British Pakistani Diplomat, Fouzia Younis, Becomes First Muslim Woman To Head UK Diplomatic Mission
New
Age Islam News Bureau
25
March 2023
•
Iranian Women In Stadium To Watch Russia Football Friendly
•
Justices Joseph, NagarathnaTo Hear PleasChallenging The Release Of 11 Convicts
In The Bilkis Bano Gang-Rape Case
•
Fakhra Bibi Led Kidnappers’ Gang Busted, Nine Held In Faisalabad
•
Afghan Female Entrepreneurs Complain of Lack of Markets
•
Saudi Arabian Women’s National Team Continues Rapid Growth Journey By
Officially Entering FIFA World Ranking For First Time
•
Women Of All Backgrounds Invited To Wear Hijab On Feb. 1 To Mark World Hijab
Day
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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British
Pakistani Diplomat, Fouzia Younis, Becomes First Muslim Woman To Head UK
Diplomatic Mission
25
March 2023
In
a proud moment for Pakistan, British Pakistani diplomat Fouzia Younis has been appointed
as His Majesty’s British Consul General to Toronto, making her the first
British Muslim woman appointed to head a UK diplomatic mission.
Fouzia
Younis, who is currently in Islamabad working as a senior British diplomat,
will be leaving for Canada soon to take up her new role.
While
making the announcement of her appointment on Twitter, Fouzia Younis paid
tribute to her father, who used to drop her at the coach station at 4 am for
her work interviews, and her late mother, who supported her decision to go to
university and would walk her home through the dark streets of Birmingham.
“Privileged
to be appointed as His Majesty’s British Consul General to Toronto. Special
moment as we think it is the first time (but don’t have data) that a British
Muslim woman has been appointed as Head of a UK diplomatic post. I won’t be the
last,” Fouzia Younis said on Twitter.
Fouzia
Younis, whose parents are from Pakistan, has significant experience in building
international relationships in the Middle East and South Asia and managing,
coaching, and developing multicultural and diverse teams.
She
made history first when she was appointed director of communications at the
British High Commission in Islamabad over three years ago — becoming the first
Pakistani-origin diplomat to have been appointed in this role.
She
was the communication director for the Pakistan Network; and previously the
co-chair of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Race
Network leading a global network of over 300 staff.
Her
previous diplomatic assignments have included: leading UK strategic efforts
across the Gulf Cooperation Council region; supporting UK’s security and
humanitarian efforts in Bangladesh; and serving in Sri Lanka during the
conflict period.
Source:GlobalVillageSpace
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Iranian
women in stadium to watch Russia football friendly
March
25, 2023
TEHRAN -
Iran on Thursday allowed female football fans into a stadium for a
national team match for the first time in more than a year. Hundreds of Iranian
women cheered on the home side during the friendly against the Russian national
team at the Azadi Stadium in the capital Tehran.
“I
came from the (northeastern) city of neyshabur for the love of Team Melli,”
said Fatemeh, a 29-year-old university student, referring to the national
squad. “I’ve been on the road for 12 hours,” she added. “I’m very happy that
we, women, can participate and see our national team up close and cheer for
it.” Two months earlier, women were able to attend an international match for
the first time in almost three years, during a World Cup qualifier against
Iraq. One-fifth of the 10,000 tickets were exclusively for women during that
match, ISnA news agency reported at the time
Source:Nation
Pakistan
https://www.nation.com.pk/25-Mar-2023/iranian-women-in-stadium-to-watch-russia-football-friendly
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Justices
Joseph, NagarathnaTo Hear Pleas Challenging The Release Of 11 Convicts In The
Bilkis Bano Gang-Rape Case
Mar
25, 2023
NEW
DELHI: A Supreme Court bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna will on
March 27 will hear a batch of petitions challenging the release of 11 convicts
in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case that also involves the killing of seven
members of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots. One of the petitioners is
Bano herself.
Earlier
this week, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud had agreed to constitute a new bench
to hear the pleas.
Bano
was 21 years old and was five months pregnant when she was gang-raped and her
three-year-old daughter was among the seven of family members who were
murdered. The petitions against the release of convicts was earlier taken on
January 4 by a bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi but Justice
Trivedi recused from hearing the case, following which the CJI had to assign
the case to a new bench.
A
batch of petition was filed in the apex court by social activists and
politicians soon after all the 11 convicts were granted remission by the
Gujarat government, and were released on August 15 last year. The pleas were
filed by the National Federation of Indian Women, whose general secretary is
Annie Raja, CPM MP Subhashini Ali, journalist Revati Laul, social activist and
professor Roop Rekha Verma and TMC MP Mahua Moitra.
Bano
too moved the apex court in November, challenging their release.
Source:
Times Of India
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Fakhra
Bibi Led Kidnappers’ Gang Busted, Nine Held In Faisalabad
March
25, 2023
TOBA
TEK SINGH: A 13-member gang led by a woman involved in kidnap-for-ransom cases
has been busted in Faisalabad.
Nine
members of the gang, including their ring leader Fakhra Bibi and another woman
accomplice, had been arrested, said SSP Operations Arsalan Shahzeb and Iqbal
Town SP Irtaza Kumail while speaking at a press conference on Friday.
They
said the gang had kidnapped Dr Asim Zafar from Dijkot in February and set him
free after receiving Rs5.8m ransom while it had kidnapped one Mudassar from
Rajana and took Rs5m ransom for his release. They said in the Dr Asim case,
police had recovered Rs4m from the gangsters.
Fakhra’s
husband Sarfraz had also been arrested. The other seven arrested gangsters were
Ayesha Bibi, Abdul Ghafoor, Wasim, Amer, Ihtisham, Muzammal and Adeel. The
raids are being conducted to arrest their four accomplices.
KILLED:
A robbery case complainant belonging to Mian Channu, Khanewal died instantly
while a police officer and car driver were injured critically when four
unidentified persons attacked their car near Chak 397 JB on the M-4.
The
deceased was identified as Muhammad Ismail, a resident of Mian Channu, while
the injured as ASI Asghar Ali and private car driver Babu Khan.
According
to the police spokesperson, a Mian Channu police team in a police van and the
deceased Ismail and ASI Asghar in a private car were returning from Hafizabad
where they had gone to apply before a court to get custody of a robbery accused
from the Hafizabad police. When they all were near Abdul Hakim Interchange as
they were taking a turn towards Mian Channu, the suspects riding a car opened
fire on them.
Source:
Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1743989/woman-led-kidnappers-gang-busted-nine-held-in-toba-tek-singh
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Afghan
Female Entrepreneurs Complain of Lack of Markets
By
Fidel Rahmati
March
25, 2023
Some
Afghan female entrepreneurs complain of a lack of market opportunities for
their products.
Businesswomen
said that sales of their goods have been poor in recent months and urged the
government authorities to build more facilities to support their business
activities.
“Women
that run production in the private sector–the government has to provide
permanent markets for them so they can make sales,” said Mumtaz YosifZai, a
businesswoman.
“Women
face a lack of markets for their products because people have economic issues
and cannot buy our products,” said Zakira, a businesswoman, ToloNews reported.
A
three-day exhibition was held in Dubai, organized by the United Nations
Development Program and the Afghan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(AWCCI).
The
Afghan businesswomen could not participate in the exhibition due to travel and
visa restrictions. However, they took part remotely via video link from Kabul
capital city of Afghanistan.
A
recent report by the International Labor Organization estimated that since the
Taliban seized power in 2021, 25% of women’s jobs have vanished.
The
report also added that many women had started home-based enterprises,
preventing a further decline in women employed.
Lack
of a permanent market, access to the foreign market, lack of purchasing power,
safety and security and restrictions are the major issues for women
entrepreneurs in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
the UN has reiterated that the country suffers from a severe humanitarian
crisis and estimates that two-thirds of the country’s population will need
humanitarian assistance in 2023.
The
estimates also show that 28.3 million Afghans will need humanitarian and
protection assistance this year, while it was 24.4 million in 2022 and 18.4 million
in 2021, UNOCHA said.
Since
December last year, the de facto administration has banned Afghan females from
working with national and international organizations. This has added to the
severity of the crisis amid the country’s security deterioration during the
past few months.
Source:
Khaama Press
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-female-entrepreneurs-complain-of-lack-of-markets/
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Saudi
Arabian Women’s National Team continues rapid growth journey by officially
entering FIFA World Ranking for first time
March
24, 2023
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Arabian Women’s Football National Team has been
included in the official FIFA World Ranking for the very first time today,
continuing its rapid progress and development. The historic sporting
achievement for the country has been celebrated widely across Saudi with a
dedicated event held at the King Abdullah Sports City in the coastal city of
Jeddah.
The
Women’s Football Department of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) was
established in September 2019, with the national team introduced two years
later following initial try-outs that welcomed over 700 girls and the squad has
since featured 47 girls from across Saudi Arabia.
The
national team, commonly known as the ‘Green Falcons’, are currently led by
Finish Head Coach Rosa Lappi-Seppälä, who took over from the newly promoted
Women’s Technical Director Monika Staab. The team’s first competitive
international matches took place February 2022 against Seychelles and Maldives
and captured global headlines and were a watershed moment for Saudi women’s
sports, with the Saudi’s recording 2-0 victories in both matches.
Overall,
the national team has featured in nine official matches, three of which were in
its inaugural friendly tournament that saw it crowned as champion, helping earn
its place on the global stage within the FIFA Ranking. As a result, the team
will now be able to build on its record of four wins, three draws and two
defeats by officially competing in FIFA and AFC-sanctioned competitions.
“Each
player has their own story, but what we all share is a love of football and a
desire to compete. To be FIFA ranked makes us part of world football and that
means everything. We recognise that we have a huge responsibility to inspire
the youth and pave way for the future generation who will represent Saudi
Arabia,” said team captain Sarah Khalid.
The
goalkeeper added: “Regardless of our ranking today, we will work hard to
improve. We have an exciting future ahead when you look at how young our squad
is. But for now, we are just taking it one step at a time and trying to grow
every day.”
Yasser
Al Misehal, President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and FIFA Council
member said: “What these girls achieved in just a matter of a year and a half
has been nothing short of incredible. Since 2019 we have managed to
successfully establish a national team, a premier league, a first division, a
school’s league, with 50,000 girls signing up and in recent weeks introduced an
U-17 national team. In just 2 years we have nearly doubled the number of
registered players, clubs, referees and staff and seen an 800% growth in the
number of coaches. Statistics all of football can be proud of and it just shows
what is possible when you love the game.”
“We
are fully committed to offering equal opportunities for boys and girls, in
sport and beyond. For instance, our national teams get equal daily allowance
while representing their country, regardless of gender. They share the same
training pitches, stay in the same quality accommodation, and have access to
the same equipment and resources.
“On
behalf of everyone in Saudi football, I want to thank every player, member of
coaching staff, fan, mother, father, sister and brother for their support. This
is just the start of something very special.”
Women’s
football in Saudi Arabia has undergone huge strides in recent years and mirrors
much of the transformation happening across all areas in the country. The last
two years alone witnessed astronomical growth across all metrics including the
number of registered players to licensed coaches and referees to clubs and
domestic competitions. All have massively increased.
Today,
there are 694 league players, representing over 20 nationalities from across
the globe, marking an 86% increase since 2021. Female coaches grew from 119 to
over 1,000 in two years, while grassroots academies focused on 6-17-year-old
players recorded a massive 773% growth in registrations. Anoud Al Asmari also
became the first Saudi referee to be included on FIFA’s official referee list
for the year, paving the way for aspiring referees hoping to represent Saudi
Arabia on the world stage.
Lamia
Bahaian, Saudi Arabian Football Federation board member and Supervisor of the
Women’s Football Department said: “Our national team made history when it was
established 18 months ago, and since then their journey has inspired millions
across Saudi Arabia and the region. Entering the FIFA Ranking has been the
moment we’ve been building up towards, and signals just the beginning of what
we want to achieve with these girls. They can write their own history now.
“We
are also already in active collaborations with many global bodies and federations
and invite the world to join us on our women’s football movement as we strive
to give it the platform it truly deserves.”
Earlier
this year, SAFF concluded its inaugural professional leagues last month, with
Al Nassr crowned champions of the eight-team Women’s Premier League. On an
amateur level, almost 50,000 girls from a total of 3,660 school teams took part
in the first nationwide Schools League.
Following
a successful men’s AFC Asian Cup bid, Saudi Arabia now awaits a decision on its
2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup bid which promises to grow the sport across the
continent and build a lasting legacy in Saudi Arabia.
Fans
can get involved and follow the national team’s progress and journey on the
global stage via the official Women’s Football Department Twitter (@SAFF_WFD_
and Instagram (@SAFFWFD) accounts.
Source:
ZAWYA
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Women
of all backgrounds invited to wear hijab on Feb. 1 to mark World Hijab Day
December
24, 2022
DUBAI:
Feb. 1, 2023, could become a day to remember as women of all ethnicities
worldwide are invited to wear the hijab in solidarity with Muslim women
experiencing discrimination.
The
World Hijab Day (WHD) Organization, through its annual initiative, has called
on women across the globe, regardless of their religious backgrounds, to wear
the Islamic headscarf (hijab) and show unity with Muslim women who experience
discrimination, on Feb. 1.
Muslim
women are being forced to remove hijabs to “show solidarity” and make political
statements while some countries ratify laws that disallow veiled women from
participating in society. The organization is fighting discrimination against
Muslim women through awareness and education.
WHD
says that the community should stand in solidarity in its fight against
systemic hijabophobia.
“With
your support, Muslim women and girls who choose to do so can wear their hijab
without fear, intimidation, or hesitation,” said the organization in a
statement.
The
organizers of the global hijab-awareness event have invited women worldwide to
mark the 2023 initiative in a new bid to dismantle hijabophobia.
World
Hijab Day, celebrated each year on Feb. 1, and the non-profit organization
behind it, were founded in 2013 by Bangladeshi American Nazma Khan with the aim
of educating people and raising awareness about why many Muslim women choose to
wear the hijab, and to encourage women to wear and experience it for a day. The
annual event has grown into a global phenomenon.
Feb.
1, 2022 marked the 10th annual WHD when thousands of women worldwide, of all
religions and backgrounds, participated by posting selfies on social media with
the hashtag #DressedNotOppressed.
WHD
has a long list of ambassadors who are an integral part of the organization in
fighting discrimination against women in hijab.
With
ambassadors from Argentina, the US, Canada, England, Australia, Ghana, Iraq,
Ethiopia and Spain, among others, the organization searches for individuals who
possess leadership qualities and are passionate, talented and dedicated to join
their global team of ambassadors.
The
organization says: “All we want is our freedom to wear what we want and be safe
doing so.”
Ridwana
Wallace-Laher, a British Indian hijabi from Bradford in England, said earlier
it was important that Muslim women did not allow themselves to be affected by
the stereotypes and stigmas attached to wearing the hijab.
In
a message to women who have never worn a hijab, she has previously said: “You
don’t really understand somebody until you put yourself in their shoes … it
might be an opportunity to try it and see how you feel and, quite often, it’s
actually quite liberating.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2221141/world
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