack. Of course, it is possible it is Israeli. But I don’t think they have an incentive to do this,” said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a tech entrepreneur and Internet freedom activist.
Marwa Fatafta, Berlin-based policy and advocacy director for digital rights group Access Now, suggested it could be “a form of psychological warfare by the Israelis.” She said it fits a past pattern by Israel of using extensive direct messaging to Lebanese and Palestinians during campaigns in Gaza and against Hezbollah.
The messages, she said, appear aimed at “tormenting” already anxious Iranians abroad.
When contacted with requests for comment, the Israeli military declined and the prime minister’s office did not respond.
Trying new ways to contact relatives
Ellie is one of a lucky few who found a way to reach relatives since the blackout. She knows someone who lives on the Iran-Turkiye border and has two phones — one with a Turkish SIM card and one with an Iranian SIM.
He calls Ellie’s mother with the Iranian phone — since people inside the country are still able to call one another — and presses it to the Turkish phone, where Ellie’s on the line. The two are able to speak.
“The last time we spoke to her, we told her about the AI voice that is answering all her calls,” said Ellie. “She was shocked. She said her phone hasn’t rung at all.”
Elon Musk said he has activated his satellite Internet provider Starlink in Iran, where a small number of people are believed to have the system, even though it is illegal. Authorities are urging the public to turn in neighbors with the devices as part of an ongoing spy hunt. Others have illegal satellite dishes, granting them access to international news.
The messages are making relatives feel helpless
M., a woman in the UK, has been trying to reach her mother-in-law, who is immobile and lives in Tehran’s northeast, which has been pummeled by Israeli bombardment throughout the week.
When she last spoke to her family in Iran, they were mulling whether she should evacuate from the city. Then the blackout was imposed, and they lost contact. Since then she has heard through a relative that the woman was in the ICU with respiratory problems.
When she calls, she gets the same bizarre message as the woman in the UK, a lengthy mantra.
“Close your eyes and picture yourself in a place that brings you peace and happiness,” it says. “Maybe you are walking through a serene forest, listening to the rustle of leaves and birds chirping. Or you’re by the seashore, hearing the calming sound of waves crashing on the sand.”
The only feeling the message does instill in her, she said, is “helplessness.”
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2605229/middle-east-
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Guernsey Elects First Muslim Woman Deputy Munazza Malik
20 June 2025
The first Muslim deputy in Guernsey has described her journey to office as a "really positive experience".
Munazza Malik was elected to join the States of Guernsey after receiving 6,215 votes on Thursday.
She said she was "looking forward" to her time in the States and said she would recommend running for election.
Ms Malik, who moved to Guernsey five years ago, said: "I feel welcomed, I feel integrated into the community."
She added: "I've been here for over five years and I've been part of Women In Public Life since the beginning of last year.
"I think that has really encouraged more women like me to understand the local politics and the issues around us, and stand for office."
Women In Public Life is a voluntary organisation that formed in 2020 which aims to "inspire and support the women of Guernsey to stand for public office".
Discussing how the island can encourage more diversity in the States, Ms Malik said: "I think we need more awareness in the public sector, just reaching out to those communities and making sure they engage in the dialogue.
"That's how we make them interested in the local issues and feel welcome."
Negative comments
David Goy was also elected on Thursday, and he is the island's first deputy of East Asian origin.
Discussing his campaign, Mr Goy said he received negative comments about his ethnicity from a "handful" of people.
"There is just a handful of people who might make certain comments, for example, where you're from but they're not asking a question, they're questioning you and that's a big difference," he said.
"There were a few other comments about not being from here and not being local so how can you represent us."
But Mr Goy said anyone from a ethnic minority background looking to get into politics should not be concerned by the comment makers.
He said: "It's expected but there is so little of them that they're nothing to be concerned about for anyone who's of a different ethnicity and wants to contribute to this island.
"I say go ahead and don't let these people be a barrier."
Source: bbc.co.uk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0wgjnz0wqo
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Alaina Beresford's Message In A Bottle Gets Reply 31 Years Later
21 June 2025
Ken Banks
A Scottish schoolgirl's message in a bottle has finally received a reply more than 30 years later - after being discovered in Norway.
Alaina Beresford, from Portknockie in Moray, sent the message in 1994 when she was 12 as part of a school project.
It washed up across the North Sea where it was found by a volunteer cleaning up a Norwegian island - who then dispatched a postcard to the delighted sender to let her know.
Alaina told BBC Scotland News she could not believe her original letter was in such good condition after three decades.
Her handwritten letter had been sent in an empty bottle of Moray Cup, a fizzy drink produced in the north east of Scotland.
It said: "Dear finder. My name is Alaina Stephen and I am 12 years of age. I come from Portknockie and I am doing a project on water so I decided to send a message in a bottle.
"My teacher's husband took them and dropped them in the middle of the ocean.
"When you find this message, please write back with your name, hobbies, where you found the message, when, and if you could, a little information about your area. Yours sincerely, Alaina Stephen. PS I come from Scotland."
Now, 31 years on, Alaina has received a postcard from Pia Brodtmann, telling her the good news, with pictures of the find.
It said: "My name is Pia and I am from Germany. Today I found your message in a bottle on Lisshelløya, a tiny island around Vega in Norway.
"I am here for beach cleaning as a volunteer for four months and today we cleaned Lisshelløya. On the front of the postcard you can see our workboat Nemo and our sailboat Fonn, where we live. You can also see the area around Vega. I wonder when and where your teacher's husband threw your bottle in the ocean?"
It added: "PS I am 27 years old and I like rock climbing and sailing a lot!"
Alaina, now 42, said she was stunned when she picked up the post and noticed the postcard addressed to herself.
"I'm at the same address," she said.
"I did live in Buckie, and another house in Portknockie for a while, but moved back in with my parents.
"I couldn't believe it, as I had sent it when I was 12 years old, 31 years ago."
Alaina was able to find Pia via social media, and messaged her asking to send a photo of her letter.
"I was shocked when she did, I couldn't believe how legible it was," she said.
"I can't remember actually writing the message, but I do remember it was a Moray Cup bottle, and that my teacher's husband had dropped it into the sea when he was a fisherman.
"According to my message, I had done it as part of a project on water. It was when I was in P7."
She added: "Pia and I have been keeping in touch and hopefully we will continue to do so."
Source: bbc.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmwgeykr8xo
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Women leading the way: Tristar Group’s commitment to sustainable change
June 20, 2025
Recognising the many strengths that women bring to the workplace and actively promoting their headship will result in robust debate, reduced groupthink, broader impact, a wider range of solutions, and more effective outcomes.
Dubai headquartered Tristar Group sees this as an essential factor for resilience, longevity, and success, and continues to build on the creed to bring corporate and societal change in countries where they operate.
The last decade has seen a dramatic shift from the passive diversity action of including women on staff or training them, to value-driven inclusion and grooming of female leadership.
It stands to reason that merely recognising feminine strengths is meaningless when it is not accompanied by supportive action in the workplace.
However, the conscious act of combining recognition with validation can be transformative as it leverages the full spectrum of human potential within the workforce and creates a more successful and sustainable company.
In parallel, the importance of hiring women, and grooming them for leadership roles, has become starkly evident in sectors like oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, heavy industry, and supply chain.
Women professionals in hitherto male-only roles are not just bringing in diversity and competitive advantage to any single company, they are serving as catalysts for essential industry-wide change.
Examples from Tristar’s international operations typify how gender parity in the workplace and the empowerment of female professionals continue to evolve beyond social responsibility.
From merely seeing or appreciating the capabilities of women professionals, the corporate mission has changed to integrating, promoting, and hailing them as core drivers of organisational success.
Redefining pigeonholes
In the Maritime Logistics division - in an industry conventionally reserved for men - Tristar has been recruiting and training female seafarers for some years now and building inclusive environments where they are able to thrive in professional roles that range from deck cadets to engine officers and marine engineers. Two of these female engineers are public advocates for careers at sea for women.
Tristar also works with maritime academies to welcome more female cadets on training contracts, with a view to broaden the seafaring demographic, and increase commercial flexibility and resilience.
These initiatives align with by the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) ‘Women in Maritime’ programme which advocates for greater female participation in the maritime industry to sustain it.
Breaking societal barriers
Across Africa, Tristar actively encourages young women to pursue fulfilling and financially secure careers within their road transport, warehousing, commercial fuel, turnkey fuel supply, and airport operations, by supporting their education and providing skills training.
While most candidates opt to work in administration, human resources or retail, a young Ugandan woman expressed an unusual interest in operations.
With the active sponsorship of senior management, and after an intense six-month training on JET A-1 fuel handling with field experts, she is the Lead Operator for truck gantry operations at the Entebbe International Airport Fuel Farm managed by Tristar.
In Kenya, senior Tristar staff urged a young woman seeking employment to test her interest and skills in warehousing operations. She is currently Product Storage In-Charge at Tristar’s Africa Fuels & Lubricants (AFAL), and the only female professional among teams of men.
Tristar’s Africa teams believe that seeing women excel in technical or operational roles greatly inspires other young women and girls to pursue similar careers, while signaling to the existing workforce that it is talent and capability, not gender, that defines success. They also endorse it as a crucial element in building a sustainable talent pipeline for the future.
Supporting authorities
The Tristar Group is an active member of the UAE Gender Balance Council’s SDG 5 Pledge, which in its second phase urges private sector commitment to gender equality and increasing women’s representation in middle and senior management roles to 30 per cent by 2028.
Across its UAE offices, Tristar currently has 23 UAE national women on the roster working alongside a larger female staff count of almost 100, some of whom hold senior managerial positions in finance, recruitment, marketing, and business development.
Encircling the extent
Tristar is a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and runs several initiatives to provide equal opportunities to women, spotlight women’s health and wellness, and increase female representation in leadership.
In 2024, women employees in the UAE and Pakistan were invited to breast cancer awareness sessions conducted by the Pink Caravan initiative. The contributions and achievements of female professionals were celebrated publicly on International Women’s Day in the UAE, Guam, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, and on Emirati Women’s Day and Omani Women’s Day in the UAE and Oman, respectively.
In many countries, Tristar runs localised community initiatives for girls’ education, female empowerment, financial literacy, and work-life balance.
Source: gulfnews.com
https://gulfnews.com/gn-focus/women-leading-the-way-tristar-groups-commitment-to-sustainable-change-1.500170756
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Woman says she was beaten on New York subway after being asked ‘Are you a Muslim?’
20 June 2025
A 55-year-old woman has said she was beaten on a New York City subway after being asked, “Are you a Muslim?”
Early Wednesday morning, the woman was boarding a subway in Queens when Naved Durrni, 34, is accused of getting too close to her face, according to WABC, which spoke exclusively to the woman.
"He said tell me where are you from? Are you Muslim? I said yes. And then he punching me, he start to kick, he punch all over,” the woman said.
The woman was attacked from the moment the train doors closed until its next stop, where the man fled, WABC reported.
"I just said stop, stop but he not stopping," the woman said. "I couldn't understand what was going on.”
A spokesperson for The New York City Police Department told The Independent Durrni, who was wearing a face cover, “punched and kicked her in the face, head and neck.”
Police said Durrni had asked the woman if she was Muslim, and after the attack, he fled. Two other women and the subway conductor had helped police find Durrni, according to WABC.
Durrni was arrested on charges of hate crime assault and aggravated harassment, the NYPD told The Independent.
The woman had a concussion, a fractured nose and bruises all over her body, WABC reported.
“This trauma with me. It's never happened before. How can I forget his face?" she said.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the woman pay for her medical bills, mental health support and other necessities such as rent and groceries.
The organizer of the fundraising page, who identified themselves as the woman’s child, wrote: “She was simply trying to earn a living for herself and her two dependents when a man approached her, demanded to know if she was Muslim, and then—after she quietly responded ‘yes’—he savagely beat her without warning.”
The woman is in “physical and emotional agony,” the organizer said, adding that although the suspect was arrested, “justice doesn’t erase trauma—or cover medical bills.”
The woman has no health insurance “due to having a new job recently,” according to the GoFundMe page.
“The cost of emergency care, specialist visits, medications, and imaging scans is already overwhelming. But what’s worse is that the concussion symptoms are ongoing, making it impossible for her to return to work right now.
She is unable to support herself or her dependents and is now struggling to pay her rent, utilities, and basic living expenses,” the organizer said.
Source: independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/nyc-subway-crime-muslim-woman-attacked-b2774158.html
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-female-singer-missing-kabul/d/135944