Egypt's Women DJs Creating Inclusive Dance Floors
New
Age Islam News Bureau
08
January 2023
• Egypt's Women DJs Creating Inclusive Dance Floors
• A Lecturer, Erika López Prater Showed a Painting of
the Prophet Muhammad, Lost Her Job
• Helmand, Afghanistan, Elders Want Girls’ Education
In Islamic Framework
• Bangla Global Foundation Chairperson, Seema Hamid
Awarded With Honorary Doctorate Degree From World University Of Leadership And
Management
• Winners Crowned On Final Day Of Saudi Women’s
Fencing Championship
• Pakistan Women Team Reaches Australia For White-Ball
Cricket
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/egypt-women-dj-dance/d/128826
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Egypt's Women DJs Creating Inclusive Dance Floors
Egyptian DJ A7Lba-L-Jelly
plays music during a concert in Gizo
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JANUARY 08, 2023
Laser beams illuminate a darkened restaurant turned
dance hall in Cairo as revellers move to thumping beats from female DJs -- part
of a generation of women shaking up Egypt's underground electronic music scene.
"All my life, I've seen men behind the
decks," said party-goer Menna Shanab, 26, as psychedelic visuals reflected
off the waters at the Nile-side venue.
In Egypt's patriarchal society, the music industry
remains male-dominated, while the conservative country's cultural establishment
marginalises and even bans electronic music artists.
Female party-goers for years have complained about
harassment on the dance floor, while many revellers find mainstream venues too
pricey.
Now, a generation of young women DJs are forging their
own path, seeking to create more inclusive spaces for performers and
party-goers alike.
A small but vibrant electronic music scene is
"booming" in the Egyptian capital, according Yemeni music journalist
and occasional DJ Hala K, asking like others AFP interviewed to be identified
only by her stage name.
Aspiring artists are taking inspiration from female
DJs from the region, she added -- such as Palestinian Sama Abdulhadi, who has
performed from Egypt to France and at premier US festival Coachella.
DJ and promoter A7ba-L-Jelly decided to establish her
own collective as part of making the underground electronic dance music scene
more inclusive.
More than 90 percent of women in Egypt aged between 18
and 39 said in 2019 that they had experienced some form of sexual harassment,
according to the Arab Barometer public opinion research network.
"In some places in Egypt, where they play more
commercial music... you won't enter because you are single, or because you
don't look rich enough," A7ba-L-Jelly added.
From the Nile-side dance venue, DJ Yas Meen Selectress
complained that regardless of gender, "there are no dedicated spaces for
us where we can play our music".
"Traditions, society and other factors mean that
there are fewer women than men in the scene," Yas Meen Selectress added.
Less than 20 percent of women are officially employed in the country of 104
million.
Over the past two decades, she has made a name for
herself playing at women-only events from Cairo to the Yemeni capital Sanaa and
Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
Hassan said she DJs at bachelorette parties, gender-segregated
weddings and anywhere a female audience wants to "get dressed up and dance
as they please".
For France-based researcher Hajer Ben Boubaker, the
lack of women DJs runs counter to Egypt's strong tradition of women performers.
"The symbol par excellence of Egyptian music is
still the mythical Umm Kalthoum," she added, referring to the 20th-century
diva revered around the Arab world.
Mahraganat relies heavily on computer-generated and
synthesised beats and features blunt lyrics that tackle topics including love,
power and money.
The country's musicians' union announced late last
year it was abolishing the genre as part of a campaign to "preserve public
taste".
Frederike Berje from Germany's Goethe-Institut in
Cairo noted that Egypt's "music industry, especially the electronic scene,
is heavily dependent on private initiatives and the commitment of individual
artists".
Despite rising numbers of women DJs, however, it
"remains dominated by men -- especially when it comes to production and
management", she added.
Source: Money Control
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A Lecturer, Erika López Prater Showed a Painting of
the Prophet Muhammad, Lost Her Job
Officials at Hamline, in St.
Paul, Minn., had tried to douse what they feared would become a runaway fire.
Instead they ended embroiled in a national controversy.Credit...Jenn Ackerman
for The New York Times
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By Vimal Patel
Jan. 8, 2023
Erika López Prater, an adjunct professor at Hamline
University, said she knew many Muslims have deeply held religious beliefs that
prohibit depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. So last semester for a global art
history class, she took many precautions before showing a 14th-century painting
of Islam’s founder.
In the syllabus, she warned that images of holy
figures, including the Prophet Muhammad and the Buddha, would be shown in the
course. She asked students to contact her with any concerns, and she said no
one did.
In class, she prepped students, telling them that in a
few minutes, the painting would be displayed, in case anyone wanted to leave.
Officials at Hamline, a small, private university in
St. Paul, Minn., with about 1,800 undergraduates, had tried to douse what they
feared would become a runaway fire. Instead they ended up with what they had
tried to avoid: a national controversy, which pitted advocates of academic
liberty and free speech against Muslims who believe that showing the image of
Prophet Muhammad is always sacrilegious.
After Dr. López Prater showed the image, a senior in
the class complained to the administration. Other Muslim students, not in the
course, supported the student, saying the class was an attack on their
religion. They demanded that officials take action.
Officials told Dr. López Prater that her services next
semester were no longer needed. In emails to students and faculty, they said
that the incident was clearly Islamophobic. Hamline’s president, Fayneese S.
Miller, co-signed an email that said respect for the Muslim students “should
have superseded academic freedom.” At a town hall, an invited Muslim speaker
compared showing the images to teaching that Hitler was good.
Free speech supporters started their own campaign. An
Islamic art historian wrote an essay defending Dr. López Prater and started a
petition demanding the university’s board investigate the matter. It had more
than 2,800 signatures. Free speech groups and publications issued blistering
critiques; PEN America called it “one of the most egregious violations of
academic freedom in recent memory.” And Muslims themselves debated whether the
action was Islamophobic.
Arguments over academic freedom have been fought on
campuses for years, but they can be especially fraught at small private
colleges like Hamline, which are facing shrinking enrollment and growing
financial pressures. To attract applicants, many of these colleges have
diversified their curriculums and tried to be more welcoming to students who
have been historically shut out of higher education.
Meanwhile, professors everywhere often face pushback
for their academic decisions from activist students or conservative lawmakers.
Dr. López Prater’s situation was especially
precarious. She is an adjunct, one of higher education’s underclass of
teachers, working for little pay and receiving few of the workplace protections
enjoyed by tenured faculty members.
University officials and administrators all declined
interviews. But Dr. Miller, the school’s president, defended the decision in a
statement.
“To look upon an image of the Prophet Muhammad, for
many Muslims, is against their faith,” Dr. Miller’s statement said, adding, “It
was important that our Muslim students, as well as all other students, feel
safe, supported and respected both in and out of our classrooms.”
In a December interview with the school newspaper, the
student who complained to the administration, Aram Wedatalla, described being
blindsided by the image.
Todd H. Green, who has written books about
Islamophobia, said the conflict at Hamline was “tragic” because administrators
pitted natural allies — those concerned about stereotypes of Muslims and Islam
— against one another.
The painting shown in Dr. López Prater’s class is in
one of the earliest Islamic illustrated histories of the world, “A Compendium
of Chronicles,” written during the 14th century by Rashid-al-Din (1247-1318).
Shown regularly in art history classes, the painting
shows a winged and crowned Angel Gabriel pointing at the Prophet Muhammad and
delivering to him the first Quranic revelation. Muslims believe that the Quran
comprises the words of Allah dictated to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel
Gabriel.
The image is “a masterpiece of Persian manuscript
painting,” said Christiane Gruber, a professor of Islamic art at the University
of Michigan. It is housed at the University of Edinburgh; similar paintings
have been on display at places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And a
sculpture of the prophet is at the Supreme Court.
Dr. Gruber said that showing Islamic art and
depictions of the Prophet Muhammad have become more common in academia, because
of a push to “decolonize the canon” — that is, expand curriculum beyond a
Western model.
Dr. Gruber, who wrote the essay in New Lines Magazine
defending Dr. López Prater, said that studying Islamic art without the
Compendium of Chronicles image “would be like not teaching Michaelangelo’s
David.”
Yet, most Muslims believe that visual representations
of Muhammad should not be viewed, even if the Quran does not explicitly
prohibit them. The prohibition stems from the belief that an image of Muhammad
could lead to worshiping the prophet rather than the god he served.
There are, however, a range of beliefs. Some Muslims
distinguish between respectful depictions and mocking caricatures, while others
do not subscribe to the restriction at all.
Omid Safi, a professor of Asian and Middle Eastern
Studies at Duke University, said he regularly shows images of the Prophet
Muhammad in class and without Dr. López Prater’s opt-out mechanisms. He
explains to his students that these images were works of devotion created by
pious artists at the behest of devout rulers.
“That’s the part I want my students to grapple with,”
Dr. Safi said. “How does something that comes from the very middle of the
tradition end up being received later on as something marginal or forbidden?”
Dr. López Prater, a self-described art nerd, said she
knew about the potential for conflict on Oct. 6, when she began her online
lecture with 30 or so students.
She said she spent a few minutes explaining why she
was showing the image, how different religions have depicted the divine and how
standards change over time.
“I do not want to present the art of Islam as
something that is monolithic,” she said in an interview, adding that she had
been shown the image as a graduate student. She also showed a second image,
from the 16th century, which depicted Muhammad wearing a veil.
After the class ended, Ms. Wedatalla, a business major
and president of the university’s Muslim Student Association, stuck around to
voice her discomfort.
Immediately afterward, Dr. López Prater sent an email
to her department head, Allison Baker, about the encounter; she thought that
Ms. Wedatalla might complain.
Omid Safi, a professor at Duke University, fled to the
United States from Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war. He packed an image of
Muhammad holding a Quran into one of the family’s few suitcases.Credit...Veasey
Conway for The New York Times
As Dr. López Prater predicted, Ms. Wedatalla reached
out to administrators. Dr. López Prater, with Ms. Baker’s help, wrote an
apology, explaining that sometimes “diversity involves bringing contradicting,
uncomfortable and coexisting truths into conversation with each other.”
Ms. Wedatalla declined an interview request, and did
not explain why she had not raised concerns before the image was shown. But in
an email statement, she said images of Prophet Muhammad should never be
displayed, and that Dr. López Prater gave a trigger warning precisely because
she knew such images were offensive to many Muslims. The lecture was so
disturbing, she said, that she could no longer see herself in that course.
Four days after the class, Dr. López Prater was
summoned to a video meeting with the dean of the college of liberal arts,
Marcela Kostihova.
Dr. López Prater said she was ready to move on. She
had teaching jobs at other schools. But on Nov. 7, David Everett, the vice
president for inclusive excellence, sent an email to all university employees,
saying that certain actions taken in an online class were “undeniably
inconsiderate, disrespectful and Islamophobic.”
The administration, after meeting with the school’s
Muslim Student Association, would host an open forum “on the subject of
Islamophobia,” he wrote.
Dr. López Prater, who had only begun teaching at
Hamline in the fall, said she felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped
over her head, but the shock soon gave way to “blistering anger at being
characterized in those terms by somebody who I have never even met or spoken
with.” She reached out to Dr. Gruber, who ended up writing the essay and
starting the petition.
At the Dec. 8 forum, which was attended by several
dozen students, faculty and administrators, Ms. Wedatalla described, often
through tears, how she felt seeing the image.
Other Muslim students on the panel, all Black women,
also spoke tearfully about struggling to fit in at Hamline. Students of color
in recent years had protested what they called racist incidents; the
university, they said, paid lip service to diversity and did not support
students with institutional resources.
The main speaker was Jaylani Hussein, the executive
director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
a Muslim civil rights group.
“If this institution wants to value those students,”
he added, “it cannot have incidents like this happen. If somebody wants to
teach some controversial stuff about Islam, go teach it at the local library.”
“When you say ‘trust Muslims on Islamophobia,’” Dr.
Berkson asked, “what does one do when the Islamic community itself is divided
on an issue? Because there are many Muslim scholars and experts and art
historians who do not believe that this was Islamophobic.”
Mr. Hussein responded that there were marginal and
extremist voices on any issue. “You can teach a whole class about why Hitler
was good,” Mr. Hussein said.
During the exchange, Ms. Baker, the department head,
and Dr. Everett, the administrator, separately walked up to the religion
professor, put their hands on his shoulders and said this was not the time to
raise these concerns, Dr. Berkson said in an interview.
“We were being asked to accept, without questioning,
that what our colleague did — teaching an Islamic art masterpiece in a class on
art history after having given multiple warnings — was somehow equivalent to
mosque vandalism and violence against Muslims and hate speech,” Dr. Berkson
said. “That is what I could not stand.”
Mark Berkson, a religion professor at Hamline, took
issue with the idea that showing the image was the equivalent of hate
speech.Credit...Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times
In interviews, several Islamic art scholars took issue
with the idea that Dr. López Prater’s intent was to disrespect the prophet, and
said that it was nothing like the cartoons in Charlie Hebdo, the French
satirical magazine that had reprinted mocking cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.
That led to the deadly 2015 attack at the magazine’s offices, which the
scholars also denounced.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the deputy executive director
of the national chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that
he did not have enough information to comment on the Hamline dispute. But while
his group discourages visual depictions of the prophet, he said that there was
a difference between an act that was un-Islamic and one that was Islamophobic.
“If you drink a beer in front of me, you’re doing
something that is un-Islamic, but it’s not Islamophobic,” he said. “If you
drink a beer in front of me because you’re deliberately trying to offend me,
well then, maybe that has an intent factor.”
“Intent and circumstances matter,” he said,
“especially in a university setting, where academic freedom is critical and
professors often address sensitive and controversial topics.”
Dr. Safi, the Duke professor, said Hamline had
effectively taken sides in a debate among Muslims. Students “don’t have to give
up their values,” he added. “But some part of the educational process does call
for stepping beyond each one of our vantage points enough to know that none of
us have the monopoly on truth.”
Dr. Safi has his own personal image of the prophet.
When he was 14, his family fled to the United States from Tehran during the
Iran-Iraq war. He packed an image of Muhammad holding a Quran into one of the
family’s few suitcases.
Source: Ny Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/08/us/hamline-university-islam-prophet-muhammad.html
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Helmand, Afghanistan, Elders Want Girls’ Education In
Islamic Framework
Rizwanullah Bilal
7 Jan 2023
LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): Tribal leaders in southern
Helmand province on Saturday held a meeting to call on the caretaker government
to provide education to girls in . . .
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Source: Pajhwok
https://pajhwok.com/2023/01/07/helmand-elders-want-girls-education-in-islamic-framework/
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Bangla Global Foundation Chairperson, Seema Hamid
Awarded With Honorary Doctorate Degree From World University Of Leadership And
Management
08 January, 2023
The World University of Leadership and Management has
awarded Youth Bangla Global Foundation chairperson and noted philanthropist
Seema Hamid an honorary doctorate degree for her contribution to social
development.
Chancellor of the university Randi D Ward, handed over
the degree to Seema Hamid at a ceremony in Dubai, UAE, on Saturday.
Four people were awarded doctorate degrees at the
ceremony. Among them, two each were awarded honorary doctorate degrees and
professional degrees for their contributions in various fields, according to a
press release.
Seema Hamid has been awarded with the special honour for
her social service and significant contributions to women's empowerment,
entrepreneurship and leadership development, employment creation, and
environmental activism.
Seema Hamid has been awarded by various local and
international institutions for her role in social service, women's empowerment,
and leadership development.
Last year, she received the Global Youth Leadership
Award at the 'Global Youth Leadership Summit-2022' held in Bangkok, Thailand.
She received the 'Durga Samman 2022 Award' in India for social service and
women's development the same year.
Source: Tbs News
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Winners crowned on final day of Saudi women’s fencing
championship
ARAB NEWS
January 07, 2023
RIYADH: The President of the Saudi Fencing Federation,
Ahmed Al-Sabban, crowned the winners of the Kingdom’s Fencing Championship for
Women (Silver Round) for under and over-15s on Saturday.
The tournament was held at the Saudi Fencing
Federation Hall in Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City in Dammam, with the
participation of 90 fencers from 10 clubs.
Anahid Al-Khaibari won the gold medal in the under-15s
foil, Talin Al-Qadmani won the gold in the sabre, while Lamar Arslan took gold
in the épée.
In the over-15s competition, Lynn Al-Fouzan won the
gold medal in the foil, Ahed Al-Muammar took gold in the sabre, while Fawzia
Al-Khaibri claimed gold in the épée.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2228256/sport
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Pakistan women team reaches Australia for white-ball
cricket
By Web Desk
January 07, 2023
Pakistan women team under the leadership of Bismah
Maroof has reached Brisbane to play three ODIs and as many T20Is against hosts
Australia.
As shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Bismah
and company landed in Brisbane today.
The green shirts left Karachi after having a training
camp ahead of the tour.
They will play three ODIs — part of the ICC Women’s
Cricket Championship 2022-25 — and three T20Is in Australia.
The three ODIs will be played on 16, 18 and 21
January, while the three T20Is will be held on 24, 26 and 29 January.
After the white-ball series against Australia, the
Pakistan squad will leave for South Africa from Melbourne to feature in the ICC
Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.
Bismah Maroof (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana
Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra
Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and
Sidra Nawaz (wk)
Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha
Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu,
Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba
Hassan
Ayesha Ashhar (team manager), Saleem Jaffer (bowling
coach and interim head coach), Taufiq Umar (batting coach), Mauhtashim Rashid
(fielding coach), Yasir Malik (strength and conditioning coach), Muhammad
Zubair Ahmad (analyst), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media and digital content manager)
and Rifat Gill (physiotherapist).
Source: Geosuper.Tv
https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/21613-pakistan-women-team-reaches-australia-for-white-ball-cricket
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/egypt-women-dj-dance/d/128826