It Is A Shame To See The French Court Uphold The Ban On Wearing Abayas In Schools; It Is A Religious Way, Or A Secular Way?: Letters To The Editor, Independent, UK
New
Age Islam News Bureau
10
September 2023
• It Is A Shame To See The French Court Uphold The Ban
On Wearing Abayas In Schools; It Is A
Religious Way, Or A Secular Way?:
• French Shrug Off Muslim Upset At Abaya Ban In
Schools
• In ‘Macho’ Mexico, Stage Set For First Female
President
• Scots Aid Worker Charity In Bid To Help 20 Afghan
Students
• 358 Municipal Wards In Jammu And Kashmir Reserved
For Women
• African Games Silver Medallist Marine Fatoumata Camara:
"Boxing Is Empowerment For Women"
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/french-court-abaya-secular-religious/d/130642
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It Is A Shame To See The French Court Uphold The Ban
On Wearing Abayas In Schools; It Is A
Religious Way, Or A Secular Way?:
A young woman wearing an
abaya, centre, on a street in Nantes, western France, on August 31, 2023 [File:
Loic Venance/AFP]
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10-09-2023
It is a shame to see the French court uphold the ban
on wearing abayas in schools, and also just a bit absurd.
I am a British Muslim woman who has been happily
accommodating her needs for a loose outer covering – and from UK stores at that
– for years. Just get me a trench coat from M&S or a shirtdress from Uniqlo
and I’m good to go. Am I dressing in a religious way, or a secular way? You
tell me.
As a Muslim, I believe that it is our duty to obey the
laws of the land in which we live. On the other hand, I don’t think anyone can
seriously believe that wearing what is essentially a slightly slack maxidress
is breaking the law.
But what’s partly so jarring about all this, is that
the French understand fashion. Before France was known for this awkwardly
oppressive brand of secularism, it was better known and respected throughout
the world for its influence on fashion and style.
Therefore, the idea that France would take such an
authoritarian approach to the clothing of young women is unfortunate, to say
the least.
Religious fashion is still fashion. It has its own
history, evolution, and iterations of style. It requires skill and
craftsmanship to achieve a certain effect. Modesty and beauty can coexist, and
even complement each other. But beauty can’t coexist with bad taste, and that’s
what this ruling leaves in my mouth.
I have only been reading The Independent for a decade
but I have rarely, if ever, seen the whole content of Voices/Letters decrying
the Conservative government from so many perspectives as in yesterday’s issue.
There is little to add to the contributors’ opinions
except to say that it was the conservative lies and subterfuge used to secure a
positive vote for Brexit that ended continued membership of the Horizon
project. Rishi Sunak is merely righting a grievous wrong his party inflicted on
British development.
Nothing of any consequence has been gained in the past
13 years that wasn’t already in place while we were members of the EU. Our
standard of living has been severely eroded since David Cameron jumped into bed
with the Lib Dems. Mr Sunak may be a sharper negotiator than the failures that
are Lord Frost and Boris Johnson, but he is simply putting right past failed
policies.
Britain has lost perhaps a whole generation of
development and progress due entirely to the mismanagement and incompetence of
the Tory party. Why should we trust them to work for the British people in the
future instead of business and the rich one per cent? Just look at who have
benefited while we are in this period of high inflation, war in Ukraine,
Covid-19 and financial crisis in Britain.
As Friday’s editorial points out, Rishi Sunak has done
well with such things as Horizon and the Windsor Framework. Unlike some others
in his party, he seems to be a competent politician and a pretty decent sort of
chap. The same can be said of Sir Keir Starmer.
What a pity that our political system causes them both
to be shackled to two parties which are each a coalition of fairly reasonable
people and a relatively small (but regrettably influential) group of extremists.
The result is that, instead of getting on with what
needs to be done, the leaders spend time and energy putting each other down,
wooing voters with populist policies and trying to hold their party together by
placating the immoderate factions.
There must be a better way, mustn’t there? The
solution isn’t simple. But the first step must be a reformed voting system.
Some form of proportionality would mean that every vote counted, and no one
party would have a huge majority over all the others. In a coalition, the vote
of each MP would therefore count for more and the wisest heads of all parties
could, when appropriate, cooperate instead of indulging in petty, meaningless
squabbles.
We’re all now wedded to the reality of what happens
when an inept, venal, and blatantly self-interested bunch of politicians are
left to hold power over us for 13 or so consecutive years. We mock their
desperate attempts to lay the blame for all our woes on the previous Labour
regime and their ability to delude themselves that things are looking up.
The letter from Paul Atkins epitomises our growing
exasperation with the length of time they’ve ruled us and, while 13 plus years
is a long time, there is little point in pretending that somehow we’ve had a
series of Tory governments forced upon this country like some immovable
dictatorship. We voted them in, time and time again, like dogs endlessly
returning to their vomit, a gullible electorate has put them back in power.
If Labour can’t pull it off this time having been
presented with an open goal, I suspect the world will regard the British public
as an even greater laughing stock than our hideous government.
Source: independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/france-muslim-woman-france-ban-tories-b2408452.html
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French Shrug Off Muslim Upset At Abaya Ban In Schools
Photo: BBC/ northern France,
August 28, 2023 IMAGE SOURCE,DENIS CHARLET/AFP
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By Hugh Schofield
09-09-2023
Why should a teenage girl not be able to express her
religious beliefs and at the same time pursue an education at school?
Which is, broadly, because there is such a thing as a
French nation, and the teenager is part of it. Nothing defines France, and
separates it from its neighbours, quite so clearly as the issue of la laïcité,
or secularism.
So this week, as outsiders looked on with a mixture of
astonishment and outrage at the banning of the traditional Muslim Abaya robe in
schools, the French themselves gave the measure an overwhelming 81% thumbs-up, according
to polls.
What for many in the outside world - as well as French
Muslim women - came across as a blatant breach of human liberty, was seen in
France as a means to another of the holy Republican triptych: equality.
The first publicised case of Muslim girls being
refused admission to schools because of their dress - head-coverings - was in
the town of Creil near Paris in 1989.
Since then, France has had the 2004 law barring
"conspicuous" displays of religious affiliation in schools; the 2010
law barring the full-face veil in public places; and the 2016 row over
burkinis, which ended up not being banned.
This latest controversy was triggered by government
figures which show that in the last academic year there was a big increase in
what are described as "breaches of secularity" in schools.
Pronounced "ah-bye-ah", it is a
long-sleeved, loose-fitting robe usually worn over other clothing by women in
parts of the Middle East and Africa.
For many Muslim women it has become as much a symbol
of fashion as it has tradition and identity. Luxury fashion brand Dolce &
Gabbana released an abaya collection in 2016 in the Middle East.
In France, the government's view is that abayas
appearing in greater numbers in schools is not just random stories of teenagers
re-discovering an interest in their cultural heritage.
It sees them as deliberate attempts - to varying
degrees organised attempts - to challenge the system and see how far la laïcité
can be pushed back.
The 2004 law banned "conspicuous" signs of
religion - and that clearly encompassed Islamic headscarves, which have now
disappeared from French schools. But did it also include long Islamic-style
dresses?
School heads were clamouring for guidance from
government because they could see the fad becoming a trend, encouraged by
influencers on social media and, according to some, religious groups linked to
the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
The previous education minister Pap Ndiaye refused to
take a stand - influenced, according to his critics, by his background in US academia
and its "wokeish" value system. His replacement since July, Gabriel
Attal, who is a young ally of President Emmanuel Macron, had no such qualms.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and French
Education and Youth Minister Gabriel Attal (L) meet schoolchildren during his
visit at the College Daniel Argote Middle School in Orthez, France, 05
September 2023
"If little girls can go around wearing shorts,
leggings, dresses, then they should also have the right to wear abayas,"
complains Chaimae, a Muslim woman of North African descent who left France
because of the disrespect she felt.
SokhnaMaimouna Sow, a Muslim woman of Senegalese
origin who came to France to study 11 years ago, says the ban is nonsense:
"They say this is a country of liberty, but you're not allowed to do
things that are part of your culture and religion."
Lina, a 21-year-old Parisian, sees the abaya as
cultural and nothing to do with Islam: "Every year France comes up with
some new law when it comes to Muslims."
Doura, a French Muslim woman of Egyptian background,
agrees: "It is just a long dress like any other dress, so why ban it in
schools? I don't wear abayas, but I am sad France has reached this point."
The France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party of
Jean-Luc Mélenchon has roundly condemned the ban, accusing the government of
being "obsessed" with Muslims and pandering to the right.
A rally was organized by staff from the
Maurice-Utrillo High School in Stains to protest against the government's abaya
dress ban in schools in Seine-Saint-Deni
Even the left-wing teaching unions are broadly in
favour, confining their attacks to allegations that the abaya is "hiding
the real issues" over lack of funding in schools etc.
"The abaya should be banned at school," a
non-Muslim teacher called Manon told the BBC. "Because when you arrive for
class you shouldn't be able to distinguish anyone's religion."
The truth is that most French people, and that of
course includes many Muslims, genuinely believe in the principle of keeping
religion out of schools.
When he argues that being strict on this actually
ensures individual liberty in the long run, and that it keeps a united France
from splitting into a myriad "communities", they also believe him.
And when feminists say that the abaya may not
technically be a religious garment but its body-hiding form was determined by
traditionalist Islam, most people in France concur.
France's highest administrative court, the State
Council, has rejected a bid to overturn the ban, deciding it was based on
French law and caused no "serious or obviously illegal harm".
Source: www.Bbc.Com
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66753665
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In ‘macho’ Mexico, stage set for first female
president
September 09, 2023
MEXICO CITY: When Mexican presidential contenders
Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Galvez entered politics at the start of the
millennium, more than four in five senators in the country were men. Today, the
majority are women.
The rise of Sheinbaum, who was named on Wednesday as
the ruling party’s candidate for next year’s presidential election, and Galvez,
the main opposition contender, is the culmination of a rapid process of female
inclusion in politics since 2000.
“It’s extraordinary in a patriarchal country,” said
Josefina Vazquez Mota, who made history in 2012 as the first female
presidential candidate for one of Mexico’s main parties.
“I’m sure this is going to be a watershed,” added
Vazquez Mota, a senator who, like Galvez, represents the center-right National
Action Party, or PAN, which ruled from 2000-2012.
Many women in Mexico, who make up 52 percent of the
population, hope the government that takes office in October 2024 will empower
them as never before.
“Just imagine having a female president in a country
as macho as Mexico!” said Maria del Carmen Garcia, 70, a secretary who said
women’s pay needs to catch up with men’s.
Latest polls suggest either former Mexico City Mayor
Sheinbaum, the current favorite and candidate of leftist President Andres
Manuel Lopez Obrador, or Galvez, a businesswoman-turned senator, are likeliest
to win the election.
Still, respected former foreign minister Marcelo
Ebrard, who was runner-up to Sheinbaum in the ruling National Regeneration
Movement’s presidential primary, denounced the contest as unfair and could soon
mount a rival bid.
Almost half of continental Latin America, including
Brazil, has already elected female heads of government, but only Honduras and
Peru currently have women presidents. Victory for Sheinbaum or Galvez would
make them the first woman to win a general election in the United States,
Mexico or Canada.
Home to the world’s second biggest Roman Catholic
population, Mexico was for years a bastion of traditional values that tended to
limit women’s access to a life outside the home.
“We’re only just starting to feel these changes now,”
said Angelica Rodriguez, 49, an accountant who said she lost her government job
two decades ago because she was pregnant. “Because before, men just looked out
for men.”
Women remain seriously under-represented in board
rooms, are paid significantly less than male counterparts, and are more likely
to work in the informal economy, studies show.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2370506/world
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Scots aid worker charity in bid to help 20 Afghan
students
10-09-2023
A charity set up in memory of a Scots aid worker
killed in Afghanistan hopes to get 20 Afghan medical students to Scotland to
finish their studies.
The foundation said that after much waiting and
discussions with both governments, it was no further forward in getting the
women from Afghanistan to Scotland.
The Scottish government said Education Secretary Jenny
Gilruth had met the charity and written to the Home Office seeking "urgent
clarity" on the situation.
Western Isles-based Linda Norgrove Foundation said it
had received distressing messages from the students, which included their fears
about living under Afghanistan's Taliban regime.
The Linda Norgrove Foundation said Scotland's five
medical schools made a decision last year to accommodate the 20 students to
complete their studies.
He said the charity had initially been told the
relevant pathway through the UK's Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme would
open in January.
He added: "Our students have gone from being
trainee doctors to facing a closed existence, consigned to cooking, cleaning
and looking after children.
"They aren't allowed to leave the house without a
male chaperone, some fear for their lives and others are likely to be married
off against their will.
"Student support regulations in Scotland allow
home-fee status and access to living cost support to those in the country under
relevant Afghan resettlement schemes.
"We are disappointed that thus far this status
has not been provided, however, we are sure that a pragmatic solution can be
found by the Home Office."
A UK government spokesperson said: "The UK has
made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan
and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 vulnerable people to safety,
including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan resettlement schemes.
"Supporting the resettlement of eligible Afghans
remains a top priority and we continue to work with likeminded partners and
countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe
passage for eligible people."
Source: Www.Bbc.Com
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66754315
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358 Municipal Wards In Jammu And KashmirReserved For
Women
10th September 2023
By Express News Service
As the tenure of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) is
coming to an end and the elections for the municipal and ULBs are likely to be
held by the end of this year or early next year, 358 municipal wards out of a
total of 1,119 municipal wards in J&K have been reserved for women. It is a
move aimed at promoting gender representation in local governance. The
J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has also proposed the reservation of
wards for SC and ST. It has proposed a reservation on 86 wards for SCs and 14
wards for STs. This allocation is based on population data. In Srinagar and
Jammu civic bodies, the highest number of 25 wards are reserved for women.
Rupesh Masson, a 49-year-old businessman and
educationist from Jammu, has purchased one acre of land on the “Lake of
Happiness” tract on the moon after Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the moon. Rupesh, who is the regional director of UCMAS
for J&K and Leh, said he bought land at “Luna Earths Moon”, Tract 55-Parcel
10,772 known as Lacus Felicitatis or Lake of Happiness. He brought the land
from The Lunar Registry at New York City and it was certified on August
25. According to The Lunar Registry
website, the current rate of the plot is Rs 2,405 per acre ($29.07/acre).
The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar
Bidhuri has directed a facelift of government buildings along the major roads
in the Valley. This facelift of government buildings is being done to add more
to the beautification of the city and other major towns of the Valley. The
officials have been instructed to go for a facelift of the government buildings
by painting the exterior walls, boundary walls & roofs to enhance the
aesthetic of these establishments. The officials hope that small interventions
can bring huge change.
Source: New Indian Express
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African Games silver medallist Marine FatoumataCamara:
"Boxing is empowerment for women"
10-09-2023
Marine FatoumataCamara is a trailblazer in the world
of boxing, standing as Mali’s sole female competitor on the international
stage.
She made headlines at home after winning 57 kg silver
at the 2019 African Games, and hopes to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris
2024 at the Boxing Africa qualifier in Dakar, Senegal, 9-15 September.
“When I was young, I was a big WWE wrestling fan. I
wanted to be a wrestler because I was inspired by the entertainment,” Camara
told Olympics.com.
“One day I was walking down the street and there was a
sports forum and that's where I met a boxer. And I asked him, ‘Do you know if
there's a wrestling gym here?’ He said, ‘No, but there is a boxing gym, so
maybe you can try’. I got started and then I never left because I truly fell in
love with the sport.”
Source: Olympics.Com
https://olympics.com/en/news/marine-camara-boxing-empowerment-women-mali-interview
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/french-court-abaya-secular-religious/d/130642