‘We Are Fearful': Muslim Women In France Speak Out Against The Abaya Ban
New Age Islam News
Bureau
09 September 2023
·
'I Am
Fearful': Muslim Women In France Speak Out Against The Abaya Ban
·
On World
Literacy Day, Girls Call for Reopening of Schools in Afghanistan
·
More
Women Police Means ‘Safer Future For Everyone’: Guterres
·
‘India
Was Slow In Inducting Women Cadets In Armed Forces, Bangladesh Did That In
Early 2000s’: Former Army Chief Naravane
·
Gender
Gap Persists On Road To The Sustainable Development Goals: UN Women
·
Afghan Women Decry Unequal Humanitarian Aid
Distribution Over Year-Long Gap
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/fearful--france-abaya-ban/d/130640
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‘We are Fearful': Muslim Women In France Speak Out
Against The Abaya Ban
Polls suggest four out of
five French people back the ban on girls wearing an abaya in school. Photo:
Reuters
-----
Tasnim Nazeer
08 September, 2023
Last month the French government announced it was
banning Abaya’s (long cloak worn by Muslim females) in state schools asserting
that it broke the rules of secularism.
The education minister, Gabriel Attal, told local
French television network TVF1, “I have decided that the Abaya could no longer
be worn in schools,” maintaining that a person's religion should not be
identifiable.
However, 15-year-old student Amira from Lyon,
Southwest France, says she will not be removing her Abaya.
“It’s part of my identity (the Abaya), it’s part of me
and I am fearful of having it forcibly removed just so that I can have an
education, but I am determined not to remove it. I am in a critical year where
I will be having exams and this is already affecting me," she tells The
New Arab.
“I feel worried and anxious about going to school as I
don’t know if they will turn me away or what the consequences of keeping it on
will be,” she adds.
"If this is about secularism then shouldn’t we
all have the basic right to have the freedom to choose what we wear?"
Amira is not alone, as dozens of girls were sent home
for wearing the Abaya, as the new school term began this week. According to
official figures, there were 298 Muslim girls, mostly aged 15 and older, who
turned up in Abaya and 67 of those were sent home after refusing to remove the
garment to come into school.
“If this is about secularism then shouldn’t we all
have the basic right to have the freedom to choose what we wear? Some of my
friends who wear Abaya are so upset, some even feel like moving out of the
country,” says Amira as her voice breaks.
Amira says not everyone agrees with the Abaya ban,
“Some of my friends from other faiths are angered too, they tell me what’s
wrong with wearing a long dress? I feel supported by them, but not everyone is
the same, there are some (students) that make me feel pressured to take it off
and come back to school. They tell me the consequences will be worse if I don’t
remove it.”
An organisation representing Muslims has submitted a
formal request to the highest legal authority in France for grievances against
the government's actions. The request seeks to challenge the prohibition of the
Abaya and a motion presented by the Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) is
currently under review.
Laura, (name changed for confidentiality) is a mother
of three girls and revert to Islam. She feels that the latest move by the
government could be “detrimental” to young girls like her daughters.
“We all know that Islamophobia is a problem in this
(France) country. First, there was a hijab ban then the burka ban and now the
Abaya. The government is acting under the guise of secularism but really this
is about instilling more of a divide and isolating young Muslim girls,” she
tells The New Arab.
The UN has also criticised France’s decision to ban
the Abaya stating that, ‘according to international human rights standards,
restrictions on manifestations of religion or belief, including the choice of
clothing, are only permitted in very limited circumstances, such as public
safety, public order, health or morals.’
Laura believes that more organisations and rights
groups should speak up worldwide. “What would you do if it was your daughter
who had to face this kind of scrutiny at school just for wearing modest
clothes? My daughter cried after being teased for wearing an Abaya at school
and this kind of bullying is reinforced by the government’s crackdown on
Muslims in France and their preoccupation with what we (Muslim women) wear.”
It’s a sentiment that is echoed by Fatima, a mother of
one teenage girl and two boys who live in Paris.
“It’s a difficult time for us. My daughter wears the
Abaya and the ban is bringing on anxiety issues. Many young Muslim girls are
having an internal conflict because, on one hand, they do want to comply with
the laws but when the laws are so discriminatory they feel this is violating
basic human rights,” Fatima says.
France’s education minister Gabriel Attal had sent a
letter home to the families of girls who refused to remove the Abaya, saying
that “secularism is not a constraint, it is a liberty”.
“If this is not a constraint to human rights I don’t
know what is," Fatima continues. "My daughter had to remove it to go
to school even though she didn’t want to. She can’t afford to miss her
education over this but it’s a sad reality that we are faced with. I do hope
that they reverse this decision and I know that activists are speaking out more
now but who knows what the future will hold."
Source: newarab.com
https://www.newarab.com/features/muslim-women-france-speak-out-against-Abaya-ban
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On World Literacy Day, Girls Call for Reopening of
Schools in Afghanistan
Afghan women and girls
studying at a Kabul madrassa. There has been a surge in enrolments to religious
schools. Reuters
------
September 8, 2023
International Literacy Day comes as it has been nearly
720 days that girls above the sixth grade in Afghanistan have been denied
access to education.
Some female students who were deprived of education
asked the current government to open schools and universities for girls.
“Today is International Literacy Day, and it has been
two years that girls could not continue their education,” said Mehria, a
student from Mazar-e-Sharif.
“We ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen schools for
girls and give us our rights,” said Zarmina, a student from Jawzjan.
“Once again we ask the Islamic Emirate to lift
restrictions on education of girls so that we can continue our education,” said
Maryam Sadat, a student from Bamiyan.
Meanwhile, some religious clerics and citizens said
that providing the opportunity of education to girls is for the benefit of the
country.
“The current rulers should provide the opportunity of
going to university to the women of Afghanistan,” said Faiazi, a religious
cleric.
“As a father, I ask the government to provide the
opportunity of education to the girls of this country,” said Rahimullah, a
resident of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The Islamic Emirate hasn't commented on this recently,
but it has consistently stated that efforts are being made to reopen the
country's schools and universities for girls and that the ban on women and
girls' education is not permanent.
Source: tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185016
--------
‘India Was Slow In Inducting Women Cadets In Armed
Forces, Bangladesh Did That In Early 2000s’: Former Army Chief Naravane
By: Express News Service
September 9, 2023
Former Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Naravane
Friday highlighted that while Bangladesh began admitting women cadets into its
armed forces training institutes in the early 2000s, India was slow in making a
similar decision.
The first women cadets joined the National Defence
Academy (NDA) only in July 2022, the retired Army General said at the Natcon
2023 national conference, co-hosted by the National Institute of Personnel
Management (NIPM).
“On diversity, would like to give an example of
Bangladesh. I visited the military academy in Bangladesh. I was surprised to
know that the Bangladesh Military Academy had started admitting women cadets as
early as the 2000s. Here, we were denying this opportunity to our girls,” he
said while stressing to keep the aspect of diversity resolutely in mind in
“whatever we do”.
The inaugural group of woman cadets, belonging to the
148th course, is expected to graduate in May 2025.
The two-day event saw the participation of over 25
Indian and international industry experts, more than 1,000 HR managers and
delegates from various sectors.
Baba Kalyani, founder of Bharat Forge, said that
currently India is making strides in technology and competing with the likes of
China on the international stage.
“When we came as producers in the market, the demands
of human resources and technology were different. International markets were
highly competitive and access to technology was not as easy as now. But now
India is making progress in technology and competing with the likes of China on
the international stage, there is a significant transformation in our
capabilities,” Kalyani said.
Adding to this, General Narvane pointed out the
importance of qualities like empathy, selflessness and decision-making skills
for leadership which can be cultivated through continuous efforts.
On the occasion, the NIPM Ratna Award was presented to
Santosh Bhawe, a convenor of Natcon 2023, and P Premchand, an entrepreneur.
The event was attended by NIPM national president
Vishwesh Kulkarni, NIPM Pune Chapter chairperson Kalyan Pawar, among others.
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/india-women-cadets-armed-forces-bangladesh-former-army-chief-naravane-8931900/
-----
Gender Gap Persists On Road To The Sustainable
Development Goals: UN Women
7 September 2023SDGs
The world is falling worryingly short in terms of
closing the gender gap as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
warned UN Women on Thursday.
The new Gender Snapshot report from the UN’s gender
equality agency at this midway point towards the SDGs warns that if current
trends continue, over 340 million women and girls will be living in poverty by
2030.
That represents eight per cent of the female
population worldwide.
Close to one in four will experience moderate or
severe food insecurity and at the current rate of progress, the next generation
of women will still be spending 2.3 more hours per day on unpaid care and
domestic work than men.
UN Women’s report also notes that the gender gap in
power and leadership positions “remains entrenched”.
‘Call to action’
Sarah Hendriks, the agency’s acting Deputy Executive
Director described it as “a resounding call to action.
“We must collectively and intentionally act now to
course-correct for a world where every woman and girl has equal rights,
opportunities, and representation. To achieve this, we need unwavering
commitment, innovative solutions, and collaboration across all sectors and
stakeholders.”
The report provides comprehensive analysis on gender
factors across all 17 SDGs, in light of the ambitious goal of achieving true
equality.
It includes sex-disaggregated data on the
intersections of gender and climate change for the first time. It projects that
by mid-century, under a worst-case climate scenario, climate change may push up
to 158.3 million more women and girls into poverty.
That’s 16 million more than the figure for men and
boys.
Unequal struggle
The report also finds that older women face higher
rates of poverty and violence than older men.
In 28 of the 116 countries with data, fewer than half
of older women have a pension.
Halfway to 2030, progress on SDG 5 - gender equality -
is clearly way off track. The report shows that the world is simply failing
women and girls with only two Goal 5 indicators “close to target” and no
indicator at the “target met or almost met” level.
In money terms, it suggests that an extra $360 billion
per year in needed to achieve equality and women’s empowerment across key
goals.
‘Foundation of a fair society’
“Gender equality is not just a goal within the 2030
Agenda,” said Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, who heads up Policy Coordination at
the UN’s economic and social affairs department, DESA.
“It is the very foundation of a fair society, and a
goal upon which all other goals must stand.
“By breaking down the barriers that have hindered the
full participation of women and girls in every aspect of society, we unleash
the untapped potential that can drive progress and prosperity for all.”
Source: news.un.org
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1140472
-----
Afghan Women Decry Unequal Humanitarian Aid
Distribution Over Year-Long Gap
Fidel Rahmati
September 8, 2023
The United
Nations Coordination Office (OCHA) recently published a report indicating that
one million women and girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of humanitarian
assistance.
Qudsia, a woman renting in Kabul, said, “We received
help several times almost two years ago, but since then, we have not received
any assistance.”
OCHA’s report, released on September 4th, highlights
that one million women and 700,000 children have been deprived of humanitarian
aid in 2023 due to funding shortages.
Meanwhile, some women in Afghanistan, left
empty-handed, describe the unequal distribution of humanitarian aid and claim
they have not received any help for over a year.
Several of these women, speaking with Khaama Press
News Agency, reveal they are facing significant economic hardships and have not
received any assistance for over a year.
Qudsia, a Kabul resident, added, “We received help
several times almost two years ago, but since then, we have not received any
assistance.”
She has five children, and her husband is unemployed.
Two of their children are also ill, and she cannot afford their treatment. She
emphasizes the unfair distribution of aid in Afghanistan and urges humanitarian
organizations to address the needs of the Afghan people.
However, a United Nations investigation shows that
after the Taliban’s ban on women working, 86% of domestic and international NGO
activities have been halted or severely reduced.
The United Nations Women’s Division had previously
announced that out of 151 active NGOs in Afghanistan, 86% of organizations
managed by women or focused on providing services to women had suspended or
greatly limited their activities in response to the Taliban’s decision to prohibit
women from working in non-governmental organizations.
Sahar is a mother of five and lives in the Kishima
district of Badakhshan province. She told Khaama Press News Agency that her
husband is addicted, and she is the sole provider for her family.
According to Sahar, she used to receive food aid from
relief organizations like the World Food Program, but recently, she has not
received any assistance. This lack of assistance comes when she knows her
family’s livelihood depends on it.
After the ban on women working in non-governmental
organizations, the United Nations named the Taliban’s action unjust. They
emphasized that this restriction is hitting the women who rely on assistance
the hardest, especially in remote areas.
Riza Gul is another needy woman who sells items on the
streets of Kabul and relies on humanitarian aid. She says that she has not
received any assistance in the past year. She also complains about the
distribution process and finds it opaque.
Riza Gul says, “Sometimes aid comes to our area, but
we have no intermediary to help us.”
The increase in people’s needs and the unemployment of
all women in Afghanistan are direct consequences of the Taliban’s rule. Women’s
rights activists believe that the interim administration’s efforts to exclude
women from the workforce and intentionally remove them from social spheres have
increased women’s dependency on humanitarian aid.
Maryam Sediqi, a journalist and women’s rights
activist said to Khaama Press News Agency, “Women have been removed from all
sectors, and a significant portion of them are the breadwinners of their
families. They are not allowed to work, which increases their reliance on
humanitarian aid.”
According to her, the activities of relief
organizations, even with male staff only, are another factor that deprives
needy women of humanitarian assistance: “After September 2022, these relief
organizations continue their activities with male personnel, which means the
needs that were previously identified by female staff in these organizations
have been paralyzed.”
The woman renting in Kabul said, “We received help
several times almost two years ago, but since then, we have not received any
assistance.”
OCHA’s report, released on September 4th, highlights
that one million women and 700,000 children have been deprived of humanitarian
aid in 2023 due to funding shortages.
Meanwhile, some women in Afghanistan, left
empty-handed, describe the unequal distribution of humanitarian aid and claim
they have not received any help for over a year.
Several of these women, speaking with Khaama Press
News Agency, reveal they are facing significant economic hardships and have not
received any assistance for over a year.
Qudsia, a Kabul resident, added, “We received help
several times almost two years ago, but since then, we have not received any
assistance.”
She has five children, and her husband is unemployed.
Two of their children are also ill, and she cannot afford their treatment. She
emphasizes the unfair distribution of aid in Afghanistan and urges humanitarian
organizations to address the needs of the Afghan people.
However, a United Nations investigation shows that
after the Taliban’s ban on women working, 86% of domestic and international NGO
activities have been halted or severely reduced.
The United Nations Women’s Division had previously
announced that out of 151 active NGOs in Afghanistan, 86% of organizations
managed by women or focused on providing services to women had suspended or
greatly limited their activities in response to the Taliban’s decision to
prohibit women from working in non-governmental organizations.
Sahar is a mother of five and lives in the Kishima
district of Badakhshan province. She told Khaama Press News Agency that her
husband is addicted, and she is the sole provider for her family.
According to Sahar, she used to receive food aid from
relief organizations like the World Food Program, but recently, she has not
received any assistance. This lack of assistance comes when she knows her
family’s livelihood depends on it.
After the ban on women working in non-governmental
organizations, the United Nations named the Taliban’s action unjust. They
emphasized that this restriction is hitting the women who rely on assistance
the hardest, especially in remote areas.
Riza Gul is another needy woman who sells items on the
streets of Kabul and relies on humanitarian aid. She says that she has not
received any assistance in the past year. She also complains about the
distribution process and finds it opaque.
Riza Gul says, “Sometimes aid comes to our area, but
we have no intermediary to help us.”
The increase in people’s needs and the unemployment of
all women in Afghanistan are direct consequences of the Taliban’s rule. Women’s
rights activists believe that the interim administration’s efforts to exclude
women from the workforce and intentionally remove them from social spheres have
increased women’s dependency on humanitarian aid.
Maryam Sediqi, a journalist and women’s rights
activist said to Khaama Press News Agency, “Women have been removed from all
sectors, and a significant portion of them are the breadwinners of their
families. They are not allowed to work, which increases their reliance on
humanitarian aid.”
According to her, the activities of relief
organizations, even with male staff only, are another factor that deprives
needy women of humanitarian assistance: “After September 2022, these relief
organizations continue their activities with male personnel, which means the
needs that were previously identified by female staff in these organizations
have been paralyzed.”
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-women-decry-unequal-humanitarian-aid-distribution-over-year-long-gap/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/fearful--france-abaya-ban/d/130640