Cleric forces woman to convert to Islam to 'drive away evil spirits', arrested
New Age
Islam News Bureau
25 November 2023
· Woman punches husband to death for not taking her to Dubai for birthday celebration
· Iran’s Security Agencies Coerce Muslims to Denounce Jailed Baha’i Women
· No One Takes Responsibility for Hijab ‘Horror Tunnel’ In Tehran
· Muslim women's group in Dublin cancel soup kitchen over safety fears following night of rioting
· Kidnapped Afghan Girl Released in Karachi
· Palestinian families rejoice over release of minors and women in wartime prisoner swap
· The Conversation: Peace Prize winner a fearless crusader for women
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/cleric-forces-woman-islam-evil/d/131181
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Cleric
forces woman to convert to Islam to 'drive away evil spirits', arrested
Nov 25,
2023
The
woman had been facing mental and physical problems since 2017 and sought
cleric's help. (Photo: Reuters/Representational)
--------------
A cleric
(maulvi) was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on Friday for allegedly scaring a woman
into converting to Islam by telling her doing so 'will free her from evil
powers', police said.
Maulvi
Sarfaraz was arrested after a complaint was filed against him by the woman's
son, Akshay Srivastava (35).
In his
complaint, he told police that his mother Meenu (45), had been facing some
mental and physical problems since 2017 and had sought the help of maulvi at
some people's advice.
According
to him, his mother removed idols and pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses from
her house at the maulvi's suggestion and even pressured her children and other
family members to embrace Islam.
ACP
Nandgram Ravi Kumar Singh said that the maulvi was arrested from the Morti
village tri-section.
During
interrogation, Sarfraz told police that he had been practising exorcism in the
area for the last eight years and forced sick people into adopting Islam
through fear of ghosts, Singh said.
Sarfaraz
was booked under sections of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious
Conversion Act and Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, he said.
Source:
indiatoday.in
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/up-cleric-forces-woman-to-convert-to-islam-to-drive-away-evil-spirits-arrested-2467319-2023-11-25
------
Woman
punches husband to death for not taking her to Dubai for birthday celebration
Nov 25,
2023
NEW
DELHI: Refusing to take his wife on vacation cost a man his life in Pune.In a
shocking incident, a 36-year-old man died after his wife punched him on the
nose when he refused to take her to Dubai for her birthday celebration.
According
to reports, the incident took place on Friday in the couple's apartment,
located in a posh residential society in Pune's Wanavadi area.
The
victim, identified as Nikhil Khanna, was a businessman in the construction
industry. Nikhil had a love marriage with his wife, Renuka, six years ago.
"The
incident occurred on Friday afternoon. As per the primary investigation, it has
been revealed that the couple had a fight because Nikhil did not take Renuka to
Dubai to celebrate her birthday and did not give her expensive gifts on other
occasions including the couple's wedding anniversary. Renuka was also upset
with Nikhil for not giving a favorable response to her wish to go to Delhi to
celebrate the birthdays of some relatives," a senior police officer at
Wanavadi Police station said.
The
officer added that during the fight, Renuka punched Nikhil in the face. The
impact of the punch was so hard that Nikhil's nose and some teeth were broken,
causing heavy bleeding. He immediately fell unconscious.
Renuka
has been detained for questioning in the case.
Source:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/woman-punches-husband-to-death-for-not-taking-her-to-dubai-for-birthday-celebration/articleshow/105488220.cms
-------
Iran’s
Security Agencies Coerce Muslims to Denounce Jailed Baha’i Women
NOVEMBER
24, 2023
Yeganeh
Agahi, Negin Khademi, Arezo Sobhanian, Yeganeh Roohbakhsh, Shana Shoghifar,
Mojgan Shahrezaei, Neda Badakhsh, Bahareh Lotfi and Neda Emadi were arrested on
Monday, October 23
----------
Iran's
Ministry of Intelligence and a prosecutor in Isfahan city have coerced Muslim
neighbors and friends of 10 jailed Baha'i women into filing complaints against
them, reports say.
Several
individuals summoned in this context have been forced to file complaints
against these women, under pressure, threats and intimidation, according to
Radio Farda.
Yeganeh
Agahi, NeginKhademi, ArezoSobhanian, Yeganeh Roohbakhsh, Shana Shoghifar,
MojganShahrezaei, Neda Badakhsh, Bahareh Lotfi and Neda Emadi were arrested on
Monday, October 23.
According
to sources, the arrests were carried out with a court order, and some of the
personal belongings of these citizens were also confiscated by security agents.
Several
of these citizens have previously faced arrests and other court orders.
The
Isfahan prosecutor has informed the families of these women that their
detention may last from "six months to one year."
Baha’is
have been systematically persecuted in Iran for 44 years because of their faith
and are often accused of being spies or opposed to the Iranian government.
The
Baha’i International Community and other spokespersons note that no evidence
has ever been provided to demonstrate these charges.
The
Iranian government has intensified its crackdown on members of the Baha'i
faith, imprisoning dozens of them on spurious charges over the past year, as
well as denying access to higher education, livelihoods, and confiscating or
destroying personal properties.
Source:
iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/bahais-of-iran/122842-irans-security-agencies-coerce-muslims-to-denounce-jailed-bahai-women/
-----
No One
Takes Responsibility For Hijab ‘Horror Tunnel’ In Tehran
November
25, 2023
Hijab
police at the entrance of a subway station in Tehran
----------
Iran's
interior minister denies having authorized hijab enforcers at the capital’s
subway stations, claiming they are “citizens’ groups” carrying out a religious
duty.
Photos
emerged on social media on Saturday that showed black-veiled women forming a
human tunnel, which many now refer to as ‘tunnel of horrors’, at one of
Tehran’s main subway stations to make sure women wear proper hijab. Similar
surveillance and enforcement have also been reported at other stations.
Since
May, the capital’s subway stations have been the battleground of women who are
against compulsory hijab and various hijab enforcers as well as some ordinary
citizens who consider it their duty to force others to abide by the rules.
The
women who wore green shoulder sashes with the words “guidance ambassadors”
written on them stopped women who were not wearing headscarves to admonish them
for breaking the compulsory hijab rules.
Responding
to reporters’ questions on the topic after the weekly cabinet meeting on
Wednesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi declared that citizens’ groups were
only carrying out ‘amr-e be marouf' for which everyone is responsible.
The
phrase refers to the pious a Muslim’s duty to urge others to avoid forbidden
deeds and carry out what confirms to religious rules.
“We have
not issued any particular permits for [their work],” Vahidi who is second in
command of the police force after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, claimed while
insisting that that all citizens have a religious duty to carry out ‘amr-e be
marouf’ but this can only involve “nicely worded” verbal exhortation.
“Interesting!
So, this tunnel of horrors at the metro is a citizens’ [initiative]!” Mostafa
Faghihi, the managing director of the moderate conservative Entekhab news
website tweeted Wednesday in reaction to Vahidi’s claim.
“Do
people also pay their monthly salary? Are they also hired and organized under
citizens’ supervision? No authorization required? How democratic and free!”
Faghihi wrote referring to reports in August that Tehran municipality was
planning to hire 400 uniformed hijab enforcers to deploy at subway stations of
the capital.
Speaking
to Faraz Daily news website, an official of the Tehran Metro Company had also
earlier denied that that hijab enforcers are officially active in Tehran
subway. HadiZand, head of international affairs and communications of Tehran
Metro Company, told Faraz Daily that the company only has uniformed security
personnel who are responsible for dealing with various issues including
peddlers and ensuring the security of the subway system.
Many,
including prominent reformist commentator Abbas Abdi, have raised objections to
the deployment of ‘Hijab Patrols’ in Tehran’s subway stations, the police
force’s use of CCTV to identify hijab infringers and recording their images.
In a
commentary written for the reformist Etemad newspaper Tuesday, Abdi warned the
authorities that that measures such as creating hijab enforcers “tunnels” in
the subway corridors would only deepen the gap between the people and the
authorities and increases public anger and hatred.
He also
argued that introducing hijab enforcers as “guidance ambassadors” is
unjustified because governments in the modern world are not mandated to guide
people and the police is only responsible for establishing order. Hijab
enforcers are municipality employees or police who act based on the orders they
receive and get paid for their work like other employees, he said.
Source:
iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202311248500
-----
Muslim
women's group in Dublin cancel soup kitchen over safety fears following night
of rioting
24
November, 2023
Allan
Preston
A Muslim
women’s charity in Dublin has cancelled their soup kitchen over safety fears
following stabbings and rioting in the city centre.
Violence
broke out after a knife attack on three schoolchildren and their care assistant
outside a school in the north inner city of Dublin on Thursday afternoon.
A
five-year-old girl remains in a critical condition in hospital, while a female
care assistant in her 30s is in a serious condition.
Posting
on social media, the Muslim Sisters of Éire stated: “We are extremely
heartbroken and strongly condemn yesterday’s brutal knife attack on children
and their creche worker.
“Our
hearts go out to the families and communities affected.”
With the
sense of shock still strongly felt throughout Dublin on Friday, they added:“In
light of the stabbings and the senseless riots in town, our soup run has been
cancelled for the safety of our service users and team.
“We urge
everyone to take extreme precaution when commuting. Stay safe.”
Meanwhile,
shocking footage has emerged online showing Gardai officers being surrounded by
hostile crowds before they are forced to retreat into a bar for safety while
one of the attackers throws a police bicycle into the River Liffey.
The
violent scenes that played out across the city were condemned by the Taoiseach
Leo Varadkar, who described around 500 people responsible for the disorder as
hate-filled, violence-loving cowards, while the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
blamed far right “hooligans”.
Source:
irishnews.com
https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/11/24/news/muslim_women_s_group_in_dublin_cancel_soup_kitchen_over_safety_fears_following_night_of_rioting-3798694/
-------
Kidnapped
Afghan Girl Released in Karachi
NaweedSamadi
The
consulate of the Islamic Emirate in the city of Karachi, Pakistan announced the
release of an Afghan immigrant girl who was kidnapped by a Pakistani soldier.
Abdul
Jabbar Takhari, the consul of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi, Pakistan, said
that they have succeeded in arresting this person with the cooperation of the
Sindh state government.
He
emphasized that this act was done personally, not officially.
"At
the time, the Sindh government arrested the criminal and imprisoned him because
this act was his own personal act and had nothing to do with the
government," Takhari said.
At the
same time, some Afghan immigrants said that the Pakistani police still mistreat
legal and illegal immigrants.
"Afghan
immigrants are arrested in different cities of Punjab, and people who have
legal documents are getting arrested and released again in exchange for
money," said Nazir, an Afghan immigrant in Pakistan.
"In
Punjab, those who have legal cards are deported, and most of them move to
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and those who have cards are worried about arrests,"
said Malik Mujahid Shinwari, an Afghan immigrant in Pakistan.
Meanwhile,
some activists in the field of immigrants' rights said that it is the responsibility
of the host country to ensure the security of immigrants based on international
laws, and they should not be harassed.
"Offenders
should be treated like other citizens in accordance with the law and have the
rights of citizens," said Mohammad Khan Talebi, an immigrants’ rights
activist.
This is
despite the fact that after the end of the deadline given by the interim
government of Pakistan, more than 400,000 people have returned to the country
in nearly a month.
Source:
tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186186
-----
Palestinian
families rejoice over release of minors and women in wartime prisoner swap
November
25, 2023
BEITUNIA,
West Bank: Over three dozen Palestinian prisoners returned home to a hero’s
welcome in the occupied West Bank on Friday following their release from
Israeli prisons as part of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The
procession of freed prisoners, some accused of minor offenses and others
convicted in attacks, at a checkpoint outside of Jerusalem stoked massive
crowds of Palestinians into a chanting, clapping, hand-waving, screaming
frenzy.
Fifteen
dazed young men, all in stained grey prison sweatsuits and looking gaunt with
exhaustion, glided through the streets on the shoulders of their teary-eyed
fathers as fireworks turned the night sky to blazing color and patriotic
Palestinian pop music blared.
Some of
those released were draped in Palestinian flags, others in the green flags of
Hamas. They flashed victory signs as they crowd-surfed.
“I have
no words, I have no words,” said newly released 17-year-old Jamal Brahma,
searching for something to say to the hordes of jostling journalists and
thousands of chanting Palestinians, many in national dress. “Thank God.”
Tears
fell down his father Khalil Brahma’s cheeks as he brought his son down from his
shoulders and looked him in the eye for the first time in seven months. Israeli
forces had arrested Jamal at his home in the Palestinian city of Jericho last
spring and detained him without charge or trial.
“I just
want to be his father again,” he said.
The
release of the Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails came just hours after
two dozen hostages, including 13 Israelis, were released from captivity in Gaza
in the initial exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners during
the four-day cease-fire that started Friday.
Under
the deal, Hamas is to release at least 50 hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian
prisoners, over the four days. Israel said the truce can be extended an extra
day for every additional 10 hostages freed.
Although
the atmosphere was festive in the town of Beitunia near Israel’s hulking Ofer
Prison in the West Bank, people were on edge.
The
Israeli government has ordered police to shut down celebrations over the
release. Israeli security forces at one point unleashed tear gas canisters on
the crowds, sending young men, old women and small children sprinting away as
they wept and screamed in pain.
“The
army is trying to take this moment away from us but they can’t,” Mays Foqaha said
as she tumbled into the arms of her newly released 18-year-old friend, Nour
Al-Taher from Nablus, who was arrested during a protest in September at the Al
Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. ”This is our day of victory.”
The
Palestinian detainees freed Friday included 24 women, some of whom had been
sentenced to years-long prison terms over attempted stabbings and other attacks
on Israeli security forces. Others had been accused of incitement on social
media.
There
were also the 15 male teenagers, most of them charged with stone-throwing and
“supporting terrorism,” a broadly defined accusation that underscores Israel’s
long-running crackdown on young Palestinian men as violence surges in the
occupied territory.
For
families on both sides of the conflict, news of the exchange — perhaps the
first hopeful moment in 49 days of war — stirred a bittersweet jumble of joy
and anguish.
“As a
Palestinian, my heart is broken for my brothers in Gaza, so I can’t really
celebrate,” said Abdulqader Khatib, a UN worker whose 17-year-old son, Iyas,
was placed last year in “administrative detention,” without charges or trial
and based on secret evidence. “But I am a father. And deep inside, I am very
happy.”
Israel
is now holding an all-time high of 2,200 Palestinians in administrative
detention, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, in
a controversial policy that Israel defends as a counter-terrorism measure.
Since
Oct. 7, when Hamas took roughly 240 Israeli and foreign citizens hostage and
killed 1,200 Israelis in its unprecedented rampage through southern Israel,
Palestinians have wondered about the fate of their own prisoners.
Israel
has a history of agreeing to lopsided exchanges. In 2011, Hamas got Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release more than 1,000 Palestinian
prisoners in exchange for a single captive Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit.
A
prisoner release touches Palestinian society to its core. Almost every
Palestinian has a relative in jail – or has been there himself. Human rights
groups estimate that over 750,000 Palestinians have passed through Israeli
prisons since Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in 1967.
Whereas
Israel views them as terrorists, Palestinians refer to them by the Arabic word
for prisoners of war, and devote a good chunk of public funds to supporting
them and their families. Israel and the US have condemned the grants to
prisoner families as an incentive for violence.
“These
kinds of prisoner exchanges are often the only hope families have to see their
sons or fathers released before many years go by,” said Amira Khader,
international advocacy officer at Addameer, a group supporting Palestinian
prisoners. “It’s what they live for, it’s like a miracle from God.”
Since
the Hamas attack, Israel has escalated a months-long West Bank crackdown on
Palestinians suspected of ties to Hamas and other militant groups. Many
prisoners are convicted by military courts, which prosecute Palestinians with a
conviction rate of more than 99 percent. Rights groups say Palestinians are
often denied due process and forced into confessions.
There
are now 7,200 Palestinians in Israeli prison, said Qadura Fares, the director
of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, with over 2,000 arrested since Oct. 7
alone.
On
Friday in Beitunia, a lanky and pimpled 16-year-old, Aban Hammad, stood
unmoving, looking shaken by the tumult of tears, hugs and pro-Hamas chants
around him. It was his first glimpse of the world after a year in prison for
throwing stones in the northern town of Qalqilya. He was freed even though he
had eight months of his sentence left to serve.
He
turned toward his father, wrapping him into a hug. “Look, I’m almost bigger
than you now,” he said.
Source:
arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2414826/middle-east
-----
The
Conversation: Peace Prize winner a fearless crusader for women
November
24, 2023
PARDIS
MAHDAVI
‘Woman,
Life, Freedom,” the slogan adopted by Iranians to protest the unjust death of
MahsaAmini in 2022, is, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the most
suitable way to describe the work of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate
NargesMohammadi.
Mohammadi
is the second Iranian woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, exactly 20 years
after Shirin Ebadi was awarded the prize for her work to promote democracy and
initiate legal reform under Islamic law in 2003. Mohammadi is the fourth Nobel
Peace Prize laureate to be chosen while incarcerated, joining the ranks of Aung
San Suu Kyi and Ales Bialiatski.
According
to the Nobel committee, Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times, convicted five
times and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. While she
has been released on and off over the past four years, her work on behalf of
women and her outspoken advocacy against the death penalty have made her a
repeated target of the Islamist regime in Iran.
She is
currently being held behind bars in Iran’s most notorious prison for political
detainees — Evin, which is located in the hills of northern Tehran.
I have
been studying women’s rights, human rights and gender and sexual politics in
Iran for more than two decades. I have had the opportunity to meet and work
with Shirin Ebadi and dozens of women’s rights activists in Iran throughout my
time conducting fieldwork on Iran’s sexual revolution.
I have
witnessed the bravery of Iranian women as they boldly agitated for change.
Women’s activism in Iran is not just a recent phenomenon; they have been at the
forefront of calls for change in Iran for more than a century.
Mohammadi
began finding her activist roots as a student in the late 1980s and early 1990s
at Imam Khomeini International University, where she wrote articles decrying
the repression women in Iran faced. Following the revolution in 1979, the
Islamist regime that took power under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued
mandatory veiling decrees and imposed harsh limitations on travel, child
custody, inheritance and divorce, as it ushered in an era of harsh repression.
Mohammadi
was born in Zanjan, Iran, but grew up just outside of Tehran in the suburb of
Karaj. After graduating from high school, she moved to Qazvin, northwest of
Tehran, to embark on university studies in physics and engineering.
Upon her
arrival, she quickly became an activist, co-founding a group called
TashakkolDaaneshjooeiRoshangaraan — translated as Illuminating Student Group —
where she wrote articles calling for accountability.
Her
writings led to her arrest twice during her time as a college student. This
marked the beginning of a decades-long passion for promoting human rights in
Iran that landed her in jail repeatedly.
In 2002,
Mohammadi, along with Ebadi, founded the Defenders of Human Rights Center,
whose mandate is to defend the rights of women, political prisoners and ethnic
minorities in Iran.
When she
was awarded the Sakharov Prize in 2018, for “defense of human rights and
freedom of thought,” Mohammadi called for ending the death penalty and
injustices against women. She protested against the imprisonment and torture of
political and civil rights activists, and she said she “will not be silent in
the face of human rights violations.”
In 2007,
when Shirin Ebadi established the National Peace Council for peaceful
resistance to the death penalty, harsh family laws and poor treatment of
prisoners, Mohammadi was elected president of the 83-member body.
Mohammadi
follows a long line of women who have been at the forefront of calls for change
in Iran, dating back to the era of the Persian Empire.
In 1906,
a Constitutional Revolution — referred to as the Mashrouteh Revolution — took
place. This was a movement that pressed for codification of laws and rights to
protect the people of Iran when the country was under the threat of
colonialism.
Women
were at the forefront to call for equal rights for all Iranians – including and
especially equal rights for all genders.
Since
the Iranian Revolution of 1979, women’s activism has gotten louder and more
bold. Thousands of protesters have spent the last four decades calling for accountability,
equality and human rights under the Islamic Republic.
In 2009,
women were central to the Green Movement that called for democracy and election
transparency. The Green Movement was an expression of outrage at the alleged
fraudulent re-election of conservative hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
And
while men and women marched alongside one another, it was women who led the
way. Neda Agha-Soltan, a 26-year-old student protester who was shot while
standing peacefully in support of the protests on the streets of Tehran by a
member of Iran’s paramilitary forces, quickly became the face of the protests.
In 2022,
women of all ages and religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds joined
the protests when 22-year-old MahsaAmini died in custody.
Amini had
traveled to Tehran from Kurdistan Province for a holiday with her brother. But
as soon as she stepped off the train, Amini was arrested by the morality police
and suffered fatal wounds in their custody.
The
protests following her death came to be known the world over for their defining
chant of “Zan, Zendigi, Azadi” — Women, Life, Freedom. Schoolgirls as young as
12 were standing up in public during these protests demanding accountability
from the Islamist regime.
These
protests were not an isolated incident of bravery. Rather, they were the result
of decades of resistance movements led by women tired of facing oppression and
inequality.
The
recognition by the Nobel committee of Mohammadi’s work puts the global
spotlight on the fight for women’s rights in the Middle East.
Mohammadi’s
family, the Oslo-based award committee, and her colleagues at the Defenders of
Human Rights Center, have all articulated the significance of the prize. And
not just for Mohammadi, but for all Iranian women who continue to bravely
resist the oppression of the Iranian regime.
In 2022,
the World Economic Forum ranked Iran among the worst five countries in the
world for women’s economic opportunities and participation, health, educational
attainment and political power.
It is
unclear, though, whether Mohammadi knows about her win.
She
shared a message from prison on Oct. 4 through her family when she was told
that she was under consideration as a finalist. She said she would continue to
strive for “democracy, freedom, and equality” and vowed to remain in Iran to
continue her activism.
“Standing
alongside the brave mothers of Iran,” she said, “I will continue to fight
against the relentless discrimination, tyranny, and gender-based oppression by
the oppressive religious government until the liberation of women.”
It is
highly unlikely that Iranian women will give up the fight — even under threat
of tear gas, arrest and years of detention or brutality.
Source:
newsregister.com
https://newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=the-conversation-peace-prize-winner-a-fearless-crusader-for-women--1700846725--47652--commentary
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/cleric-forces-woman-islam-evil/d/131181