The Rise Of Hijab Bans From Tajikistan To Europe | War Against Women
New Age Islam News Bureau
15 Nov2024
· The Rise Of Hijab Bans From Tajikistan To Europe | War Against Women
· UN: 14,000 pregnant women affected by Israeli attacks in Lebanon
· Elderly woman burnt to death in Ranau house fire
· Voices From Afghanistan: Women Speak Of The Struggle For Education
· Afghan Women: Dragged Into A Dark Age
· Afghanistan refugee women to feature in exhibition cricket match in Australia
· A woman was accosted in Tehran. The Iranian police arrested her.
· Iran sets up ‘treatment clinic’ for women defying hijab laws
· Fact Check | Did Sanjay Raut say Shiv Sena (UBT) will give Muslim women Rs 6,000?
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijab-bans-tajikistan-europe-against-women/d/133720
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The Rise Of Hijab Bans From Tajikistan To Europe | War Against Women
14 November 2024
The Rise Of Hijab Bans From Tajikistan To Europe | Photo: Getty Images
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Tajikistan, a country with a 95 percent Muslim population, made headlines in June this year by banning the hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women. The Central Asian nation's parliament described it as an "alien garment."
The move didn’t surprise many, given the long history of governments dictating what women can and can't wear. The hijab, which is viewed by the Western world as a symbol of suppression, is being defended by Muslim women across the world, who argue that banning it violates their right to choose and is discriminatory.
Experts believe the ban has increased both the popularity and acceptance of the hijab among Muslim women in many parts of the world. As the hijab has become increasingly visible in global metropolises, it has also become more politicised.
However the ban is neither new nor entirely a Western concept. Historically, leaders like Reza Shah Pahlavi in Iran and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey banned or restricted the hijab to promote secular values. Afghanistan’s King Amanullah also discouraged its use in the 1920s and 1930s. In contrast, the Islamic Republic of Iran has mandated the hijab since 1979 as a symbol of its fundamentalist ideology, while the Taliban in Afghanistan has also made it compulsory for women.
While these countries enforce the mandatory wearing of the traditional headwear, several European countries have banned it or are considering banning it in certain public areas. In 2021, the European Union Court of Justice declared that EU member states have the authority to prohibit the wearing of the hijab in workplaces and public schools. The court ruled that women could be fired from their jobs for refusing to remove their hijab if they work in a job that deals with the public.
Country-Wide Hijab Bans
France has been at the forefront of hijab bans. In 2004, France introduced legislation prohibiting the wearing of "symbols or clothes through which students conspicuously display their religious affiliation," including the hijab, in public primary schools, middle schools, and secondary schools. France, the host country for the 2024 Olympic Games, has also prohibited Muslim women from competing while wearing a sports hijab or any other type of religious headgear.
A similar law was passed in Austria in 2017, prohibiting headscarves in schools for children up to 10 years of age, with parents facing potential fines of €440 if they continue to send their children to school wearing the hijab.
Italy has banned the hijab-like swimsuit, also known as the "burkini," from its pools and beaches since 2009. Several examples of women being fined or barred from swimming or sunbathing in public have sparked outrage in recent years, particularly in the country’s north. In addition, Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Bulgaria all have laws prohibiting the use of face-covering garments, known as burqas, in schools or public institutions.
Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders — whose party recently formed a government after scoring an unprecedented win in the general election — has long proposed a ban on the hijab as part of a much larger set of anti-Islam measures.
Likewise, in 2022, the BJP-led state government in Karnataka issued an order directing colleges in the state to follow their prescribed dress codes or to prescribe clothes that “do not threaten equality, unity, and public order.” Following this, several educational institutions in Karnataka prevented students from wearing hijabs from entering their premises or classrooms.
The Right to choose
Opponents of laws banning the hijab maintain that such bans restrict a woman's choice of how to dress, and that women should have the right to choose to wear it if they feel it is a part of their identity.
According to Amnesty International, the hijab bans violate a number of women’s rights: They violate freedom of expression, religion, and access to health. They impact Muslim women’s freedom to make decisions about their own lives, control over their bodies, and are a form of gender-based, racist violence.
The practice of wearing the Islamic veil has long been criticised for being oppressive to women. Women who wear the hijab, for any reason, are often reduced to patriarchal victims.
However, this viewpoint is shifting significantly as Muslim women around the world increasingly affirm that wearing the veil expresses their freedom of choice and bodily autonomy in practising their religious beliefs.
https://www.outlookindia.com/international/the-rise-of-hijab-bans-from-tajikistan-to-europe-war-against-women
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UN: 14,000 pregnant women affected by Israeli attacks in Lebanon
14th November 2024
A woman reacts at the scene of an Israeli air raid in the town of Maaysrah, north of Beirut, September 25, 2024. Photo: AP
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About 14,000 pregnant women in Lebanon have been affected by the ongoing Israeli attacks on the country, according to a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The office said that some 1,500 of these women are due to give birth in the coming weeks. It added that the risk of sexual exploitation and assault on women is high in overcrowded shelters in Lebanon
According to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, the war in Lebanon has displaced 880,000 people within the country and 470,000 to neighbouring Syria.
OCHA is seeking 426 million dollars from international donors to provide crucial support to Lebanon’s affected individuals, with only a quarter of the target raised thus far.
Since September 23, the Israeli forces has been intensifying air attacks on Lebanon, escalating tensions with Hezbollah, which has been engaging in firefights across the Lebanese-Israeli border since October 8, 2023.
Since October 8, 2023, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have resulted in 3,365 deaths and 14,344 injuries, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
https://www.siasat.com/un-14000-pregnant-women-affected-by-israeli-attacks-in-lebanon-3131704/
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Elderly woman burnt to death in Ranau house fire
BERNAMA
15-11- 2024
Pix for visual purposes
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RANAU: An elderly woman was found burnt to death in a fire involving two houses in Kampung Muhibbah here early this morning.
Ranau Fire and Rescue Station chief RidwanMohdTaib said the victim, identified as Wong Ling Ying, 74, was discovered in her house, which was 99% destroyed by the fire.
The second house sustained 50% damage.
“The victim’s body has been handed over to the police for further action,” he said when contacted today.
Ridwan said the fire department received a report about the incident at 1.20am, and firefighters from the station were dispatched to the scene.
“Two vehicles were also damaged in the incident, with a four-wheel drive completely destroyed and a car sustaining four per cent damage,” he added.
The fire was brought under control at 2.28 am, and the operation ended at 4.14am.
https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/elderly-woman-burnt-to-death-in-ranau-house-fire-PJ13290087
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Voices From Afghanistan: Women Speak Of The Struggle For Education
15 November 2024
"I miss reading storybooks, studying in the classroom with friends, and talking about big dreams," says Noor from the ancient city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan. Noor, in her early twenties, was accepted into university but could not attend due to Taliban's ban on girls' education beyond sixth grade.
Now, Noor stays at home, passing her days in an endless cycle of idleness. "My eyes wander to the shelf where my school books collect dust," Noor shares. "It's a constant reminder of the education I crave."
The possibility of online studies is a luxury for her. "The cost of the internet is very high in Afghanistan," Noor says. "Most families cannot afford internet access." According to a 2022 Gallup survey, 25 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women reported having access to the internet in Afghanistan.
Noor is hit with a pang of nostalgia, when she turns the pages of her school notebook. A Persian poem on one page is about heroic women. Some lines in the poem read:
In war and peace, they’re always in the lead
Afghan women, with a spirit, indeed
From Zainab and Fatima to Malali Jan
Each one has a story, in the sands of time’s span
Education and knowledge, in their hearts did grow
With every book they read, a future they’d sow
This is the third consecutive year that girls have been barred from school beyond sixth grade, since the fall of the West-backed democratic regime back in August 2021.
Despite promises to “uphold women's rights in line with Sharia law”, girls continue to be excluded from education, and women are banned from most jobs, including nearly all forms of research and teaching. While the Taliban have allowed women to continue attending various University courses, this exception will also fall away if no more girls graduate from high school.
Through phone calls and texts, many Afghan women shared their stories with Outlook.
Nazanin, also in her early twenties, shares Noor's plight. A law student when the Taliban took power, she was forced to abandon her studies. "I loved financial and criminal law books," she recalls.
"I feel like a prisoner in my own country," Nazanin says. “What’s unfortunate is that the first word in the Quran is Iqra (Read), which is what they are trying to keep us from.”
The Taliban's actions have left her "demotivated, aimless, and forgotten." Nazanin says while the Taliban has taken some positive steps for the country, they are not “responsible caretakers of the future mothers and daughters of our nation.”
"Taliban leaders must realise they are answerable before Allah for imposing ignorance upon an entire generation of girls," she says.
Noor and Nazanin share a common fate with the reportedly 2.5 million Afghan girls denied education. Taking into account the number of girls not going to school before the Taliban came to power, the UN’s educational and cultural agency says 80 per cent of Afghan school-age girls are now being denied their right to an education.
The Taliban has barred education for girls arguing that it does not comply with its interpretation of Islam.
Freshta Ghani, the Managing Editor of Zan-Times, a women-led newsroom covering women's issues in Afghanistan, told Outlook, "The only role religion plays in restricting women's education is the role of justification."
"The Taliban have prohibited girls' education for ideological reasons and social control," Freshta explains. "When women are educated and actively participate socially, the Taliban's narrative weakens, and alternative, non-Taliban perspectives gain prominence."
Freshta, who has authored a book "My pen is the wing of a bird” along with other Afghan women writers, believes that Afghanistan is being held hostage by the Taliban's patriarchal rule and that it is up to Afghan women, who are witnessing this injustice firsthand, to fight for their rights.
She adds that women within Afghanistan contribute to Zan-Times by sharing their stories, images, and videos of their lives and surroundings.
In the shadows of Afghanistan's restrictive regime, many women refuse to surrender their dreams and continue to study on their own or online, hoping that they will one day be allowed to study officially. While the country’s ruling regime has not recognised the digital avenue of higher studies, it doesn’t stop girls from studying.
Gulzari, who is in her thirties, is pursuing her PhD from Gujarat University virtually. Her research focuses on the works of Khaled Hosseini and Deborah Ellis and how these award-winning writers write about Afghan culture and the situation of women.
But it's not easy as the internet is very slow. However, Gulzari's day job at a corporate office serves as a lifeline – she uses the company's wifi to submit assignments. "Some jobs are still allowed for women," Gulzari says. Dozens of women work alongside her, holding onto their careers.
Gulzari critiques the Taliban's ban on girls' education. “It contradicts their own goal of a gender-segregated society,” she argues. “Without trained female professionals, how can women in need feel secure and comfortably seek essential services, given we are a conservative society?”
Following Gulzari's path, her sister Malalai, in her early twenties, is among those seeking online education from foreign universities. Malalai recently secured enrolment at a university in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, local online schools established by education activists in Afghanistan provide an alternative for younger girls by offering education up to 12th grade. According to a report by Zan Times, online school administrators and teachers continue to educate students, often without financial or moral support from international organisations or foreign governments.
Shahrzad, a 10th-grade student, attends an online school named Azadi. "My parents always say they will do whatever it takes to fund my education," she says. Shahrzad's mother works to cover her internet expenses.
Despite her relief at being able to continue her studies, Shahrzad is worried about continuing her education after graduation. "My biggest concern is that our certificates won't be recognised outside our online school," she says. "If that happens, I won't be able to get a scholarship or a job."
While women in Afghanistan are barred from many public spaces and jobs, they are allowed to study medical fields like nursing, dentistry, midwifery, internal medicine, pharmacy and more, under specific conditions and with complete hijab.
In Afghanistan's culturally rich city of Herat, Amiri, who is in her early twenties, is part of a dwindling number of female healthcare professionals.
With a diploma in midwifery, Amiri is doing her internship, and provides crucial services from her home--including family planning counselling and prenatal care. Many of her female friends do other tasks like assisting women with childbirth at hospitals.
"Afghanistan desperately needs female doctors," Amiri says. "They're often the only ones women and children can turn to. Traditional families refuse to let female relatives consult male doctors, especially in rural areas.”
With secondary education banned, Amiri says, "Once our current generation of female doctors and nurses retires, we will no longer have female doctors.”
Amiri's voice trembles as she thinks of a future without female doctors. "I feel like crying," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
Amiri wants the world to talk about girls' education, but she makes an exception. "It should be done within the scope of discussing how to treat women, not to incite distancing from religion.”
"They, especially the West, shouldn't mix education with Hijab," she says. “They don't understand our society and religion as much as we do."
"Hijab is our identity as Afghans; without it, we are not ourselves," she added.
For many women, the reasons for leaving Afghanistan are many and mounting. Nooria, 25, is one of them. A business graduate, Nooria left Afghanistan to continue her studies in Germany. She's pursuing a vocational training program.
But moving away from home comes at a cost. She misses her homeland and she's not sure if she'll ever return to settle in Afghanistan again.
She misses Kabul's streets, memories, and people. She misses the mountains that feel both grounding and endless, and the vibrant markets filled with colours, familiar smell, and sounds that are so distinct.
"I also miss home-cooked food," she says. "Kabuli pulao, Mantu, Aushak, Bulani... the list goes on."
Nooria longs for her parents, friends, and family gatherings. "The warmth, laughter, and traditions hold a special place in my heart," she explains. "Even small moments – sharing tea or chatting with neighbours – have weight when you're far away."
Still, Nooria appreciates her privilege – being able to study. "Many girls aren't as fortunate," she says.
https://www.outlookindia.com/international/voices-from-afghanistan-women-speak-of-the-struggle-for-education
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Afghan Women: Dragged Into A Dark Age
15 November 2024
There was a time when Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, was a vibrant, swinging city. Stylish women in pencil skirts and make-up worked as doctors, nurses, secretaries and teachers, and enjoyed a degree of personal freedom hard to imagine today.
This was when Mohammad Zahir Shah, Afghanistan’s progressive King was on the throne (1933 till 1973). His 40-year rule was a time of women empowerment. The Queen and members of the royal household did not wear the veil and attended state functions together with the King. Zahir Shah was a reformist ruler and laid great emphasis on women’s education. Schools and colleges for girls sprung up across the country.
Kabul University allowed women to join from 1947. By 1973 there were an estimated 150,000 girls in schools across Afghanistan. But stability did not last long. Zahir Shah was thrown out in a bloodless coup in 1973 and later fled to Europe.
Afghanistan became a republic with the ouster of the King and its first president, Mohammed Daoud, enshrined women’s right in the 1976 Constitution (Article27). In 1978, Daoud was removed in a coup; but the lives of women were not affected. Communist leader president Najibullah, who invited the Russian army to prop up his government, upheld women’s rights. It was only when the Mujahideen threw out the Russians and the tribal leaders who had fought against the "ungodly" Communists came into their own that anti-women diktats came to stay. After the messy civil war following the withdrawal of the Russian army, the first Taliban government came in to crush all semblance of equality promised in the Constitution. The Taliban became a force from 1994 and took control of the government in 1996. Mullah Omar, the Taliban chief and former Mujahideen fighter who lost one eye during a fire fight with Soviet army, introduced sharia law in the country.
Taliban's First tenure: 1996-2001
Everybody suffered under the Taliban, but women were the worst hit. They were no longer allowed to step out of their homes without the burqa and had to be escorted by a male relative. Girls were banned from school, college and universities. Working outside the home was discouraged. Women could not go to a male doctor, denying medical access.
Soon after the Taliban took control of Kabul, residents were ordered to cover their ground and first-floor windows to make sure that girls or women of the family were not visible to passersby. Women wearing nail polish ran the risk of getting their finger chopped off in those early days.
Fathers, brothers or husbands defending women had to pay the price. Amnesty International in its report on the plight of women in Afghanistan during the first Taliban rule, quoted a young girl recalling ‘’They shot my father right in front of me. It was nine o'clock at night. They came to our house and told him they had orders to kill him because he allowed me to go to school. The Mujahideen had already stopped me from going to school, but that was not enough. I cannot describe what they did to me after killing my father...'
Women were squeezed out from Afghanistan’s public spaces and were literally imprisoned at home, bearing the brunt of violence from husbands and male relatives. There was no empathy for girls, who they were seen more as culprits than victims in cases of rape and sexual abuse.
A break came for Afghan women after the 9/11 attack. When US asked the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden, who was operating from Afghanistan, Mullah Omar refused as it was not tribal tradition to do so to an "honoured guest’’. The Taliban offered no resistance in US and NATO invasion that followed and disappeared.
US occupation
The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan by the US was a golden age for women. They flourished under both President Hamid Karzai and his successor Asraf Ghani. Women were back in schools and colleges, and in the workforce as teachers, doctors, beauticians, entrepreneurs, and political leaders. There was an explosion of women journalists in newspapers and private television channels, where they worked side by side with men. Women also joined both the Afghan army and the police force. In 2012, NiloofarRahmani became the first pilot in the air force training programme to fly solo. LatifaNabizada was the first Afghan women pilot to fly a military helicopter.
There was no moral policing and while many girls from traditional families preferred to wear a loose scarf that partially covered their hair, those who wanted could drop the head cover.
As in the first republican Constitution framed by President Daud, the democratic Constitution of 2003 reinforced women’s rights and their status as equal members of society. In 2009, Afghanistan adopted another progressive pro-women legislation called the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW).
This was a landmark legislation aimed at protecting the long-suffering girls and women. For the first time, 22 acts of violence against women were clearly defined. This included rape, forced prostitution, underage marriage, physical violence as well as denying women the right to education, health services and job opportunities.
The punishment for those accused of crimes against women ranged from death sentence to prison sentences as well as payment of compensation to victims. To implement the law, the government set up support centres or safe houses to protect victims fleeing violence at home. A ministry of women’s affairs was set up to look after the wellbeing of women.
But with the Taliban’s return to power on August 15, 2021, the situation is back to square one. Despite Taliban’s assurances during the Doha talks with US negotiators that Taliban 2.0, would be different and kinder to women, the reality now is quite different.
Taliban 2.0: Gender Apartheid.
When news came of Taliban forces advancing towards Kabul, women rushed to markets to buy the burqa. Strict purdah for women is now in force in the country. In 2022, Taliban announced a ban on women studying in universities and working with NGOs. Initially, women were not barred from the universities but could not attend classes with male students; even that fig leaf was dropped by 2022. Girls are allowed to attend school only till the primary level. Once more, women cannot step out without a male escort; nor can they wear attractive bright colours or perfume or high heels that make a sound when walking and attract male attention.
All avenues for employment for women are barred. Beauty parlours that mushroomed across Afghan cities were asked to shut shop. Advertisements with girl models were disfigured with black paint. The closure of beauty parlours pushed 60,000 women out of work. Private companies can no longer employ women.
The Elimination of Violence Against Women law was dropped and men now have a free rein to do what they wish. Shelters provided for women running away from violent abuse have been scrapped. Instead, women who are raped and faced other forms of violence can now end up being accused of ‘moral crimes' and adultery and risk being stoned to death as punishment.
Women cannot study, work, play games, go to a gym or a park. They cannot speak or sing in public because women’s voices can be a temptation for men according to the Taliban’s interpretation of the Sharia law.
And in a latest bizarre edict from the ruling Taliban, the ministry for promotion of virtue and prevention of vice have banned women from hearing others' voice. This was later denied by the Taliban. The misconception was because the Taliban’s minister Khalid Hanafi was quoted as saying “When women are not permitted to call takbir or Athan [Islamic call to prayer], they certainly cannot sing songs or music,” he said. It had nothing to do with two women speaking. However, it is likely that the Taliban would haul up women speaking loudly to each other.
Actress Meryl Streep speaking in September at a UN event on the status of women said a cat has more rights than women in Afghanistan. ``A cat may sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today, because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban."
https://www.outlookindia.com/international/afghan-women-dragged-into-a-dark-age
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Afghanistan refugee women to feature in exhibition cricket match in Australia
Nov 15, 2024
An Afghanistan Women’s XI will play an exhibition T20 match against Cricket Without Borders XI at the Junction Oval, Melbourne on January 30.
The match will be facilitated by the Australian cricket community to help fulfill the ambition of the members of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team, who are now resident in Australia.
This coincides with the start of the CommBank Women’s Ashes Day/Night Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and will be part of the celebration of women’s cricket and inclusion throughout that historic occasion.
Australia’s State and Territory Associations, Premier and Community Clubs and other groups and individuals have aided their resettlement and provided opportunities to continue to play cricket in Australia.
The match has been organised in consultation with the Afghanistan women players based in Australia who will participate in the match and other stakeholders, including the Australian Government.
“Many people across cricket and the community have come together to provide support for members of the Afghanistan women’s team since their relocation to Australia and this match will be a celebration of that work,” Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia (CA) Chief Executive said.
https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cricket/womens-cricket/afghanistan-women-cricket-match-refugee-australia-ashes-2025/article68871121.ece
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A woman was accosted in Tehran. The Iranian police arrested her.
Nov. 15, 2024
Where is RoshanakMolaei? The hashtag is circulating in Iran after the 25-year-old woman disappeared in Tehran after being taken into custody by police, raising concerns about her treatment as the country continues to crack down on women who defy mandatory hijab laws.
The events that led to RoshanakMolaei's arrest did not start as a protest.
A surveillance video shows the woman walking along a Tehran sidewalk on Nov. 1, before a man dressed in a military uniform approaches her from behind on a motorcycle.
It is not clear from the angle of the footage whether the man verbally or physically accosted her, but according to the nearly 2-minute video that Molaei later posted to her X account, she reacted by grabbing the motorcyclist in a heated exchange that drew several bystanders. The man then drove off.
Molaei captioned the video: “A scene from being a woman in Iran.”
Her account was swiftly taken down.
Hengaw, a Norway-based human rights organization that monitors violations in Kurdistan and Iran, also reposted a version of the video on X.
According to a statement by the organization, Molaei had previously argued on social media with a government official over mandatory hijab laws. The incident captured by the surveillance camera shows Molaei without a hijab.
Iranian police confirmed in a statement that there was a “confrontation between a young woman and a motorcyclist” on Nov. 1, adding that “initial investigations indicate that the motorcyclist harassed the young woman.”
“Both parties have been referred to judicial authorities," the police statement said. "The motorcyclist will face investigation for both harassment and traffic violations. The woman is being prosecuted for not observing mandatory hijab laws.”
According to Hengaw, on Nov. 2 Molaei was "summoned by FATA," the Iranian cyberpolice, about her post, and was arrested the following day.
"It remains unclear in which prison she is currently being held," a representative from Hengaw told NBC News.
"Since her detention, there has been limited information regarding her health and conditions of imprisonment. The lack of transparent information about the situation of political prisoners in Iran remains a widespread concern," the Hengaw representative said.
This is not the first time Molaei is arrested for opposing Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, according to Hengaw. In 2022, she was arrested during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, a series of peaceful demonstrations triggered by the death of MahsaAmini in police custody.
Amini had been arrested in part for not wearing a hijab correctly, with the U.N. asserting that she was killed “as a result of beatings” by Iranian authorities. Iran has denied the charges, saying she died of pre-existing medical conditions.
Following her arrest in September 2022, Molaei was sentenced to over six years in prison but released in February 2023 after being granted amnesty, according to Hengaw.
Molaei's new arrest is yet another incident fueling alarm from international human rights organizations. In a 2024 report on the situation of human rights in Iran the U.N. "raised pressing concerns" about the "deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls" across the country.
"Roshanak’s case exemplifies the systematic oppression faced by women when they seek to claim their basic rights and personal freedoms," Hengaw said in a statement.
"Women in Iran who publicly oppose mandatory hijab and other discriminatory laws face immense risks, including imprisonment, intimidation, and mistreatment."
A day before Molaei's arrest, a young woman was detained after stripping to her underwear in an apparent protest at the OlumTahghighat branch of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, state media reported. The woman was transferred to a psychiatric hospital, raising concerns for her safety. There is no specific information on the woman’s condition, but Amnesty International has found evidence that people detained in psychiatric wards have been subject to torture, beatings and other mistreatment.
The security agents who enforce hijab laws, informally called morality police, have recently started easing public confrontations with women over the headscarves, following the election of reformist president MasoudPezeshkian who campaigned on opposing these police patrols.
However, locals say the agents continue to be present in the streets but have been instructed to issue warnings rather than take immediate enforcement actions. Bystanders are discouraged or prevented from recording, restricting the how many of these interactions appear on social media.
In addition, the government has set up new centers called “anti-unveiling clinics,” where women who choose not to wear the hijab may be referred to for a program described as “therapy,” to encourage compliance of hijab laws.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/woman-accosted-tehran-iran-arrested-hijab-law-rcna179923
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Iran sets up ‘treatment clinic’ for women defying hijab laws
Nov. 15, 2024
The Iranian government announced the creation of a “treatment clinic” for women who do not comply with mandatory hijab laws. A hijab is a head covering that some Muslim women wear.
The announcement comes just over a week after a female Iranian college student stripped down to her underwear in protest in Tehran. Iran’s morality police arrested the woman for not dressing in accordance with Sharia law.
A spokesperson for the Iranian government said the woman is a “troubled individual” who was placed in a treatment center to receive care, according to Reuters.
Human rights group Amnesty International condemned the move, stating that Iranian authorities are waging a war on women and girls through increasing violent crackdowns “on those defying draconian compulsory veiling laws” and have intensified their use of the death penalty to silence dissent.
In September 2022, a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa (also known as Zhina) Amini and her brother were visiting Tehran when they were stopped by the morality police. Amini was arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.
Amnesty International said Iranian police pushed Amini into a van and beat her while taking her to an educational reform class. However, she fell into a coma and died in custody three days later.
Amini’s death sparked nationwide protests. Iranian officials have used torture and execution to punish those who challenge Iranian laws.
Iran’s head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced the new treatment facility will offer “scientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal,” according to The Guardian.
https://san.com/cc/iran-sets-up-treatment-clinic-for-women-defying-hijab-laws/
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Fact Check | Did Sanjay Raut say Shiv Sena (UBT) will give Muslim women Rs 6,000?
14 November 2024
A viral news graphic showing a news bulletin that quotes Shiv Sena (UddhavBalasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut saying that his party would pay higher financial assistance to Muslim women if it came to power in Maharashtra, is morphed and fakevoters under the 'LadkiBahinYojana' from 1500 to 3000 rupees. The scheme was introduced by the ruling Mahayuti alliance ofthe BJP, EknathShinde's Shiv Sena and AjitPawar'sNCPThe viral graphic has the logo of Pudhari News and resembles a similar news template to the outlet. The news graphic carries a photo of Raut from a press conference with the caption when translated from Marathi reading, "If Uddhav Thackeray becomes the Chief Minister again, then he will give Rs 3000/- to his beloved sisters and he will give Muslim women Rs 6000/- per month under the Nutritional Diet Scheme as their fertility rate is high."BOOM also received the viral graphic on our WhatsApp tipline number (7700906588) inquiring about it. FACT-CHECK: Fake news graphic with fabricated Sanjay Ra ut quote BOOM found that the viral news graphic is fake, and Sanjay Raut has not made any such statement promising more financial assistance to Muslim women if Uddhav Thackeray becomes the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The news bulletin text font on the viral graphic has a different contrast which stands out from the text on the bottom. This indicates that the text has been edited into the graphic. BOOM reached out to TulsidasBhoite, Editor of Pudhari News, who confirmed that the viral graphic is fake and the Marathi outlet has not ran any such report quoting Raut. "This is fake, also the text font used in the graphic is not used by Pudhari News," Bohite told BOOM. In the below video posted by Pudhari News covering Raut's press conference on November 13, 2024, we can notice that the template and text font is different from the one used the fake news graphic. This can be seen from the 3 minutes timestamp
https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/maharashtra/did-sanjay-raut-say-shiv-sena-ubt-will-give-muslim-women-rs-6000-a-fact-check-3276658
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijab-bans-tajikistan-europe-against-women/d/133720