Pragya Thakur, Former BJP MP Says, “Break Legs Of Daughters Who Want To Marry Muslims”
New Age Islam News Bureau
20 October2025
· Pragya Thakur, Former BJP MP Says, “Break Legs Of Daughters Who Want To Marry Muslims”
· Muslim Women Offer Namaz At Pune Fort, BJP MP Medha Kulkarni Later ‘Purifies’ Spot
· UN: Every Woman and Girl Has the Right to Feel Safe Everywhere
· Parents Remove Kids From Kerala Convent School Over Hijab Curbs
· Portugal’s Far-Right Government Poised To Ban Muslim Face Veils
· Kirkuk Women Lead Iraq’s Carpet Revival For Economic Independence And Community Development
· UAE’s International Holding Company Takes Control of First Women Bank in G2G Deal
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/break-legs-daughters-marry-muslims/d/137322
-----
Pragya Thakur, Former BJP MP Says, “Break Legs Of Daughters Who Want To Marry Muslims”
October 19, 2025
Pragya Singh Thakur (File Photo: Amlan Paliwal/IANS)
-------------
Former BJP Lok Sabha Member from Bhopal, Pragya Singh Thakur, courted controversy on Sunday, as she was seen speaking in a video, advising Hindu parents to break the legs of their daughters if they tried to run away from home in an attempt to marry Muslim boys.
“If your daughter tries to go to a non-believer’s (Muslim’s) home, then do not hesitate in breaking her legs. One who does not listen to parents, does not follow religion, and does not follow traditions needs to be punished”, Thakur is seen saying in the video.
“If parents discipline their kids, it is for their own good only. So do not hesitate in even breaking your daughter’s legs, as it is for her better future”.
“When a daughter is born in a Hindu family, the parents and all people are happy and say that Goddess Laxmi and Saraswati have come. But, on growing up many girls choose to become “Miain”. Such girls must be stopped from doing so at all costs”, asserted Pragya Thakur, who was one of the main accused in the Malegaon bomb blast case, and was recently acquitted by a Special NIA court of Mumbai.
Reacting sharply against Pragya Thakur’s controversial comments, MP Congress chief advisor K K Mishra demanded to know whether ”Pragya Thakur would also break the legs of the family members of several BJP leaders, including Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Ramlal, Subramanian Swamy’s daughter, and Shah Nawaz Hussain’s wife, who, according to you, have married “infidels” or their family members?”
“Do you even have the courage to do so, or will you just keep saying nonsense?” Mishra questioned Thakur.
Source: thestatesman.com
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/pragya-thakur-says-break-legs-of-daughters-who-want-to-marry-muslims-1503501053.html
--------
Muslim Women Offer Namaz At Pune Fort, BJP MP Medha Kulkarni Later ‘Purifies’ Spot
by Manoj Dattatrye More
October 20, 2025
Before leading the march, Kulkarni had tweeted, “We will not allow 'namaz’ in Shaniwarwada, Hindu community has now become awakened...Chalo Shaniwarwada''
-----------
DAYS after she intervened and stopped a noisy Navratra event in Kothrud area of Pune city, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni on Sunday found herself at the eye of a storm after she marched inside the historical Shaniwarwada in Pune, along with activists from Hindu outfits, and “purified” a spot where some Muslim women visitors had offered Namaz (prayers). Interestingly, Ajit Pawar-led NCP, along with the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), condemned her, calling it an attempt to polarise voters ahead of the local civic body polls.
The protest march —organised by the Patit Pavan Sanghatna and other Hindu organisations on Sunday—was taken out after a video of some women offering ‘namaz’ on Friday at the Shaniwarwada went viral. Kulkarni led the protest and the ‘purification’ by cleaning the spot with ‘gaumutra’ (cow urine) and performing Shiv Vandana.
Before leading the march, Kulkarni had tweeted, “We will not allow ‘namaz’ in Shaniwarwada, Hindu community has now become awakened…Chalo Shaniwarwada.”
Speaking to The Indian Express on Sunday evening, Kulkarni said, “We performed Shiv Vandana and did purification of the spot where the namaz was offered…To protest against the incident and to ensure that Pune’s social harmony is not disturbed, the Sakal Hindu Samaj organised a protest and demanded police action in this matter.”
Asked whether the spot had become “impure” after some Muslim women offered namaz, Kulkarni said, “Shaniwarwada is an ASI protected historical monument. It is a symbol of Hindavi Swaraj set up by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We cannot allow anyone to offer namaz here. It is not a mosque.”
Flagging about an ‘illegal religious structure’ outside the Shaniwarwada, Kulkarni said if one wants to offer namaz in this manner, then Hindus should also be allowed to perform ‘aarti’ in masjids or in Taj Mahal.
Political parties, including Ajit Pawar-led NCP, strongly condemned Kulkarni and demanded action against her.
“Some Muslim women offered prayers inside Shaniwarwada after which some BJP members went there and ‘purified’ the spot with cow urine. These people should remember that even Mastani had stayed in Shaniwarwada. Kulkarni probably is not aware that Peshwe ”sardars” removed the flag of Hindavi Swaraj atop the Shaniwarwada and hoisted the Union Jack,” said Sachin Sawant, senior spokesperson of the Maharashtra Congress.
Sawant said the BJP MP is also protesting against the ‘dargah’ outside Shaniwarwada. ”When the Peshwas had no problem, what is her problem ?…What will she do with the air that touches the ‘dargah’ and then reaches her…Is she going to purify her nose as well?” asked Sawant.
The Pune Congress said they will also soon hold a protest against the Rajya Sabha MP. ”Ahead of the civic elections, this is nothing but an attempt to polarise the Hindu voters. BJP raises such issues deliberately ahead of elections. BJP wants people to react to such issues and galvanise Hindu voters,” said Congress’s Pune president Arvind Shinde.
Shinde said as for the presence of ‘dargah,’ it has been there in front of Shaniwarwada for ages. ”It is in existence from the Peshwe period and the Archaeological Survey of India has given permission for it,” he said.
Criticising Kulkarni, NCP’s working president Rupali Thombare said,”A police complaint should be filed against the Kulkarni for creating a rift between Hindus and Muslims and that too at the time of Diwali, disturbing the social atmosphere in Pune.. It is important that she be immediately restrained from indulging in such actions.”
AAP spokesperson Mukund Kirdat said, “This seems to be a clear attempt to polarise Hindu voters just ahead of local civic body polls. This action to create bitterness among communities, especially during a festival like Diwali, is condemnable.”
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/bjp-mp-medha-kulkarni-purifies-spot-in-shaniwadwada-where-namaz-was-offered-10316787/
----
UN: Every Woman and Girl Has the Right to Feel Safe Everywhere
2025-10-19
The United Nations has stated that every woman and girl has the right to feel safe wherever they are.
In a message issued on Sunday, October 19, the UN emphasized that governments must invest in preventing gender-based violence.
The organization added that states should properly enforce laws and end impunity for perpetrators of such violence.
The UN’s statement comes as women and girls in Afghanistan continue to face severe repression.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan women and girls have been stripped of their fundamental rights, including the right to education, work, personal freedom, and movement.
According to a UN Security Council report, women in Afghanistan are being persecuted and harassed by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Source: 8am.media
https://8am.media/eng/un-every-woman-and-girl-has-the-right-to-feel-safe-everywhere/
-------
Parents Remove Kids From Kerala Convent School Over Hijab Curbs
Oct 20, 2025
KOCHI: A convent-run school’s curbs on wearing the hijab in Kerala’s Kochi have spiralled into a religious and political dispute, with three students seeking transfer certificates and CPI alleging the controversy is being stoked by Sangh Parivar to deepen communal divides.
The row began recently when a class 8 student attended St Rita’s Public School in the Kochi neighbourhood of Palluruthy wearing a hijab, which the management said violated its dress code.
The girl’s parents complained to CM Pinarayi Vijayan through his grievance redressal forum.
An inquiry found the school had violated the student’s right to education. The school maintained it was merely exercising its right to enforce uniform rules. The row widened as two more students — from classes 2 and 3 — applied for transfer certificates Friday, with their parent alleging religious bias by school authorities.
Jesna S Firdous, mother of the two students, said Sunday she decided to withdraw her children after seeing how the principal and parent-teacher association president allegedly treated a girl who wore a hijab. She alleged that the school management harboured deep prejudice against other religions and traditions.
CPI’s Ernakulam district secretary M Arun alleged that the controversy was being fuelled by a Sangh Parivar agenda to create communal divisions. He claimed some Christian management-run institutions were being used to advance this strategy.
Source: indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/parents-remove-kids-from-kerala-convent-school-over-hijab-curbs/articleshow/124695035.cms
------
Portugal’s Far-Right Government Poised To Ban Muslim Face Veils
20 Oct 2025
Portugal’s far-right government has passed a bill banning face veils worn for “gender or religious” reasons in public, the latest in a host of laws across Europe targeting garments worn by some Muslim women, reports the AP.
Proposed by the Chega party, which rode to power earlier this year on a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, the bill would prohibit coverings such as burqas (a full-body garment that covers a woman from head to foot) and Niqabs (a full-face Islamic veil with openings for the eyes) from being worn in most public places. Such full-face coverings would only be allowed on planes, diplomatic premises and places of worship. The bill stipulates fines of 200 to 4,000 euros (US$230 to 4,670) for those wearing veils outside these limited exceptions, and up to three years in prison for those who force someone to veil.
Chega argued in the bill that hiding the face subjects individuals “to situations of exclusion and inferiority” and was incompatible with principles such as “liberty, equality and human dignity.”
Left-leaning lawmakers disagreed. “This initiative is used solely to target foreigners, those who have a different faith,” lawmaker Pedro Delgado Alves, whose centre-left Socialist Party voted against the bill, told the AP. While strongly opposed to forced veiling, he argued that the far-right party’s approach was wrong.
[See more: Portugal plans to significantly tighten its immigration and residency rules]
Human rights organisation Amnesty International condemned the Portuguese bill as a violation of fundamental rights and called into question Chega’s stated reasoning. “Far from defending women’s rights,” the organisation said in a statement, “a general ban like this would violate the rights of those who choose to wear veils that cover the entire face, while contributing little to protecting those who do so against their will, who are at risk of greater exclusion or lockdown as a result.”
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa still has to approve the bill. He could veto it or send it to the Constitutional Court for review. If approved, Portugal will join a growing list of more than 20 European countries that have banned wearing burqas and other face-covering veils in public. Most frame the bans as an effort to promote social cohesion, secular values and gender equality.
In practice, Amnesty International warns, such bills have often led to increased stigma and exclusion of a small but highly visible population of Muslim women. Debates around Muslim garb are also used to demonise the larger community, as with Chega leader André Ventura characterising Islam as “a culture that oppresses [women]” during parliamentary debate on the ban.
Source: macaonews.org
https://macaonews.org/news/lusofonia/portugal-muslim-ban-face-veil/
------
Kirkuk Women Lead Iraq’s Carpet Revival For Economic Independence And Community Development
2025-10-19
Spools of wool and silk glide through the hands of Kirkuk’s women as they transform Iraq’s centuries-old carpet craft into a tool for economic independence and community development.
Implemented under the patronage of the Prime Minister’s Office, in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Youth and the Non-Governmental Organizations Directorate, the six-month initiative titled “Women Weavers Embodying Iraq’s History” concluded this week at the Khatoun Cultural Foundation, headed by Yuxel Abdullah.
“The program included workshops on cultural awareness, marketing, and small business management to help participants turn their weaving skills into long-term livelihoods,” Abdullah told Shafaq News.
Meanwhile, Najla Sabri, director of the Kirkuk Carpet Factory, said the workshop has become a platform for women to develop practical skills, explaining to our agency that participants not only learned modern weaving techniques but also gained experience in teamwork, time management, and production planning.
An exhibition marking the program’s conclusion showcased carpets depicting scenes from Iraqi history and geography, including Babylon’s gates, Kurdistan’s mountains, and the southern marshes.
Saleh Ahmed, one of the project supervisors, told our agency that the Khatoun Cultural Foundation plans to continue similar programs and to establish a permanent sales outlet for handmade carpets in Kirkuk.
Source: shafaq.com
https://shafaq.com/en/society/Kirkuk-women-lead-Iraq-s-carpet-revival
-------
UAE’s International Holding Company Takes Control of First Women Bank in G2G Deal
October 19, 2025
Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company (IHC) said it has acquired a majority stake in state-owned First Women Bank Ltd (FWBL) after Pakistan completed a government-to-government privatisation under its Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Act of 2022.
The announcement, at a ceremony attended by Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marks the first bank privatisation in Pakistan via a G2G framework, IHC said in a statement.
Founded in 1989, Karachi-based FWBL operates as a full-service commercial bank with 42 branches nationwide serving retail, small business and corporate customers.
IHC said the investment reflects growing economic ties between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan and its strategy to build resilient financial institutions.
IHC did not disclose financial terms or the size of the stake. Following completion, the company said it would ensure FWBL meets Pakistan’s minimum capital requirement, strengthen the balance sheet and expand operations.
Plans include upgrading core systems, automating processes and integrating digital channels with analytics and artificial intelligence to speed up service delivery.
The investor also flagged a rebranding to reflect a broader mandate beyond FWBL’s original focus, with emphasis on financial inclusion. Talent development and a performance-driven culture would be central to the turnaround, IHC said.
“Our investment in First Women Bank Limited reflects IHC’s confidence in Pakistan’s financial potential and our shared vision for long-term economic growth,” IHC Chief Executive Syed Basar Shueb said. “We see strong potential in the country’s financial sector and look forward to supporting the bank’s modernisation journey by leveraging technology.”
The transaction follows a February joint venture signed by International Resources Holding, an IHC subsidiary, with the Government of Balochistan, part of a series of UAE–Pakistan initiatives aimed at deepening cooperation across key sectors.
IHC, one of the Middle East’s largest listed investment firms, had a market capitalisation of about 882 billion dirhams ($240 billion), with holdings spanning asset management, healthcare, real estate, financial services and technology, as of filings.
Source: crowdfundinsider.com
https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2025/10/254746-uaes-ihc-takes-control-of-first-women-bank-in-g2g-deal/
-------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/break-legs-daughters-marry-muslims/d/137322