Karnataka: Hijabi Student Bushra Mateen Wins 16 Gold Medals; People Praise
New
Age Islam News Bureau
19
March 2022
•
History Made As All-Women Rally Jameel Launches In Saudi Arabia's Hail
•
Iran Start Asian Women's Youth Handball Championship On High
•
If No Hijab, No Healthcare, Warns Taliban
•
‘About time’: Indonesia’s NU welcomes women to top leadership
•
2 Women With Links To ISIS Escape Camp In Northeast Syria: Report
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijabi-student-bushra-matane/d/126606
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Karnataka:
Hijabi Student Bushra Mateen Wins 16 Gold Medals; People Praise
Bushra Mateen (Twitter)
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18th
March 2022
Bengaluru:
A 22-year-old girl Bushra Mateen became the first student of Visvesvaraya
Technological University (VTU) to win 16 gold medals.
Bushra,
a civil engineering graduate of SLN College of Engineering, Raichur received
the medals at the 21st convocation ceremony of the varsity.
With
an aggregate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 9.73, she bagged the first
rank in the civil engineering branch.
Apart
from the medals which include Shri SG Balekundri gold medal, JNU University
gold medal, VTU gold medal, and RN Shetty gold medal, she won two cash prizes.
Her
interest in civil engineering grew by seeing her father and brother who are
also civil engineers.
Although
my father wanted me to pursue medicine, he supported my decision to study civil
engineering, Bushra said.
Now,
Bushra wants to prepare for the UPSC civil services.
She
believes that nothing is impossible and self-confidence and determination are
the keys to success.
Meanwhile,
people on social media praised Bushra for winning 16 gold medals.
Here
are some reactions:
Source:
Siasat Daily
https://www.siasat.com/karnataka-engineering-graduate-bushra-mateen-wins-16-gold-medal-2292594/
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History
Made As All-Women Rally Jameel Launches In Saudi Arabia's Hail
Rally Jameel launched on Thursday, marking a
historic moment in the Kingdom’s 2030 plan to empower Saudi Arabia’s women.
(Rally Jameel)
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March
17, 2022
JEDDAH:
Rally Jameel, the region’s first-ever women-only motorsport event and
initiative from Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, launched on Thursday, marking a
historic moment in the Kingdom’s 2030 plan to empower Saudi Arabia’s women.
The
opening ceremony, which was held the previous day in the historic Al-Qashla
Palace in Hail, was launched by Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, Prince
of Hail, who said: “The city of Hail is an iconic site that carries history,
culture and adventure, and is also known for hosting international events
celebrating our area’s rich culture.”
He
added: “We host all kinds of sports in this region, especially extreme sports,
and are always passionate in nurturing our local talent. This is especially
true of the daughters of the Kingdom, who are about to take part in this
significant race.”
Teams
from 15 countries were introduced at a press conference in the Al-Nafud Desert,
overlooking the red sands now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“I’m
a daughter, a wife and mother, as well as being a surgeon. But my passion for
rallies started at a very young age, and I’ve learned over time how to manage
my time between all my hobbies and commitments,” said Dr. Fatima Banaz, from
the Kingdom’s Desert Healers team.
“My
aim is eventually to race in the Dakar Rally,” she said.
The
34 teams are preparing their vehicles and studying the road book in order to
maximize their chances on the first day of the rally.
“First,
I’d like to thank Rally Jameel for inviting all the American teams over,” said
Dana Saxten, who flew in from the US for the rally.
“It’s
quite an honor for us to be here. It’s thrilling to see the country and meet
the people. Also, I am racing with my daughter, so really looking forward to
the rally.”
Rally
Jameel is a navigational rally, so not designed as a speed test. The
competitors, who range from novices to seasoned veterans from all over the
world, will head to Al- Qassim city following their departure from Hail, and
then on to the capital, Riyadh, on day three, all via hidden checkpoints and
challenges.
“After
buying a sportscar I decided I wanted to become a better driver, and I soon
discovered there are some excellent drivers in the Kingdom, so I’ve since
learnt a lot,” said Nujood Zahid, from the Saudi Arabian Urban Bedouin team.
“When
I first heard about Rally Jameel I thought this is really of interest to me.
And despite it being off road, which I have never done before, the idea of
racing against other women that share the same passion was an incredible
opportunity. I’m very excited to be part of it.”
Zahid
was the first person to sign up for the rally, getting her entry in just three
minutes after the online site opened for applications.
Most
teams are from Saudi Arabia, but there are also competitors taking part from
the UAE, Oman and Egypt, as well as from Europe and the US.
In
total, 15 countries from four continents are represented in the rally, making
Rally Jameel a global event.
The
event has been backed by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, and is also sponsored by
SASCO, ALJ Oil, JME Advertainment and Nova.
Organizers
are keen for the public to get involved as spectators, and enjoy what is set to
be a popular event on the annual GCC motorsport calendar.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2044676/sport
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Iran
start Asian Women's Youth Handball Championship on high
March
18, 2022
Iran
are scheduled to play Kazakhstan on Sunday.
The
2022 Asian Women's Youth Handball Championship is being held from March 18 to
25 in Almaty, Kazakhstan under the aegis of Asian Handball Federation.
It
will be the first time in history that the championship will be organized by
the Kazakhstan Handball Federation.
It
acts as the qualification tournament for the 2022 Women's Youth World Handball
Championship, with top two teams from the championship directly qualifying for
the event to be held in Georgia.
Source:
Tehran Times
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/471143/Iran-start-Asian-Women-s-Youth-Handball-Championship-on-high
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If
no hijab, no healthcare, warns Taliban
Mar
18, 2022
The
Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, in a
letter to the Health Ministry earlier this month, warned that healthcare
services should be denied to women who do not observe the Islamic hijab.
The
Taliban initially ordered women not to return to work. But it later called
women health workers back to clinics and hospitals, although many were too
scared to resume work.
Rights
groups say gender segregation has created barriers to women and girls accessing
healthcare. At many facilities, patients are only treated by a health
professional of the same sex, RFE/RL reported. — IANS
Source:
Tribune India
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/if-no-hijab-no-healthcare-warns-taliban-378790
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‘About
time’: Indonesia’s NU welcomes women to top leadership
By
Gemma Holliani Cahya
19
Mar 2022
Jakarta,
Indonesia – Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the world’s largest Islamic
organisation, has welcomed women into its top leadership roles for the first
time since it was founded nearly 100 years ago.
NU
inaugurated more than 150 members, including 11 women, to its central board for
a five-year term.
Among
the women appointed to the most senior roles in February was Alissa Wahid who
told Al Jazeera that while the change was “about time and inevitable”, it was
also the result of a continuous process and discussion on women’s roles within
NU, which has some 90 million members.
Joining
48-year-old Alissa is incumbent East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa.
In
their new roles, the two women will have input into the movement’s policy.
“I’m
really happy with this change,” said Alissa, the daughter of Indonesia’s late
President Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur, NU’s leader for 10 years
before turning to politics. “Until now NU has been giving more room for women
in public spaces [in the organisation], but now for the first time in history,
it gives room for women at a higher leadership level.”
The
appointments are an indication of how NU Secretary General Yahya Cholil Staquf,
who was elected last December, plans to modernise an organisation that was
founded in 1926 and has long been seen as a champion of religious tolerance in
the archipelago.
In
a speech to mark the launch of his book ‘The Big Struggle of NU’ ahead of his
election, Yahya argued that NU must work together with other Islamic
organisations and different religious groups to shape a better world.
“We
are all in the same boat on earth in search of a new form of civilisation that
is better for all mankind,” he said.
In
recent years, there has been growing concern about increasing religious
conservatism and the appeal of hardline groups in Indonesia, the world’s most
populous Muslim country.
In
2017, Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, and a
Christian of Chinese descent, found himself jailed for two years on blasphemy
charges after he was accused of “insulting Islam” for referring to a verse in
the Quran during his campaign for re-election.
Last
year, about 20 people were injured after two suicide bombers attacked a
cathedral in Makassar on Palm Sunday.
And
in September, hundreds of people calling themselves the Muslim People Alliance
attacked and burned a mosque used by the minority Ahmadiyya community in
Sintang, West Kalimantan.
Wasisto
Raharjo Jati, a political researcher from the National Research and Innovation
Agency (BRIN), told Al Jazeera that NU’s campaign for a moderate and inclusive
Islam was crucial to counter more hardline discourses.
“NU
as the world’s largest Islamic organisation needs to take part in providing an
alternative view … by presenting a moderate and inclusive narrative of
Indonesian Islam,” he said, noting the organisation’s strategy of tolerance and
support for interfaith dialogue.
“The
challenge for NU in the future is to become a ‘big house’ for Indonesian
Muslims, which currently are still fragmented. It is important that Indonesia’s
Islamic orientation is more grounded and contextual rather than just based on
Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.”
Yahya,
who was a spokesperson for Gus Dur and more recently a member of current
President Joko Widodo’s advisory council, has also expressed the need for a
separation between politics and religion after a divisive 2019 presidential
election between Widodo and former general Prabowo Subianto.
During
the campaign, Subianto’s supporters accused Widodo of being anti-Islam and a
sympathiser of the long-banned Indonesian Communist Party.
Widodo’s
supporters, meanwhile, accused Subianto of being in the thrall of hardline
religious groups and claimed he was promoting the establishment of a caliphate
in the archipelago.
“The
wounds from this past polarisation must be healed immediately and there must be
no new wounds,” Yahya said in an interview to mark the 12th anniversary of Gus
Dur’s death last year, saying that he would not support candidates for
president or vice president from NU.
Subianto
is now defence minister in Widodo’s government.
‘Meaning
and purpose’
Women
in NU have always had pivotal roles in the organisation, leading NU’s strong
female wings, Muslimat (for women) and Fatayat (for young women), and many
other social movements.
NU
women also initiated the first-ever congress of the Indonesian Women’s Ulema in
2017, which issued a historic fatwa that included a mandate that all political
parties must take a stance to fight child marriage.
Alissa,
who is also the national director of a non-governmental organisation endorsing
Gus Dur’s ideas and values, says she hopes that having women on the board will
enable NU to improve the welfare of women across the archipelago.
“I
hope we can eliminate harmful practices on women,” she said. “Now we have women
in NU on leadership level to fight for these issues.”
Badriyah
Fayumi, a Muslim leader appointed to the A’wan, a group of scholars who provide
assistance to NU’s Supreme Council, says the inclusion of women on the
leadership boards is an example of NU’s spirit of moderate Islam.
The
50-year-old says when groups become more conservative, it is usually women who
are targeted and find themselves marginalised.
“We
can see that NU has taken a completely different path from that,” Badriyah told
Al Jazeera.
“The
difference between moderate Islam and the ultra-conservatives is how they treat
women. The ultra-conservative group sees women as objects, as reproductive
machines, while the moderate Islam sees women as subjects who can build this
civilisation together with men. That’s why it’s important for women to be in
the leadership structure with men.”
In
a recent talk show on Indonesian broadcaster KompasTV, Yahya echoed that view,
stressing that women were vital to the organisation’s future development.
“I
really need them in NU. Their abilities and positions are relevant to the
strategies that I’m thinking about,” he said.
With
women now in a more prominent position, their perspectives should start to have
a more meaningful impact on the organisation’s policies.
Badriyah
notes that at NU’s last national congress, there were discussions about climate
change and, specifically, how it would affect women and children.
“Women
in the central board don’t just exist,” she said. “There is a meaning and
purpose in their existence.”
Source:
Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/19/about-time-indonesias-nu-welcomes-women-to-top-leadership
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2
women with links to ISIS escape camp in northeast Syria: report
2022/03/17
ERBIL
(Kurdistan 24) – Two female detainees with ties to ISIS have escaped from the
notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor reported on Wednesday.
Following
the incident, the Internal Security Forces, also known as Asayish in Kurdish,
started a search campaign in the nearby town to look for the two women.
Security
forces have also arrested a number of people in the al-Hol camp, the SOHR
noted.
SOHR
also claimed that security forces have issued a decision to temporarily stop
the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the camp from
March 17 to March 23.
On
March 12, SDF forces, supported by the anti-ISIS coalition, raided several
tents in al-Hol in search of ISIS cells and weapons.
On
March 7, the Asayish foiled an attempt to free ISIS-affiliated women from the
Al-Hol camp and arrested the smugglers in the vicinity of the camp.
According
to data from the UN, al-Hol is the largest camp for refugees and internally
displaced people in Syria, hosting about 56,000 people.
Most
of al-Hol's residents are Iraqis and Syrians, but the camp also includes many
foreign families thought to have links to the Islamic State.
Earlier
this month, the Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji warned that the
continued presence of the children in the camp is a "ticking bomb"
that could pose a "real threat" if they remain in the overcrowded
camp.
There
are regular acts of violence in the camp attributed to remnants of ISIS. In one
incident in February, a child was shot dead.
Source:
Kurdistan24
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijabi-student-bushra-matane/d/126606