Why Catering To Muslim Women Could Be A 'Lucrative' Move For UK Gyms
New
Age Islam News Bureau
27
October 2020
• Faiza Heidar Becomes First Woman To Coach A Men's Pro Team In Egypt
•
Dr. Sarah Al-Otaibi: A Saudi Woman Wins
Women Leader of the Year Award 2020 at the GCC Level
•
Saudi Arabia Appoints 100 Legally Qualified Women As Notary Public
•
More Saudi Women Seeking To Specialize In Cybersecurity, Say Experts
•
Saudi Women Complete Doping Control Training Course
•
There’s No Limit To What Iranian Women Can Do: Farmani
•
Saudi Female Lawyers Praise Justice Ministry’s Efforts To Empower Women
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/catering-muslim-women-be-lucrative/d/123284
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Why Catering To Muslim Women Could Be A 'Lucrative' Move For UK Gyms
27
Oct 2020
“There
is a growing awareness of fitness across the board and this trends filters into
the Muslim community,” she told Arabian Business.
------
As
coronavirus continues to weigh on Britain, there has been a dramatic surge in
demand for Muslim personal trainers and gyms.
Personal
trainers across London have noted rising demand among Muslim women as they seek
to work out ‘modestly’ with other females in comfortable spaces that respect
their faith.
Britain’s
first gym for Muslim women opened in Cardiff, South Wales in 2016, kicking off
a growing countrywide trend towards specialised faith-conscious gyms and
personal trainers.
According
to Sport England, only 18 percent of Muslim women take part in sports, compared
to 30 percent of the total female population.
And
five years before, the figures were as low as 12 percent – indicating a rise in
Muslim women taking up sport and fitness.
Dr
Aishah Muhammad, an NHS pediatrician by day, says it was seeing Muslim women
under-represented in the world of fitness that propelled her to enter the field
of personal training.
“There
is a growing awareness of fitness across the board and this trends filters into
the Muslim community,” she told Arabian Business.
The
UK’s Muslim-powered economy is on a rapid-growth trajectory, creating
opportunities for brands and services throughout the country.
Official
government figures for 2018/19 show that there are 3,194,791 Muslims living in
England. London alone is home to nearly 1.26 million Muslims, making up 14.2
percent of the capital's population.
According
to Muhammad, who is Leicester and London-based, the demand for Muslim female
trainers stems from “a human need to connect to and relate to people who share
similar identities and values".
“In
the fitness industry, the adverts tend to focus on skinny and Caucasian
stereotypes,” she said. “This is something that some Muslim women might not
resonate with so they gravitate towards other Muslim women.”
She
also said there is a rising trend of mainstream gyms creating women-only areas
in high Muslim population areas. “There is a such a big and growing demand.
Even mainstream gyms such as Pure Gym and Fitness First have seen that it’s
lucrative.”
According
to East London-based boxer turned personal trainer Nazia Khutan (pictured
above), the coronavirus pandemic has notably fuelled demand from her clientele
– which is 99 percent Muslim women.
“Since
the onset of the pandemic, a lot of people have realised how important fitness
is and they want to improve their immune systems,” she said. “Fitness also
helps people protect their mental health in this challenging time.”
Bangladeshi
Muslim Khutan has spent the past four years fine-tuning what she says is a
revolutionary fitness programme for women.
“Right
now, with the rise of gyms everywhere, there needs to be places where Muslim
women actually feel comfortable and get their needs met – from how they train
in the gym and to what they can wear. Everything needs to be considered.”
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Muhammad
said that the British fitness industry needs to be aware that "not
everyone has the same values".
She
added that Muslim women often have a preference for female-only spaces because
this means they can remove modest apparel items that could be restrictive or
uncomfortable when exercising.
Muhammad
also said that some Muslim woman prefer to exercise without music as "they
might not like it or be used to it".
The
physical activity market is worth more than $800 billion worldwide, but it has
had to pivot fast as countries around the world impose strict lockdown
measures. Fitness experts expect future workouts to be a mixture of in-person
and online classes, while studio apps are hoping for more corporate sign-ups.
“I
don’t think it’s just Muslim women who feel more comfortable in female-only
spaces. A lot of women don’t want to feel like they are putting on a show for
someone. Being in a female-only spaces can be comforting and allow for
experimentation and trying out different things.”
Khutan
believes there is a “100 percent upwards trend” towards the proliferation of
Muslim trainers.
“The
trend began years ago but now there is a shortage of Muslim personal trainers
out there,” she said. “We need to encourage young women to take this as a
career path. It’s a bit out of the norm but it’s really needed.”
Mike
Harley, owner of F45 Vauxhall and F45 Milton Keynes fitness communities, told
Arabian Business that his gyms have had “a number of enquiries” from Muslim
women asking for female-only and female-led classes.
“We
see a clear desire for a different type of culture within gyms. The F45 motto
is ‘no treadmills, no mirrors, no egos’ and this resonates particularly
strongly with our female gym-goers who have been put off by the more macho,
traditional gym culture, with predominantly male trainers,” said Harley.
“The
lack of mirrors reflects a need to workout without the primary motivation being
vanity and instead simply enjoying the physical and mental health benefits of
workouts.”
Harley
has yet to put on special female-only classes as F45 membership is already 65
percent female and its trainers are over 80 percent female.
“This
ratio – and the culture we have created – has tended to be enough to satisfy
most female and Muslim members. However, we remain open to the idea and may
trial a female-only class in early 2021.”
According
to Rafi-uddin Shikoh, managing director and CEO of research firm Dinar
Standard, some UK-based fitness brands already have "strong GCC
experience” with separate women-only gyms, such as Fitness First.
“Perhaps
this experience, coupled with the growing UK Muslim middle-class, is enabling
differentiated offerings – not only for Muslim women but other women who may
prefer cross-cultural privacy considerations,” he said.
Five
things we learned
Personal
trainers across London have noted rising demand among Muslim women
Only
18 percent of British Muslim women take part in sports, compared to 30 percent
of the total female population.
London
is home to nearly 1.26 million Muslims, making up 14.2 percent of the capital's
population.
There
is a trend towards mainstream gyms in the UK creating women-only areas in high
Muslim population areas
Muslim
women often have a preference for female-only spaces because this means they
can remove modest apparel items that could be restrictive or uncomfortable when
exercising
https://www.arabianbusiness.com/culture-society/453649-why-catering-to-muslim-women-could-be-lucrative-move-for-uk-gyms
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Faiza
Heidar Becomes First Woman To Coach A Men's Pro Team In Egypt
Oct
26, 2020
Faiza
Haider is the first Egyptian coach - male or female - to gain the Premier
Skills Coach Educator status, certified by England's Premier League. -
REUTERS
------
GIZA
(Egypt): Faiza Heidar grew up playing soccer in the streets with the boys and
went on to captain Egypt's national women's team. Now she has become the first
woman to train one of the country's professional men's clubs.
Heidar
has been signed up by the fourth division side Ideal Goldi, based in Giza.
"There
is usually some mockery at the beginning," the 36-year-old told Reuters.
"But
then they realise that they will learn something, that they will develop their
skills."
She
said she was the first Egyptian coach - male or female - to gain the Premier
Skills Coach Educator status, certified by England's Premier League.
Soccer
remains an overwhelmingly male sport in Egypt.
"I
would tell her not to go. She would say: 'No, I will go.' She loved the
sport," said Heidar's mother, Khodra Abdelrahman.
"I
let her go and prayed that God help her. And she did go, and she has done so
well."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/soccer-star-becomes-first-woman-to-coach-a-mens-pro-team-in-egypt/articleshow/78878553.cms
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Dr.
Sarah Al-Otaibi: A Saudi Woman Wins
Women Leader of the Year Award 2020 at the GCC Level
October
26, 2020
Dr.
Sarah Al-Otaibi. (Twitter/IPAConnect)
-------
RIYADH:
Dr. Sarah Al-Otaibi, director of the Women’s Makkah branch of Public Administration,
on Monday won the Women Leader of the Year Award 2020 at the Gulf Cooperation
Council level.
It
was announced during the GOV HR Summit held in Dubai. Al-Otaibi attributed her
success to the “unlimited support” of the Saudi leadership.
This
year’s event focused on women empowerment and youth. The summit offers a
regional platform for experts in different fields to share insights on the
challenges faced by people in the management sector.
It
is a vital platform in realizing and upholding the regions’ vision of putting
people first. It brings together HR leaders and decision makers from leading
public and private sector organizations to discuss different issues and suggest
out-of-the-box solutions.
The
awards aim to highlight, honor and celebrate achievements of public and private
sector organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership
through human capital management and strategic planning.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1754516/saudi-arabia
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Saudi
Arabia appoints 100 legally qualified women as notary public
27
Oct, 2020
A
total of 100 legally qualified women in Saudi Arabia will be appointed as
notary public, local media reported citing directives issued by Minister of
Justice Sheikh Walid Al Samaani.
The
notaries will formally start their work from next Sunday, Nov. 1, with joining
a three-month specialized training program, the ministry of justice said.
The
program will be organized in cooperation with the Justice Training Center. They
will also be provided with practical training at the ministry’s Agency for
Documentation and Notaries.
The
ministry said that the training program for female notary public includes many
theoretical and practical sessions, including acquisition of skills in the
tasks, specializations and procedures of documentation in accordance with the
judicial system.
The
training would also cover modern technologies related to documentation work.
The
ministry’s initiatives comes as part of further expanding empowerment of women
in the justice sector by facilitating judicial services for women with an
enhanced role in the documentation area.
The
ministry recently appointed many qualified women in the fields of law, Shariah,
sociology, administration and technology in the ministry for the first time.
https://www.indiansingulf.in/saudi/2020/10/27/saudi-arabia-appoints-100-legally-qualified-women-as-notary-public
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More
Saudi Women Seeking To Specialize In Cybersecurity, Say Experts
DEEMA
AL-KHUDAIR
October
27, 2020
JEDDAH:
More Saudi women want to specialize in cybersecurity as it becomes one of the
Kingdom’s most in-demand sectors, according to experts.
Cloud
security engineer at Farmers Insurance Co., Dalal Al-Harthi, created an
all-female cybersecurity bootcamp that lasted three months and took place from
mid-June to mid-September.
She
tweeted an announcement on April 19, asking women who were interested in
learning about cybersecurity to apply for a bootcamp place. More than 3,000
applied before the registration deadline.
“I
was very happy and encouraged to see this enthusiasm toward learning and that
many women were interested in being part of this bootcamp, so I decided to
accept as many applicants as I could,” she told Arab News.
Al-Harthi
is a doctoral candidate in the US although her trainees are mostly in Saudi
Arabia. She taught trainees about all cybersecurity fields and areas including
Linux Commands, Python Programming, Cloud Security, Network Security, Incident
Response, Digital Forensics, SIEMs, Ethical Hacking – Penetration Testing,
Cryptography, and CompTIA Security+.
“I
designed it to be 20 percent theoretical knowledge and 80 percent hands-on
practice on several cybersecurity tools and platforms such as AWS, Snort,
Wireshark, PyCharm, Kleopatra, OpenSSL, MySQL, DVWA, BurpSuite, HTML, Splunk,
Autopsy, John the Ripper, as well as working on Virtual Machines: Kali Linux,
Tiny Core, Ubuntu, Metasploitable2, Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, and
Raven.”
In
addition to improving trainees’ cybersecurity knowledge and experience, she
focused on how to get them employer-ready by enriching their resumes and
polishing their interview skills.
Al-Harthi
told El-Ekhbariya in a TV interview that the shortage in female cybersecurity
specialists was not restricted to the Kingdom. It was a global issue and the
field had a gender problem. “By the end of 2019, women represented 20 percent
of the cybersecurity workforce globally.”
She
said she was “extremely passionate” about empowering Saudi women and pushing
for more women in cybersecurity in particular to up female representation to 50
percent.
“This
bootcamp is one of the steps that I took toward achieving that. I have absolute
confidence that the trainees in my bootcamp will help share the knowledge that
they gained to support other women in the field.”
The
bootcamp was held virtually through the Classera platform, and specialists
created it free of charge to support and empower women who were interested in
learning about and working in the cybersecurity field.
Muhammad
Khurram Khan, professor of cybersecurity at King Saud University and founder
and CEO of the Global Foundation for Cyber Studies and Research in Washington
D.C., said that Saudi women were showing high levels of success in several
fields and professions.
“They
are also outperforming male counterparts by their passion and enthusiasm for
higher studies and research,” he told Arab News. “Recently, a great surge of
Saudi women in information and communications technology has been observed,
especially with a particular interest in the cybersecurity field. This interest
is getting momentum due to the recently launched initiative of the National
Cybersecurity Authority to support and encourage women to participate in the
cybersecurity profession.”
He
said that Saudi female students at local universities were taking part in
cybersecurity research, projects, professional certifications, and securing top
positions in the “Capture the Flag” hacking competitions.
“They
have also published a number of high-impact research publications in top
international journals and conferences, which is indeed commendable. This all
shows their great potential, professionalism, and talent in the cybersecurity
field, which would ultimately contribute to protecting the Kingdom’s cyber
assets from adversaries.”
The
professor added that universities and institutions needed to launch programs to
attract female students and professionals to the cybersecurity field to
overcome their under-representation and under-utilization in the industry.
“The
global shortage of a skilled cybersecurity workforce is a rising challenge and
we all have to play our role to overcome it as a shared responsibility. To
strengthen the cybersecurity skills of Saudi female students and professionals,
public and private sector organizations should come forward to set up
cybersecurity hands-on training courses, launch cybersecurity incubators and
accelerators, and commence guidance and counseling programs.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1754616/saudi-arabia
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Saudi
women complete doping control training course
October
26, 2020
JEDDAH:
A group of Saudi women received their doping control officer certificates on
Monday from the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee vice president, Prince Fahad
bin Jalawi, and the director of sports and federations relations, Princess
Dilayel bint Nahar.
The
ceremony was held after the 30 trainees successfully completed the first
womens’ doping control officer training course. It was organized by the Saudi
Arabian Anti-Doping Committee (SAADC) under the supervision of its president,
Dr. Mohammed Salih Alqunbaz, and its secretary-general, Abdulaziz Almsaad, at
Riyadh’s Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex.
The
three-day workshop covered the main areas of detection, awareness, and
training. It also included written and practical exams to obtain the
certificate.
According
to SAADC officials, doping control officers play a crucial role and have a
great responsibility in ensuring the success of sporting events at all levels.
Prince
Fahad thanked the trainees for their commitment and progress in obtaining their
certificates and wished them every success in their mission. “We are proud of
our Saudi women and what they are achieving in this field of sports, including
at SAADC,” he said.
He
thanked the SAADC for its contribution to improving the Kingdom’s capacity to
carry out doping control tasks and maintaining a clean and safe sports
environment.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1754521/sport
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There’s
no limit to what Iranian women can do: Farmani
October
26, 2020
Farmani
joined the Belgian top-flight football club from Iran’s Malavan in August.
She
is the wife of Iran international Ali Gholizadeh. They are the first Iranian
couple to play at a European based football team.
“I
started football since I was 12 and joined Iran U14 football team one year
later. Since then, I’ve played at all age levels for Iran,” Farmani said in an
interview with Iran’s Football Federation’s website.
“In
my opinion, there is no limit to what the Iranian women football players can do
and they must keep progressing. From the bottom of my heart, I wish the Iranian
talented players all the best and I hope they shine at the world level,” she
added.
Farmani
is optimistic about his future in the Belgian football, saying “Joining a team
from Belgium was a great opportunity for me. I hope I can earn more success in
the future. Fortunately, Ali is always encouraging and advising me and it helps
me keep moving forward,” Farmani concluded.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/453857/There-s-no-limit-to-what-Iranian-women-can-do-Farmani
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Saudi
female lawyers praise Justice Ministry’s efforts to empower women
RUBA
OBAID
October
27, 2020
JEDDAH:
Several Saudi female lawyers have praised the Justice Ministry’s decision to
appoint 100 female notaries as a step forward for women’s legal empowerment.
“We
appreciate Justice Minister Walid Al-Samani’s … rapid steps toward empowering
women to work in all available jobs, considering them viable components of
society, particularly in the justice sector,” lawyer Njnood Qasim told Arab
News.
She
added: “We hope that it will be the beginning of an important and most
anticipated step, which is the appointment of a Saudi woman as a judge.”
Qasim
noted that many qualified women have been recruited by the Justice Ministry for
the first time in history to work in the fields of law, Shariah, sociology,
administration and technology.
Lawyer
Rana Al-Daknan, meanwhile, said she thought women could fill any role in
society. “An ambassador, an undersecretary, a minister, but I think no woman
should be a minister before women become judges,” she told Arab News.
Compared
to the previous status of women at the Justice Ministry, Al-Daknan said this
latest step was a significant achievement, but added: “Of course we are looking
for more, though that does not mean we should not appreciate this step.”
Al-Daknan
explained that women first began obtaining notary licenses in 2018, and the
services they offer include documentation, transferring property, authorizing
powers of attorney submissions and other services.
“The
next step for women is working with conciliation committees, which is known in
other countries as being a magistrate. Thankfully it is possible now for both
men and women to obtain conciliation licenses, where they will assume the role
of the judge,” Al-Daknan said. “I personally have applied and (am) in the
process to obtain this license.”
Another
lawyer, Abrar Shaket, told Arab News that this move was the natural result of
the Kingdom’s steps to empower its female citizens under King Salman and Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1754636/saudi-arabia
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