"I Am Mine Alone," An Award-Winning Film On Afghan Refugee Woman Named Habiba
By New Age Islam News Bureau
11 August 2023
·
"I Am
Mine Alone," An Award-Winning Film On Afghan Refugee Woman Named Habiba
·
Lakshadweep
Administration Introduces New Uniform For Schools; Silent On Hijabs Or Scarves Ban
·
Prince
Saud Congratulated Members Of The Winning Shaheen Team, And The Oryx Team
·
Gender Stereotyping:
Women Have To Work 200 Per Cent Harder Due To Gender Bias, Says Actor Swastika
Mukherjee
·
Polygamy Not
Fundamental To Islam; Banning It Will Not Violate Religious Freedom: Expert
Panel
·
Art Therapy
Offers Relief To Afghan Women Struggling With Mental Health
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-refugee-woman-habiba/d/130429
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"I Am Mine Alone," An
Award-Winning Film On Afghan Refugee Woman Named Habiba
August 10, 2023
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, UNITED STATES,
August 10, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- An award-winning movie about the plight of
Afghan women refugees has just been released to streaming TV on Amazon Prime,
VUDU and Fawesome.
"I Am Mine Alone" is a
heartfelt drama about an Afghan refugee woman named Habiba who escapes the
Taliban and comes to the United States to claim her freedom from patriarchy and
claim her right to determine the course of her own life.
Iranian film star Zina Torab
("Azizam") plays Habiba, and Richard Douglas Jensen ("No Man's
Law") plays Hoot.
U.S. Immigration places Habiba with
Hoot, a lonely Alabama goat farmer, who helps her by giving her a job as a
housekeeper. They have nothing in common. He is a simple widower who farms
goats in Baptist Alabama, and she is a Shia Muslim woman wearing a traditional
hijab.
After a difficult initial interaction,
Habiba reveals that wants to be a schoolteacher, a job she held during the U.S.
occupation of Afghanistan. She taught at a girl’s school, which the Taliban
forbids, thus she is marked for death.
Hoot takes Habiba to a local community
college where she is welcomed and given the chance to get a GED and enter
college.
Hoot’s kindness to Habiba begins to
forge a bond between the two unlikely friends, but Habiba has a secret which
could doom her chances at a better life – a secret she is afraid to reveal and
risk deportation back to the clutches of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“I Am Mine Alone” was written, produced
and directed by Jensen for Poverty Row Pictures in Alabama. The film is
distributed worldwide by ITN Distribution.
Shot in Alabama and Afghanistan in 2022,
“I Am Mine Alone” was a finalist at Cannes World Film Festival.
The film swept the Istanbul Film Awards
in 2022 winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor
(Jensen) and Best Actress (Torab). The sweep continued when “I Am Mine Alone”
took all the major awards at Bhutan’s Druk International Film Festival,
including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Actor (Jensen)
and Best Actress (Torab). The film swept the Black Swan Film International Film
Festival in Kolkata, India by winning all of the Critic’s Choice Awards for
Best Director, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actor (Michael V. Jordan), Best
Supporting Actress (Emma Hayley Jensen). Richard Douglas Jensen also won Best
Actor at River Atreyee Film Festival in India and at the World Film Carnival in
Singapore.
“I Am Mine Alone” was released during
the worldwide, viral outrage over the violence against Muslim women in Iran who
took off their hijabs in protest. The timeliness of the film resulted in the
film winning the Human Rights Award at the Madonie (Italy) Film Festival;
winning Best Social Justice Film and Best Islamic Film at the Istanbul Film
Awards; winning Best Film on Women at Druk International Film Festival; winning
Best Film on Women at Black Swan International Film Festival; and winning Best
Human Rights Film at Kiez Berlin Film Festival.
“I Am Mine Alone” is a moving testament
to, and a plea for, the rights of Muslim women and girls – especially in
Afghanistan.
https://kalkinemedia.com/news/world-news/i-am-mine-alone-an-award-winning-film-on-muslim-womens-human-rights-now-on-streaming-tv
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Lakshadweep Administration Introduces
New Uniform For Schools; Silent On Hijabs Or Scarves Ban
Image used for representative purpose
only. | Photo Credit: MUSTAFAH K.K.
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11 August 2023,
The Lakshadweep administration has
introduced a new pattern of stitched school uniforms, including belts, ties,
shoes, socks, etc, for children studying in its schools but its directive is
silent on hijabs or scarves for girl students in the Muslim-majority Union
Territory.
This has prompted Mohammed Faizal, who
represents the islands in the Lok Sabha, to allege that there was a complete
ban on scarves or hijabs for girls studying in schools under the Education
Department.
"There is no mention of scarf or
hijab. This is a violation of a person's constitutional right. We will fight it
politically and legally," Faizal told PTI over phone on Friday.
In a circular dated August 10 issued to
the principals and headmasters of the schools under the Lakshadweep
administration, the Education department said school children wearing uniform
will ensure uniformity and also inculcate the spirit of discipline among
students.
"Wearing items other than
prescribed uniform pattern will affect the concept of uniformity among school
children. To maintain discipline and uniform dress code in schools are
responsibility of principals and head of schools," the circular said.
Faizal claimed a protest has erupted in
the islands against the "autocratic decision" of the UT
administration, and the students will boycott their classes till their rights
are granted.
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/lakshadweep/lakshadweep-administration-introduces-new-uniform-for-schools-mp-mohammed-faizal-alleges-ban-on-hijab-2643959
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Prince Saud Congratulated Members Of The
Winning Shaheen Team, And The Oryx Team
SPA/ August 10, 2023
DAMMAM: Eastern Province Gov. Prince
Saud bin Naif recently received entrants and winners from the teams that took
part in the finals of the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture-organized F1
in Schools program.
During the visit, also attended by Ithra
representatives, the prince highlighted the important role of purpose-driven
scientific initiatives in motivating and engaging youth at local and
international levels.
Prince Saud congratulated members of the
winning Shaheen team, and the Oryx team on their success in the program, prior
to their participation next month in the international competition being staged
in Singapore and involving 55 countries.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2353171/saudi-arabia
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Gender stereotyping: Women have to work
200 per cent harder due to gender bias, says Actor Swastika Mukherjee
PTI Calcutta Published 11.08.23
Actor Swastika Mukherjee, who will be
acting with Amitabh Bacchan in the yet to be released Bollywood courtroom drama
'Section 84' feels that a woman regardless of her social status, has to work
200 per cent harder to prove herself.
Swastika who is also essaying the role
of a police officer in Bengali web series 'Nikhoj' for the first time in her
two-decade long career, said that gender stereotyping existed with a belief
that women after marriage and children may not be able to work as well as they
did before.
"A strange gender bias exists. It
is presumed a woman will be unable to deliver as they have to look after their
‘ghar sansar’ (home and families) and ‘chhele pule’ (Bengali for children).
Nikhoj delineates this issue," the actor told PTI here.
The 42-year-old actor, who is currently
working with back-to-back projects in Mumbai and Kolkata, also said she does
not believe in having a film release every month.
She delivered an impressive performance
in 'Qala', which was released on Netflix in December 2022, and recently acted
in a Bengali film 'Shibpur' inspired by the real life character of a woman
gangster in Howrah in the '70s.
In the women-centric 'Shibpur' and
'Nikhoj', the central character is seen waging a fight to protect her family
and her clan.
The woman don, Mandira Biswas that
Swastika portrays in 'Shibpur' is protective of her in-laws and her children.
In 'Nikhoj' she plays the role of a deputy commissioner of Kolkata Police
trying to find her missing daughter, a case that is officially assigned to her.
Speaking about the two diametrically
opposite characters portrayed by her, she said, "These two characters
share shades of similarities so far as their battle in their respective
workplaces are concerned… workplaces are usually ruled by men".
Swastka said in 'Nikhoj' she had to
strive a lot to strike a balance between the persona of a mother and a hard
working policewoman.
"I had to see that one identity did
not overshadow the other ... I was playing the character of a working single
mother and I remember I used to ask director Ayan Chakraborty after every shoot
whether I have been able to strike the right balance.
"It was easy to let the character
of the mother get precedence over that of the investigator. But I was careful
about the personality shift while enacting the police officer's role", she
said. Nikhoj, which also stars 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' actor Tota Roy
Chowdhury, will be streamed on a leading Bengali OTT platform from August 11.
To questions about her future roles, she
said "I don't believe in doing a large number of movies. For me quality is
more important than quantity. If I have films lined up for release every month,
will you remember all of them? No. I prefer doing less work but in projects
which will leave some impression in the people's minds, like 'Shibpur'".
Swastika's her next assignments are
'Durgapur Junction' by Arindam Bhattacharya and a Bollywood film being shot in
Mumbai. "I am contract bound not to disclose the name of the Mumbai
project," the actor said.
Swastika is, however, candid about her
nervousness when she worked with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the courtroom
thriller 'Section 84'.
"I had 5-6 scenes with him (Amitabh
Bachhan) and I remember how nervous I was on the first day of my shooting with
him. I had never been so nervous in my entire acting career," the actor
said.
She explained that though Bachhan took
trouble to make other actors feel "very comfortable on the sets", his
presence also made many feel nervous.
"How can I forget I am actually
seeing Amitabh Bachchan before my eyes as my co-actor? I remember I rehearsed
my role well but when Bachchan ji spoke in his familiar baritone in the final
take after the drill ... I felt completely blank ... But while acting I had to
ensure that this feeling of a awe-struck fan completely did not surface and I
become the character," Swastika said.
Except for the headline, this story has
not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a
syndicated feed.
https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/women-have-to-work-200-per-cent-harder-due-to-gender-bias-says-actor-swastika-mukherjee/cid/1958244
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Polygamy not fundamental to Islam;
banning it will not violate religious freedom: Expert Panel
Aug 11, 2023
An expert committee headed by retired
judge of Gauhati High Court, Rumi Kumari Phukan, has asserted that since
polygamy is not an essential religious practice under Islam, the enactment of
any law prohibiting such practice will not offend Article 25 (right to
practice, profess and propagate religion) of the Constitution.
The committee constituted by the Assam
government whether the state has the legislative competence to enact a law to
end polygamy, has mentioned in its report that the custom of Muslim men
marrying up to four women is not an essential religious practice in Islam.
"Under Muslim personal law,
polygamy is permitted but is not compulsory. It is not in the nature of an
essential practice requiring every Muslim man to mandatorily have four wives.
Since polygamy is not an essential religious practice under Islam, the
enactment of any law prohibiting such practice will not offend Article 25
(right to practice, profess and propagate religion) of the Constitution,"
the committee said.
According to the expert committee,
legislation has become a necessity as polygamy infringes fundamental rights
guaranteed to Muslim women under Articles 14 (right to equality), 15
(non-discrimination on the ground of gender) and 21 (right to life and
dignity).
The panel said since marriage and
divorce fall in the Concurrent List, both the Centre and the state had
legislative competence to enact laws on two issues. It, however, said since the
issues of marriage and divorce are occupied by a pre-existing central law, the
state-enacted law would be enforceable in its jurisdiction only on receiving
the Presidential assent
The expert committee said polygamy was
abolished amongst Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs after the enactment of the Hindu
Marriage Act, 1955, amongst Christians by the Christian Marriage Act, 1872, and
amongst Parsis by the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act of 1936. However, polygamy
continues to be practised by Muslims because of the protection by the Muslim
Personal Laws (Shariat) Act 1937.
The practice of polygamy is mentioned in Surah
4:3 of the Holy Quran from which it is understood that it is permitted but not
encouraged,” the committee said and referred to various commentaries on Islamic
personal laws. It opined that polygamy is not an essential part of Islam.
After the expert committee submitted its
report to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma last week, Sarma said to bring a
new anti-polygamy law will be introduced within the current financial year
(2023-24) in case the final decision is not taken on a Uniform Civil Code
(UCC).
The expert committee headed by Justice
(Retd.) Rumi Kumari Phukan as Chairperson, comprises members such as Devajit
Saikia, Advocate General of Assam, Nalin Kohli, Senior Additional Advocate
General of Assam, and Nekibur Zaman, Senior Advocate of Gauhati High Court.
https://newsable.asianetnews.com/india/polygamy-not-fundamental-to-islam-banning-it-will-not-violate-religious-freedom-expert-panel-rz7o15
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Art therapy offers relief to Afghan
women struggling with mental health
August 11, 2023
Taliban closed universities to women in
December 2022, ordered most Afghan female humanitarian workers not to work
Restricting women from public life is
key hurdle to moving toward any formal global recognition of Taliban’s
government
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan: At home in
northern Afghanistan, 19-year old Khushi draws a self-portrait — a figure
enveloped by a blue burqa inside a cage.
The former university student once
attended classes in law and political science at northern Balkh province’s main
university. But she sank into depression since the Taliban closed tertiary
institutions to women in December, requiring psychiatric treatment where she
was recommended art therapy classes.
“When I realized that I am not mentally
well, I got sad ... I was not happy at all, I was always depressed, I felt like
a bird being stuck in a cage, one who has lost all her happiness,” said Khushi,
who is only being identified by only one name for security reasons.
“After the Taliban banned girls from
universities and announced that girls can no longer continue our education, I
felt so upset, day by day my mental health deteriorated, I ... finally decided
to see a psychiatrist in order to get better.”
The Taliban closed universities to women
in December 2022, sparking rare public protests. The decision came in the wake
of the closure of most girls’ high schools and was followed by Taliban
authorities ordering most Afghan female humanitarian workers not to work.
The orders restricting women from public
life have drawn heavy international criticism and Western governments have said
it is a key hurdle to moving toward any formal recognition of the Taliban’s
government, which took over as foreign forces left two years ago.
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The Taliban say they respect women’s
rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture.
But many women, particularly in urban
areas, who gained opportunities in education and work during the 20-year
presence of foreign troops and a Western-backed government are now struggling
with a deep sense of despair and mental health challenges, Afghan women and
mental health experts say.
“Since the Islamic Emirate (Taliban
administration) started ruling the country, they have imposed so many
restrictions on women, they banned them from universities, amusement parks,
beauty salons and so on, they have left nothing for women,” said
Khushi’s psychiatrist, who also cannot
be named for security reasons. “Art studios are the only avenue we have left to
help our patients... they have become the only place where girls can clear
their minds, catch up with old friends, make new friends, and apart from that,
they can learn art too.”
Khushi sees her psychiatrist twice a
month. He used to see four to five patients a day but says the number of his
patients has now increased to 10 to 15 daily, most of them women. The increase
became even more noticeable after the Taliban banned female students from
attending universities, he said.
Health organizations estimate half of
Afghanistan’s 40 million people have suffered from psychological distress after
decades of war and instability. There are few reliable figures on mental health
trends but anecdotally doctors and aid workers say more women are struggling with
mental health in the wake of the orders restricting women’s work and education.
In a small, colorful art studio in
Balkh’s capital Mazar-i-Sharif, paintings adorn the walls and several young
women, including Khushi, gather for a pencil drawing class. Many of them have
been sent here at the recommendation of a mental health expert to ease their
isolation and learn a new skill, alongside talk therapy and medication.
“When I felt depressed, the doctor
prescribed me to go to a place where I can calm my mind. I chose the art
studio. Not only did I make good friends here, I also receive art therapy,”
said a former university student at the class.
Khushi said the art therapy gave her a
respite from home and a little hope for the future.
“It gives me a sense of accomplishment
for having made something, over all, drawing empowers me with confidence,” she
said. “I’m disappointed in my life, but I am not giving up, I will fight. I
hope things will get better in the future.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2353366/world
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-refugee-woman-habiba/d/130429
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