‘Burqa-Clad Women’ Under Lens: Uttarakhand’s Haldwani Locals Flee To Evade Crackdown
New
Age Islam News Bureau
16 February 2024
·
‘Burqa-Clad Women’ Under Lens: Uttarakhand’s
Haldwani Locals Flee To Evade Crackdown
·
Sepideh Rashno Critic Of Compulsory Hijab In Iran To
Serve Nearly Four-Year Prison Sentence
·
Malaysian Women Tourists Wave National Flag At Taj,
Give Written Apology Later
·
Saudi Arabia Seeks Better World Via Engagement On
Shared Values: Fatimah Baeshen Kingdom’s First US Embassy Spokeswoman
·
Iddat Case Denounced As ‘Intrusion’ Into People’s
Private Lives, Says Hum Aurtein, The Organisers Of Aurat March
·
Afghan Women’s Grassroots Voices Absent In UN-Led
Talks, Say Women’s Rights Advocates
·
Gulbadan Begum: The Epic Voyage Of A Daring Mughal Princess
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/burqa-clad-uttarakhand-haldwani/d/131734
-----
‘Burqa-Clad
Women’ Under Lens: Uttarakhand’s Haldwani Locals Flee To Evade Crackdown
Photo:
Siasat Daily
-----
16th
February 2024
Arsalan
Nazir
Following
the violence in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani over demolition of an Islamic seminary,
the police have claimed that burqa-clad women were pelting stones on officers
on-duty. The women, who allegedly created a ruckus in the Banbhulpura violence
were being identified to face the law, official sources said.
Senior
Superintendent of Police Nainital Prahlad Narayan Meena alleged that during the
anti-encroachment drive, women wearing burqas attacked police personnel with
stones. On the basis of security footage, the accused were being identified, he
said.
Haldwani
violence
Disappointing
minorities, the authorities on Thursday, February 8, demolished a madrassa and
a mosque in Bhnbhulpura, Haldwani, which they claimed had been built on
government land. The unprecedented move sparked deadly violence in the area,
claiming six lives, wounding over 60, and forcing more than 300 Muslim families
to flee from their homes.
In
the wake of violence, the families faced a lack of transportation facilities
with a curfew in place. Several families were seen walking on the roads while
carrying their luggage.
Meanwhile,
the authorities have fortified all the entry and exit points in Banbhulpura
because more Muslim families were planning to migrate. The decision to block
the points had been taken by the police because it was speculated that the
people involved in the violence could also flee.
Furthermore,
as many as 30 people were arrested for being involved in the violence, while many
more are still being identified. The Uttarakhand police have alleged that
weapons were recovered from the possessions of the arrested people.
Police
have also warned the public to stay indoors, or else stern actions will be
taken against them. Internet facilities have been restored in some places,
while in areas where curfew is still in place and internet service remains
barred.
Meanwhile,
A delegation of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind visited Haldwani on Sunday and convened a
meeting with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), wherein they put forward
their demands before the district administration.
Police
station over Madrassas
After
the four-hour meeting concluded, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind General Secretary Abdul
Raziq said that the decision to raze the mosque was taken by the administration
in haste, sparking tensions and violence in the area.
“We
came here to appeal for peace in the area. We have requested that the SDM
ensures that actions are not taken against innocent people. It has happened
because the demolition drive was carried out suddenly,” he said.
“The
administration should have waited for the court’s orders. Neither were there
demolition orders nor orders by the court to put the demolition on hold. We
want an answer as to why the action was taken in haste,” he added.
Meanwhile,
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that a police station will be
built at the same location where the Islamic seminaries and mosque were
demolished.
‘Unethical
moves’
It is
being speculated that the authorities action to control the situation was
biased after a fact-finding report revealed that the police did not follow the
ethical crowd-controlling procedure.
The
report suggested that the way to control the crowd is a step-by-step process.
In the beginning, police should warn the crowd, then lathi charge. If the crowd
is still uncontrolled, then tear gas may be used, and if the situation goes
haywire, only then can police resort to firing. However, police used firing at
a very early stage in Haldwani.
In a
press conference held recently, activist Nadeem Khan, while questioning
officials under whom the operation in Haldwani was pursued, claimed that the
narrative of ‘Jihad’ has been at the center of the contentions in Uttarkhand.
He
further stated that raids were conducted at over 300 houses and women were
beaten. There were also incidents of vandalism inside the houses.
Former
IFS officer Ashok Kumar also questioned the nature of the actions by the local
administration. He alleged that the “local administration’s attitude was
completely political and one-sided; the people at the local administration
placed the ethics and morality of civil services in peril.”
Source:
siasat.com
https://www.siasat.com/haldwani-locals-flee-to-evade-crackdown-burqa-clad-women-under-lens-2978222/
----
Sepideh
Rashno Critic Of Compulsory Hijab In Iran To Serve Nearly Four-Year Prison
Sentence
Iranian
women's rights activist Sepideh Rashno (file photo)
-----
FEBRUARY
15, 2024
Sepideh
Rashno, an Iranian writer, poet and vocal critic of compulsory hijab, says she
will go to prison to serve a three-year-and-11-month term handed to her for
"publishing obscene images" on social media.
Rashno
said on her Instagram account that she was also barred from traveling.
"A
travel ban for someone who doesn't intend to leave," Rashno wrote.
Rashno
was arrested in July 2022 after she was filmed arguing with a woman on a bus
over the mandatory headscarf.
Two
weeks later, state TV aired a program showing her giving a forced confession
while signs of beatings were visible even on her face.
In
June last year, she announced that she was released on bail after being
summoned again by the authorities, but was "banned from leaving
Tehran."
Previously,
she had reported that Al-Zahra University had banned her from studying for two
semesters due to the "non-observance of Islamic clothing."
All
women in Iran must conceal their hair with a hijab while in public and wear
loose fitting trousers under their coats.
Iranian
women who refuse to wear a head covering have been arrested and prosecuted amid
a wave of protests sparked by the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while in
police custody after being detained by police for allegedly wearing her
headscarf improperly.
Source
:iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/125385-iranian-writer-rashno-to-serve-nearly-four-year-prison-sentence/
----
Malaysian
Women Tourists Wave National Flag At Taj, Give Written Apology Later
Feb
15, 2024
Hemendra
Chaturvedi
The
incident took place on Thursday morning at about 8 am . About six Malaysian women
tourists accompanied by an Indian entered Taj. Later, a video went viral in
which these women were seen holding their national flag on the pathway near the
central tank.
Agra
In violation of norms, a group of women tourists from Malaysia waved their national
flag while standing on the pathway near the central tank on Taj Mahal premises
on Thursday morning. Later, on being questioned, they expressed ignorance about
restrictions on such things at Taj and were allowed to go after submitting a
written apology.
“The
incident took place on Thursday morning at about 8 am . About six Malaysian
women tourists accompanied by an Indian entered Taj. Later, a video went viral
in which these women were seen holding their national flag on the pathway near
the central tank,” said Prince Vajpayee, senior conservation assistant,
Archaeological Survey of India.
“They
got themselves photographed while holding the flag. On being questioned, they
said they did not know about restrictions on canvassing or promotional activities
at Taj Mahal,” he said .
“They
tendered a written apology and were allowed to go. The Indian accompanying them
also expressed ignorance about the norms at Taj,” said Vajpayee .
Such
incidents take place off and on and those indulging in such activities express
ignorance and apologise. Although mobile is allowed now, tourists cannot carry
other items. However, such material often skips frisking at Taj Mahal gates.
The
popularity of Taj Mahal often lures the visitors to canvas or promote things
with Taj in the background. So, there is a restriction on promotional,
commercial and canvassing activities on Taj Mahal premises.
Stringent
checking and frisking take place at both eastern and western gates of Taj Mahal
and staff from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) takes care of internal
security . Bags are checked when tourist cross DFMD (Door Framed Metal
Detector) near entry gates .
Source
hindustantimes.com
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/top-realtor-fielded-to-build-winning-strategy-against-sp-101708024930528.html
----
Saudi
Arabia Seeks Better World Via Engagement On Shared Values: Fatimah
BaeshenKingdom’s First US Embassy Spokeswoman
February
15, 2024
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia is transforming at a rapid pace on all fronts, not only in terms
of ensuring the empowerment of women, and there is a focus on engaging globally
around shared values for a better world.
This
is the view of Fatimah Baeshen, the first spokeswoman for the Saudi Arabian
Embassy in Washington D.C., who was speaking during a recent interview on Arab
News’ podcast, The Mayman Show.
Reflecting
on her role as press secretary, she emphasized that it was not solely about
being the first female appointment, but rather the manner in which
public-sector institutions were being transformed in the Kingdom. This includes
women being placed in prominent positions.
Baeshen
told Arab News that she believes the country has reached a point where it was
not about how others perceived it.
“It’s
a matter of cooperation around common interests or common challenges and shared
interests. And that’s really it. And that, for me, is a beautiful trajectory,”
she said.
Baeshen’s
involvement in the media announcements around Vision 2030 and fiscal reforms
ignited her interest in pursuing a career in the industry.
She
noted the reception of the Kingdom’s messaging on fiscal policy reform in the
international media space. She believes many global issues stem from the
disconnect between subject-matter experts and communication experts, which
leads to a plethora of problems.
When
Baeshen became press secretary, she was determined to address what she viewed
as persistent biased reporting on the Middle East and North Africa region,
including Saudi Arabia. She said that since 2020, there have been rapid changes
taking place in the Kingdom.
On
the personal front, Baeshen embarked on a new journey during the COVID-19
pandemic. With a background in management consulting, public affairs, and
economic development, she wrote the book “140 Life Lessons I Wish I Knew at
20.” This 15-minute read, or audiobook available online, comprises aphorisms,
as a collection of pearls of wisdom and guiding principles.
Baeshen
found writing it to be cathartic during a time when many were encouraged to
self-reflect and unwind.
“At
the time when I wrote this, I was 42 and I thought to myself, I wish I knew
these in my twenties. And so I don’t have kids. And I thought to myself, this
is what I’m going to leave behind,” she said.
For
her, some of the most valuable life lessons in the book involve embracing every
aspect of oneself. She compares it to the concept of yin and yang, explaining
that what may seem wholly negative often contains elements of positivity, and
vice versa.
Another
lesson she holds dear is the importance of persevering through life’s
challenges, to take rest when needed but to keep pushing forward.
One
of the most important elements of her book is Lesson 13, which delves into the
nuanced differences between self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-assuredness.
She
emphasized that it was important that change comes from within. Baeshen said
that lacking this internal grounding can lead individuals to seek external
validation constantly, trapping them in a cycle devoid of genuine affirmation.
She
said that people should encourage and support all contributions to the
Kingdom’s long-term goals.
It
was important for people to pursue their passions and live holistically, said
Baeshen.
Source:
arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2460411/saudi-arabia
----
Iddat
Case Denounced As ‘Intrusion’ Into People’s Private Lives, Says Hum Aurtein,
The Organisers Of Aurat March
February
16, 2024
Shazia
Hasan
KARACHI:
Hum Aurtein, the organisers of Aurat March, gathered outside the Karachi Press
Club on Thursday to protest against, what they described as, the state’s
intrusion into people’s private lives, the disregard afforded to women’s
testimonies and unequal marriage laws as has been seen in the recent Iddat
Case.
They
held up banners and placards demanding that the Iddat case was reversed. They
also demanded that the state and courts admit testimonies of women.
Also
gathered there were members of the transgender community who wanted an end to
the spreading of hate against their community.
Speaking
to journalists, Zoha Alvi of Aurat March said that women all over the country
were saddened and hurt by the ruling convicting the former prime minister of
Pakistan and his better half Bushra Bibi.
Aurat
March participants, transgender people stage protest against controversial judgement
“It
means that any woman may be harassed by her former husband like this,” she
said.
“Why
is the state so fixated on female bodies?” She asked. “We women want freedom to
live and make our own decisions regarding our bodies,” she added.
Nuzhat
Shirin, chairperson, Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, asked as to how
would common women fare in a society where something like this was the fate of
women in elite circles?
“This
ruling is also setting a precedent and I’m worried that poor women will also
face the brunt of it,” she warned.
“The
state should be thinking of ways to help progress the women of our country
instead of harming their sanctity,” she pointed out.
Sajida
Baloch of Aurat March said that women were to be believed.
“When
Bushra Bibi is saying that her Iddat was over when she married Imran Khan, then
she is to be believed,” she said.
“The
judges who gave such a ruling should also have considered Bushra Bibi’s age. Do
they think she is of childbearing age?” She asked.
Transgender
activist and politician Shahzadi Rai reminded that it was due to such careless
rulings by honourable courts that her community was also facing hate and
harassment.
“Be
it women or transgender people, the state is violating our privacy by coming
inside our bedrooms. And what to say about the state, we also have our courts
helping in pushing forward their agenda,” Shahzadi said.
“What
a shame! Where are our ethical values?
“Even
after disqualifying Imran Khan from taking part in the elections and doing
politics, his personal life is also being dragged out, which is a grave
injustice,” Shahzadi added.
Source:
dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1814514/iddat-case-denounced-as-intrusion-into-peoples-private-lives
----
Afghan
women’s grassroots voices absent in UN-led talks, say women’s Rights Advocates
Fidel
Rahmati
February
16, 2024
Afghan
women’s rights advocates have voiced their apprehensions regarding the
selection process of civil society representatives and activists to participate
in the UN-led meeting in Doha concerning Afghanistan.
Husna
Jalil, Afghan women’s rights advocate expressed her concerns on her social
media platform X, on Friday, February 16th saying, “ It is concerning to note
the absence of genuine representation of grassroots Afghan women in UN-led
discussions regarding Afghanistan. “
Husna
Jalil added that “despite the necessity of amplifying their voices, the
platform primarily features a select group of elite Afghan women.”
She
criticized the top-down approach adopted in these meetings, which undermines
their legitimacy. “Over the past two and a half years, the top-bottom approach
has inadvertently marginalized the voices of grassroots women, thereby
undermining the legitimacy of these crucial discussions,” she said.
She
urged the UN to prioritize the interests of the people by selecting
representatives who reflect grassroots perspectives.
“The
UN, as a symbol of justice and human rights, holds the responsibility to
prioritize the interests of the Afghan people. This can be achieved by ensuring
the inclusion of diverse voices from Afghanistan, particularly those
representing grassroots perspectives, she added.
She
urged the UN, “UN must reevaluate its strategy. They must work towards bringing
new voices to the forefront while excluding individuals who have previously
betrayed public trust from participating in the negotiations.”
Inclusivity
and representation are fundamental principles that must guide UN-led
discussions on Afghanistan. Ignoring the voices of grassroots women not only
perpetuates marginalization but also hampers the prospects for sustainable
peace and development in the region.
The
current approach risks perpetuating the existing power dynamics and fails to
address the diverse needs and aspirations of Afghan women at the grassroots
level.
It is
time for the UN and relevant stakeholders to prioritize inclusivity and genuine
representation in their efforts to facilitate peace and stability in
Afghanistan. This necessitates amplifying the voices of grassroots women and
ensuring their meaningful participation in all stages of the negotiation
process.
Source:
khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-womens-grassroots-voices-absent-in-un-led-talks-say-womens-rights-advocates/
----
Gulbadan
Begum: The epic voyage of a daring Mughal princess
February
16, 2024
CherylannMollan
On an
autumn day in 1576, a Mughal princess led a cohort of royal women on an
unprecedented voyage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
It
was the first time in Mughal India that a woman had gone on the sacred
pilgrimage called the Hajj that is considered to be one of the five pillars of
Islam.
At
the age of 53, Gulbadan Begum - daughter of Babur, founder of the Mughal empire
- and 11 women from the royal household - left the confines of a harem in
Fatehpur Sikri to set off on a journey that would stretch across six years.
But
details of this remarkable journey are missing from the records, possibly due
to acts of omission by male court historians eager to preserve the
"modesty and sanctity" of the women travellers and their pilgrimage,
say historians.
Gulbadan's
pilgrimage to Mecca was marked by acts of bravery and kindness, but also
rebellion, as author and historian Ruby Lal notes in her book, Vagabond
Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan, which recently released in India
and is due for an international release later this month.
Even
though Gulbadan is regarded as the first and only female historian of the
Mughal empire, having chronicled her life experiences in the Humayun-nama, the
book curiously lacks details about her journey. In fact, her book is
incomplete, with several pages missing.
"Gulbadan
was writing at a time when it was common for chroniclers to make copies of
works written by royals. But not a single complete copy of Gulbadan's book
exists," says Lal, who has pieced together the elusive details of the
Mughal princess's trip through her own dedicated research by delving into
Ottoman history, Persian and Mughal manuscripts and various other sources.
"The
silence around such a powerful woman's one-of-a-kind voyage speaks
volumes," says Lal.
Gulbadan
- which roughly translates to rose-hued skin - was born in Kabul in 1523 to
Dildar Begum, emperor Babur's third-oldest wife. At the time of her birth, her
father was miles away, planning his conquest of Hindustan, as the Indian
subcontinent was then known.
The
princess would soon get used to seeing her father during the brief visits he
made in between the many wars he fought and this separation would mark almost
all of her relationships with the powerful men in her family - her father, her
half-brother Humayun, and later on, her nephew Akbar.
While
the men were away fighting bloody battles for dominance over lands far and
wide, Gulbadan grew up in the company of strong women - the emperor's mother,
aunts and sisters, his wives and their daughters. They played important roles
in courtly affairs, acting as confidantes and advisers to kings and princes.
The
little princess's childhood was also marked by movement - at the age of six,
she became the first Mughal girl to travel from Kabul to Agra after her father
captured the territory. She would make the journey back to Kabul, the land of
her childhood, as a married woman after her family was driven out of Hindustan
by the Afghan king Sher Shah Suri.
These
journeys stretched on for months, and Gulbadan and other royal women would camp
in tents, travel in palanquins and on horseback across deserted mountainous
terrain, braving enemies, thieves and the elements.
"Mughal
women were used to a peripatetic lifestyle," says Lal. "They were
constantly migrating to new places or living in temporary camps as they
travelled with their men to wars."
This
itinerant itch is probably what led the Mughal princess to ask her nephew,
Akbar, for permission to go on the Hajj in the late 1500s, says Lal.
Akbar's
greatest ambition was to establish the supremacy of the Mughal dynasty and as
he made inroads towards this goal in Hindustan, he "began casting himself
as a sacred figure, an infallible spiritual authority," Lal writes in the
book.
He
also became the first Mughal ruler to order the seclusion of all Mughal women
in a walled harem.
"The
inviolability of the royal harem, penetrable only by the emperor - housing
glorious and untouchable women… was meant to be proof of his near
divinity," Lal writes.
But
this stasis made Gulbadan restless and so in October 1576, she and other royal
women set off on the pilgrimage to Mecca, having told Akbar that it was a vow
she had made to the divine.
Akbar
enlisted the first two grand Mughal ships built by him - Salimi and Ilahi - for
their voyage. The royal cohort also carried with them gold-lined chests filled
with silver and gold pieces to distribute as alms, cash worth thousands of
rupees and 12,000 "dresses of honour".
"Ordinary
men and women, old and young, and children lined the streets of the red
sandstone Mughal capital, Fatehpur Sikri" to watch the departing cortege,
Lal writes in her book.
But
the trip was fraught with danger from the outset. The sea route to Mecca was
under the control of the Portuguese, who were infamous for burning and
plundering Muslim ships. The land route through Persia was equally unsafe -
known to harbour militant groups who attacked travellers.
Gulbadan
and her companions were stranded at the port of Surat for almost a year before
they could secure safe passage from the Portuguese. They sailed for four weeks
across the Arabian Sea to reach Jeddah and travelled on camels across hot
desert sands for days to reach Mecca.
But
the most interesting leg of Gulbadan's journey came after she visited Mecca, as
she and her cohort chose to stay back in Arabia for the next four years.
"Unanimous
in their decision to leave the harem, they were likewise united in their choice
to be vagabonds, mujawirs (spiritual sojourners) in the desert lands," Lal
writes in her book.
Here,
Gulbadan and her companions doled out alms, coins and other items, becoming the
talk of the town. The Mughal princess's benevolence incensed the ruling Ottoman
Sultan, Murad, who saw these acts as being a testament to Akbar's political
might.
And
so the Sultan sent out a series of four decrees to his men, ordering the
eviction of Gulbadan and the Mughal ladies from Arabia.
Each
time, Gulbadan refused to leave.
"It's
an unprecedented act of rebellion by a Mughal woman," says Lal. "It
shows how committed Gulbadan was to her desire for freedom."
Finally,
the Sultan, aghast at her stubbornness, used the castigatory term in Ottoman
Turkish - na-meshru (an inappropriate or erroneous act) against the women, a
term considered so severe that it invited the displeasure of Akbar.
It
was after this fifth decree that in 1580, Gulbadan and her cohort left Arabia
and their convoy reached Khanwa, 60km (37 miles) west of Fatehpur Sikri, in
1582.
On
her return, Gulbadan was hailed as a "nawab" (a ruler) and was even
invited by Akbar to be the only female contributor in the Akbarnama - a
chronicle of the grandeur of Akbar's dynasty commissioned by the emperor
himself.
But
despite an entire section of the Akbarnama being dedicated to Gulbadan's trip
to Mecca, her time in Arabia and censure by Sultan Murad find no mention in the
book, or anywhere else.
Source:
bbc.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68302765
----
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/burqa-clad-uttarakhand-haldwani/d/131734