The Left Defends Driouech's Veil: 'Women's Right to Their Own Body'
New Age Islam News Bureau
29 March 2025
· The Left Defends Driouech's Veil: 'Women's Right to Their Own Body'
· How Iran spies—and how women activists stay one step ahead
· Discrimination Against Women In Saudi Arabia
· FIA arrests ringleader of gang trafficking women to Saudi Arabia
· School principal hospitalised amid hijab dispute in the north
· Exclusive: UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Raises Alarm Over Executions Surge
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/defends-driouech-veil-women-own/d/135011
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The Left Defends Driouech's Veil: 'Women's Right to Their Own Body'
28/03/2025
Najat Driouech Speaks in Parliament, This Wednesday | Camara Parlament
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The Islamic veil has once again been a source of conflict this week in Parliament. The Muslim deputy from ERC, NajatDriouech, once again addressed SílviaOrriols in a derogatory manner. This led to an exchange of reproaches that ended with the president of the chamber, JosepRull, warning the deputy from AliançaCatalana.
"You should be ashamed of yourself for posting on your social media photos of seasonal workers saying they are receiving subsidies from the Generalitat." This was Driouech's interjection to Orriols that opened Pandora's box. "You should be ashamed for normalizing misogyny and Islamic essentialism in this chamber," replied the leader of AliançaCatalana.
JosepRull called SílviaOrriols's attention for "imputing inappropriate, illegal, or criminal actions." He added that "you also can't offend another deputy of the chamber."
The Rights of Muslim Women
The controversy reached social media, where ERC-EUiAcouncilorYasmina Sánchez Oussadik supported NajatDriouech and called to combat fascism. "What happened today in Parliament is very serious. Racism and hate speech are crimes and we can't trivialize them," she stated in relation to the events.
Deputy NajatDriouech has received other expressions of support, among which the one from Unitat Contra el Feixismei el Racisme stands out. The entity has shown its support "to our Muslim colleagues" and has defended "their rights." Including "their right to decide over their own bodies."
They have stated that those who deny this right "are not only Islamophobic but also promote the oppression of women." That is, they claim the Islamic veil as a symbol of women's freedom. And they consider that those who oppose the Islamic veil oppress women.
Symbol of Freedom or Oppression?
For Islam and the woke left, the Islamic veil is a cultural symbol, and its use is a manifestation of the essential right to religious freedom. Any contrary opinion is categorized as Islamophobia, a result of Western white supremacy. UCFR goes further and labels it as a source of freedoms and rights for Muslim women.
On the contrary, there is a radical current that considers the Islamic veil a symbol of misogyny and Islamic essentialism. This includes from its milder form, the hijab, to the more severe garments, like the burka or the niqab.
In the middle are the critics of the Islamic veil when it is an imposition and not the free decision of the woman. The submission of women in Islam means that in most cases, unfortunately, the hijab is more an imposition than a free decision. More and more women within feminism consider it an element of women's oppression.
The most flagrant case of the left's contradiction is when they ignored the struggle of Iranian women to remove the veil. In Iran, going without a veil on the street is grounds for arrest, torture, and even death. That's why tweets like UCFR's are increasingly jarring.
Source:noticies.cat
https://e-noticies.cat/en/politics/left-defends-driouechs-veil-right-womens-own-body
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How Iran spies—and how women activists stay one step ahead
March 28, 2025
Tehran (Photo: Atta Kenare/ AFP)
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Iran has long been accused of using advanced technology to repress dissident voices, targeting women activists in particular through a sophisticated system of cyber control. Amid the Iranian government’s repressive use of digital surveillance tools, spyware, and social media monitoring, women activists continue to resist, employing countermeasures to protect themselves and advance their cause.
DoronDarmon, a former team leader at the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, described the Iranian government’s surveillance capabilities as far-reaching and deeply integrated.
“The government’s surveillance capabilities are far more extensive than most people realize. They don’t just track online activity—they integrate data from multiple sources, including facial recognition, social media, and encrypted communications,” Darmon said.
That means that Iranian authorities can track individuals in real-time, monitor their conversations across multiple platforms, and even detect sensitive keywords in messages. In order to do so, Iran relies on spyware tools.
“These tools have key features that allow tracking and control. They monitor incoming and outgoing calls, keeping a log of each interaction,” Darmon explained, adding that Iran uses similar technology to target enemy nations like the US and Israel.
Eitaa, an Iranian messaging app with more than 40 million users, comes preloaded with spyware, one Iranian activist said.
“Once you install the app, it acts as spyware, sending all the information you exchanged in emails, apps, and other communication platforms,” the activist, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “Many people didn’t realize this until it was too late.”
It’s not always clear if a device is being surveilled, but some signs should raise alarms.
“If your phone suddenly starts overheating, experiencing battery drain, or showing unusual pop-ups, it could be a sign of spyware,” Darmon explained. “Many tracking apps run silently in the background but leave traces, such as strange permissions or unauthorized changes to settings.”
He noted that devices are often infected through phishing messages disguised as government notices or security alerts. “Many people click on these links without realizing they are granting access to their entire device,” he said.
Users should generally avoid clicking on links sent from unknown numbers, he added. Activists inside Iran have reported that their accounts were compromised shortly after clicking such links.
Sudden problems with secure messaging apps, like Signal or Telegram, or messages disappearing without explanation can also be signs of a compromised device, Darmon said.
In addition to using cyber surveillance, authorities in Iran also use physical surveillance tools, such as drones and street cameras, to identify and track protesters.
“Drones, mobile tracking apps, and online censorship are all part of the strategy to instill fear and suppress dissent,” Darmon said. “But these methods are not new; they have evolved alongside digital advancements.”
He noted that Iran’s cyber policies extend beyond digital surveillance in an attempt to control all aspects of private life.
Facing a repressive environment in the physical world as well as the digital one, activists in Iran have developed ways to counteract repression. The anonymous Iranian women activists who spoke to The Media Line described how women in particular have been creative in resisting surveillance and maintaining anonymity.
“The women of Iran are always a step ahead of the regime,” one activist said. “An ordinary woman must be smart and use many strategies to live a normal life as a human being. As activists, we are more than prepared.”
In order to avoid being identified by surveillance technology while protesting, activist women wear multiple layers of clothes. “We would rip them, change, or simply put another layer over what we were already wearing,” an activist explained.
“Some of us use masks, hats, and scarves to obscure our faces. Others carry burner phones that have no personal data linked to them. It’s all about adapting and staying one step ahead,” she added.
To combat digital surveillance, the activists said, they use encrypted communication tools like Signal and ProtonMail and decentralized browsing tools such as Briar and Element.
Activists in Iran are also becoming more aware of government disinformation campaigns and are training others to recognize and avoid them.
“We teach digital security within feminist groups and local activists. The more people know, the harder it is for the government to silence us,” one activist said.
Despite the oppressive tactics, the Iranian activists believe the regime is losing ground.
“We are not afraid. Everyday, when we leave home without our veil, we know it could be our last day of life or freedom. But we do it anyway,” one said. “The regime may have drones and technology to control us, but we have courage and fight them even in the cyber sphere. That is a huge victory for us.”
Source:ynetnews.com
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjukwhepye
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Discrimination Against Women In Saudi Arabia – OpEd
March 29, 2025
By MatijaŠerić
A young Muslim couple and their toddler at Masjid al-Haram, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Photo by Mohammed Tawsif Salam, Wikipedia Commons.
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the rights of women and girls. In March 2024, women’s rights activists worldwide condemned the appointment of AbdulazizAlwasil, the Saudi ambassador to the UN, as president of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Numerous organizations highlighted the “irony” of appointing a man from a country “where, even on paper, the difference between the rights of men and women is extremely large” to lead a commission fighting for women’s rights.
Although Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has been implementing legal reforms since 2017 to improve the status of women (e.g., lifting the driving ban, allowing mixed-gender events, and limiting the influence of the religious police), Saudi Arabia is still one of the countries with the worst position for women. The poor status of women in Saudi society is clearly visible and does not require an exceptionally skilled researcher to determine. Moreover, the Saudi state does not even attempt to hide the discrimination against all those who protest against the government.
The Case of the Three Al-Otaibi Sisters
This can be clearly seen in the case of fitness trainer Manahel al-Otaibi, who dared to defy established social norms and was subsequently sentenced to 11 years in prison, where she suffered horrors that endangered her life. In January 2024, al-Otaibi was sentenced by the notorious “counterterrorism” Specialized Criminal Court on charges of promoting the abolition of the male guardianship system on social media, posting videos in which she wore “immodest clothing” and “went shopping without wearing an abaya” (the traditional dress). In prison, she endured torture, solitary confinement, and physical attacks from fellow inmates and guards, which worsened the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis she had been diagnosed with in 2017 after her sister Mariam al-Otaibi, a prominent human rights defender, was arrested by the police. Mariam spent more than 100 days in prison. The third sister, Fawziya al-Otaibi, was arrested by Saudi authorities in 2022 and brought in for questioning but managed to escape abroad.
Historical, Cultural, and Religious Origins of Repression
The repression of women, as well as of anyone who thinks differently, is not only the result of the ruling Al-Saud family’s fear of losing the throne, but the reasons are deeper. They can be found in the customs that dominate the region. The fundamental drivers of female discrimination are the character of the Saudi state, which is largely defined by religion. Historical developments (the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the spread of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates) contributed to the fact that the Arabian Peninsula is dominated by Sunni Islam, specifically the ultraconservative Hanbalischool of Islamic jurisprudence (madhhab). This is the most conservative of the four schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i). The Hanbalischool was founded by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in the 9th century, characterized by a strict interpretation of the Quran and Hadith, with minimal reliance on analogy (qiyas) and consensus (ijma). Hanbalism in Saudi Arabia and Qatar directly connects to Wahhabism, a theological-political movement that emerged in the Arabian Peninsula in the 18th century, advocating for an ultraconservative interpretation of Islam and a return to the original roots.
Better Status of Women Before 1979
Contrary to the beliefs of the uninformed, women were not in a drastically subordinate position to men in Saudi Arabia until the Islamic revival of 1979. Until then, women were not required to wear head and body coverings, could drive, invite men to their homes, and there was no legally mandated gender segregation. During King Faisal’s reign from 1964 to 1975, women’s access to education and employment expanded. At that time, many worked in various sectors, including education, healthcare, and administration, and gender segregation in society was minimal. Women were socially active.
Islamic Revival and Discrimination
The Islamic revival that occurred at the end of 1979 was a consequence of the siege of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Islamic revolution in Iran. In November 1979, the Islamist group Ikhwan, consisting of 600 militants led by Juhayman al-Otaybi, attacked the holiest site in Islam with the aim of overthrowing the Saudi dynasty and establishing a sharia-based system. The militants blamed the Al-Saud family for betraying Islam by introducing secularism and making pacts with Christian countries like the USA. Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini claimed that it was a conspiracy organized by the USA and Israel. Although Saudi security forces managed to neutralize al-Otaybi and the militants in two weeks, at the beginning of December, the Saudi authorities introduced a stricter political system based on sharia.
The Islamic revival led to a sharp rise in conservative views and the introduction of stricter laws and regulations that limited women’s rights. During the 1980s and 1990s, Saudi Arabia introduced a series of restrictive laws that placed women in a subordinate position. Women were subjected to the male guardianship system. Their male relatives had legal control over important personal decisions, including marriage, divorce, travel, and education. Women needed the permission of their male guardian to travel within and outside the country. Without this permission, they were prevented from carrying out basic activities, such as going to work. Women were not allowed to drive cars. They had limited access to the labor market, and their employability was conditioned upon the approval of their male guardians. They had fewer rights in family law, including inheritance and child custody, and were subject to discrimination in divorce proceedings. They also had limited rights in the field of education.
Vision 2030 Brings Positive Changes
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, launched in 2016 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has brought significant changes to the lives of women. It is a developmental initiative aimed at making socio-economic changes to diversify the Saudi economy and reduce dependence on oil and gas. The core of the reforms is the empowerment of women.
Since 2018, women have been granted the right to drive cars. Some provisions of the male guardianship system were relaxed in 2019. Women were allowed to make their own decisions regarding travel and life partners. However, for marriage, divorce, or leaving certain institutions (such as prisons or shelters for abused women), the official consent of a guardian is still required. Women over the age of 21 have been allowed to apply for a passport and leave the kingdom without the permission of their male guardian. Since 2021, women have been allowed to go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca with other women.
Women’s employment rights have expanded, including better access to jobs in sectors such as commerce, tourism, healthcare, and education. The proportion of women in the workforce increased from 23.2% in 2016 to 34.4% in 2022. Women currently own 45% of small and medium-sized businesses. They have become more active in political life, including voting and running for office. Laws have been enacted to better protect women from violence and abuse. Although these are significant advances, there is a gap between the laws on paper and the practices on the ground.
Recent Legal Amendments
At the end of February, Saudi Arabia’s official gazette, Umm Al-Qura, published amendments to the Personal Status Law, which was passed in March 2022. The amendments limit the male guardianship system, forced marriages, set a minimum age for marriage (18 years), and strengthen women’s rights in divorce and child custody. These new regulations are a continuation of previously started reforms. However, caution is required, and it remains to be seen how they will be implemented in practice. Many provisions still depend on the discretion of the courts, raising questions about how judges will interpret them. The new reforms align with Saudi Vision 2030.
Intensification of Repression
In recent years, Saudi authorities have intensified repression against dissidents and critics of the Saudi social order. The authorities do not tolerate any public statements that could in any way threaten the stability of the regime or disrupt the social order. Critics of the government, journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens face severe consequences for expressing dissent, including long prison sentences, torture, and the death penalty. Saudi authorities use accusations of “violating national security” or “spreading false information” as justification for repressive measures, and the legislative framework that allows such actions is largely based on vague definitions.
In 2021, humanitarian worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan was sentenced to 20 years in prison for satirical posts on Twitter. Professor Mohammed al-Ghamdi was sentenced to death in 2023 for several satirical comments on Twitter, on a profile followed by ten people. The sentence was later commuted to 30 years in prison. Women’s rights activist Nourah al-Qahtani was sentenced to 45 years in prison in 2022 for criticizing the government and certain aspects of Saudi society. Increasing surveillance of online activities and social media is leading to a reduction in freedom of expression. Many citizens are afraid to publicly express their views for fear of legal prosecution.
Proposals for Improving the Position of Women
Saudi Arabia is slowly progressing on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. The country ranked 126th out of 146 countries in the 2024 report. However, much still needs to be done. Introducing comprehensive domestic violence legislation would help significantly. Budget allocations for violence prevention programs should be increased. Improving maternity leave (including introducing paternity leave) and support for child care could enable Saudi women to better balance family and professional life, making it easier for them to return to work after childbirth. Financial assistance to women in accessing loans would also be necessary. Quotas for the number of women in public companies, especially in managerial positions, should be introduced to ensure their representation. Of course, male guardianship should be abolished. Additionally, the repression of women and all men who think differently from the ruling elite should be ended. In other words, the monarchical authorities should begin respecting human rights. As long as the ruling clique does not do this, Saudi Arabia will not be able to progress for the benefit of its citizens, and it will remain uncertain who will govern this important country in the future.
Source:eurasiareview.com
https://www.eurasiareview.com/29032025-discrimination-against-women-in-saudi-arabia-oped/
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FIA arrests ringleader of gang trafficking women to Saudi Arabia
By Shahbaz Ahmad
March 29, 2025
FAISALABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested the mastermind of a trafficking ring that lured women to Saudi Arabia under the guise of Umrah, only to coerce them into begging upon arrival.
According to an FIA spokesperson, the accused, Muhammad Ghafoor, was apprehended during a raid in Chak No 217. The suspect, along with his accomplices, deceived innocent women and smuggled them to Saudi Arabia.
Investigations have revealed that the gang had sent at least five women abroad, forcing them into begging and later demanding a ransom of Rs500,000 per woman to facilitate their return to Pakistan. The FIA has placed the names of gang’s other accomplices on the stop list to prevent their escape from the country.
Source:thenews.com.pk
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1296356-fia-arrests-ringleader-of-gang-trafficking-women-to-saudi-arabia
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School principal hospitalised amid hijab dispute in the north
28 March 2025
The principal of a high school in the north was hospitalised after fainting during a tense dispute over a female student wearing a hijab who was denied entry to the school.
The administration of IrsenKucuk high school refused to allow the student into class after she arrived wearing a headscarf, accompanied by her family. Teachers cited regulations that deemed her attire “inappropriate” and barred her from entering.
According to newspaper YeniDuzen, a discussion ensued between the family and school staff before the family eventually left.
Tensions reportedly escalated later when three high-ranking officials from the “education ministry” arrived at the school, attempting to overrule the administration’s decision and allow the girl to attend classes.
The officials reportedly went directly to the principal’s office, at which point the principal fainted due to the stress of the situation.
Following the incident, the president of the Turkish Cypriot secondary education teachers’ union (Ktoeos), Selma Aylem, called for the resignation of the north’s “education minister” NazimCavusoglu.
Speaking outside the school alongside the union’s secretary-general, Tahir Gokcebel, Aylem said that teachers from various middle and high schools stood in solidarity with the union.
Gokcebel later made a public statement, accusing the undersecretary of the “education ministry” and the director of the “secondary education department” of putting extreme pressure on the school principal, saying it was to the extent that “he could have died.”
“The children are under pressure. All 700 students are being mistreated and exploited,” Gokcebel said, claiming that despite Monday’s withdrawal of the “disciplinary regulation,” the school administration remained under undue influence.
He emphasised that secularism was fundamental and non-negotiable principles for Turkish Cypriot society, calling on external forces to “keep your hands off our schools and our children.”
Gokcebel also criticised Turkey’s embassy in Nicosia, stating, “This is Cyprus. It has its own education, culture and religion. Show respect or leave.”
The incident has further fuelled tensions, coming just days after the government scrapped a controversial “disciplinary regulation” that would have allowed students to wear religious clothing in schools. The policy was withdrawn on Monday following strong opposition and protests from teachers’ unions.
Source:cyprus-mail.com
https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/03/28/school-principal-hospitalised-amid-hijab-dispute-in-the-north
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Exclusive: UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Raises Alarm Over Executions Surge
MARCH 28, 2025
AIDA GHAJAR
Iran executed at least 169 people in January and February alone, according to Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran.
During her first presentation to the UN Human Rights Council, Sato warned that if this pace continues, Iran will execute more than 1,000 people this year.
“I am very concerned about the rapid rise in the number of executions, especially just in the last two months as well,” Sato told IranWire in an exclusive interview following her presentation.
“I believe, looking at the past year’s patterns, January and February are quiet months, but we’ve already identified at least 169 executions,” she added.
Ali Bahreini, the Islamic Republic’s representative to the United Nations, entered the Human Rights Council chamber after the UN Special Rapporteur and the fact-finding committee presented their reports.
Reading from a prepared text, he dismissed human rights reports as “ridiculous” and fabricated by “global arrogance” before leaving the hall.
After the session examining Iran’s human rights situation ended, representatives of what they called “people’s organizations” approached Sato and criticized her report as inconsistent with reality.
All the protesters who surrounded Mai Sato were men.
In her report, Sato focused on four key issues: the rapid increase in executions, violations of the rights of ethnic groups and religious minorities, lack of transparency, and harassment and failure to respect the basic rights of activists and journalists in detention and prison.
She said, “And if that trend is sustained, then we’ll be seeing more than a thousand executions this year. So I’m deeply concerned about that.”
“In terms of other human rights allegations and violations, I wouldn’t say I witnessed a very dramatic change.
“I received similar amounts of allegations and reports on various issues - from equal access to justice, women’s rights, freedom of expression, and discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities.”
According to Sato, as soon as she was tasked with examining the human rights situation in Iran, she requested permission to visit Iran, and she remains hopeful that the Iranian government will allow her to travel there and conduct field research.
Sato said the Islamic Republic’s engagement with the Special Rapporteur is better compared to many other countries.
“In terms of many country mandate holders, some engage more than others. And in my view, the Islamic Republic of Iran engages a lot more than some of the other country mandate holders,” she said.
“Some wouldn’t show up in the interactive dialogue. They [Iran] were there, you know, took the floor. I don’t really expect—I’m seven months into my position and I think having a country mandate can be extremely uncomfortable.
“No government will be opening their arms to welcome me. So in some sense, I appreciate that they were there. What I would have liked is a little bit more substantive engagement with the content of the report,” she added.
Sato’s first report says that with 900 recorded executions in Iran in 2024, Iran has become the world’s largest user of the death penalty.
According to her report, half of the executions are related to drug offenses, followed by murder, and then national security crimes. She has also expressed concern about cases of women facing execution on security charges.
The Special Rapporteur expresses grave concern over the imposition of the death sentence on child offenders, as illustrated by the case of MohammadrezaAzizi.
Azizi was sentenced to death for a fatal stabbing committed when he was 17 years old, followed by two unsuccessful appeals to the Supreme Court in November 2021.
Although his execution had been scheduled for 21 October 2024, it had not been carried out as of November 2024, with ongoing efforts to persuade the victim’s parents to accept blood money instead.
Sato believes that the situation of women in Iran should be evaluated in a broader picture.
Mai Sato’s first report notes that Iran ranks 121st out of 193 countries in the UN Development Program’s Gender Inequality Index.
The UN Rapporteur points to women’s access to university education, which exceeds that of men, but simultaneously draws attention to the significant difference between women and men in employment.
She believes that regarding the situation of women in Iran, one must delve deeper into legal structures, policies, and procedures.
She said, “I think we need to look more deeply into the legal structures, policies and practices. In my report, I flag different laws for men and women in terms of marriage, divorce, access to inheritance, even for women to receive access to travel.”
She added, “I also write in the report about women subject to the death penalty and also femicide cases. And the point that I want to flag there is that whether you’re a woman sentenced to the death penalty or a victim of femicide, they both share very similar stories.”
According to Mai Sato, putting all these factors together can provide a picture of the situation of women in Iran.
In Mai Sato’s first report, at least 179 femicides were recorded in 2024, with the explanation that Iran’s legal system provides protections for male perpetrators.
It is still unclear how member states of the United Nations will vote on continuing Mai Sato’s mission. However, she hopes her mission will be extended for at least another year.
Mai Sato explains that she is obligated to present her reports on the current conditions in Iran to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, meaning she cannot, for example, address executions from previous years.
However, she believes that if examining past executions can help explain current conditions, the past should also be addressed.
Source:iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/features/139977-exclusive-un-special-rapporteur-on-iran-raises-alarm-over-executions-surge/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/defends-driouech-veil-women-own/d/135011