Afghan Women Leave Journalism in Droves, Citing Wave of Targeted Killings
New
Age Islam News Bureau
11
March 2021
•
Afghan-Based Rights Group Condemns Ban on Afghan Schoolgirls Singing In Public
•
With No Peace in Sight, Afghan Women Are Losing Hope for Change
•
13-Year-Old Hindu Girl Forcibly Converted and Married to Abductor in Pakistan's
Sindh
•
Iran: Women and Girls Treated As Second Class Citizens, Reforms Urgently
Needed, Says UN Expert
•
Mandela’s Granddaughter Likens Iran’s Oppression of Women to Apartheid South
Africa
•
Lebanese Artist Nourie Flayhan Partners With US Fashion Label In Celebration Of
Women
•
Meet the Iraqi Para-Athlete Inspiring Confidence in Women Everywhere
•
Female Saudi Rally Competitors Set Their Sights on Dakar Rally 2022 In Jeddah
•
Women Are Better Drivers than Men, UAE Survey Says
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghan-women-leave-journalism-droves/d/124518
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Afghan
Women Leave Journalism in Droves, Citing Wave of Targeted Killings
Nearly 20 percent of Afghan women journalists have
quit or lost their jobs in the past six months
------
MARCH
08, 2021
‘300
women left the industry in recent months, citing wave of targeted killings’
Nearly
20% of Afghan women journalists have quit or lost their jobs in the past six
months, a media watchdog group said Monday, as a wave of murders targeting the
press has intensified in the war-torn country.
The
Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said that more than 300 women had left the
industry in recent months, citing the “wave of targeted killings” as one of the
main reasons — along with financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus
pandemic.
The
report comes as the world marks International Women’s Day and less than a week
after three female media workers from Enikass TV were gunned down by militants
in the eastern city of Jalalabad in an attack claimed by the local Islamic
State group affiliate.
Another
woman working for the station was murdered in December. On Monday, Enikass said
it had asked all remaining women staffers to stay home until security improves.
“I
love journalism but I also love to live,” Nadia Momand, a presenter at Enikass,
said.
“I’m
not going to go out again unless they send me an armoured vehicle.”
“There
is no protection for them,” said Zalmai Latifi, the broadcaster’s director.
“We
also decided not to hire any additional women employees,” he added.
The
watchdog noted in a statement that “Afghanistan is celebrating International
Women’s Day this year at a time where security threats against journalists and
media workers, especially women in the media, have intensified”.
Rights
crushed
Journalists,
religious scholars, activists and judges have all been victims of a recent wave
of political assassinations across Afghanistan, forcing many into hiding and
some to flee the country.
The
killings have been acutely felt by women, whose rights were crushed under
Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001 — which included a ban on them working.
Intelligence
officials have previously linked the attacks against women to demands at
ongoing peace talks in Doha — between the Kabul government and the Taliban —
for their rights to be protected.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/afghan-women-leave-journalism-in-droves/article34022550.ece
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Afghan-Based
Rights Group Condemns Ban on Afghan Schoolgirls Singing In Public
2222NewAgeIsla.jpg)
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said
the decision was made after parents complained that students had too much
schoolwork [File: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters]
-----
11 Mar 2021
An
Afghan-based rights group has condemned a decision by authorities to ban
schoolgirls from singing at public events, saying they should “not promote
gender discrimination”.
Afghanistan’s
Ministry of Education said in a letter, leaked to the media on Wednesday, that
female students over the age of 12 would no longer be allowed to sing in public
ceremonies unless the event in question was all-female. It also said that the
female students would not be taught by male music teachers.
“Education,
freedom of speech and access to artistic skills are the basic rights of all
children, regardless of age or gender. Children, girls and boys can exercise
their rights equally and freely within the framework of the law,” Afghanistan
Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said in a statement on Twitter.
Najiba
Arian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, confirmed the ban to local
news outlet TOLONews, saying the decision applies to all 34 provinces of the
country.
She
added that “the decision was made following complaints by families over the
high burden of studies on the shoulders of the students in high school and
middle school”.
The
ministry, however, did not explain why the ban only applied to girls or why
all-female events were exempt.
The
statement by the AIHRC further said the education ministry should support
freedom, equality and protection of children and “not promote gender
discrimination”.
Schoolchildren
in Afghanistan often sing at ceremonies or official events.
Ahmad
Naser Sarmast, founder and director of the Afghanistan National Institute of
Music also condemned the ban, saying the decision is a “clear violation of
national and international legislation and laws in areas of basic human rights,
child rights, women’s rights, musical rights, and the universal right to
freedom of expression”.
“The
Afghanistan National Institute of Music … openly calls upon supporters and
members of the Afghan and international community to join us in solidarity so
that young females and women of Afghanistan, in music and in voice, may never
be silenced again,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
During
the Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001, singing and listening to music and
writing poems or songs were strictly banned by the armed group.
Since
the overthrow of the Taliban in an invasion by US-led forces, Afghan women have
gained a number of rights that they are worried will now be eroded as the
Afghan government tries to negotiate a peace agreement with the armed group,
which has fought the government and foreign forces for 20 years.
Last
year, the education ministry faced a backlash for decreeing that students
receive all lessons during their first three years of schooling in mosques to
help inject an “Islamic spirit” into the students.
The
decision was reversed.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/11/rights-group-denounce-ban-on-afghan-schoolgirls-public-singing
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With
No Peace in Sight, Afghan Women Are Losing Hope For Change
Abubakar
Siddique
March
11, 2021
HERAT,
Afghanistan -- Jamila Azimi says her hopes of seeing an end to her country’s
four-decade war are fading a year after the peace agreement between the Taliban
and the United States led many to believe that peace in Afghanistan was around
the corner.
"All
our hopes have been dashed,” she told Radio Free Afghanistan while reflecting on
how during last year’s International Women’s Day celebration on March 8 last
year in hometown Herat, a city in western Afghanistan, women were brimming with
expectations.
“We
had just witnessed the signing of a peace agreement and were very hopeful and there
was some enthusiasm to celebrate it,” she added, alluding to the February 29,
2020, agreement that requires Washington to withdraw troops in return for
Taliban counterterrorism guarantees, power-sharing talks with the Afghan
government, and discussions on a comprehensive cease-fire.
“But
once again, we are in a state of war and crisis,” Azimi noted. She vividly
remembers life under the hard-line Taliban, which closed schools for girls and
severely restricted mobility for Afghan women after overrunning Herat in
September 1995.
"I
was a fourth grader but had to comply with restrictions imposed on adult
women,” she said of life under the Taliban. "When I went to the market
with my mother, I was constantly stared at and repeatedly threatened. After
several trips, my mother stopped taking me outside the house.”
Like
many Afghan women, Azimi was married off as a teenager and soon became a
mother. Today, she feels the Taliban’s closure of schools denied her key
opportunities in life.
Manizheh
Bahareh, another Herat resident, was also deprived of education during the
Taliban rule in the late 1990s. But she returned to school soon after the
demise of the Taliban regime in late 2001 and never looked back. She now holds
a master’s degree in sociology from Turkey and represents the educated middle
class that has thrived since the fall of the Taliban thanks to international
aid and government support for education and women’s rights.
Bahareh
is also worried about the increasing violence against targeted professional women.
She hopes the Afghan government and the Taliban can find a way to reduce
violence and preserve the achievements of the past two decades.
"The
right to education, employment, key freedoms, and other political and social
rights of women are part of our red lines that should not be crossed,” she told
Radio Free Afghanistan. "We would also like to see more attention to the
empowerment and development of women.”
While
the Afghan government celebrates women’s empowerment, education, careers, and
rights as its key achievements, the Taliban has offered only vague promises of
granting women rights in accordance with Islamic injunctions. The hard-line
Islamist movement has no female leaders, and no women work at its political
office in Qatar or as field commanders. Likewise, its shadow government in
Afghanistan and vast network there and in Pakistan -- where the movement has
largely sheltered since being routed from Afghanistan in late 2001 – solely
comprises men.
This
deeply troubles Afghan women’s rights advocates who fear their achievements and
rights will be sacrificed for the sake of making peace with the Taliban, whose
military machine has made large territorial gains since 2014 but has showed
little interest in abandoning its ultraconservative worldview.
Maria
Bashir, a lawyer and rights defender in Herat, says she is optimistic about the
progress Afghan women have made during the past two decades but peace should
not come at the cost of abandoning them.
"If
a [new] government is formed hastily and does not take into account half of the
Afghanistan’s population, it is likely that our achievements will be reversed,”
she told Radio Free Afghanistan.
Amid
a stalemate in peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government,
Washington now appears to be pushing to jump-start the peace process. But its
new alleged peace proposals, outlined in a reported plan distributed to Afghan
leaders and an alleged leaked letter by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, calls for the formation of an interim
power-sharing government with the Taliban, a cease-fire, and a conference of
Kabul’s neighbors and regional powers.
Kabul
has strongly opposed the proposals while Western diplomats and independent
experts have questioned whether they can really help restore peace in
Afghanistan or will serve to further complicate the worsening conditions of a
possible U.S. military withdrawal by May 1 as stipulated by Washington’s
agreement with the Taliban.
Shaharzad
Akbar, head of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), says
sustainable peace in Afghanistan will require that women be heard and given a
say in the peace process.
“Everything
affects women. The economy, politics, the fate of the political system, the
proposed cease-fire, and a reintegration of the insurgents all impact the lives
of women,” she told a gathering in Kabul on March 8.
One
year after the landmark deal, Afghans and women in particular have not seen a
respite from violence. In recent months, female journalists, activists, and
government workers have become the main target of an insurgent assassination
campaign that officials and observers say aims to weaken the media and civil
society.
With
high-profile diplomatic conferences expected to be held in Turkey and Moscow
this month, Afghanistan will be at the center of heightened international
diplomacy. The prospects for preserving the rights of Afghan women now loom
large over such diplomatic initiatives and the larger peace process aimed at
ending the Afghan war.
Abubakar
Siddique wrote this story based on reporting by Radio Free Afghanistan
correspondents in Herat and Kabul.
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghan-women-fear-losing-rights-taliban-peace-process/31145009.html
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13-Year-Old
Hindu Girl Forcibly Converted and Married to Abductor in Pakistan's Sindh
Geeta
Mohan
March
11, 2021
Another
minor Hindu girl has been abducted, forcibly converted and married off in
Pakistan.
A
13-year-old Hindu girl named Kavita Bai was allegedly kidnapped by a man of
Bahalkani tribe, forcibly converted to Islam by Barelvi cleric Mian Mithoo, and
then married off to her abductor.
A
video of the conversion ceremony has also gone viral on social media.
The
incident took place in the Tangwani Taluka of Kashmore district in Sindh.
According
to local media, the girl was kidnapped by five men from her home on March 8.
Her father said that five armed men dragged his daughter from their home to a
white vehicle and sped away.
An
FIR has been filed in the matter.
However,
the teenager reportedly appeared before a court on Wednesday and claimed that
she was over 18 years old.
After
her statement, she was shifted from Kashmore to Ghotki as she alleged that she
had married against the wishes of her parents. She has also sought protection
from the court.
Despite
her claim, the police have filed a case under the Sindh Child Marriage
Restraint Act which makes a marriage between an adult and a minor punishable by
upto three years of imprisonment
A
medical examination is likely to be ordered to determine her real age.
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/13-year-old-hindu-girl-forcibly-converted-and-married-to-abductor-in-pakistan-s-sindh-1777947-2021-03-11
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Iran:
Women and girls treated as second class citizens, reforms urgently needed, says
UN expert
March
11, 2021
GENEVA
(8 March 2021) – Women and girls continue to be treated as second class
citizens in Iran, a UN expert says in a report to the Human Rights Council,
citing domestic violence, thousands of marriages of girls aged between 10 and
14 each year and continuing entrenched discrimination in law and practice.
“One
of the most concerning issues in Iran today when it comes to the rights of
women and girls is the issue of child marriage,” Javaid Rehman, the Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,
said in the report to be presented to the 47-member body on 9 March.
“The
Government and other leaders in the country must raise the marriage age now and
introduce further policies and programmes to reduce this practice in the
country.”
By
law, a girl as young as 13 years can marry, while girls even younger can
legally marry with judicial and paternal consent. In the first half of the
current Iranian calendar year, over 16,000 girls aged between 10 and 14 years
have married, according to official Government figures.
“The
current legal marriage age is simply unacceptable. It is clear that child
marriage is harmful for the development and well-being of girls, including in
terms of education, employment and to live free of violence. While I note
previous attempts to amend the law, pressure must now be brought to raise the
marriage age, in line with Iran’s obligations under the Convention on the
Rights of the Child,” Rehman said.
The
report also highlighted serious concerns regarding domestic violence. Some
positive steps are noted, such as a law against acid attacks, but the Special
Rapporteur pressed the Iranian Government to do more.
“Existing
protections against violence are insufficient to comprehensively safeguard
women and children. I acknowledge that the anti-violence bill before parliament
provides some positive measures, but as my report details, it does not go far
enough. I urge for further improvements to the bill before it is enforced and
to extend support services for women and children who experience domestic
violence,” Rehman said.
While
finding some progress, such as in education and citizenship rights, his report
details how gender discrimination permeates almost all areas of law and
practice, treating Iranian women as second-class citizens. He has provided the
Government with recommendations to ameliorate these issues, including
ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women. Iran is one of only a few states not to have
signed the Convention.
“Blatant
discrimination exists in Iranian law and practice that must change. In several
areas of their lives, including in marriage, divorce, employment, and culture,
Iranian women are either restricted or need permission from their husbands or
paternal guardians, depriving them of their autonomy and human dignity. These
constructs are completely unacceptable and must be reformed now,” he said.
The
Special Rapporteur also called on the Government to implement concrete measures
to end the culture of impunity for serious human rights violations and to hold
those responsible for violations accountable. Rehman specifically raised the
Government’s failure to properly investigate the security forces’ bloody
crackdown on the November 2019 protests, which killed over 300 people. He
remained concerned at the high death penalty rate, especially the execution of
child offenders, and those executed in relation to protests and freedom of
expression, such as Navid Afkari and Ruhollah Zam, as well as reports of the
widespread use of torture to extract forced confessions.
Rehman
raised his concerns that sanctions have hindered Iran’s response to COVID-19.
He echoed calls by the Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights
for States to at least ease sanctions in support of the fight against COVID-19.
However, the Rapporteur said that the Government’s opaque and inadequate
Coronavirus response had resulted in excess deaths, including those of medical
professionals working without sufficient protective equipment.
He
also underlined deep concerns that arbitrarily detained human rights defenders,
journalists, labour rights activists, dual and foreign nationals and lawyers
continue to be imprisoned despite the COVID-19 risks. State targeting of these
individuals for exercising fundamental freedoms also continues, including
Yasaman Aryani, Monireh Arabshahi and Mojgan Keshavarz, who are imprisoned for
protesting against compulsory veiling laws on International Women’s Day 2019,
and other women human rights defenders, like Nasrin Sotoudeh, Atena Daemi and
Golrokh Iraee.
The
Special Rapporteur repeated his dismay at human rights violations perpetrated
against Iran’s religious, ethnic and sexual minorities. Since his report was
finalized, further disturbing incidents against Iran’s minorities have emerged,
including more than 20 executions of Baluch death row prisoners, the suspicious
death of imprisoned Gonabadi Dervish follower Behnam Mahjoubi, excessive use of
force against protesters in Sistan and Baluchistan province, the detention of
over 100 Kurdish activists, and house raids and land confiscations against
members of the Baha’i faith.
The
Special Rapporteur is scheduled to present his report to the Human Rights
Council in an interactive dialogue on 9 March 2021. The interactive dialogue
will be live on UN Web TV. An unofficial Farsi translation of the report is
also available.
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26862&LangID=E
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Mandela’s
granddaughter likens Iran’s oppression of women to apartheid South Africa
CHRISTOPHER
HAMILL-STEWART
March
08, 2021
LONDON:
Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter has compared the plight of women in Iran to that
of black women living under apartheid in South Africa.
Speaking
at an event on Monday hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran and
attended by Arab News, Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela lauded the integral role that
women have played for years in opposing the regime and its theocratic
dictatorship.
“It’s
indeed paradoxical to imagine that while the Iranian constitution adopted
following the Islamic Revolution in 1979 proclaims equality for men and women
under Article 20, the reality is since the revolution, Shariah laws have been
used to oppress, subjugate, humiliate, abuse, undermine and strip the women of
Iran of their dignity — just like apartheid did to the black women of South
Africa,” she said.
Dlamini-Mandela,
following in her grandfather’s footsteps, has become a campaigner for human
rights both within South Africa and globally. The plight of Iranian women
specifically “is close to my heart,” she said.
“More
than 150 notable women feminists are languishing in prison (in Iran) simply
because they’re demanding equal rights for the women in their struggle against
apartheid,” she added.
“Their
sacrifice has contributed to the fight against the regime, but earned them the
same brutal treatment as the men received at the hands of the apartheid
government, such as 90-day detentions, house arrests and exposure to emotional
trauma.”
The
Iranian regime “finds its toughest enemies amongst women,” she said. “I’ll
speak on behalf of all the women who fought, struggled and suffered to rid
South Africa of apartheid: Women of Iran in their fight for freedom, justice
and gender equality — thank you.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1822081/world
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Lebanese
artist Nourie Flayhan partners with US fashion label in celebration of women
March
09, 2021
DUBAI:
Lebanese artist Nourie Flayhan has partnered with Los Angeles-based fashion
label House of Aama on a tote bag that honors women in North Africa and
southwest Asia.
The
bag, which is available on US e-tailer Shopbop, features an illustration of a
woman holding a cup of Arabic coffee, fig trees and gold jewelry — things that
Arab women are famous for.
As
part of the collaboration, 20 percent of proceeds will be donated to TBD, an
organization that promotes gender equality and supports women.
The
partnership came right in time for International Women’s Day.
Flayhan
is a well-known advocate of women’s rights.
She
often draws colorful sketches of women in the region. Most of her illustrations
feature multiple hands or eyes.
In
2020, the artist collaborated with Italian luxury label Gucci Beauty for
artworks that featured imaginary characters pictured at home.
In
an interview with the brand, she spoke about her vision of wanting to change
the narrative about being Arab and a woman of color.
“The
women of color, the diaspora around me that I grew up and the lack of representation
in the media, books and magazines always inspired me. I never saw myself in
them, and could never connect,” she told Gucci.
She
added: “I am using my voice to share the stories that need to be shared about
our communities, and create conversation around topics that may seem taboo in
our cultures or ones that might be sensitive to talk about among our societies
or patriarchal systems that need to end.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1822591/lifestyle
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Meet
the Iraqi Para-Athlete Inspiring Confidence in Women Everywhere
March
07, 2021
DUBAI:
When Iraqi sports enthusiast Zainab Al-Eqabi was seven years old, a bomb went
off near her Baghdad home. Al-Eqabi, now 30, lost one of her legs as a result
of the explosion.
“It
hasn’t been an easy journey,” the pharmacist-turned-athlete told Arab News. It
was the support of family and friends, as well as her own inner strength, that
got her through. And despite the odds stacked against her, Al-Eqabi has taken
her athleticism to a new level and has gone on to compete in several sports
competitions in the UAE.
However,
the 30-year-old admits that she has not always been an athlete — it was not
until a doctor recommended that she should start swimming to ease her back
pain, which was induced by her prosthetic leg, that she took up sports.
Al-Eqabi
says that it “was a turning point” in her life.
“Swimming
was not as difficult and scary as I thought at all, and it kind of opened up
the doors to other sports,” she said. She competed in two triathlons as a
cyclist in the UAE, and in 2020 joined the Dubai Fitness Challenge, during
which she hauled a 2,000kg Jeep.
On
top of an intense training schedule, a full-time job as a pharmacist and giving
motivational speeches, Al-Eqabi makes a point of posting inspiring photographs
of herself on Instagram — where she has accrued 1.5 million followers — with
the aim of breaking stereotypes, combatting prejudices and contributing to a
more confident society.
“In
the Middle East, there’s this stigma on people with special needs or any kind
of disability,” she said. “When I used to tell people that I have a prosthetic
leg, they wouldn’t understand. They didn’t understand that I have an
amputation. So, I decided to create a Facebook page called ‘Disabled and Proud’
and just started to note down stories from my daily life,” she said.
She
recalled one instance when a woman confided in her that her disabled son had
become more social and confident since he started following Al-Eqabi on social
media.
“There
are so many people with disabilities who feel shy or embarrassed, or they just
choose not to integrate into society. They limit their activity and
involvement, just because of what they’re going through,” she said. “I hated
that. So that’s what made me start posting on social media.”
Naturally,
Al-Eqabi was the perfect fit when The Body Shop was searching for regional
faces to represent its new Global Self Love Movement campaign, which promotes
self-esteem and body positivity.
“I
can really relate to this campaign. Self-love is a treasure that we all need to
keep developing so that we can have the best relationship with our own self.
I’m honestly so proud to be a part of this campaign,” she said.
When
it comes to her own beauty routine, she follows a diligent skin care regimen
because she believes that taking care of our bodies is important. Most days,
she goes bare-faced, simply applying moisturizer and sunscreen and using a face
mask once a week. On the days that she is not swimming, she will swipe a few
coats of mascara on her lashes.
Ultimately
though, Al-Eqabi’s secret to feeling her best is getting plenty of sleep and
exercise. “Working out just makes you really feel good,” she said.
Al-Eqabi
has had to put many of her plans on hold due to the pandemic. However, she
continues to be a beacon of body positivity.
“I
want to tell the person with a disability, don’t let it stop you, because at
the end of the day you need to live your life. It doesn’t make sense to be
excluded and to go through that by yourself. This is your life. You deserve to
live it and enjoy it.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1821536/lifestyle
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Female
Saudi Rally Competitors Set Their Sights on Dakar Rally 2022 In Jeddah
ALI
KHALED
March
10, 2021
Dania
Akeel is fast becoming one of the most recognizable faces in Saudi Arabian
motorsports.
The
32-year-old was one of the presenting guests at the 2021 Dakar Rally in Jeddah
at the start of the year. In 2022, she will herself be taking part in the
world’s most famous desert race.
Akeel
is today already mixing it with the world’s best rally drivers, having taken
part in the recent Sharqiyah Baja 2021, the third round of the World Cup for
Cross-Country Bajas, under the supervision of FIA and Saudi Arabia Motor
Federation (SAMF).
“The
Sharqiyah International Baja Toyota Rally is my personal first race,” Akeel
told Arab News. “It is an incentive for me to participate in the 2022 Dakar
Rally and a race that introduces me to the future world of racing.”
She
has also taken part in the Hail and Northern Region Rally, which is a stage of
the International Motorsport Federation’s world rally championship.
Initially
it was Akeel’s talent in riding motorcycles that caught the attention of SAMF,
which awarded her a Speed Bikes Competition license.
She
was keen to thank SAMF Chairman Prince Khalid bin Sultan and Sports Minister
Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki for the opportunity and for generally supporting
Saudi women’s progress in motorsports.
After
gaining her license, her progress was rapid. Riding a Ducati 899, she went on
take part in the UAE National SportsBike Super Series grid against more than 15
racers for five rounds.
Unfortunately
for Akeel, who holds a master’s degree in international business, an accident
in which she suffered several pelvic fractures and an injury to her spine, forced
her to put her biking career on hold.
Now
she is back and excelling in rally, and having had her big break previously,
Akeel is hoping to see more Saudi females embrace car and motorcycle racing,
which until recently were a domain exclusive to male drivers.
“I
didn’t think that it is only a men’s sport because we live in an era of
empowering Saudi women and all opportunities and fields are available for them
to prove their capabilities and competence,” she said. “I have not been exposed
to any challenges or problems in this regard.”
Having
competed in the Sharqiyah rally, she is now set to take part in the Abu Dhabi
Desert Challenge on Nov. 6-12, 2021, before starting preparation for the Dakar
Rally 2022.
Akeel
is not alone in raising the profile of Saudi female rally drivers. Also present
at the Sharqiyah Baja was Mashael AlObaidan, who started her motorsporting
journey as a dirt bike rider.
“I
say this message not only to girls but to boys and everyone in the world, every
human, if you love something just go for it,” she said in a video by Reuters
taken at Sharqiyah rally. “If you see obstacles, just push, push, push until
you do the things you love, and enjoy life.”
AlObaidan
last week told Arab News that, as a child, her love of motorsports was sparked
by watching women ride motorbikes in Hollywood films. Now she is living the
dream herself.
“Adrenaline
just rushes in my blood when I race, it is pure happiness,” she said. “Saudi
Arabia is doing a great job in a lot of sectors, especially motorsports,”
AlObaidan said. “We have the biggest races and that shows you where we are
heading. It is a bright future for the sector and I love it.”
Akeel
and AlObaidan now have their eyes set on the Dakar Rally 2022, where they will
enter as part of a team dubbed the “Sheroes.”
In
every sense, they are blazing a trail for other Saudi women to follow.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1823166/sport
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Women
Are Better Drivers than Men, UAE Survey Says
March
7, 2021
Women
don't tailgate as often as men, and speed less.
Women
drivers in the UAE cause fewer accidents than their male counterparts; they
indicate more; and understand, own and use child seats better, a recent study
has revealed.
Data
extracted from the UAE Road Safety Monitor, a six-year-long perception and
attitude research project, stated that women tailgate less, speed less, and
fall less often, but more severely, into road rage.
On
the occasion of International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, RoadSafetyUAE
shared these UAE-specific insights and put to rest the age-old argument – which
gender drives better?
Thomas
Edelmann, founder and managing director of RoadSafetyUAE, said: “Women drivers
often don’t receive the due appreciation for their driving behaviour. Gender
prejudice still seems to play a role; however, an overall, more careful
attitude can be observed while analysing the behaviour of UAE lady drivers in
most of the critical dimensions of safe driving.”
However,
Edelmann also said women drivers could improve, especially regarding time
management, and to a lesser extent, seat-belt use, road rage, and mobile phone
use.
Accidents
and tailgating
Women
drivers were less involved in road accidents than men in 2020. Last year,
survey data showed a 4 per cent drop in women meeting with accidents over six
months. Only 21 per cent of women responded 'yes', compared to 26 per cent of
the male respondents.
“Over
the last six years, we have witnessed significantly lower levels for women,
with a maximum of eight per cent-points difference between female and male UAE
drivers,” said Edelmann.
About
67 per cent female drivers ‘never’ tailgate, as compared to men (56 per cent).
'Running late’ is the main reason for ladies to tailgate, and they also get
very nervous while they are being tailgated, Edelmann added.
Indicator
use and road rage
A
total of 71 per cent of the women use their indicators when changing lanes,
taking an exit, merging onto a highway and turning at a junction; compared to
65 per cent of men.
“We
always must use our indicators, as lane swerving remains the number one cause
of death on UAE’s roads and as this act of reckless driving goes hand in hand
with the non-use of indicating,” he explained. Also, women are less prone to
road rage than males.
Seat
belt usage and attitude
A
total of 94 per cent of women drivers better understand the importance of using
seat belts on the front seat than men (91 per cent). However, fewer lady
drivers ‘always’ use their seat belts versus men (women 70 per cent, men 72 per
cent) even though the law mandates seat belts.
Mobile
phone usage and speeding
More
women drivers (36 per cent) ‘never’ use their mobile phones versus 23 per cent
of their male counterparts. However, when they use them, by far the leading
cause for accidents is incoming calls (women: 78 per cent, men 73 per cent).
“As
the police have said, women drivers seem to be more prone to be distracted
while driving. We must stop the use of mobile phones while driving,” advised
Edelmann.
Also,
less ladies received speeding fines than males.
Key
findings
>
79 per cent of women own proper child restraint systems compared to 75 per cent
of men.
>
84 per cent of females use child restraint systems more often than men (70 per
cent)
>
12 per cent of women are less confused about which child seat is the correct
one for their children than 34 per cent of the men.
>
19 per cent of women think less that child seats are too expensive than 26 per
cent men.
>
7 per cent of the women respondents think less it is less safe to keep children
on laps of adults while 26 per cent of the men think it is safe to keep kids on
their laps in cars.
>
7 per cent of women are much more realistic than men when it comes to the
statement ‘no child seats are needed, as I am a safe driver’ compared to men
(25 per cent).
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/women-are-better-drivers-than-men-uae-survey-says
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