Army Officers Saria Abbasi, Fatima Wasim Show Women Power in Indian Army
New Age
Islam News Bureau
30 January 2024
·
Army
Officers Saria Abbasi, Fatima Wasim Show Women Power in Indian Army
·
‘Hijab
Is Our Right,’ Muslim Girls Protest Over Rajasthan BJP MLA’s Remarks Against it
·
Princess
Reema Rejects Opposition to Holding Women’s Tennis Tourney in Saudi Arabia
·
'UK
National Scandal': 20,000 Mental Health Patients 'Raped, Sexually Assaulted' In
UK’s National Health Service Care
·
5,162
Indian Women to Perform Haj ‘Without Mehram’ In 2024
·
Iran’s
Top Film Director Says No More Forced Hijab in Pictures
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/army-officers-saria-abbasi-fatima-wasim/d/131620
-----
Army Officers
Saria Abbasi, Fatima Wasim Show Women Power in Indian Army
Captain Saria Abbas and captain Wasim
-----
January
30, 2024
Aasha
Khosa
If you
thought that the marching of an all-women tri-services contingent in the
Republic Day Parade was just a show-off, you need to know about two women in
the Indian Army to realise how women are not only joining the Military but also
get the toughest assignments by being posted on treachrous terrains and hostile
borders of India.
Captain
Saria Abbasi and Captain Fatima Wasim are two women army officers whose names
surfaced on social media. Abbasi is posted on the post on the Line of Actual
Control (LAC) the contentious working boundary with China and Fatima Wasim on a
post in Siachen, the world’s highest and coldest battlefield along Pakistan.
Captain
Saria Abbasi’s picture surfaced on social media after a visit of the media team
to the Tawang border where India had deployed its latest acquisition
anti-aircraft gun L70.
Capt.
Saria Abbasi briefed the media on the merits of the L-70 anti-aircraft gun with
its deployment, which can target all types of unmanned aerial vehicles,
helicopters, and drones.
Capt
Abbasi hails from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, and had dreamt of wearing the Army
uniform as a child.
This one
video and some pictures caught the attention of the entire country as people
were awed by a woman in that role and the gender parity in the Indian army.
Abbasi’s
unit is one of the first AD regiments in the country, equipped with 70 guns.
India has deployed anti-aircraft guns L70 in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, amid
ongoing tensions on the Indo-China border in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal
Pradesh.
Saria
Abbasi’s father Dr. Tehseen Abbasi is associated with All India Radio, and her
mother Rehana Shamim is a junior high school teacher.
The
second woman whose image also captured the imagination of the country’s men is
Captain Fatima Wasim of the Siachen Warriors. She created history by becoming
the first woman medical officer to be deployed to an operational post on the
Siachen Glacier.
Her
posting was proclaimed by the Indian Army's Fire and Fury Corps in a post on X.
"She
(Captain Fatima Wasim) was inducted to a post at an altitude of 15,200 feet
after undergoing rigorous training at Siachen Battle School, which speaks of
her indomitable spirit and high motivation," Fire and Fury Corps posted on
X.
The
Indian Army's Fire and Fury Corps also uploaded a video in the post to further
highlight Captain Fatima Wasim's achievement and celebrate it.
Earlier
this month, Captain Geetika Koul from the Snow Leopard Brigade became the first
woman medical officer of the Indian Army to be deployed at the world's highest
battlefield, Siachen, after completing the induction training at Siachen Battle
School.
Siachen
Glacier is known as the highest-altitude battle site in the world and is
situated near the Indo-Pak Line of Control.
It is
the largest glacier in India and the second-largest in the world. It is the
highest battleground on earth.
Back to
Saria Abbasi’s story: she is a graduate of Genetic Engineering and joined the
army four years ago. She said she had no interest in engineering and was always
dreaming of becoming an army officer as some of her relatives were. She was
attracted to donning the olive green after listening to the stories of valour
from her ‘fauji’ relatives.
She
rejected all the job offers from big companies and focused on clearing the
Combined Defence Service (CDS) competitive examination conducted by the UPSC
for taking in officers for the Military.
There
were only 12 seats for women and Saria cleared her examination in her second
attempt. After passing the ongoing interviews held over several tours, she was
selected for the training that is considered to be the toughest of all.
Source:
awazthevoice.in
https://www.awazthevoice.in/women-news/army-officers-saria-abbasi-fatima-wasim-show-women-power-in-army-26810.html
----
‘Hijab
Is Our Right,’ Muslim Girls Protest Over Rajasthan BJP MLA’s Remarks Against it
In Jaipur, several school girls jammed the road outside the Subhash
Chowk police station and raised slogans against the BJP legislator. They
demanded an apology from the legislator and an FIR against him. (PTI)
------
Deep
Mukherjee
30th
January 2024
Jaipur:
A Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker’s remarks on hijab have led to
protests by Muslim students of a government school in Jaipur, with the
protesters condemning the MLA’s statements and asserting their rights to wear
hijab.
The
students of the Government Senior Secondary Girls School, Gangapol, held
protests on Monday, January 31 outside the Subhash Chowk police station, over
the remarks made by Hawa Mahal MLA and Hindu priest ‘Baba’ Balmukund Acharya or
Sanjay Sharma.
A video
of MLA Acharya, who had come as a guest at the government school’s Republic Day
celebrations on January 26 has been widely circulated on social media.
In the
video, Acharya can be seen asking teachers of the school, “Hijab ka kya chakkar
laga rakha hai? Shaadi shuda hai kya ye bacchiyan?” Translated, it means, “What
is this deal with hijab? Are the girls married?” Acharya can also be seen
asking whether one can even breathe in hijab.
“Hijab
ki wajah se mahaul kharab kar rakha hai (the environment has been spoiled
because of hijab),” Acharya also said.
During
his visit to the school, Acharya also chanted slogans of “Bharat Mata ki jai,
Saraswati Mata ki jai” and then asked some girls who were apparently not
joining him as to whether “they have been told to not do so.”
He later
chanted slogans of “Jai Shree Ram” at the school.
Acharya,
a first time MLA has been in the news ever since he won from the Hawa Mahal
constituency in December last year by a narrow margin.
Earlier,
he had been seen inspecting meat shops and urging the administration to take
action against what he called were “illegal slaughterhouses,” adding that “he
won’t let Jaipur, which is also known as ‘Choti Kashi’, become Karachi.”
Muslims
being targeted
“What
does he have to do to what we wear? We are coming here to study and we will
study. We will not stop our protest till the Baba doesn’t apologise. He always
targets Muslims, sometimes over meat, shops run by Muslims, now over hijab.
Today he wants to end hijab in school, tomorrow he may stop us from wearing
hijab in school. Muslim students at the school are being targeted. Wearing
hijab is our right,” one of the protesting students told reporters on Monday.
Acharya
is facing allegations of assaulting and spitting on a person belonging to the
Scheduled Caste (SC) community in Peethawas village in Rajasthan.
Advocate
Mohammad Aslam Khan, president of the Alpsankhak Vikash Sanstha said that most
of the girl students in the school are from the Muslim community and alleged
that MLA Acharya’s remarks were aimed at hindering their education.
‘Two
types of dress codes’
Later on
Monday, while speaking to reporters, Acharya once again questioned how there
could be different dress codes in school.
“I had
asked the school principal and other teachers if there were two types of dress
codes here during Republic Day function or other government programmes? It was
not a private programme. I was told (by teachers) that there is no such
provision but they (students) don’t listen. Two years, three years, five, eight
years, or students of the tenth standard, eighth standard were in hijab or
burqa,” MLA Acharya told reporters.
“I had
asked the (teacher) madam what their religious rules say. (Otherwise) Our kids
can also wear lehenga-chunni to school tomorrow in different colours. There is
an existing school dress code, uniform is given, and the students don’t even
have objection, we just need to guide them about the school rules. Some people
who want to do politics see politics everywhere,” the MLA added.
‘Must
apologise’
Jaipur
police commissioner Biju George Joseph told The Wire that the protesters had
submitted a memorandum to the district collector over the issue and if the
police receive any complaint they will be investigating it. No FIR has been
lodged in the matter, said the commissioner.
Congress
MLA from Adarsh Nagar Rafeek Khan reached the protest site on Monday and
slammed Acharya for his remarks.
“I have
listened to the protesting women. The type of environment Balmukund wants to
create here is a direct attack to the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of Jaipur. The Baba
should immediately apologise. We will not stay quiet on this and he will have
to apologise,” Khan told reporters.
Earlier,
Hindutva groups had backed a government ban on hijab in Karnataka schools when
the BJP was in power in the state.
Source:
thewire.in
https://thewire.in/communalism/acharya-balmukund-rajasthan-hijab-protests
----
Princess
Reema rejects opposition to holding women’s tennis tourney in Saudi Arabia
January
30, 2024
RIYADH:
Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, has rejected
calls by tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for a ban on
holding the Women’s Tennis Association Finals in Saudi Arabia.
Princess
Reema’s comments in a statement on Monday come in the wake of an opinion piece
written by Evert and Navratilova that was published in the Washington Post on
Jan. 26. The two argue that the Kingdom does not have gender equity and should
not be awarded the season-ending event.
Princess
Reema wrote: “Sports should not be exploited as a tool to promote personal
bias, agendas, or to penalize a society eager to embrace tennis and contribute
to its growth.”
She
added: “Failing to acknowledge the great progress women have made in Saudi
Arabia denigrates our remarkable journey.”
“Like
many women around the world, we looked to the legends of tennis as trailblazers
and role models … glimmers of hope that women truly could achieve it all. But
these champions have turned their back on the very same women they have
inspired and it is beyond disappointing,” she said.
Women in
Saudi Arabia now have opportunities in traditionally male-dominated sectors,
such as the military, firefighting, law enforcement, and even space
exploration, said Princess Reema.
She
rejected the argument by Evert and Navratilova that women are not equal in
Saudi Arabia society. “On this, let me simply say: get your facts straight.
What is often referred to as ‘guardianship’ no longer describes the status of
Saudi women today. Women do not need the approval of a guardian to travel,
work, or be the head of their household.”
She
added: Today, Saudi women own more than 300,000 businesses and roughly 25
percent of small and mid-sized start-up companies, which is about the same
percentage as the United States. Women in Saudi now enjoy equal pay, leading
the way towards something that should be universal.”
Princess
Reema further said: “While there’s still work to be done, the recent progress
for women, the engagement of women in the workplace, and the social and
cultural opportunities being created for women are truly profound and should
not be overlooked.”
Princess
Reema said the Kingdom has over 330,000 registered female athletes, with 14,000
actively participating in tennis. Thousands of women serve as coaches, mentors,
referees, and sports doctors in various capacities.
Princess
Reema emphasized that portraying Saudi Arabia’s women as voiceless victims not
only undermines their progress in sports but also detracts from the broader
advancements made by women in the country.
The
ambassador dismissed assertions that guardianship laws in the Kingdom
restricted women’s freedom, adding that these rules were no longer in force.
She
dissmissed claims that Saudi law considered women as property, urging the need
for accurate information.
Highlighting
the achievements of athletes such as Yasmeen AlDabbagh, Tahani AlQahtani, and
Yara AlHogbani, the ambassador emphasized their contributions in challenging
perceptions about women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
Princess
Reema called for a healthy debate on women’s progress and urged inclusive
dialogue to avoid bias.
She
expressed a willingness to welcome diverse perspectives and underscored the
importance of fostering productive dialogue for the common cause of advancing
women’s opportunities globally.
Source:
arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2450586/saudi-arabia
-----
'UK
national scandal': 20,000 mental health patients 'raped, sexually assaulted' in
UK’s National Health Service Care
29
January 2024
A new
investigation revealed that tens of thousands of mental health patients have
been raped, sexually abused, assaulted, or harassed while being treated in UK’s
National Health Service (NHS) mental hospitals, in what is described as a
“national scandal.”
The
joint investigation carried out by The Independent and Sky News and run on
Sunday, uncovered nearly 20,000 “sexual safety incidents”, involving both
patients and staff, across more than 30 mental health trusts in England between
2019 and 2023.
The
report defines sexual safety incidents as any unwanted sexual behavior that
makes a person feel uncomfortable or unsafe. This includes rape, sexual
assault, sexual harassment, comments of a sexual nature, or observing sexual
behavior, including exposure to nakedness.
Nearly
4,000 sexual safety incidents were reported between January and August 2023 -
higher than the annual total for both 2019 and 2020, the investigation revealed
following more than 50 freedom of information requests to NHS England mental
health trusts.
A
separate freedom of information request conducted by The Independent also
revealed out of more than 800 allegations of sexual assault and rape involving
female patients across more than 20 trusts between 2019 and 2023, only 95 were
reported to the police.
Former
Victim’s Commissioner Dame Vera Baird has said the findings are a “national
scandal.”
In 2011,
the Department of Health committed to eradicating mixed-sex care across all its
inpatient services, however, more than 12 years on, hundreds of allegations of
rape and sexual assault in mixed-sex wards and shared spaces in NHS England
psychiatric care are reported, according to the investigation.
Labour’s
shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said it was “chilling” that these
“horrific” alleged crimes were reported to have taken place in the NHS.
“The
government must treat this investigation as a wake-up call and act against the
soaring number of mixed-sex wards in the NHS today,” Streeting said.
In a
statement, NHS England said it is taking action to ensure the safety of
patients and staff, including rolling out better reporting mechanisms,
training, and support.
“NHS
England has advised all Trusts and local health systems to appoint a domestic
abuse and sexual violence lead to support patients and staff to report
incidents and access support, with more than 300 now in place.”
The
testimony of Alexis Quinn - a former British youth swimmer whose story is told
in the new Sky News podcast Patient 11, sparked the investigations.
In 2012,
Alexis - a mother who worked as a teacher - entered care following the death of
her brother.
Undiagnosed
with autism, she said she was sexually assaulted by a male patient at Kent’s
Littlebrook hospital on Christmas Day in 2013 after she was placed on an
all-male ward.
Later in
2014, Alexis made a second complaint after being moved to yet another
mixed-gender care setting at St Martin's Hospital in Kent.
Her
attackers did not face any criminal action because they were deemed “not to
have the capacity to go through a police investigation,” according to her
mother Linda.
Autism
patient Rivkah Grant also said she found herself exposed to mixed-gender NHS
mental health inpatient settings when battling depression.
The
34-year-old law graduate described being sexually assaulted by the staff
member, saying: “He said to me that I must promise not to tell anyone, [or]
he’d lose his job.”
Following
the incident, Rivkah said she was moved to a mixed-sex ward, despite having
told staff she’d been sexually assaulted.
In June
2017, her attacker was convicted following a police investigation.
In 2015,
Stephanie Tutty sought help from Essex mental health services while dealing
with the trauma of a rape she suffered in her youth.
While
under the care of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, the
28-year-old mother-of-two said she suffered repeated sexual abuse by a male
staff member over a five-month period.
After a
two-year investigation, she said she was told by police in 2017 that her case
could not proceed due to the low likelihood of conviction.
“What
happened with [the alleged abuser] will always have a lasting impact on me,
even more so than the first rape that made me unwell in the first place,” she
said.
Source:
presstv.ir
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/29/719088/UK-Conservatives-Mental-Health-Patients-Sexual-Abuse-NHS
------
5,162
Indian women to perform Haj ‘without mehram’ in 2024
30th
January 2024
New
Delhi: A total of 5,162 women would be going for Haj without ‘mehram’ this
year, the largest since the reform was introduced in 2018 which did away with
the compulsion of a male companion with women on the pilgrimage.
For Haj
2024, applications have been received from 6,370 women who are above 70 years
of age, besides 5,162 women who want to go on the pilgrimage without ‘mehram’
(male companion), the Haj Committee of India said.
The
process of draw of lots for the Haj applicants was carried out on Monday by the
Haj Committee under the guidance and supervision of the Ministry of Minority
Affairs.
However,
applications of all women above 70 and those who want to go for the pilgrimage
without ‘mehram’ were accepted and not put through the process of draw of lots.
A total
of 1,74,117 applications were received for Haj by the Haj Committee.
The
total quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims from India has been finalised for Haj 2024
with 1,40,020 seats being reserved for pilgrims to proceed through the Haj
Committee whereas 35,005 pilgrims would be permitted to proceed through private
operators.
Chief
Executive Officer of the Haj Committee of India, Liaquat Ali Afaqi, said that
out of the 5,162 women who will go on Haj without ‘mehram’, 3,584 are from
Kerala, 378 from Tamil Nadu, 249 from Karnataka, 166 from Maharashtra, 141 from
Uttar Pradesh, 130 from Telangana, 82 from Jammu and Kashmir, 72 from Madhya
Pradesh, 64 from Gujarat, 50 from Delhi, 44 from Andhra Pradesh, 40 from West Bengal,
33 from Rajasthan, 30 from Bihar, 29 from Assam, 19 from Puducherry, 14 from
Chhattisgarh, 10 from Uttarakhand, nine from Jharkhand, five each from Goa and
Odisha, three from Ladakh, two from Lakshadweep, and one each from Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
The Haj
policy provides for draw of lots to finalise the list of applicants to be
selected as pilgrims to go on the pilgrimage through the Haj Committee.
The
randomisation process started at 11 am and was successfully completed by 03 pm,
and was witnessed by the representatives of various State/UT Haj Committees on
a real-time basis, a statement said.
Messages
are being sent to the selected and wait-listed pilgrims.
In the
previous years, it used to take more than a day to complete the whole process
and the new initiative of the government shall greatly facilitate the Haj
pilgrims all over the country, the statement said.
In line
with the digital initiatives of the government and for ensuring transparency
and removing human intervention, the Haj portal has been revamped with latest
IT infrastructure and services.
Source:
siasat.com
https://www.siasat.com/5162-indian-women-to-perform-haj-without-mehram-in-2024-2967182/#google_vignette
------
Iran’s
Top Film Director Says No More Forced Hijab In Pictures
January
29, 2024
Maryam
Sinaiee
Prominent
Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi says he will not produce any films in Iran
until the ban on showing women without headscarves is lifted, as people demand.
For
decades, Iranian filmmakers, including Farhadi, have been compelled to depict
female characters with their hair covered by a headscarf or a tightly fitted
hat, along with loose-fitting clothing that conceals the neck, arms, and legs.
Farhadi
says he will not cover women's hair in his films “systematically” as long as
compulsory hijab rules are in place and Iranians defy the ban. “I will not make
films in Iran as long as I am not free from this constraint,” he told Le Monde
in an interview conducted last month on the sidelines of Les Arcs Film Festival
in France where he chaired the jury.
The rule
applies even when the characters are in places where they are supposed to have
complete privacy in the story, such as their bedrooms. Filmmakers and
screenwriters often must go to great lengths to avoid scenes where the
appearance of the female characters in anything less than acceptable to the
authorities may result in the scene being censored in pre-screening vetting by
officials appointed to review films according to religious and political
guidelines. Films can also lose permission for public screening.
Farhadi
also told Le Monde that Iranian filmmakers persevered in creating films for
four decades despite heavy censorship and repression, but in the past year film
production has dropped hugely. “I can’t work in these circumstances, either.”
Asghar
Farhadi receiving the Cannes Film Festival award. July 18, 2021
The
director of the Academy Award winning “A Separation” and “The Salesman”, who
had always insisted on staying in Iran, was criticized for often avoiding
comments on political issues but like many of his colleagues, he openly
supported the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in 2022.
“I’m
restless and disgusted since reading the news, this time with myself,” he wrote
in an Instagram post he addressed to Mahsa Amini who fell into a coma after
receiving a head injury during her arrest by the morality police in September
2022 for what they considered as “inadequate hijab”.
“Faced
with this boundless cruelty, we pretend we are sleeping. We are partners in
this crime,” he wrote.
In
another post he urged all artists, filmmakers, intellectuals, and rights
activists around the world to show solidarity with Iranian men and women by
making videos, writing articles or any other way they could.
Later in
April, he told Variety Magazine that he was not totally sure he would be
allowed to leave the country again if he went back to Iran, as he planned to do
at the time before starting to shoot his new film in the US.
“I’m not
officially aware of being banned from working in Iran, but I have heard it
unofficially. Moreover, I know that I’m officially banned from any business
transactions. And again, unofficially, I have heard that I am banned from
leaving Iran,” he said.
Farhadi’s
passport was taken from him upon returning to Iran two years after winning his
Academy Award for best foreign film in 2011. He was also interrogated at the
airport and called in by intelligence agencies.
Many
Iranian actors and other artists who publicly supported the Mahsa movement and
fused to wear hijab were banned from working by the authorities. Some, like
Taraneh Alidoosti who appeared in Farhadi’s Separation, and Katayoun Riahi were
arrested and prosecuted for hijab rebellion.
Source:
iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202401291956
----
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/army-officers-saria-abbasi-fatima-wasim/d/131620