In A First AIMWPLB Hosts “Roza Iftar” For Muslim Women At A Lucknow Mosque
New Age Islam News Bureau
18 April 2022
• The Female Soccer Players Challenging France’s Hijab
Ban
• Egypt Celebrates The Graduation Of 1st Female
Drivers Of Subway Trains
• Outrage As Footage Shows French Police Assaulting 2
Women Wearing Hijab
• Dozens Of Mothers Of Prisoners In Gaza Denied Access
To Sons
• Kerala: Christian Woman In Relationship With Muslim
Man Asked to Appear in High Court
• Princess Reema, Al-Qasabi Highlight Crown Prince’s
Remarkable Role In Elevating Status Of Saudi Women
• Presidency Provides 3 Million Litters Of Zamzam
Water To Female Visitors Of Grand Mosque
• Bilquis Edhi — Pakistan’s ‘Mother Of Orphans’ Who
Saved Thousands Of Babies From Infanticide
• Egypt, USAID Discuss New Programmes For Women’s
Empowerment
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/aimwplb-roza-iftar-lucknow-mosque/d/126817
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In A First AIMWPLB Hosts “Roza Iftar” For Muslim Women
At A Lucknow Mosque
All India Muslim Women
Personal Law Board president Shaista Amber organised the Roza Iftar at Ambar
mosque (Sourced)
----
Apr 17, 2022
In a first in the state capital, president, All India
Muslim Women Personal Law Board, Shaista Amber organised a ‘Roza Iftar’ for the
women of Rising Beyond The Ceiling (RBTC), Uttar Pradesh Chapter, at Ambar
Masjid here on Saturday.
RBTC shines a spotlight on Muslim women’s
contributions to nation-building in a variety of ways and professions. It aims
to make Muslim women’s stories more visible, provide positive role models for
future generations and boost young women’s confidence and ambition in all
spheres.
On the occasion, Muslim women also offered “Namaz” in
the mosque. A separate wing is attached to the mosque premises for women to
pray there. The Iftar get together was attended by RBTC, UP, coordinator Sabiha
Ahmad and media coordinator Mohsina Mirza. Other eminent members who graced the
occasion included Arjumand Zaidi, Lubna and Maryam Khan.
Sabiha Ahmad said she was extremely happy to see the
arrangement made for Muslim women to offer prayers in the mosque. “They no
longer need to go to some temporary place to offer prayers,” she added.
Speaking to media, Mohsina Mirza said, “All of us have
prayed for peace after the ‘Namaz’. We have all prayed that our children
continue to get their due and there is an atmosphere of happiness everywhere in
our country.”
Source: Hindustan Times
--------
The
Female Soccer Players Challenging France’s Hijab Ban
Les Hijabeuses is an informal group of hijab-wearing
women who play soccer together in an effort to draw attention to a French
policy they say drives Muslim women out of the game.
----
By
Constant Méheut
April
18, 2022
SARCELLES,
France — Every time Mama Diakité heads to soccer game, her stomach is in knots.
It
happened again on a recent Saturday afternoon in Sarcelles, a northern suburb
of Paris. Her amateur team had come to face the local club, and Diakité, a
23-year-old Muslim midfielder, feared she would not be allowed to play in her
hijab.
This
time, the referee let her in. “It worked,” she said at the end of the game,
leaning against the fence bordering the field, her smiling face wrapped in a
black Nike head scarf.
But
Diakité had only fallen through the cracks.
For
years, France’s soccer federation has banned players participating in
competitions from wearing conspicuous religious symbols such as hijabs, a rule
it contends is in keeping with the organization’s strict secular values.
Although the ban is loosely enforced at the amateur level, it has hung over
Muslim women’s players for years, shattering their hopes of professional
careers and driving some away from the game altogether.
In
an ever more multicultural France, where women’s soccer is booming, the ban has
also sparked a growing backlash. At the forefront of the fight is Les
Hijabeuses, a group of young hijab-wearing soccer players from different teams
who have joined forces to campaign against what they describe as a
discriminatory rule that excludes Muslim women from sports.
Their
activism has touched a nerve in France, reviving heated debates on the
integration of Muslims in a country with a tortured relationship with Islam,
and highlighting the struggle of French sports authorities to reconcile their defense
of strict secular values with growing calls for greater representation on the
field.
“What
we want is to be accepted as we are, to implement these grand slogans of
diversity, inclusiveness,” said Founé Diawara, the president of Les Hijabeuses,
which has 80 members. “Our only desire is to play soccer.”
The
Hijabeuses collective was created in 2020 with the help of researchers and
community organizers in an attempt to solve a paradox: Although French laws and
FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, allow sportswomen to play in hijabs,
France’s soccer federation prohibits it, arguing that it would break with the
principle of religious neutrality on the field.
Supporters
of the ban say hijabs portend an Islamist radicalization taking over sports.
But the personal stories of Hijabeuses members emphasize how soccer has been
synonymous with emancipation — and how the ban continues to feel like a step
backward.
Diakité
began playing soccer at age 12, initially hiding it from her parents, who saw
soccer as a boys’ sport. “I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” she
said, calling it “a dream.”
Jean-Claude
Njehoya, her current coach, said that “when she was younger, she had a lot of
skills” that could have propelled her to the highest level. But “from the moment”
she understood the hijab ban would impact her, he said, “she didn’t really push
herself further.”
Diakité
said she decided on her own to wear the hijab in 2018 — and to give up her
dream. She now plays for a third-division club and plans to open a driving
school. “No regret,” she said. “Either I’m accepted as I am, or I’m not. And
that’s it.”
Karthoum
Dembele, a 19-year-old midfielder who wears a nose ring, also said she had to
confront her mother to be allowed to play. She quickly joined a sports-intensive
program in middle school and participated in club tryouts. But it wasn’t until
she learned about the ban, four years ago, that she realized she may no longer
be allowed to compete.
“I
had managed to make my mother give in and I’m told the federation won’t let me
play,” Dembele said. “I told myself: What a joke!”
Other
members of the group recalled episodes when referees barred them from the
field, prompting some, feeling humiliated, to quit soccer and turn to sports
where hijabs are allowed or tolerated, like handball or futsal.
Throughout
last year, Les Hijabeuses lobbied the French soccer federation to overturn the
ban. They sent letters, met with officials and even staged a protest at the
federation’s headquarters — to no avail. The federation declined to comment for
this article.
Paradoxically,
it was Les Hijabeuses’ staunchest opponents who finally put them in the
spotlight.
In
January, a group of conservative senators tried to enshrine the soccer
federation’s hijab ban in law, arguing that hijabs threatened to spread radical
Islam in sports clubs. The move reflected a lingering malaise in France
regarding the Muslim veil, which regularly stirs controversy. In 2019, a French
store dropped a plan to sell a hijab designed for runners after a barrage of
criticism.
Energized
by the senators’ efforts, Les Hijabeuses waged an intense lobbying campaign
against the amendment. Making the most of their strong social media presence —
the group has nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram — they launched a petition that
gathered more than 70,000 signatures; rallied dozens of sport celebrities to
their cause; and organized games before the Senate building and with
professional athletes.
Vikash
Dhorasoo, a former France midfielder who attended a game, said the ban left him
dumbfounded. “I just don’t get it,” he said. “It’s the Muslims who are targeted
here.”
Stéphane
Piednoir, the senator behind the amendment, denied the accusation that the
legislation was aimed at Muslims specifically, saying its focus was all
conspicuous religious signs. But he acknowledged that the amendment had been
motivated by the wearing of the Muslim veil, which he called “a propaganda
vehicle” for political Islam and a form of “visual proselytizing.” (Piednoir
also has condemned the display of the Catholic tattoos of the P.S.G. star
Neymar as “unfortunate” and wondered if the religious ban should extend to
them.)
The
amendment was eventually rejected by the government’s majority in parliament,
although not without frictions. The Paris police banned a protest organized by
Les Hijabeuses, and the French sports minister, who said the law allows
hijab-wearing women to play, clashed with government colleagues opposing the
head scarf.
The
Hijabeuses’ fight may not be a popular one in France, where six in 10 people
support banning hijabs in the street, according to a recent survey by the
polling firm CSA. Marine Le Pen, the far-right presidential candidate who will
face President Emmanuel Macron in a runoff vote on April 24 — with a shot at a
final victory — has said that if elected, she will ban the Muslim veil in
public spaces.
But,
on the soccer field, everyone seems to agree that hijabs should be allowed.
“Nobody
minds if they play with it,” said Rana Kenar, 17, a Sarcelles player who had
come to watch her team face Diakité’s club on a bitterly cold February evening.
Kenar
was sitting in the bleachers with about 20 fellow players. All said they saw
the ban as a form of discrimination, noting that, at the amateur level, the ban
was loosely enforced.
Even
the referee of the game in Sarcelles, who had let Diakité play, seemed at odds
with the ban. “I looked the other away,” he said, declining to give his name
for fear of repercussions.
Pierre
Samsonoff, the former deputy head of the soccer federation’s amateur branch,
said the issue would inevitably come up again in the coming years, with the
development of women’s soccer and the hosting of the 2024 Olympics in Paris,
which will feature veiled athletes from Muslim countries.
Samsonoff,
who initially defended banning the hijab, said he had since softened his
stance, acknowledging the policy could end up ostracizing Muslim players. “The
issue is whether we are not creating worse consequences by deciding to ban it
on the fields than by deciding to allow it,” he said.
Piednoir,
the senator, said the players were ostracizing themselves. But he acknowledged
never having spoken with any hijab-wearing athletes to hear their motivations,
comparing the situation to “firefighters” being asked to go “listen to
pyromaniacs.”
Dembele,
who manages the Hijabeuses’ social media accounts, said she was often struck by
the violence of online comments and the fierce political opposition.
“We
hold on,” she said. “It’s not just for us, it’s also for the young girls who
tomorrow will be able to dream of playing for France, for P.S.G.”
Constant
Méheut reports from France. He joined the Paris bureau in January 2020.
@ConstantMeheut
Source:
New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/18/sports/soccer/france-hijab-ban-soccer.html
--------
Egypt
celebrates the graduation of 1st female drivers of subway trains
April
18, 2022
The
company operating the third subway line RATP Dev Mobility Cairo celebrated the
graduation of the first batch of female subway train drivers to work on the
third green line, where the training took place in cooperation with the
Transport Ministry and the Administration of National Authority for Tunnels
(NAT).
Essam
Wali, head of NAT, explained that training female drivers will contribute to
adding more effective Egyptian cadres to one of the most important national and
vital projects related to facilitating the lives of citizens, and will
contribute to providing more real opportunities for young people to work.
He
added that cooperation with RATP Dev Mobility Cairo achieves the objectives of
the authority and the Transport Ministry in general, due to its global
expertise in the transport and communications sector to the Egyptian market,
through its role in operating and managing this vital facility, which depends
on highly trained cadres, where more than 90 percent of them are appointed from
Local cadres trained at the highest level.
For
his part, Wadii Bouchiha, CEO of RATP Dev Mobility Cairo, said that the women
who passed the training and tests for the position of “train driver” underwent
high-level training and tests to measure their suitability to lead the metro
and ways to control it.
Bouchiha
said that this step is a historical precedent that has not occurred in Egypt
before. He added that the company is working to develop the metro operating
system and pay attention to raising the level of maintenance, in addition to
adding more technology features within metro stations to provide the best
services to metro users, and transfer these experiences to Egyptian workers in
the metro sector.
Special
trainings for train conductor applicants are based on dealing with different
train technology, and they are trained on how to deal with different scenarios
that the driver may encounter while driving the train. The trainees are
subjected to practical training on simulators.
Source:
Egypt Independent
--------
Outrage
as footage shows French police assaulting 2 women wearing hijab
Alaattin
Dogru
17.04.2022
Footage
that showed the French police assaulting two Muslim women wearing headscarf has
triggered anger across social media.
In
the footage recorded on April 14, the French police use disproportionate force
against the two women with hijab in the middle of the street in the
Asnieres-sur-Seine city, beating one of them and trying to push the other to
the ground.
As
the police punched one of them in her head, the woman recording the video
footage is heard saying: "Hey, I'm recording, let her go. He slapped (the
woman) and hit her."
Later,
the woman who recorded the incident got out of her car and went to the police
to say that she had recorded it.
"Yes,
I hit her, I have the authority to do this," said the police officer.
Islamophobic
attitude
While
harsh police treatment sparked outrage on social media, users called the French
police "Islamophobic."
The
statement attached to the footage on social media claimed that the police
officers were stuck in the traffic and turned on the siren to move forward.
Meantime,
the women with headscarves, who had the right of way, tried to cross the road,
but the police officers got out of the car and did not allow them to pass and
beat them.
The
Paris Police Department said on social media that the police patrol team turned
on the siren to respond to a vehicle breaking the rules, and despite the
urgency, the two women tried to cross the road, "disrespecting the police
and angering them."
The
situation spun out of control as the crowd was involved in, and the police
would file a complaint against the two women, it added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
--------
Dozens
of mothers of prisoners in Gaza denied access to sons
HAZEM
BALOUSHA
April
18, 2022
GAZA
CITY: As she gets older, the Palestinian Fayza Abu Al-Qumboz becomes more
afraid of dying before she can once more embrace her son, Majed, who has been
in Israeli prisons for 16 years.
On
April 17, when Palestinians commemorate Prisoners’ Day Abu al-Qambuz, 73, along
with dozens of mothers of prisoners in Gaza who have been denied access to
their children in Israeli prisons for nearly 6 years, feels more grief.
The
last time Abu Al-Qambuz visited her son, Majed, in Nafha prison was in 2016.
Israeli
forces arrested Majed, his two brothers, his brother-in-law and about 40
members of his family and neighbors during their invasion of Al-Shojaeya
neighborhood, east of Gaza City, in August 2006. They released most of them at
different times, but sentenced Majed to 19 years in prison, on charges of
belonging to the military wing of Hamas.
Majed’s
mother said that she was able to visit him for the first time in 2012 after the
so-called “dignity strike” that the prisoners held. She went in accompanied by
his daughter Zina and his son Youssef, and recalls with pain that visit: “Majed
was shocked and in disbelief that Youssef, who had not yet been born at the
time of his arrest, was brought to the prison at the age of six, while his
feelings were more emotional towards Zina, whom he had last seen as a baby.”
Although
human rights institutions have obtained a judicial decision to re-allow visits
to prisoners after they were stopped during the pandemic, the decision excluded
about 70 Palestinian prisoners belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
For
many years, Majed’s mother participated in weekly activities in front of the
headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza in
solidarity with the prisoners, but illness and the inability to walk have prevented
her from participating recently. “I am afraid to die before seeing Majed free,”
she said.
Various
institutions and organizations organize special events on Prisoners’ Day in
support of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.
Israel
prevents visits to Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners in an attempt to pressure
Hamas to release four Israelis it has been holding.
Najat
Al-Agha, longs for the embrace of her son Diaa, who has been in Israeli prisons
for 30 years.
Diaa,
now aged 46, belongs to the Fatah movement led by President Mahmoud Abbas. He
was supposed to be released in March 2014, under an agreement that paved the
way for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, but Israel did not
abide by it.
Despite
the past three decades, which have exhausted her health by moving between
visiting prisons and participating in activities in support of prisoners,
Al-Agha, 71, is still clinging to the hope of freedom for her son.
“The
occupation forces arrested Diaa, who was 16 years old, and sentenced him to
life imprisonment, and since then I miss the true joy of any occasion. Even
food no longer has any flavor due to his long absence behind bars,” she said.
She
was one of the few mothers who were able to visit their sons in prisons last
month. “Israel prevented me from visiting him for five years, and although I
was sick on the day scheduled for the visit, I told myself I will visit him
even if I had to crawl. My wish is to kiss and cuddle him before I die.”
About
5,000 Palestinian prisoners are held in the Israel’s prisons, including about
220 prisoners from Gaza, most of who were arrested before the signing of the
Oslo agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in
1993.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2065196/middle-east
--------
Kerala:
Christian Woman In Relationship With Muslim Man Asked to Appear in High Court
April
18, 2022
New
Delhi: A Christian woman who is in an interfaith relationship with a Muslim man
has been asked to appear before the Kerala high court in connection with a
habeas corpus petition filed by the woman’s father.
The
woman, Joisna Mary Joseph, is in a relationship with Shejin, a member of the
DYFI, the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M). While her parents have filed a
police complaint, the couple has said they are in a consenting relationship.
According
to The News Minute, Joseph has been asked to appear before a division bench of
the Kerala HC on April 19.
Joseph,
who is a nurse in Saudi Arabia, had come to Kerala to get married to a man
chosen by her family. But she and Shejin decided to get married by exchanging
garlands on April 9. On April 12, they submitted an application to get their
marriage registered under the Special Marriages Act. They will have to wait for
30 days before the marriage can be registered.
Joseph’s
family has filed a missing person complaint, even as the couple has denied the
family’s allegations.
On
April 12, Joseph and Shejin appeared before a court in Thamarassery, which
allowed them to live together, according to The News Minute.
Shejin
clarified that the marriage is a natural culmination of their love affair and
the controversy was ‘unnecessary.’
Their
relationship had snowballed into a major political controversy after a district
CPI(M) leader accused Shejin of “love jihad”, the conspiracy theory which
claims that Muslim women marry women of other faiths to convert them to Islam.
A
section of the Christian community in Thiruvambady, including nuns, staged
demonstrations against the couple’s relationship.
CPI(M)
district secretariat member George M. Thomas supported the allegations of ‘love
jihad’. After the party’s district leadership intervened, Thomas told the media
that his words were “conveniently twisted” by communal forces to suit their
version of inter-religious marriage as ‘love jihad’. However, the marriage has
hurt the sentiments of the Christian community, the Left leader claimed.
Denouncing
Thomas’ remarks, P. Mohanan, CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary, said on April
13 that his party has never referred to inter-religious marriages as ‘love
jihad’.
“Love
Jihad is a term used by the RSS and Sangh forces to attack religious
minorities. The CPI(M) has already made its stand clear on the topic. Marriage
is the choice of individuals and the legal system of the country permits adults
to get married according to their choice,” he said.
He
said Thomas’ controversial remark supporting the ‘love jihad’ charges should be
seen as a slip of the tongue and the former MLA was also convinced of the
mistake now.
Mohanan
also said the DYFI leader could have informed the party leadership about the
marriage plan and avoided unwanted controversy.
The
CPI(M) district leadership is organising an explanation meeting at Kodencherry
this evening as the controversy over the wedding refused to die down despite
the couple denying ‘love jihad’ charges.
Source:
The Wire
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Princess
Reema, Al-Qasabi highlight Crown Prince’s remarkable role in elevating status
of Saudi women
April
17, 2022
RIYADH
— Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema Bint Bandar and
Minister of Commerce Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi highlighted the remarkable role of
Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in elevating the status and prestige of Saudi
women within a short span of time.
They
noted that the decision to allow women to drive and give them more
participation in commercial activities are the two major areas that were
handled effectively by the Crown Prince in this regard.
Attending
a program on MBC television channel, Princess Reema said that Saudi Arabia has
made giant strides with regard to participation of women in trade, and enacting
laws related to women’s empowerment in the Kingdom.
She
pointed out that Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman had asked about the actual
reason for the low status of Saudi Arabia in the World Bank report, despite all
the great efforts made by the Kingdom to upgrade the status.
Princess
Reema elaborated that a team headed by Al-Qasabi made great efforts and worked
hard to raise the status of women and that has already been achieved within a
short period of time.
Referring
to the role of Crown Prince in this regard, she said: “The Crown Prince spoke
to all of them to find out, ‘Where is the failure?’, and asked them: Have we
really changed women’s lives in a radical and institutional way? Have we seen
this change and is it sufficient?
“The
Crown Prince explained to them that the efforts to empower women had not to be
made for the sake of the World Bank, but rather to further improve the standard
of living of Saudi women.”
She
highlighted the remarkable achievements that have been made in this regard
under the directive of the Crown Prince.
For
his part, Al-Qasabi recalled that after his appointment as minister of social
affairs in 2015, his daughter asked him when will a woman drive a car, claiming
that it is one of her rights.
He
replied that women’s driving is important, but there are more important issues
to be addressed, and I understand that this will happen within seven to 10
years.
Al-Qasabi
explained that after a while, the Crown Prince was asked when will a woman be
allowed to drive? The Crown Prince replied then that women would start driving
in the coming year.
He
also noted that the infrastructure must be prepared, such as teaching women to
drive and preparing driving schools, in addition to other related procedures
and regulations.
The
Crown Prince also drew attention to the fact that women were not present in the
public security sector and their presence limited to only certain office jobs.
Al-Qasabi
indicated that he did not expect the goal would be achieved in such a short
period of time but it was accomplished.
After
the decision to allow women to drive, the Crown Prince met them and was assured
that no problems would occur, stating that the community had accepted it
successfully as the issue now was more social than religious.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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Presidency
Provides 3 Million Litters Of Zamzam Water To Female Visitors Of Grand Mosque
April
17, 2022
MAKKAH
— The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, represented
by the Women Affairs Agency at the Grand Mosque, has provided around 3 million
liters of Zamzam water to female visitors of the Grand Mosque in praying areas
allocated for women during the first quarter of the holy month of Ramadan.
Assistant
President for women development affairs Dr. Al-Anoud Al-Abboud said that the
number of bottles distributed daily in those praying areas reached 9,320 in
addition to the water pots, containers and mobile cylinders.
The
administration seeks to provide special mechanism and tools related to Zamzam
water at women praying areas in the Grand Mosque and affiliated facilities by
70% during the month, providing containers at 34 women praying areas in the
Grand Mosque.
It
follows up on providing 20 carts for new cups at women praying areas throughout
the month based on the status and sanctity of the Zamzam Well and its impacts
on Muslims, which represents a high concern in securing water delivery for
female worshippers according to the easiest and best ways. — SPA
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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Bilquis
Edhi — Pakistan’s ‘mother of orphans’ who saved thousands of babies from
infanticide
PIA
KRISHNANKUTTY
17
April, 2022
New
Delhi: Nurse, humanitarian and philanthropist Bilquis Bano Edhi, a towering
figure in the field of social welfare in Pakistan and often referred to as the
‘mother of orphans’, passed away at 74 in Karachi’s Aga Khan Hospital Friday
due to health complications.
Following
her death, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a resolution recommending that
she posthumously receive the country’s highest civilian award, the
Nishan-e-Pakistan, for her “unparalleled services to the country”.
During
her lifetime, Bilquis was conferred the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public
Service in 1986, which she received along with her husband and philanthropist
Abdul Sattar Edhi. She was also recognised with the Mother Teresa Memorial
International Award for Social Justice in 2015.
Bilquis
served as co-chair of a Karachi-based non-profit, Edhi Foundation, the world’s
largest volunteer ambulance network which also oversees homeless shelters and
rehabilitation centres among other services. It was founded by her husband, who
died in 2016.
One
of the hallmarks of Bilquis’ work was the ‘jhoola’ (cradle) project — the
placing of metal cribs across Pakistan in an attempt to fight infanticide,
specifically female infanticide.
On
Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also conveyed his condolences.
“My sincere condolences on the passing of Bilquis Edhi. Her lifelong dedication
to humanitarian work touched the lives of people across the globe. People in
India too remember her fondly. May her soul rest in peace,” he tweeted.
In
2015, Bilquis had received praise from PM Modi after helping Geeta — a
differently-abled woman who had accidentally crossed over to Pakistan a decade
ago — return to India. At the time, Modi had announced that India would donate
Rs 1 crore as a token of appreciation to the Edhi Foundation. However, Bilquis’
husband Abdul reportedly declined the PM’s offer, with a spokesperson of the
foundation saying that the humanitarian did not accept aid from governments or
institutions.
Born
in Gujarat, she migrated to Pakistan
Bilquis
was born in Bantwa, located in Gujarat’s Junagadh, on 14 August, 1947 — the eve
of India’s independence. She, along with her family, however, moved to Pakistan
during Partition.
With
a strong passion to serve humanity, she joined the Edhi Foundation as a
teenager, according to a Dawn report. A nurse by profession, she worked in the
foundation’s maternity clinic.
The
Edhi Foundation had been founded in 1951 by Bilquis’ soon-to-be husband Abdul
Sattar Edhi, who was nearly twenty years her senior. One of the only social
welfare programmes in Pakistan at a point in time, it served as a critical
haven for people during sectarian riots in Karachi between 1947 and 2007, wrote
British author and journalist Jan Goodwin in her book ‘Price of Honor: Muslim
Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World’.
In
her book, Goodwin explained: “Edhi’s two hundred and fifty ambulances are the
only ones that will brave the explosive violence and heavy gunfire”. This was
also around the time that General Pervez Musharraf had begun his crackdown on
militants in Karachi, she further wrote.
‘Jhoola’
project
In
1965, Abdul and Bilquis got married. This was after seven women had
consecutively turned down Abdul’s offers of marriage, wrote journalist Peter
Osborne in a 2011 report for The Telegraph.
Bilquis
eventually took over the reins of the Edhi Foundation’s maternity clinics and
philanthropic projects related to women. Abdul created an affiliate
organisation to the foundation specifically for such issues, and named it after
Bilquis. After Abdul’s death in 2016, Bilquis took charge of all of the
foundation’s operations.
One
of Bilquis’ most recognised works is the ‘jhoola’ (cradle) project.
The
foundation placed ‘jhoolas’ (cradles) outside Edhi homes and centres across the
country to counter infanticide, especially female infanticide, as well as
neglect and abandonment of babies, especially girls, in Pakistan.
Some
of the cradles carried signs that read ‘Do not kill the innocent baby. Do not
make the first sin worse’, wrote Goodwin. Babies left in these cribs would
eventually be taken into the foundation’s custody and care, after which adoption
arrangements would be made.
This
service reportedly saved over 42,000 unwanted babies in Pakistan.
However,
the book ‘The Dynamics of Conflict and Peace in Contemporary South Asia’
(2020), edited by Japanese professors Minoru Mio, Kazuya
Nakamizo and Tatsuro Fujikura, explained why the project received pushback from
religious clerics when it was first instituted.
Some
clerics understood it as a service that “was encouraging people to bear
children out of wedlock”. However, after the project proved to be of valuable
social service, people became comfortable coming forward to hand over babies
themselves to officials at Edhi centres, wrote the authors.
It
is therefore no surprise that Bilquis is often referred to as the ‘mother of
orphans’.
Last
January, Bilquis was named ‘Person of the Decade’ along with human rights
rapporteur of the United Nations Professor Yanghee Lee and the US ethicist
Stephen Soldz.
Impact
Hallmarks, an international body that conducted the process of conferring the
award, described Bilquis, Lee and Soldz as having “stretched and segmented the
top of the decade’s impact hallmarks and the opinion poll’s top ‘triarchy’ as
well”.
Source:
The Print
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Egypt,
USAID discuss new programmes for women’s empowerment
April
18, 2022
Minister
of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat met with Leslie Reid —Director of
the US Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in Egypt — as part
of discussions to approve the Economic and Social Empowerment Programme for
Women between the government and USAID.
The
programme aims to enhance cooperation in the field of women’s empowerment and
revitalise their role in achieving development as per the country’s development
vision and the 2030 National Strategy for Women Empowerment.
Al-Mashat
said that empowering women is a key focus in many strategies for joint action
with multilateral and bilateral development partners, as the government is
endeavouring to enhance the role of women in society and empower them
economically and socially, improving their access to economic opportunities,
and changing the traditional image of the role played by women, which will be
reflected in promoting inclusive and sustainable growth.
The
minister explained that the economic and social empowerment programme for women
that will be implemented aims to improve the work environment for women in the
private sector, increase the percentage of financial inclusion, reduce
unhealthy practices towards women, stimulate high-growth sectors to provide
greater job opportunities for women, and support equality between the sexes,
thus reducing the gap in the labour market.
Al-Mashat
emphasised the value of the strategic relationship between the government and
USAID, noting that Egypt signed grant agreements worth $125m with the
organisation last November, including $17m for the basic education sector, $31m
for the Egyptian-American Higher Education Initiative, $13m for improving
health outcomes, and $5m for agricultural and rural development businesses.
She
continued that these agreements aim to open horizons for women’s participation
in various fields to enhance the inclusive economy, increase growth rates, and
achieve sustainable development.
For
her part, Reid said that USAID appreciates its partnership with the Egyptian government
in various areas of development through ongoing programmes and projects,
stressing that empowering women is one of the main goals being worked on
between the two sides.
It
is worth noting that during the past two years, Egyptian-American relations
witnessed several developments, as in 2020, seven grant agreements were signed
with USAID worth $112m, in addition to seven new grant agreements that were
signed in November 2021 worth $125m in various fields such as education, higher
education, science and technology, agriculture, health, economic governance,
trade, and investment.
USAID’s
historical cooperation portfolio in Egypt has recorded more than $30bn since
1978 in various sectors, most notably health, population, and education, while
the portfolio of projects signed since 2014 has reached about $1bn.
Source:
Daily News Egypt
https://dailynewsegypt.com/2022/04/18/egypt-usaid-discuss-new-programmes-for-womens-empowerment/
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/aimwplb-roza-iftar-lucknow-mosque/d/126817