African Clerics: Muslim Women Leadership Fine Under Islamic Teachings
New Age
Islam News Bureau
15 July 2023
• African Clerics: Muslim Women Leadership Fine
Under Islamic Teachings
• Women Artists Of The Islamic World Shine At The
Royal Ontario Museum
• Rosella Ayane To Lead Morocco Challenge At FIFA
Women's World Cup
• 'Muslim Women' Not Invited To Speak At CPM's Seminar
Against Uniform Civil Code
• History Beckons As Arab Icon Jabeur Takes On VondrousovaIn
Women's Final At Wimbledon
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/african-clerics-muslim-islamic-teachings/d/130220
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African Clerics: Muslim Women Leadership
Fine Under Islamic Teaching
Nigerian
Muslim women and children attend Eid al-Adha prayers at an open field in Lagos,
June 28, 2023. African Muslim leaders meeting in Cameroon on July 14, 2023,
said the idea that women should be allowed to carry out only domestic chores
and farm work is an outdated.
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July 14, 2023
YAOUNDE, Cameroon — Leaders from 25
Muslim-majority countries in Africa meeting in Cameroon on Friday called for an
end to the exclusion of women from political, social, economic and religious
issues in the name of Islamic teachings.
The more than 300 clerics, Islamic
scholars and researchers at the U.N. conference on Islam, Women's Empowerment
and Peace Building said they were launching a campaign in Africa to counter
stereotypes that impede the emancipation of Muslim women.
The consensus of the conference was that
Muslim women are the most affected by conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa and
should take lead roles in communities and decision-making.
MamadouLamine Diallo, a Muslim scholar
and researcher at the Lansana Conte University in Guinea Conakry, said the
campaign will begin in communities where some Muslim leaders teach and practice
concepts that are strange to Islam. Diallo said teachings that girls should be
given to marriage in their teens, and that women should leave social, economic
and political activities to men, are misleading.
He said that in the Quran, Prophet
Muhammad, who is the founder of Islam, established complete equality between
men and women. He said the fact that Muhammad’s first wife, Khadija, was a
highly respected business leader who traded in furniture, pottery and silks, is
an indication that women should not be excluded from political, social,
economic and religious issues in the name of Islamic teachings.
Some ideas called outdated
Diallo said the idea that women should
be allowed to carry out only domestic chores and farm work is an outdated
African practice. He said Boko Haram has been using female suicide bombers
since 2010 with false promises that when a woman dies while fighting for Islam,
she immediately goes to heaven.
Clerics said Muslim women constitute a
majority of those enduring unprecedented levels of sexual violence, increased
food insecurity and displacement. Muslim women are the largest group of the 3
million people displaced by Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and
Niger, according to the clerics.
Maryam Amsha, a female Muslim leader in
Bambari, a commercial town in the Central African Republic (CAR), said exclusion
makes Muslim women ignorant of their roles in building peace in that country.
“It will be an abuse of democratic norms
if a majority of the more than 51% of CAR’s 900,000 Muslims who are women do
not take part in expected elections because they have been taught to avoid
politics,” Amsha said.
She said she is “inviting imams to make
sure that Muslim women are taking part in negotiations to end a decade of
political tensions and develop CAR.”
Presidential elections in 2025
The Central African Republic will hold
presidential elections in 2025. Amsha said a president elected by a majority of
civilians, including women, will be a major step to peace. CAR descended into
chaos after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by a
predominantly Muslim rebel alliance called Seleka.
Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion
Ngute, who chaired the conference, said that if not stopped, some religious
beliefs will slow Africa's development.
"Culture is an important lever of
people's development," Ngute said. “In this context, it is essential that
women in general and those from the Islamic tradition in particular, see it as
an instrument of personal development. That is why the government [of Cameroon]
trains citizens who are rooted in their culture, respectful of the general
interest and open to the world."
The Muslim leaders said that if Africa
provided greater impetus to Muslim women, high levels of poverty would be
reduced, and several million people would free themselves from the bondage of
slavery caused by erroneous beliefs about Islam.
Participants at the conference came from
countries including Nigeria, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, South Sudan,
Somalia, Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritania, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Guinea Conakry, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Source: voanews.com
https://www.voanews.com/a/african-clerics-muslim-women-leadership-fine-under-islamic-teachings/7181515.html
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Women Artists Of The Islamic World Shine
At The Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
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July 14, 2023
Women artists have been drastically
under-represented in art history, as seen in the disproportionately fewer works
by female artists held by public art museums and galleries.
(An analysis of 31 museums across the
U.S. showed women made up a mere 11 per cent of acquisitions, and 14.9 per cent
of solo and group exhibitions from 2008 to 2020.)
The Royal Ontario Museum is on a mission
to change that.
Its latest exhibition, “Being and
Belonging: Contemporary Women Artists from the Islamic World and Beyond,”
features works by 25 women, emerging and globally renowned, from or connected
to the Islamic world spanning West Africa to Southeast Asia.
“Being and Belonging” provocatively
explores topics of violence, war, sexuality and joy through several artistic
mediums; from digital print to acrylic on canvas to video production.
The exhibition “not only confronts
urgent contemporary issues, but does so by foregrounding voices of women with
deep ties to the Islamic world and beyond. Voices that, for too long, have gone
unheard, not just in political discourse, but in museums like ROM,” Josh
Basseches, ROM director and CEO, says in the exhibit catalogue.
Fahmida Suleman, the lead curator of
“Being and Belonging,” spent 18 months pulling it together alongside co-curator
Silvia Forni, a process that normally takes at least two years.
Suleman, who has Indian origins but was
born in Uganda, said she naturally understands the idea of searching for a
sense of belonging, especially after being raised in Canada and later leaving
to study in the United Kingdom for 24 years.
Though a practising Muslim, Suleman saw
importance in showcasing artworks under the broad term “Islamic world” to shine
a light on the complex cultural, political and geographical stories of
contemporary women born in or associated with Islam, which includes many who
don’t identify as Muslim.
“We want to show the diversity of the
globe and that there isn’t just one form of Islam. We wanted it to be
intergenerational. We wanted everyone to have equal footing. And we wanted to
state that women have a voice and it’s important they’re given a chance,”
Suleman said.
The exhibition is sectioned in three
themes; Space, Movement and Power. However, many of the artworks have
overlapping themes: for example, how immigration or displacement involve
governmental power.
In Space, the works typically surrounded
the artists’ homes and countries but could also be about conceptual space and
the space to be creative.
A notable piece in the section is Syrian
artist Sulafa Hijazi’s “Dress,” a digitally printed dress on canvas that
includes 372 QR codes, reminiscent of the colourful, hand-embroidered motifs on
Syrian and Palestinian dresses. Traditionally, these patterned dresses
reflected the wearer’s regional identity, age, marital status and economic
status. In the art piece, each QR code provides a virtual link to articles,
pictures, videos and more, a way of bringing together new forms of connectivity
and women’s narratives beyond the physical realm.
Movement is up next, which explores the
human experience in forced migration, displacement, freedom and assimilation.
A piece to look out for here is
Pakistani artist TazeenQayyum’s “A Holding Pattern.” The stunning installation
transforms an ordinary set of Toronto Pearson International Airport chairs into
a crimson floral garden against a backdrop of repeated cockroach silhouettes.
“‘A Holding Pattern’ references the
airport transit terminology for continuous routing loops when planes cannot
land, which serves as an apt metaphor for the various socio-political
conundrums faced by racialized people today,” said Qayyum in a catalogue
interview.
“Generally, cockroaches are branded as
repulsive with some redeeming qualities of resilience and survival, so the
cockroach motif serves as social commentary on how, in today’s war- and
hate-driven environment, the value of human life is reduced to that of a pest
insect. Yet the motif also narrates the everyday human stories of resilience
and triumph over adversities.”
The final section is Power, which ranges
from political power to empowerment. The multi-faceted section contains artwork
that touches on topics like the brutality of war and patriarchal systems of
control and abuse, but also underscores individual agency and presents women as
critical truth-tellers rather than silent victims.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking
pieces in this section are Bangladeshi artist Tayeba Begum Lipi’s “Not For Me”
and “The Baby Frock.” From afar, the silver stiletto heels and what looks to be
a matching fashion top shine beautifully in a glass enclosure until you get
close and realize both garments are made out of stainless-steel razor blades.
The shoes and the top, which is actually designed as a child’s dress, are
intended to speak to the global issues of gender-based violence and female
marginality while also being an ode to Lipi’s childhood experience of being
present for home births of family members and helping by boiling razor blades
to sterilize them for the local midwives.
Throughout the exhibition, the labels that
contain the names of the artist and artwork also include a quote from each
artist, an intentional addition “to respect the artists and give them a
platform to say what they wanted to say in their own words,” said Suleman.
The exhibit can be viewed in the
RoloffBeny Gallery on the fourth level of the ROM until Nov. 19. Suleman
encourages audiences of all ages to visit with open minds, with hopes of
introducing them to new perspectives.
“I would love for audiences who don’t
normally consider coming to the ROM, or who came as children to see the
dinosaurs and mummies, to actually come and see the ROM as something
contemporary. A place where you can talk about issues that have relevance
today, ones that really matter. Whether its discrimination against LGBTQ communities,
issues around domestic violence, spirituality, joy or the immigrant
experience,” Suleman said.
“I want people to feel like they belong
at the ROM and that their voices and cultures are represented. I’m hoping that
the show will open that conversation up and people will feel closer to the
institution in that way.”
Source: thestar.com
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/visualarts/2023/07/14/from-cockroach-festooned-airport-chairs-to-a-razor-blade-dress-women-artists-of-the-islamic-world-shine-at-the-rom.html
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Rosella Ayane to lead Morocco challenge
at FIFA Women's World Cup
14 July, 2023
Morocco have included Tottenham Hotspur
forward Rosella Ayane in their final squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in
Australia and New Zealand, one of 14 overseas-based players selected by coach
ReynaldPedros.
Ayane, who was born in England, was a
leading figure in helping Morocco to the silver medal at the 2022 Women’s
Africa Cup of Nations, where the country earned their maiden qualification for
the World Cup.
The majority of that team has been
retained, with influential captain GhizlaneChebbak one of seven players from
Moroccan club Association Sportive des Forces ArméesRoyales (AS FAR), who are
the holders of the African Women’s Champions League title.
Pedros, who has enjoyed Champions League
success with Olympique Lyonnais, has also called on Napoli defender Sabah
Seghir, Metz forward Salma Amani and Nantes striker KenzaChapelle.
Morocco have been drawn in Group H at
the World Cup and will open their campaign against Germany on 24 July. They
meet South Korea six days later and finish their pool fixtures against Colombia
on 3 August.
Morocco squad:
Goalkeepers: Ines Arouaissa (AS Cannes,
France), Khadija Errmichi (AS FAR), AssiaZouhair (SCCM)
Defenders: HananeAit El Haj,
NouhailaBenzina, Zineb Redouani (all AS FAR), Nesryne El Chad (Lille, France),
RkiaMazrouai (Sporting Charleroi, Belgium), Yasmin Mrabet (Levante, Spain),
Sabah Seghir (Napoli, Italy)
Midfielders: GhizlaneChebbak, NajatBadri
(both AS FAR), Anissa Lahmari (Guingamp, France), Sarah Kassi (Fleury, France),
ElodieNakkach (Servette, Switzerland)
Forwards: Salma Amani (Metz, France),
Rosella Ayane (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Sofia Bouftini (RS Berkane),
KenzaChapelle (Nantes, France), Fatima Gharbi (CE Europa, Spain),
IbtissamJraidi (Al-Ahli, Saudi Arabia), Sakina OuzraouiDiki (Club Brugges,
Belgium), Fatima Tagnaout (AS FAR).
Source: newarab.com
https://www.newarab.com/news/womens-world-cup-rosella-ayane-lead-morocco-challenge
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'Muslim Women' Not Invited To Speak At
CPM's Seminar Against Uniform Civil Code
July 14, 2023
Kozhikode: The CPM's much-awaited
'people's seminar' in protest of the proposed implementation of the Uniform
Civil Code (UCC) will be inaugurated by its general secretary SitaramYechury in
Kozhikode on Saturday.
The mega event to be held at
SwapnaNagari will have 28 speakers in attendance but not a single Muslim woman
figures is the list, Onmanorama has found.
Kozhikode mayor Dr Beena Philip and
Kerala Women's Commission chairperson P Sathidevi are among the invitees.
'Why seminar on UCC must include Muslim
women'
Writer Dr Khadeeja Mumthas said she was
approached by the organisers but they did not extend a formal invite as some of
her views on the matter were in contrast with the CPM's.
“They (the organisers) asked me about my
willingness to speak at the seminar during a meeting ahead of the programme. As
I opened up about my stand at the time, their response was not positive,” Dr
Mumthas told Onmanorama.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board has
contended that the UCC will put the shariat (Muslim personal law) in peril.
Social critics argue the shariat rules concerning marriage, divorce and
inheritance among other matters are liberal towards men and restrictive to
women.
“Muslim women are facing difficulties
resulting from the Muslim personal law,” said Dr Mumthas, the chairperson of
'Forum For Muslim Women's Gender Justice'.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken
about implementing the UCC; that said, the issues faced by Muslim women are
still a reality. In this context, a seminar to discuss the UCC must include
Muslim women as speakers at the least,” the doctor said.
However, she is not in favour of the
UCC: "...because of my anxiety over the Sangh Parivar agenda,” she says.
"I stand for reforms in Muslim
personal law. The rules must be reformed. I told them (CPM seminar organisers)
that if I'm speaking, I will raise this issue. I wanted to speak on a stage as
a Muslim woman.”
Fear of Samastha
V P Zuhara, the founder of NISA, a
movement for reformation of Muslim Personal Law, shared the opinion of Dr
Mumthas. But she added a political angle: “They can't invite Muslim ladies on stage,
as they want to appease Samastha (Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama) leaders,” said
Zuhara.
“They could have invited leaders like
KanathilJameela MLA or other orators from their own organisations,” she added.
Zuhara said NISA had been calling for
the implementation of the UCC. “But under the present political scenario, we
are anxious about the Central government's agenda. Now we demand inclusion of
Muslims under the Indian Succession Act.”
Writer and social critic Dr Hameed
Chennamangaloor spoke about the absence of Muslim women in the CPM seminar in a
recent interview.
That's for Samastha,” he said, 'to avoid
upsetting its leaders'.
Samastha, the largest organisation of
Sunni Muslims in Kerala, has prominent Indian Union Muslim League leaders among
its members. Besides Samastha leaders, Kanthapuram A P AboobackerMusaliyar, the
leader of the A P Sunni faction, will also speak at the seminar.
All prominent left allies, including
Kerala Congress (M) and Janata Dal (Secular), will attend. MES president Dr
Fazal Gafoor and representatives of KNM and Markazu Da'wa are also among the
guests. Former MP of the CPI, PannyanRaveendran was invited as well, but
someone else will take his place as he has other engagements, a source said.
The seminar is scheduled to start at 4 pm.
Source: onmanorama.com
https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2023/07/14/no-muslim-women-speakers-at-cpm-seminar-on-uniform-civil-code.html
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History beckons as Arab icon Jabeur
takes on Vondrousova in women's final at Wimbledon
Fri 14 Jul 2023
Trailblazing Tunisian OnsJabeur stands
on the verge of history with a maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon within her
grasp but in Czech surprise package Marketa Vondrousova she faces a final
opponent who could tear up the script and prolong her wait.
The ever genial Jabeur, dubbed her
country's "Minister of Happiness" and a crowd favourite almost
everywhere she plays, endured heartbreak in last year's title clash where she
was outclassed by Elena Rybakina after winning the opening set.
Her lifelong dream of becoming the first
African woman and Arab player to win a Grand Slam singles title was dashed
again by IgaSwiatek in the 2022 U.S. Open final but the 28-year-old is ready to
take another shot in London on Saturday.
"Last year was my first final of a Grand
Slam," said Jabeur, who gained revenge against Rybakina in the
quarter-finals at Wimbledon before dismissing world number two ArynaSabalenka
in the last round to avenge her 2021 defeat by the Belarusian.
"I'm definitely getting closer to
winning the Grand Slam I always wished for.
"I always believed. But sometimes
you would question and doubt if it's ever going to happen. Being in the last
stages, it does help you believe more.
"I'm going to learn from not only
the Wimbledon final but also the U.S. Open final and give it my best. Maybe
this year was all about trying two times and getting it right the third time.
Let's see."
Hammer and wand
Next up in Jabeur's crosshairs is 2019
French Open runner-up Vondrousova, a fierce player who like the sixth seed is
equally adept at wielding the hammer and the wand on court and is on her own
dream run after her career was derailed by injuries.
"She has good hands. She plays very
good," said Jabeur, who lost to the 24-year-old at the Australian Open and
Indian Wells this year.
"Honestly, I'll try to focus on
myself a lot more. I'm not sure how she's going to play her second Grand Slam
final. We're both hungry to win. Whoever deserves it more will win."
Like Jabeur, who overcame knee and calf
issues this year, Vondrousova is rediscovering her best form after having wrist
operations following her run to the Roland Garros final four years ago - a
campaign that ended in defeat by Ash Barty.
"After everything I've been
through, two surgeries, it's not always easy to come back. You don't know if
you can play at this level, if you can be back at the top and these
tournaments," said unseeded Vondrousova, whose second operation was in
2022.
"I'm grateful to be on a court
again, to play without pain."
Having toppled four seeds before beating
a resurgent Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals, Vondrousova is hoping to follow
in the footsteps of her compatriots Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna and Petra
Kvitova and win a major crown.
But an in-form Jabeur, who has conquered
four Grand Slam champions in this year's tournament, represents a tricky test
for even the best players in the game and Vondrousova mixed caution with
confidence ahead of their encounter.
"She's used to playing finals in a
Grand Slam," Vondrousova said. "It's a final, so it's going to be
tough match."
Saturday Order of Play (starts at 4:30 PM UAE)
Centre /Court
Women's singles final
Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) v
6-Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)
Men's doubles final
1-Wesley Koolhof (Netherlands)/Neal
Skupski (Britain) v 15-Marcel Granollers (Spain)/Horacio Zeballos (Argentina)
Source: khaleejtimes.com
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sports/history-beckons-as-arab-icon-jabeur-takes-on-vondrousova-in-womens-final-at-wimbledon
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/african-clerics-muslim-islamic-teachings/d/130220