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Islam, Women and Feminism ( 31 Jul 2023, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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British Muslim Woman, Attiya Shaukat, Overseeing Experimental Farm at Islamic Convention In UK

New Age Islam News Bureau

31 July 2023

• British Muslim Woman, Attiya Shaukat, Overseeing Experimental Farm at Islamic Convention In UK

• Sakinah Hussain of UK Working with Exiles Together, A Community Group, to Inspire Muslim Girls for Mixed Martial Arts

• 'Whatever Happens, I'm Starting the Club': Iffat Tejani on Realising Her Bucket List Dream of Opening Up Cycling To Muslim Women

• Saudi Social Media Star, Abrar Al-Othman, Battling A Rare Skin Condition

• PM Modi On What Made Haj "Special" For Muslim Women This Year

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:   https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/british-muslim-attiya-islamic-uk/d/130341

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British Muslim Woman, Attiya Shaukat, Overseeing Experimental Farm at Islamic Convention In UK

 

Attiya Shaukat (second from right) on a farming project in Nigeria. (Attiya Shaukat/PA)

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A British Muslim woman is experimenting with a 1.5-acre test farm on the site of the largest Islamic convention in the UK.

Attiya Shaukat, 43, has gone from growing vegetables in her garden to overseeing three farming sites – two in Nigeria and one in Alton, Hampshire – with the aim of sharing agricultural knowledge with communities in Africa.

Ms Shaukat, who is from a South Asian background, told the PA news agency: “Instead of going to Africa, we can trial things here and regulate them more and record them and then we can trial them in a different country.”

The test farm is being used to try out no till-farming and experimental forms of drip irrigation on the site of the Jalsa Salana, which 40,000 Muslims were expected to attend.

Food waste from the convention will be composted for the farm, which is testing out the fastest ways to break down waste material in order to share that knowledge with communities in Africa.

Ms Shaukat, the agricultural secretary for the International Association of Ahmadi Architects and Engineers (IAAAE), said that “sustainability means that you’re trying to make yourself as independent as possible,” which she believes is particularly important in light of global instability.

She said: “The way that we are headed, and the way that the world is headed, is towards a disaster.

“We can see that even as a developed nation, we cannot guarantee that our shelves will always be full and that concept is becoming more and more conscious to us after Covid, after Brexit.

“On top of that, there are children who are going hungry, which you wouldn’t think of in a developed country such as this.

“We need to teach all levels of people how to actually grow their own to reduce their costs.”

Beans, courgettes, carrots and various green vegetables are currently growing on the farm.

The farm was gifted 200 strawberries by a plant nursery near Ms Shaukat’s home in Warwick “because the women’s organisation this year in our community is celebrating their 100 years of formal existence as an auxiliary organisation within the Muslim community”, Ms Shaukat said.

“Our strawberries have just produced their first crop, but not enough to feed people.

“Hopefully next year, we will have ice cream and strawberries grown on the farm, so we can say, ‘This is Jalsa grown, for you’.”

Ms Shaukat started growing vegetables in her garden after being encouraged to do so by the current caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

She said: “Come rain or shine, health or otherwise, I grew every year, whether I was good at it or not, for 15 years.

“I only did it to fulfil the caliph’s instruction and then I did start enjoying it because when you produce your own tomatoes, or your crop of salads, and there’s so much you can share with your streets of neighbours, it’s a really nice feeling to be able to do that.

In 2019, she displayed a raised bed of growing produce at a Muslim women’s conference and upon seeing her work, the caliph encouraged her to become the IAAAE agricultural secretary, which saw her take on some of the organisation’s farming projects.

Ms Shaukat oversees a 100-acre farm and an 11-acre model farm in southwestern Nigeria, which allow local people to experiment with growing different types of produce using a variety of methods.

Leafy greens like celosia and amaranth are being grown on the farms as they are frequently eaten by local people, Ms Shaukat said.

She said: “We’re looking at teaching people around that local area to come and learn so they can take that knowledge and start growing in their own homes.”

“This project was started because of a humanitarian purpose. It has no desire for monetary profits. It is just to help all humans, all forms of life.

“The caliph said at the recent IAAAE symposium speech that it’s our responsibility to help everyone from every colour, creed and background, and those who have been murdered and in poverty and deprivation, so I would say that’s our goal.”

Source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/british-muslim-woman-overseeing-experimental-farm-at-islamic-convention-in-uk/a201759350.html

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Sakinah Hussain of UK Working with Exiles Together, A Community Group, to Inspire Muslim Girls for Mixed Martial Arts

 

Sakinah Hussain. Picture: The National Lottery (Image: The National Lottery)

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30th July

A Newport teenager is punching well above her weight – and is inspiring other young Muslim girls like her to get involved in martial arts.

Sakinah Hussain started her martial arts journey aged just six at her uncle’s gym, training and competing firstly in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, then adding Judo, Muay Thai and now Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA.

At just 13 years old she competed in the competed in the Pan Am World Championships in California, and in 2020 became the first Muslim to represent Wales at the IMMAF Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi last August, where she won a bronze medal.

Today – and still just 16 years old – Sakinah is working with the Exiles Together community group to help other young girls learn vital self-defence skills.

Now she has become one of just five young people in the whole of the UK to be dominated in the Young Hero category of the National Lottery Awards.

 The teenager said when she first began wearing her hijab she struggled with her martial arts – but later realised it did not have to hold her back, and is hoping to use this experience and knowledge to inspire other young Muslim girls like her.

On the award domination, Sakinah said: “I feel honoured to be nominated.

“It has always been my dream to teach my own classes, and to get more girls into martial arts.

“There is so much to be gained from doing a sport like MMA. I want to open the opportunity for everyone to participate."

Exiles Together was set up in 2018 by Jalal Goni and Anwar Uddin with the aim of encouraging people who may not usually get involved to participate in sport.

Sakinah got involved when Mr Goni approached her in 2021 to coach female-only self-defence classes - and his idea received National Lottery financial support from Sport Wales, which enabled the group to hire a venue and provide the necessary equipment for the female-only sessions.

The winners of the National Lottery Awards will be announced in September.

Source: southwalesargus.co.uk

https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/23688482.sakinah-hussain-working-exiles-together-inspire-muslim-girls/

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'Whatever happens, I'm starting the club': Iffat Tejani on realising her bucket list dream of opening up cycling to Muslim women

This article was originally published in Cycling Weekly's print edition as part of the long-running MY FITNESS CHALLENGE series.

Growing up in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, Iffat Tejani would notice other children riding bikes but could only dream of joining in. “None of us girls ever got on a bike,” she says, speaking to me by video call from her Hertfordshire home. “We were sporty and would play rounders, but girls were not allowed to cycle – it would have been frowned upon.” Aged 16 Tejani relocated to the UK with her family; at 20 she married and set about raising a family of her own. Only with the onset of a health crisis, 17 years later, did her long-dormant dream of cycling reassert itself in her mind.

“At the end of 2009, I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer,” says Tejani. “I was only 37 at the time and our kids were still very young. Because the cancer was stage three and I’d recently watched the Morgan Freeman film The Bucket List, I decided that’s what I needed, my own bucket list.” Top of her list was to ride a bike. Exercise was out of the question while dealing with the cancer, but after two years of arduous treatment Tejani’s energy began to return. “Six weeks after radiotherapy ended, I did a 5K breast cancer run,” she recalls, “and then I wanted to learn to ride a bike. Because I’m a Muslim woman, I was looking for a female to teach me, which was very hard to find.”

Unable to find a female coach, Tejani booked a lesson with a St John Ambulance man who taught cycling skills part-time. “On my first lesson, I hit a curb and fell off,” she chuckles. “The instructor wasn’t expecting to hear back from me after that, but I rang him the next day and said, let’s go out again today but can we go somewhere softer?” Over the next three days, Tejani picked up all the basic skills she needed to ride solo. “I’ve not looked back,” she grins.

Within a few weeks of regular rides with her family, Tejani was ready to take her cycling to the next level: she wanted to reach out to other women like her who were keen to get started. Over the next few years, she gained more confidence, developed her fitness and joined group rides through British Cycling’s Breeze network. Yet there was something lacking from her cycling. “I was missing that community feeling,” she says, “riding with other women who looked like me and had shared values. I could see the gap.” From speaking to friends at her local mosque, Tejani knew that the demand was strong, and she grew ever more determined to set up a cycling club for Muslim women. “But life had another plan,” she sighs.

In 2019, Tejani’s cancer came back. The only treatment option this time was a double mastectomy. It was another life-and- death situation but also another impetus to put dreams into action. “Bucket list number two was formed,” says Tejani. “This was an even more determined list than the first one: I thought, whatever happens, I’m forming the club.” Six weeks after surgery, in summer 2020, she was back on her bike and raring to go. “As we got the bike ready, my husband said, ‘I’ll just get my shoes so I can follow you – but before he could fetch them, I was down the road!”

STARTING OVER

Although her fitness was back to square-one, Tejani refused to be held back. She became a Breeze Champion, began leading group rides and, in partnership with the mosque, set about organising a fundraising sportive from Harrow to Windsor. “No one realised this was going to be my first big ride,” she laughs at the challenge she had set herself almost by accident. There was no turning back. “Working with a coach, we created a programme on TrainingPeaks, and I bought an indoor turbo,” Tejani remembers the project taking shape. “My FTP was 50 watts when I started – that’s a cool-down for most people!”

Outstripping her expectations, 85 riders – all Muslim women – took part in the inaugural sportive in October 2020, and from its success the Evolve club was born. Tejani’s vision for the club was to provide everything its members could want, from coaching to group rides to racing and performance development.

I have to admit at this point, I had no idea there was such an appetite for competitive cycling among British Muslim women – and I wonder what had been holding them back before Tejani and Evolve came along. “Clothing was the first barrier because obviously being very tight was not hijabi, so we knew we needed to design our own kit.” With characteristic initiative, Tejani set about designing a jersey that would be sensitive to Islamic values. “We’ve taken the traditional cycling jersey and given it a modest look,” she explains. “It has pockets and functionality, the same breathable material, but is slightly longer.”

The next hurdle was a shortage of female coaches. “There were male coaches,” says Tejani, “but for those women who were from more conservative backgrounds, it was keeping them away. So we trained women to become coaches.” As the barriers were knocked down one by one, women flocked to join Evolve – albeit initially on bikes that were far from conducive to high performance. “At the first sportive, all of the women were on hybrids with suspension – chunky tanks as I call them,” laughs Tejani. “By the next one, we had transitioned all women onto road bikes. It’s been very much a knowledge-building process.”

Leading by example, Tejani gave others the confidence to try styles of bike and riding that at first seemed intimidating. “The only way we could do it was just – jump! The journey has been not only riding and getting stronger but also learning, which I’ve loved.”

All the while, Tejani’s own skills-development has continued apace. “I’m now a Level 2 road, time trial and track coach, and the club has 350 members,” she says proudly. “We’re looking to launch the Muslim Women’s Track League at Lee Valley, after more than 100 of our women took part in cyclocross. And this Sunday the club has a time trial – our members want to race!” Her own performance has come on leaps and bounds too, with her FTP up by 150% to 125W.

It has been two years since Tejani’s cancer surgery; now 50, she is in remission and feeling healthier than ever. “In a way, cycling was my healing journey,” she says. “When I am on the bike, I am not the person who has beaten cancer twice – except when I hit the hills, which is the only time I am reminded. At all other times, I am just a normal person.” Mindful that two bucket lists have already been ticked off, it seems almost churlish to ask, but I can’t resist: what is her long-term dream for Evolve? “Our ultimate aim is getting a hijabi girl on the podium, either as part of Team GB or some other way. That will mark our project complete!”

Islamic traditions dictate that followers must fast from dawn till dusk during the holy month of Ramadan, partake in daily prayers, and women must dress modestly. Tejani explains how cycling fits in around these obligations

Training while fasting: “During Ramadan, you have to adapt your training time. You go out closer to sunset, and you ride more in Zone 2 rather than pushing into higher zones. For the first time this year, I did fasted training on the turbo. It is usually best to train after you have broken your fast [after sunset]. The longest I have ridden without food or water is two hours, but you have to judge your effort accordingly.”

Cultural barriers: “There has always been certain resistance, on faith grounds, to women cycling. It’s why many Evolve members are coming to cycling later in life. We’ve had to do research to see where the objections come from. Clothing is a key area, and it’s why we designed the modest cycling jersey. If a woman wants to cycle in a full abaya [loose cloak], that’s absolutely fine – we just have to make sure it doesn’t get caught in the chain.”

Early starts: “We wake at dawn for morning prayers, and then head straight out afterwards, which works really well. During the summer, it is a gorgeous time of day to train – the best time!”

Shahina Chandoo, 19, from north London, is a Level 2 coach who works alongside Tejani to identify and develop Evolve’s most promising young talents.

“When I was 14 I did RideLondon, which was when I realised I really enjoyed cycling. Two years later, the Evolve club started and I was originally brought on board to be a coach. Towards the end of 2021, we started Evolve’s Go Ride programme – designed to bring children into the racing system. At that point, I needed to understand what competing involved, so I started cyclo-cross racing – very scary to begin with!

“I’ve been awarded the British Cycling coaching scholarship, helping me develop young riders – I’ve been able to see exactly what selectors are looking for. Our first intake of kids have been with us a year and a bit, with 15 of them now involved in racing.

“Cycling has always been seen as a white man’s sport that’s not really open to everyone else. So the whole idea of Evolve was to make a comfortable, safe space in which to progress. When I was starting out I was the only woman from my background riding, but now the club has 350 members. I don’t want anyone to be alone like I was.”

Source: cyclingweekly.com

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/whatever-happens-im-starting-the-club-iffat-tejani-on-realising-her-bucket-list-dream-of-opening-up-cycling-to-muslim-women

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Saudi Social Media Star, Abrar Al-Othman, Battling A Rare Skin Condition

July 30, 2023

RIYADH: Abrar Al-Othman is a young Saudi woman with a challenging and rare skin condition, but it hasn’t deterred her from thinking positively, becoming an author of three books, and inspiring and helping others.

Since birth, Al-Othman has been dealing with the symptoms of Epidermolysis bullosa, a rare condition that causes skin to blister easily in response to a minor injury, or heat, rubbing or scratching. As the condition develops, large blisters can form on the skin. It may last a few years and can cause serious problems.

No one else in her family suffers from the genetic condition, and it has been a great challenge for Al-Othman. She told Arab News: “My condition had a significant impact on me throughout many stages of my life, both because of its uncomfortable symptoms and because of how people looked at me and how I viewed society.”

Living with EB has caused her to face some harsh times. When she was ten, a bicycle accident resulted in a head injury that caused her to lose her hair permanently. She began wearing wigs at a young age.

Despite this, she has maintained a positive outlook on life and with the support of her family has been able to accept the challenges that come with her condition.

Armed with a contagious smile and optimistic attitude, Al-Othman took to social media as a platform to spread positivity and has written three books. In 2016, she wrote “There is Life in Every Heart,” which is “a variety of thoughts that I wrote years ago and compiled in it.”

She began sharing her work on Twitter in 2018 and received many encouraging comments from users, but for a while she preferred to remain anonymous.

Al-Othman continued: “After I published my first book, I was advised by someone to write a book about my condition, and I hesitated because I loved living behind the screen with no one knowing what I looked like, but I decided to take this brave step.”

In 2019, Al-Othman wrote her second book, “EB: My Other Half.” In this memoir-style work, she talked about “my story with illness since childhood, how I lived with it, some situations I went through … and among its pages are thoughts related to each stage.”

She was struck by readers’ comments and their outpouring of love, which led her to reveal her identity online. Having braved public scrutiny, Al-Othman began to appear in TV interviews, and as a result her life changed. She gained more than 81,000 followers on Instagram as well as the interest of prominent TV personalities.

Explaining the concept behind her third book, “There is One Soul Between Us,” which was published in 2021, she said: “(It) explores human emotions from my point of view. After each emotion, there is an empty page and a question concerning that emotion, and the reader is invited to express their perspective.”

She participated as an author in the Jeddah Book Fair where she met her readers and was able to connect more deeply with the community through her work. (NOTE: We’ll add the year this occurred when it’s clear, waiting for reporter’s feedback.)

Al-Othman’s journey has been anything but simple; she has had to deal with a lot of hardship, bullying, and has seen the dark and ugly side of society.

She recalled some of the positive experiences she had in school: “My friends at school helped open the water bottle or sharpen my pencil.”

Her friends would also help her do a variety of tasks, from carrying her backpack to helping her walk up the stairs. 

However, there were some really difficult experiences. “But I had really embarrassing moments. While taking a test, the pencil used to cut my skin and I bled on the paper so some of the teachers used to write for me.”

Al-Othman explained that sometimes she was embarrassed to eat at school because it would hurt her throat and so she would only drink water.

Things became more difficult for Al-Othman after secondary school; she became the target of bullies and other students would avoid sitting next to her due to her condition.

Speaking about the isolation this created, she said: “I was bullied to the point that I didn’t go to school for many days and when I was in college, I had no friends.”

Now, after enduring hardships, Al-Othman has become a beacon for others. She refers to herself as the “EB butterfly,” and has established a group for mothers of children with the same disease, to whom she offers a wealth of guidance.

She explained: “Every mother supports the other with advice on how to care for the child and (shares) experiences, whether in hospitals or treatments, and each one in accordance with their personal knowledge of the disease. A dermatologist is also present.”

Source: arabnews.com

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2346986/saudi-arabia

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PM Modi On What Made Haj "Special" For Muslim Women This Year

July 30, 2023

Delhi: In continuation of his outreach to the Muslim community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, while addressing the 103rd edition of his radio programme, 'Mann ki Baat', thanked the Saudi Arabia government for making changes in the Haj policy and said due to this change, over 4,000 Muslim women from India performed Haj without 'mehram' (male companion). He said many of them had written to them to express their joy and give their blessings.

"There are some letters that bring you a lot of joy and inspiration. The letters that my Muslim mothers and sisters have written to me, after returning from Haj, are like that. Their journey this year was very special in many ways. These are women who have been able to go to Haj without a male companion that was not allowed earlier. I want to thank the Saudi Arabia government for this change in policy," he said, calling the shift "transformative" as the number of women going for Haj from India without men accompanying them was not "50 or 100" but over 4,000.

Amid international scrutiny on human rights record and treatment of women, Saudi Arabia in 2019 had said that it would allow women to travel without the permission of a male relative.

Haj has been at the centre of political flashpoints in India. While the central government decided to do away with the discretionary Haj quota that was available with people in top constitutional posts and the minority affairs ministry, the Congress has been blaming the government for doing away with Haj subsidy that the centre has said was being misused.

Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani recently said a decision was taken to end discretionary quota in Haj under PM's resolve to end VIP culture. She also said her government made several changes in Haj yatra guidelines keeping in mind the interest of the people, including disallowing a VIP delegation that visits Saudi Arabia every year.

As many as 4,314 Indian women went for Haj without 'Mahram (male companion)' this year, the largest since the reform in 2018. The Minority Affairs Ministry had made comprehensive arrangements for the health of the Haj pilgrims with health desks at airports and medical screening by government doctors.

Each year, Saudi Arabia hosts around 25 lakh to 30 lakh pilgrims from across the globe to visit Mecca and India sends the third largest contingent of pilgrims in the world.

A quota of 1,75,025 Haj pilgrims was allotted to India. The annual pilgrimage took place in June-end.

Muslim women have been at the centre of the BJP's outreach towards the community, starting with the centre's move to criminalise Triple Talaq.

The PM's mention of Muslim women came a day after the BJP appointed former VC of Aligarh Muslim University Tariq Mansoor as one of its Vice presidents.

Mansoor has been working with the RSS on its efforts to promote teachings of Mughal prince Dara Shikoh on peaceful coexistence of Hindus and Muslims. As the VC of AMU during the anti CAA rights, his role was criticised by many students for being pro-government.

Mansoor is also a pasmanda Muslim, a non Ashraf Muslim - BJP has been trying to woo the Pasmanda Muslims for a while now.

The PM, specifically speaking in Bhopal recently, while making a pitch for the Uniform Civil Code had listed the names of the Muslim Pasmanda communities that were never given a voice by the opposition.

Apart from Mansoor, Abdulla Kutty is also a vice president with the BJP. He was appointed last year and also heads the Haj committee.

Formerly with the CPM and Congress, Abdulla Kutty has always been vocal in praising the PM's model of governance, and this works well for the BJP that has been trying to strengthen its position politically and ideologically in Kerala against the communist forces.

Source: ndtv.com

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-modi-on-what-made-haj-special-for-muslim-women-this-year-4253958

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URL:   https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/british-muslim-attiya-islamic-uk/d/130341

 

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