Two Afghan women on BBC’s Top 100 Influential Women
New Age
Islam News Bureau
24 November 2023
· EU lawmakers slam Iran's rights abuses on women
· Donation of one million vitamin bottles for pregnant Pakistani women
· Honours and virtues conferred on Muslim women in purdah
· Tunisian film star Hend Sabri quits as World Food Programme ambassador over Gaza war
· Remembering Justice M Fathima Beevi’s remarkable journey in law
· KP cabinet extends stipend for tribal girl students until 2025
· Soraya: A highly educated entrepreneur who is advocating for vulnerable women in Herat
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-women-bbc-influential-women/d/131173
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Two Afghan women on BBC’s Top 100 Influential Women
Fidel Rahmati
November 23, 2023
The BBC World Service has released a
list of one hundred influential and inspiring women of 2023, which includes the
names of Hossi Ahmadi, a television host, Shamshad, and Samia Tura, the founder
of the “Friendship Afghanistan Network.”
Hossi Ahmadi, a journalist and host at a private media outlet, in an interview with Khaama Press, mentioned that after completing her higher education in the fields of law and political science, she had spent seven years working in various segments of the media industry, including anchoring, political programs, news reporting, and programs advocating for women’s rights.
Ms Ahmadi added that people’s perceptions of media in Afghanistan vary significantly, and this motivation has led her to establish a foothold in the media despite challenging circumstances so that women, too, can be agents of change.
According to Hossi, the restrictions on journalists and media activities in Afghanistan are numerous, including the use of masks for female presenters and constraints on television discussions and debates, making it challenging for reporters, especially female journalists.
She emphasized that women and girls should have access to freedom and education, and she urged the global community to support Afghan women symbolically and take practical action.
This list, published by BBC on Tuesday, includes prominent figures worldwide. It features individuals like Amal Clooney (human rights lawyer), Michelle Obama (former First Lady of the United States), JananDagdagan (Turkish scientist and inventor), OlenaRozvadovska (children’s rights advocate from Ukraine), and Sarah Saqa (Palestinian general surgeon).
According to BBC’s report, Hossi Ahmadi is one of the few female presenters who continued her work in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. Despite security concerns and social resistance against women in the media, she has persevered in her media activities and faced limitations due to her interviews and questions posed to the authorities of the Taliban administration.
Similarly, Samia Tura, a refugee rights activist from Afghanistan who established the “Friendship Network” to provide shelter for refugees and ensure access to education for affected students, is also included in BBC’s list of one hundred influential women.
BBC noted her role as an advocate for girls’ access to education under challenging circumstances and mentioned her collaborations with domestic and international organizations, including the United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the Malala Fund, and the Save the Children Foundation.
The Friendship Network organization was founded in 2021, following the rise of the Taliban administration, to provide essential resources and information to both domestic and foreign refugees in Samia Tura.
It’s worth mentioning that the BBC selects one hundred women every year who have significantly impacted essential events and recognizes those who have achieved significant success as influential individuals.
Last year, FatemaAmiri, one of the survivors of the terrorist attack on the Kawsar Educational Center in western Kabul, TamanaZarayabParyani, a women’s rights activist, and Zahra Joya, the founder of Rokhshana Media, were chosen as influential women by BBC in 2022.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/two-afghan-women-on-bbcs-top-100-influential-women/
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EU lawmakers slam Iran's rights abuses on women
23 November, 2023
The "Woman, Life, Freedom"
movement which gained momentum worldwide sprung up after Mahsa Amini's death
[Getty]
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The European Parliament on Thursday condemned Iran's rights abuses against women, including "brutal murders," and its detention of EU nationals.
A non-binding resolution slammed the "deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran, and the brutal murders of women by the Iranian authorities, including the 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate JinaMahsaAmini," a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died last year in police custody.
MEPs also called for the immediate release from detention of human rights defenders, including Nobel Peace Prize winner NargesMohammadi.
The motion was adopted by 516 votes to four, with 27 abstentions.
MEPs urged Tehran "to end immediately all discrimination against women and girls, including mandatory veiling, and to withdraw all gender discriminatory laws".
Amini's death last year sparked widespread street demonstrations against the Iranian government which were brutally put down by security forces. Hundreds of people have been killed or executed in the repression and thousands arrested.
In October, the European Parliament awarded the EU's top rights honour, the Sakharov Prize, to Amini and to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement that sprang up after her death.
European lawmakers reiterated a call for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be designated a "terrorist organisation" by EU states and for sanctions against the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top officials for human rights violations.
They also condemned Iran's "hostage diplomacy" under which many foreigners have been seized for what European governments say is a tactic to extract concessions from the West, or the release of Iranians imprisoned abroad.
Source: newarab.com
https://www.newarab.com/news/eu-lawmakers-slam-irans-rights-abuses-women
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Donation of one million vitamin bottles for pregnant Pakistani women
November 24, 2023
Murtaza Ali Shah
Fahmidah, a pregnant flood-affected
woman carries her child as she walks near her tent at a makeshift camp along a
railway track in Fazilpur, Rajanpur district of Punjab province on September 3,
2022. — AFP
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LONDON: Pakistani-American businessman Ansir Junaid has announced plans to send a further one million bottles of multi-nutrition food vitamin supplements for pregnant women who lack appropriate nutrition.
Accompanied by Pakistan’s caretaker health minister Dr Nadeem Jan, Ansir Junaid announced his donation at the Pakistan High Commission here where he was invited by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK Dr Muhammad Faisal along with other doctors who were in London to attend a global summit on health organised by the UK government.
Dr Muhammad Faisal welcomed the delegates of doctors and said Pakistani entrepreneurs and doctors from overseas were playing a huge role in relieving the pressure off the state health system in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan needed more doctors and charities to come forward to provide quality medical care to people in Pakistan.
The caretaker Health Minister Dr Jan Mahmood, who was in London to attend the Global Food Security Summit, appreciated the donation but said that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with the charities to set up pharmaceutical plants in Pakistan to produce such nutrition locally for the local as well as export consumption.
Ansir Junaid said that he was making a donation of Multi-Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) through the Junaid Family Foundation and Kirk Humanitarian which are non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable populations with a focus on women and children.
Ansir Junaid said: “First we shipped 136000 bottles to Pakistan and then one million bottles for flood relief . We are ready to send another million bottles before the end of the year for Pakistan. These products are approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its Halal approved. The first shipment will leave for Pakistan within a week.”
“From our hometown in Ohio to Pakistan we are committed to projects such as the food Bank , refugee settlement, gender equity and healthcare. Our biggest and most important project is in partnership with Kirk Humanitarian where we have been able to improve maternal and infant health in Pakistan through our MMS program.
He added: “So far 1 million bottles of UNIMMAP MMS, arrived in Pakistan earlier this year and are currently distributed within two of the three target provinces. Up to an additional 2 million bottles of MMS have been pledged, with future shipments in process. We hope to continue to bring positive change through a sustainable approach. We have achieved another important milestone of starting to transfer knowledge to manufacture MMS in Pakistan. We will create an export market which will help the economy.
“Traditionally, iron and folic acid is available for pregnant women in developing countries which leads to low birth rates and maternal and infant mortality. We believe every woman has access to nutrients she needs, regardless of where she lives in the world. That’s why we are focused on changing the health guidelines in Pakistan to MMS (multiple micronutrient supplements).”
Source: thenews.com.pk
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1131979-donation-of-one-million-vitamin-bottles-for-pregnant-pakistani-women
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Honours and virtues conferred on Muslim women in purdah
November 24, 2023
THE womenfolk in Islam are treated as precious and highly worthy treasures which must be shielded away from imaginable and unimaginable evils from the menfolk. Allah (SWT) graciously permits humans to associate and intermingle with one another, not only as husbands and wives together with their children but also as blood and non-blood relations from far and near. But as we mix in our relationships, Shari’ah puts us in check for us to be guided, and for decorum to be ensured among people, particularly the Muslim ummah who may decide to come together and coexist.
A married couple are permitted by Sunnah to accommodate adult male servants and house-helps, if they so wish, but measures must be put in place to check eyes from preying on any part of the wife’s body, especially the sensitive ones. Her husband, biological male children, father and brothers are the only ones who can see her. Shari’ah puts a great deal of restriction on male-female interaction, much more so when they are not very familiar with one another. Generally speaking, interpersonal affairs with an adolescent female Muslim by a man from whatever shade of background aside from those who shall be mentioned later under this present topic is absolutely discouraged in Shari’ah.
Now, there are three identified periods of the day which are categorically stipulated in the Glorious Qur’an (24:58-59) by which home attendants and servants should restrain themselves from untoward visitation and intrusion into the privacy of their masters or madams who employed them. This religious instruction equally applies to all, including non-Muslims in the society because privacy is an inalienable right of women in Islam.
The first sacrosanct period is the pre-Subh time. That is the time just before the early morning obligatory solat (prayers) between 4:30a.m. and 5:30a.m. This is the hour to prepare for the congregational prayers. It is expected that men and women should, as a matter of morning routine, pull off their night wears and adorn cleaner dresses suitable for prayers. As such, no intruders are allowed into their privacy, particularly that of women.
Second of such time is the pre-Zuhr time, which is the immediate post-midday period (12:25p.m.-1:30p.m.), a time when Muslims in Nigeria should endeavour to get themselves sorted out in whatever they may have been engaged and congregate for the noon prayers (SolatZuhr). Intrusion for no concrete purpose into people’s privacy at this particular hour is also against the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW).
Third of such sacrosanct period is the post-Ishai time, a time that men and women are disposed to retiring for the day after observance of the last obligatory prayers of the day (SolatIshai) by congregation. Men and women may choose to change their garments into night robes and, therefore, no intrusion is considered welcome.
For emphasis, this aspect of the Shari’ah is mandatory to practise and observe in a conscious Muslim home or domain as an individual, and more compelling in the society of the Ummah of the Prophet (SAW), nations of faithful followers of the Prophet (SAW). Allah (SWT) bless those believers who take to the commandments of Shari’ah, for they are the servants who earn the pleasure of Allah’s Rahma here on earth and the hereafter.
Allah (SWT) prescribes (Qur’an) 24:31: “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except that which is apparent (like both eyes to see the way, or the palms of their hands and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or, their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sister’s in Islam), or the (female) slaves who their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of adornment. And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.”
From various tafsir (scholarly explication of the Glorious Qur’an), it is gathered from the above that children being mentioned are strictly restricted to male infants and toddlers, not necessarily comprising young boys who may have begun some phony adolescent sexual fantasies, albeit unconsciously. Equally, the extract has not just granted all women and female a blanket ticket to have unfettered access to the privacy of a Muslim female in purdah. Shari’ah does not permit women who are not known to be certified adherents of Islamic ways of life to a very large extent, for instance, some of those female Muslims who are nominally in Islam much less non-Muslim females to access the privacy of Muslim women in purdah.
In addition, Allah (SWT) in Qur’an 24:60 grants a proviso to the very elderly Muslim women, even in wedlock, who should have outgrown all forms of erotic feelings and fantasies for men. Shari’ah does not insist on this group of Muslim women to be in purdah and more, having attained this human developmental stage in life. However, Allah (SWT) admonishes that they should prefer retaining and remaining in their protective purdah till death, since it is in such option dwells His divine blessing and mercy on the Day of Kihyaamah, the Resurrection Day.
By and large, certain circumstantial situations are expressly granted allowance to have eye-to-eye contact with a Muslim woman, married or yet-to-be-married, or divorced. An elderly old man who is apparently indisposed to sex, who may need to have a contact with the women in purdah as a matter of necessity may be free to see such a woman eye-to-eye. A male adult may also come close to see parts of his mother’s body from the navel to her knees owing to some exigencies.
Moreover, a man who has proposed to Muslim female for Nikaahi is allowed to take a good look at the face of the woman, together with the limbs. Beside, all relatives and friends who witness the Nikaahi ceremony are allowed to take a glimpse of the bride, for one and only time. And this singular look on the face must be restricted only the face of the bride, not to other parts of her body. This act is permissible in Shari’ah.
Other times, as allowed by circumstances, include events occasioned by the need for a woman to be attended to by medical personnel such as doctors and nurses in the hospital for whichever health-related matter(s).
Source: tribuneonlineng.com
https://tribuneonlineng.com/honours-and-virtues-conferred-on-muslim-women-in-purdah/
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Tunisian film star Hend Sabri quits as World Food Programme ambassador over Gaza war
24th November 2023
CAIRO: Tunisian film star Hend Sabri has resigned as World Food Programme goodwill ambassador in protest at what she called the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Sabri, a leading figure in Arab cinema, said that she had decided with "a heavy heart and deep sadness" to step down after 13 years with the United Nations agency.
In a statement published on social media platform X late Wednesday, the 44-year-old said that she had asked the WFP leadership to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory.
She said that she had hoped the agency "would use its voice forcefully" as it had done in previous crises.
"However, hunger and starvation have been used as weapons of war... against more than two million civilians in Gaza," Sabri said.
A pause in fighting, due to take effect on Friday, was "too little too late," she added.
Sabri's most recent film, "Four Daughters," was named joint winner of a documentary film prize at this year's Cannes festival.
Directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, it explores the true story of how a mother comes to terms with the decision by two of her children to flee to Libya and join the Islamic State group.
Following her resignation, the WFP offered its "heartfelt gratitude" for Sabri's "unwavering support and dedication" as goodwill ambassador.
Israel tightened its siege of Gaza alongside relentless bombardment after Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history on October 7.
Israel says that around 1,200 people were killed in the cross-border raids -- most of them civilians -- and about 240 taken hostage.
The Hamas-run government in Gaza says Israel's operations have killed more than 14,000 people, also mostly non-combatants, and left much of the territory in ruins.
The planned four-day truce will see hostages freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The pause is also intended to provide aid to Gaza's 2.4 million residents struggling to survive with shortages of food, water and fuel.
Source: newindianexpress.com
https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/english/2023/nov/24/tunisian-film-star-hend-sabri-quits-as-world-food-programme-ambassador-over-gaza-war-2635809.html
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Remembering Justice M Fathima Beevi’s remarkable journey in law
November 23, 2023
Thiruvananthapuram : Born in a small town in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore in 1927, Justice M Fathima Beevi’s journey to becoming the first woman judge of the Supreme Court and later the Governor of Tamil Nadu is an inspiring example of breaking the ‘glass ceiling’, a term perhaps not commonly used at that time.
Her death on Thursday afternoon at a private hospital in Kollam brought an end to a life that served as an inspiration, especially for women, urging them to perceive restrictive social situations as challenges to overcome.
Role model for addressing gender imbalance
Not only did Justice Beevi pave the way for women to pursue careers in the male-dominated judiciary, but she also became a role model for addressing the gender imbalance in the legal profession.
Justice Beevi had described her elevation to the apex court as the opening of a closed door.
However, without her father, Meera Sahib, urging her — a science student — to pursue a legal career, the title of the first woman judge in the apex court might have gone to Justice Sujata Manohar years later.
Justice Manohar was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994, two years after Justice Beevi’s retirement.
Initial history
Justice Beevi’s father, a government servant at a sub-registrar’s office, motivated his eldest of eight children to study law instead of pursuing an MSc in Chemistry. He did not want her to become a college teacher or professor in Thiruvananthapuram.
Justice Beevi completed her schooling at Catholicate High School in Pathanamthitta and earned a BSc degree from University College in Thiruvananthapuram.
Initially planning to pursue an MSc in Chemistry, her father’s insistence on her studying law led to her achieve several groundbreaking milestones for women in the legal profession.
She received the Travancore Bar Council gold medal for topping the bar council examination in 1949-50, a notable accomplishment for a diligent and hardworking student.
From that point forward, there was no turning back, as she rapidly ascended the ladder of the legal profession at a time when women lawyers did not get much support and encouragement from society.
After practising law for seven years, Beevi successfully cleared the state public service examination for the position of Munsiff. Subsequently, she was promoted to Subordinate Judge in 1968, Chief Judicial Magistrate in 1972, and District and Sessions Judge in 1974.
She was elevated to the Kerala High Court in 1983 and became a permanent judge there the following year.
SC appointment, footprint in TN politics
Justice Beevi was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court in 1989 during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister. It was after her retirement from the Kerala High Court and amid controversy surrounding the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act of 1986.
During her extensive legal career, she handled various cases but is particularly remembered for inviting late AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa to form the government when she served as Governor of Tamil Nadu.
The decision came up for criticism, given Jayalalithaa’s ongoing corruption cases at that time.
Justice Beevi resigned as Governor of Tamil Nadu in July 2002, hours after the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government sought her recall over an alleged failure to uphold the Constitution following the arrest of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, a BJP-led NDA partner at the time.
The NDA government perceived her report on the state’s situation as “biased”.
Before serving as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Justice Beevi was a member of the National Human Rights Commission and the chairperson of the Kerala Commission for Backward Classes.
In 2023, the Kerala government awarded her the Kerala Prabha Award.
Expressing condolences over her demise, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said, “Her life is an inspirational story of hard work and determination, and her contributions reflect her profound social commitment. May her soul rest in eternal peace”.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also expressed condolences over Justice Beevi’s death, recalling her journey from overcoming the educational challenges faced by girls to becoming the first woman judge of the Supreme Court.
Justice Beevi had been admitted to the private hospital a few days ago due to age-related ailments and passed away on Thursday afternoon around 12.15 pm, according to an official source.
“Her burial will be held tomorrow (November 24) at the PathanamthittaJuma Masjid,” the source said.
She was unmarried and is survived by her four younger sisters, with two brothers and a sister predeceasing her, according to a family member. ( With PTI inputs )
Source: muslimmirror.com
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/remembering-justice-m-fathima-beevis-remarkable-journey-in-law/
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KP cabinet extends stipend for tribal girl students until 2025
November 24, 2023
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker government on Thursday approved the extension of the monthly stipend programme for girl students of grade VI-XII in tribal districts until 2025.
Scholarships will be provided to 32,833 girl students from the erstwhile Fata in 2023, 37,758 in 2024 and 43,422 in 2025 at the estimated cost of Rs940.5 million, read an official statement issued after the cabinet’s meeting here.
The cabinet also approved a proposal to link the scholarship disbursement with the student performance, examination results and the minimum attendance of 70 per cent.
Caretaker Chief Minister retired Justice Syed Arshad Hussain Shah chaired the meeting, which was attended by the cabinet members, chief secretary, additional chief secretary, administrative secretaries, and other relevant officials of the province.
Okays DEO posts for Lower South Waziristan district
The cabinet also approved the allotment of two kanals of land in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber tribal district for building offices and residential structures of the federal government institutions, according to the official statement.
“In a move towards social welfare, the cabinet sanctioned the establishment of a welfare fund for prisoners and prison employees, with a focus on skill development,” it read.
The statement added that 30 per cent of the income generated from products made in jails would be allocated for inmates enabling them to acquire skills and achieve financial independence on release.’
“The fund established from the prisoners and prison employees’ contributions, incurs no cost to the government,” the statement read.
The cabinet also approved the nominations from Peshawar, Mardan and Dera Ismail Khan districts to represent farmers on the Cane and Sugar Beet Control Board.
Names for the board of directors of the Water and Sanitation Services Company Peshawar were approved, according to the statement.
It added that the cabinet granted post-facto approval to the department of Auqaf and religious affairs and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority for emergency aid provided to the victims of the Jaranwala violence in Sept 2023.
The participants honoured the memory of Pakistan Army official Uzair Afsar by naming the Government Higher Secondary School in Pind Hashim Khan area of Haripur district after the fallen hero.
The cabinet acknowledged the “evolving administrative landscape” in the province and approved the creation of the district education officer’s positions for both men and women in the newly-established Lower South Waziristan tribal district.
Source: dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1791915/kp-cabinet-extends-stipend-for-tribal-girl-students-until-2025
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Soraya: A highly educated entrepreneur who is advocating for vulnerable women in Herat
Fidel Rahmati
November 23, 2023
The transformation of a woman from being a student to a successful entrepreneur while also fulfilling the role of a mother may seem unfamiliar in today’s Afghanistan. However, in this report, you will read about the precise journey of a female entrepreneur named Soraya. She was born in Herat, experienced the deprivation of education during the early days of the Taliban’s rule, and now manages saffron and detergent production factories to support single mothers. Her story is a testament to the resilience and determination of Afghan women in the face of adversity.
Soraya Daqiq, a woman hailing from the land of Gulchehra Begum, was in the sixth grade in 1996 when her education was abruptly halted. This happened because the Taliban had taken control, and, much like today, girls were deprived of their right to attend school. Soraya’s deprivation from education eventually led to her marriage at the tender age of 14. Reflecting on her early marriage, Soraya, whose own daughter is now deprived of access to higher education, lamented, “I was married at a young age, following the prevailing customs and culture of society, just like many other girls who have been or are being forced into early marriages during childhood.”
However, after the September 11, 2001 attacks, when the United States rallied its allies to combat the Taliban and the Bonn Conference was convened to establish a constitutional government that would uphold women’s rights, Soraya once again began to contemplate pursuing her education and chase her dream.
Simultaneously juggling motherhood responsibilities after marriage, Soraya persevered through a wave of challenges and completed her economics degree at a government university in Herat.
Where Did Soraya’s Success Begin?
Soraya is a 39-year-old mother, a creative entrepreneur from Herat who, through selling her gold jewellery, managed to establish a saffron production factory. The creation of this factory has provided employment opportunities for women who have husbands struggling with addiction.
Soraya Daqiq, the owner of “GuharNaz Saffron” company, stated in her interview with Khaama Press, “Five years ago, with the gold my husband had bought, valued at around 300,000 Afghanis, I founded the saffron production factory in one of the areas in Herat.”
Having studied economics at university, she could assess the business risk and relied on her academic knowledge to set up her factory. Although the money from selling her gold sometimes made her doubt her decision, she ultimately put aside any hesitation, saying, “I never thought, ‘Maybe you can’t handle this and don’t waste your money, time, and youthful energy for nothing.’ But I was determined because I had confidence in my goal and the work I had started.”
Soraya attributes her success to her university education, an opportunity that her daughter and thousands of other girls are currently deprived of. She explained, “During my university courses, I prepared a test project for the university and received encouragement from my professors. This led me to start a saffron factory by selling some of my gold during my university studies.”
Soraya’s Efforts towards Empowering Vulnerable Women
The women employed in Soraya’s saffron production factory are either widows, dealing with husbands addicted to substances, or part of a group of women and girls who are denied permission to attend school by their families or the Taliban administration government. Soraya, who is familiar with the experience of being deprived of education, told Khaama Press, “History has repeated itself.”
She is a successful female entrepreneur and an advocate for women’s rights. She describes the purpose of establishing the saffron production factory as creating employment opportunities for women facing economic challenges and responsible for supporting their families for various reasons.
She said, “By establishing this factory, the tables of dozens of families have turned colourful, and single women no longer fear loneliness and economic hardships.”
Soraya truly comprehends her success in its most total sense when she sees “smiles on the faces of women.” She says, “Seeing the women working in the factory gives me a wonderful feeling of peace, contentment, life, and vitality.”
Soraya enjoys the support of her family and the support of the women employed in the “GuharNaz Factory.” Dozens of women who have finally found employment in this factory under Soraya’s leadership after years of unemployment are delighted.
After establishing the saffron production factory, Soraya ventured into setting up a detergent production factory. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Afghanistan and the rising prices of detergents, she decided to establish another factory and, to learn the detergent production process, travelled to Iran.
Soraya’s Success in Career and Family Support
Soraya attributes one of the key factors behind her success to her family’s unwavering support and trust, particularly her husband. She says, “Family support, especially the support of my husband, has been instrumental in my journey.”
Working women worldwide, especially in Afghanistan, face various internal and external career challenges. Balancing work and career planning with limited time can create a conflict between family and work. Soraya has also experienced this phase but has always had the support of her family members.
Soraya explains, “I’ve had to leave behind many aspects of life: social gatherings, spending time with family, and even my two sons don’t want me to work at all.”
While she was busy working in the factory during the day, Soraya attended university at night, and she acknowledges, “This sometimes created a gap between me and my family, whether I liked it or not. But we managed to overcome all the challenges together.”
Her husband also collaborates when necessary in matters related to Soraya’s factory: “My husband works alongside me in external affairs of the saffron factory, and when there are obstacles from the government, he assists me in external matters.”
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/soraya-a-highly-educated-entrepreneur-who-is-advocating-for-vulnerable-women-in-herat/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-women-bbc-influential-women/d/131173