100 Afghan Female Students, Who Had Been Granted the Opportunity to Pursue Higher Education In UAE, Prevented from Traveling to Dubai
New Age
Islam News Bureau
24 Aug 2023
·
100
Afghan Female Students, Who Had Been Granted the Opportunity to Pursue Higher
Education In UAE, Prevented from Traveling to Dubai
·
All-Women Arab Bands Blazing a
Trail in Syria and Morocco
·
2
Years of Education Denied: Afghanistan Girls Forced into Seminaries and
Marriages
·
Islamic Extremist Rebels Abduct
42 Women in Northeast Nigeria's Borno State
·
Muslim
Woman Asked to Remove Hijab During Hindi Prachar Sabha Exam in India
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-female-students-uae-dubai/d/130518
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100 Afghan Female Students, Who Had Been
Granted the Opportunity to Pursue Higher Education In UAE, Prevented from
Traveling To Dubai
Afghan
female students take entrance exams at Kabul University in Kabul, before the
ban on university and primary schools was enforced (AFP)
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By Fidel Rahmati
August 23, 2023
A group of female students from
Afghanistan, who had been granted the opportunity to pursue higher education in
the United Arab Emirates, were prevented from boarding their flights by Taliban
officials at the Kabul airport.
These young girls, eager to embark on
their education journey, were hindered by the decision of Taliban officials,
leaving them unable to proceed with their travel plans.
Khalaf Al Habtoor, a prominent Emirati
businessman, has voiced his deep disappointment in response to the incident
involving the Afghan female students. In a video message, he criticized the
actions of the Taliban, expressing his dismay at the hindrance they have caused
to the education and aspirations of these young women. Al-Habtoor facilitated
the education of these 100 Afghan girls by providing scholarships to UAE universities,
covering crucial aspects like travel expenses, accommodation, health insurance,
and other necessary funds.
Khalaf al-Habtoor’s initiative, 100
scholarships for Afghan girls’ higher education in UAE, is overshadowed by
Kabul airport’s travel obstruction—scholarships aimed at holistic support and
promising futures.
In a voice message, the girls said that
despite having valid reasons, the Taliban forces prevented them from
travelling.
Mr Khalaf expressed concern about the
Taliban’s intervention, which prevented Afghan girls from reaching Dubai as
planned.
Last year, this UAE businessman pledged
100 scholarships for girls in Dubai, coinciding with their denied university
access.
The prominent Al-Habtoor Business Group
operates across various sectors in Dubai, including hospitality, automotive,
education, and publishing.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/100-afghan-female-students-prevented-from-traveling-to-dubai/
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All-Women Arab Bands Blazing a Trail In Syria
And Morocco
Photo: Al Jazeerah
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23 Aug 2023
The two all-female musical groups are
gaining fans across the Arab world.
Meet the Takht ensemble in Syria and the
Chefchaouen Hadra Sufi band from Morocco, all-women bands making their names
and performing to big audiences.
We go backstage with both groups, sharing
the pain of long rehearsals, the planning of far-away concerts, the adrenalin
of live performances and life away from the spotlight. Some balance music with
motherhood, others study and perform at the same time. Family support is mixed;
many husbands encourage their wives’ musical careers, while other men are less
supportive.
The film celebrates contemporary Arab
female bands as they break barriers, preserve heritage music and overcome
obstacles – all to a great soundtrack.
Source: aljazeera.com
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/al-jazeera-world/2023/8/23/all-women-arab-bands-blazing-a-trail-in-syria-and-morocco
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2 years of education denied: Afghanistan
girls forced into seminaries and marriages
By Fidel Rahmati
August 23, 2023
It has been two years since the de facto
administration took control of Afghanistan, and various segments of society
continue grappling with this political shift’s impact. However, what the young
female students endure goes beyond mere deprivation – it is a profound and unjust
cruelty.
Following the transition from the
republican system to the establishment of the Taliban regime on August 15,
2021, schools ceased admitting girls beyond the sixth grade, and their expected
reopening within these two years remains indefinitely deferred.
The Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan led to
the closure of schools and universities. Also, it resulted in the displacement
of numerous women from government and non-government positions, causing them to
lose their jobs.
Farzanah, an 11th-grade student,
speaking to the Khaama Press News Agency, said: “I have been living at home for
two years, and I have fallen behind in my studies. I dreamed of becoming a
successful doctor, but now I can only attend a religious school.”
This student strongly asserts that women
possess equal rights to pursue education and employment in society, just like
men. However, the unfortunate reality is that the lack of opportunities for
girls has led some of them into situations like arranged marriages and enrollment
in religious schools. Women’s rights activists view these practices as
hazardous and limiting the progress of women’s rights.
Julia Parsi, a civil activist in
Afghanistan’s women’s movement, highlights the grim reality: “Afghan girls
suffer from poor mental and emotional well-being due to rampant forced
marriages. Tragically, instances of girls taking their own lives are being
reported across various provinces.”
Ms Parsi asserts that the Taliban
government is actively attempting to exclude women from social and economic
spheres.
It is important to note that the recent
decision of the caretaker administration in Afghanistan resulted in the closure
of women’s beauty salons across the country which more than 60,000 women lost
their jobs.
Leila Basim, a women’s rights activist
and protester, asserts that barring girls from education for two years severely
harms women.
Ms Basim further highlights that
Afghanistan’s ruling ideology opposes women’s progress and aims to exclude them
from society.
Haider Bar, Human Rights Watch’s women’s
division head, tells Associated Press that Afghan women’s lives have
drastically transformed under Taliban rule in the past two years.
She added that the situation in
Afghanistan remains dire, with ongoing concerning developments. Every week, the
Taliban introduces new policies, including the recent closure of women’s hair
salons.
Despite claims by Taliban officials that
women’s rights are upheld within Islamic laws, the reality does not align.
Discussions about reopening schools and universities have spanned two years
without materializing.
This denial of education has sparked
global outrage. The United Nations has labelled it “cruel,” while Human Rights
Council experts have condemned it as “gender apartheid.”
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/2-years-of-education-denied-afghanistan-girls-forced-into-seminaries-and-marriages/
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Islamic Extremist Rebels Abduct 42 Women
In Northeast Nigeria's Borno State
24 AUG 2023
At least 42 women have been abducted by
Islamic extremist rebels during an attack in northeast Nigeria's Borno state,
locals told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The rebels attacked the women as
they gathered firewood in the Jere district of Borno, which is the epicenter of
a 14-year-long insurgency launched by the extremist group known as Boko Haram,
according to a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force local security group who
identified himself as Abba.
Locals also said the victims were from a
camp for internally displaced persons in the neighboring Mafa district and had
been selling firewood to boost their income as economic hardship in Nigeria
under the new president bites harder. KachallaMaidugu, a government spokesman
in the district, confirmed the incident that occurred on Tuesday but was only
reported late Wednesday. “We received information yesterday that 46 women were
abducted, but only four were allowed to return home while 42 were held back,”
said Maidugu.
He also said the rebels have demanded a
ransom of 50,000 naira ($55) for each woman though the locals were negotiating
for less amounts of money to pay for the women's freedom.The latest abduction
by the extremists occurred hours after they had ambushed security forces
protecting farmers in the area, according to Abba with the local security group.
Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadi rebels, launched an insurgency in 2009
to fight against western education and to establish Islamic Shariah law in
Nigeria. At least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people
displaced as a result of the extremist violence, according to data from U.N.
agencies in Nigeria.
Source: outlookindia.com
https://www.outlookindia.com/international/islamic-extremist-rebels-abduct-42-women-in-northeast-nigeria-s-borno-state-news-313068
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Muslim Woman Asked to Remove Hijab
During Hindi Prachar Sabha Exam in India
23rd August 2023
A 27-year-old woman who appeared for a
Hindi exam at a private school in Somasipadi village in Tiruvannamalai was
allegedly asked to remove her hijab by the school's principal and correspondent
on Sunday. Eventually, she had to leave the center without appearing for the
exam.
According to the sources, the exams were
organized by Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha at various centers in
Tiruvannamalai district. The examination was held in two sessions, the first
paper from 10 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. and the second paper from 2 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.
The Muslim woman, Shabana an Arabic
teacher had come to Annamalai matriculation school to take Hindi Madhayama
exams on Sunday.
Fifteen minutes after the exam began,
she was asked to remove her hijab to continue her exams. Shabana, who refused to
do so, asked the invigilator the reasons. She was told that as per the
instructions, she was supposed to write the exams without a hijab.
Shabana told reporters," I informed
the principal I cannot remove my hijab. I was standing for a couple of minutes hoping
he would leave the place and I could continue my test. However, the school
correspondent came in some time, raised her voice, and said that she could not
allow me to take the exam If I wore the hijab. She took away my writing pad,
kept it outside, and told me to move out and enter the exam hall only after
removing my hijab."
Shabana was made to wait till 2 p.m. by
the authorities as they continued arguing with her, disallowing her to take the
exam.
After the argument with both the
principal and correspondent, Shabana said she would not write the exams and
when she wanted to leave the premises, the school authorities forced her to
write a letter saying that she did not want to take the exam if she had to
remove the hijab.
Meanwhile, On Monday Shabana submitted a
petition to the District Collector and also gave a written complaint to the
police at the DSP office in Tiruvannamalai alleging discrimination and demanded
that action be taken against the principal and the correspondent of the school.
Source: newindianexpress.com
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/aug/23/muslim-woman-asked-to-remove-hijab-during-hindi-prachar-sabha-exam-in-tn-2608079.html
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-female-students-uae-dubai/d/130518