Honour Killing In Pakistan: Man Burns Alive Seven Family Members After Daughter Marries Against His Wishes
New
Age Islam News Bureau
19
October 2021
•
Saudi Female Biker Dania Akeel A Pacesetter as Kingdom Changes Gear
•
A Culture of 'Hard Work and Play' For Creative Young Saudi Women
•
Malala Sends Letter to Taliban One Month after Girls' School Ban
•
Bill Gates’ Daughter, Jennifer Gates Secretly Married Egyptian, Nayel Nassar In
A Muslim Ceremony
•
S Arabia Recruits 30,000 Women Workers from Bangladesh in Nine Months
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/honour-killing-pakistan-daughter-burn/d/125605
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Honour
Killing In Pakistan: Man Burns Alive Seven Family Members After Daughter
Marries Against His Wishes
October
19, 2021
Fauzia
Bibi, 19, and her son, and Khurshid Mai, 35, her husband and their three
children were all killed in a house fire in a village in the Muzaffargargh
district of central Pakistan
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LAHORE
— In a gruesome case of honour killing, a man in Pakistan allegedly burned alive
seven members of his family, including two daughters and four grandchildren,
because one of the women married against his wishes.
Police
are looking for Manzoor Hussain after allegedly set fire to the home that
sisters Fauzia Bibi and Khurshid Mai shared in a village in the Muzaffargargh
district of central Pakistan, police official Abdul Majeed told Reuters by
phone.
Mai's
husband also died in the blaze, Majeed said.
Bibi
had married Mehboob Ahmad about 18 months ago against her father's will in a
so-called love marriage, according to the official.
"The
incident is outcome of the rivalry between the two families over the love
marriage," Majeed said.
Bibi's
husband Ahmad told police he was not at home at the time of the fire and had
found the house ablaze when he returned from work early in the morning.
Ahmad
said his 4-month-old son had died, along with Mai's three children aged 2, 6,
and 13.
Hundreds
of women in Pakistan are killed by relatives every year for marrying without
consent, or against their family's wishes, according to the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan. — Agencies
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/612403
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Saudi
Female Biker Dania Akeel A Pacesetter As Kingdom Changes Gear
Mariam
Nihal
Sep
22, 2021
Akeel Dania (sau), Saudian female driver who want
to take part to the Dakar Rally in 2022 during the Rest Day of the Dakar 2021
in Ha’il, in Saudi Arabia on January 9, 2021. DPPI / Panoramic / Reuters
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As
Saudi Arabia marks its 91st National Day, 'The National' sits down with
pioneering Saudis to talk about the changing face of the kingdom.
In
recent years, Saudi women have been at the forefront of changes in the kingdom.
As
much as anyone, Dania Akeel symbolised those changes when she became the first
Arab woman to win the World Cup for the T3 Desert Baja Rally in Italy this
year.
Saudi
women were granted the right to drive just three years ago — a move that aimed
to empower women across the country — but in that time, they have excelled in
motorsports on a global level.
The
FIA World Cup is an annual competition that hosts Baja-style rally raid events
for buggies, lorries, cars and side-by-sides in multiple countries.
Speaking
to The National, Dania said she does not consider rally an extreme sport as she
has been a driving enthusiast “far before becoming a motorsport athlete”.
As
a young girl, she enjoyed off-roading on weekends with her father in Jeddah.
Together, they would find “open spaces and he’d give me the wheel and teach me
the basics on how to drive,” she said.
“Once
it was over, I’d ask when we could go back again.”
Aged
17, Dania secured her UK driving licence while at a boarding school there. The
following year, in 2011, she went on to study at university in London.
“I
travelled for a bit, did my master's degree and officially moved back to Saudi
Arabia in 2016.”
She
enrolled in an off-road rally in the UK and a driving course along the Swedish
Lapland in early 2019, a region made up of frozen lakes.
“There
are a few companies that teach you how to drift on ice and they have these F1
replica circuits carved into ice, which was a lot of fun,” she said.
Then,
later that year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Vision 2030, an
ambitious plan to reform the country. The kingdom opened up its doors to the
world and offered new youth opportunities, with a strong emphasis on empowering
women in different fields.
Dania
said: “I don’t look at driving in the long term. What matters most are the
moments that have taken me to the sport. It’s about enjoying what you’re doing
when you’re doing it.
“That’s
what driving gives me. I enjoy every moment, even the difficult ones,” she
says. “It’s important that whatever you do has a purpose and you have to be
able to connect with it. What you do has to be able to benefit you yet enable
you to help others.”
Dania
said some of the most challenging moments on the road have helped her evolve
off it.
Her
master's degree in international business helped her “mark out her career in
motorsports” in the country, she said. She used her experience as a consultant
and knowledge of problem-solving from her master’s degree to get sponsors
behind her to participate in motorsport events locally.
She
is the first Saudi woman to receive her Speed Bikes Competition license with
the help of the Saudi Arabian Motorsport Federation (SAMF), which also issued
her KSA driver licence in late 2019.
She
acquired the license to participate in the UAE National Sports Bike Super
Series while immersing herself in “driving experiences”, in ice, sand, and mud.
However,
rallies weren’t her planned goal, she said. She had bought a motorcycle in the
UAE and started racing. Then during one of her races in Bahrain, she sustained
an injury and returned to Saudi Arabia.
Earlier
this year, she participated in Sharqiyah International Baja Toyota in Saudi
Arabia, an opportunity she “jumped on” following the return of the sport from a
Covid-19 shutdown. Later, she discovered she could build on her FIA
championship points in a similar race in Jordan.
“I
called the sponsors to ask if they were on board as the race was only 10 days
later and they agreed,” she said. “Later on, SAMF called and encouraged me to
keep going.”
She
continued to race and claimed her spot in the top three, generating income and
receiving a fair share of recognition and support from men and women in the
country.
Dania
will be one of the first female Saudi athletes to participate in the annual
Dakar Rally in 2022.
“The
borders shut down but naturally I was still connected to racing,” she said.
“Once I was introduced to the Dakar rally, I was in a place that facilitates
these insanely high-level global rallies. I figured this is what I will do. It
was almost like the decision was already made.
“The
training period was six months. I was supported by the trajectory of Saudi
culture. I was invited to watch the Dakar rally the first time we hosted it in
the kingdom. They asked me to participate and honestly, I got a lot of help and
support from them giving me a solid foundation to get on this track.”
SAMF
helped provide training, education and a platform to Dania and other drivers.
Having
had no professional training before races, Dania said she has continued to
learn from experts on different tracks.
She
said she recommends that aspiring athletes take the well-structured road, while
she found herself piecing her journey together.
“The
team I am going to race with [South Racing Middle East, based in the UAE] have
been communicating with me for training up to the Dakar race,” she said, adding
that so far she has been lucky to have a network that allows her to learn from
pros all over the world.
“You
get what you need at the right time I believe and people have been very
generous in offering their guidance, knowledge and contacts to connect me with
the right people. I think South Racing Middle East will have a good structure
for someone who wants to learn A-Z.
“Mostly
because I took the opportunity I discovered SAMF would be the best place to
start as they are the ones who guided me to the right places.”
Humble
and determined to work harder, Dania is not motivated by titles. She said she
believes several women driving enthusiasts are enrolled in motorsports and are
slowly coming into the limelight.
“There
was a Saudi female driver, Mishaal, in Shargiyah and I know Reema Juffali is
planning for F1, so it’s wrong to presume that I or someone is the only one. I
am sure there are many other girls out there.”
Another
example of the growing demand for motorsports is the Bikers Skills Institute, a
certified motorcycle training school in Riyadh established by Captain Wael bin
Huraib, a Saudi rider and trainer. He says the school now employs two female
trainers and has trained 70 women so far.
“I
just hope I finish the Dakar rally race for now,” she said when discussing her
goals. “What matters eventually is being a good person, to live a productive
and fulfilling life. Not just for ourselves but to be able to share it with
others.”
Dania
feels it is too early to claim that motorsports will be her only focus in the
future.
She
hopes the new opportunities and “unlimited support” of the Saudi Arabian
Motorsport Federation inspire women across the country to participate in both
local and international sports arenas.
Source:
The National News
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A
culture of 'hard work and play' for creative young Saudi women
Mariam
Nihal
Sep
22, 2021
As
Saudi Arabia marks its 91st National Day, 'The National' sits down with
pioneering Saudis to talk about the changing face of the kingdom.
The
growing number of women in the workforce shows how times are changing in Saudi
Arabia, where many young people are taking on creative roles for the first
time.
A
key goal in the kingdom’s Vision 2030 programme is to empower women in
leadership positions across all fields.
One
of its aims is for women to occupy 30 per cent of jobs by 2030. Saudi Arabia
hit the target in February this year, nine years before schedule. A labour
market survey found that Saudi women’s participation rose to 31.3 per cent in
the third quarter of 2020, up from 26 per cent at the end of 2019.
Young
women are now working in all sectors of business and government, and at all
levels, right up to ministerial positions. The reforms have helped them to take
up positions in film, music and fashion.
Haya
Shaath, of MDLBEAST music and entertainment company, spoke about the changes in
the kingdom.
She
said many people saw the wave of reforms as a transformation, but the country
always had the "dynamics" for the changes.
“When
you look at the social dynamics and cultural fabric of society, the dynamics
are already there," Ms Shaath said.
"We
haven’t had the chance to engage with each other in public spaces. It’s a
cultural revelation.
"This
is how we have always been. We have always loved music, dancing and
celebrating.”
Before
joining the team, she attended MDLBEAST’s first event in Riyadh.
That
was before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms
Shaath said she was overjoyed that the country’s youths were being given a
platform for self-expression through music and dance.
“I
joined in the middle of the pandemic, which is surprising because it’s an
events company, when you’re locked in, but that is testament to the trust that
events will pick up again," she said.
"People
will always be craving music and self-expression no matter what the
situation."
Ms
Shaath studied design in social innovation in New York, which is useful in her
role at MDLBEAST.
“I
see myself using that skill set. Doing that through music, creative expression
and shifting these behaviours with all the changes in the kingdom.”
Many
Saudi men have applauded the moves and are supporting women who want to take up
these new opportunities.
Although
men and women had been working together, Vision 2030 has amplified those
opportunities and highlighted the ease and success of mixed working
environments.
The
reforms have also allowed segments of society to celebrate and rejoice in
public, rather than only in private spaces as happened before 2016.
So
what is it like working in a mixed environment in the country?
“It’s
normal for us,” Ms Shaath said with a smile.
“But
fun, no abayas, a lot of hard work and play. The best thing is we get to work
remotely, so I am currently in Berlin.
MDLBEAST
started with a team of seven and has been expanding since the success of its
first festival.
"My
scope is constantly expanding and contracting – jumping into marketing,
communications, event production and voice-overs,” Ms Shaath said.
"As
a creatively driven organisation, we work collaboratively with teams and
partners. We place artists and people at the heart of everything we do."
Before
her job in Saudi Arabia, Ms Shaath lived in Dubai.
“I
remember waking up one day thinking ‘what am I doing here when my country is
going through a massive transformation? I should be there',” she said.
Many
young Saudis around the world are following suit.
As
an events company, Ms Shaath says the fast rate of change in the kingdom makes
it important for MDLBEAST to maintain a balance.
“It
is an intuitive sense and direction of the country when it comes to arts and
culture. It is important for all of us not to forget our cultural identity –
who we are and what we stand for.”
MDLBEAST
is aiming to elevate local talent “and put them on the global map," she
said.
The
Middle East's biggest music festival has released its official line-up.
“It’s
no small feat but we’re beasts,” Ms Shaath said.
MDLBEAST
will host Soundstorm 2021, a four-day festival with more than 150 local and
international artists due to perform in Riyadh later this year.
Source:
The National News
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Malala
sends letter to Taliban one month after girls' school ban
Oct
18, 2021
KABUL:
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani
Taliban as a schoolgirl, has urged Afghanistan's new rulers to let girls return
to school.
It
has been one month since the hardline Islamist Taliban, which seized power in
August, excluded girls from returning to secondary school while ordering boys
back to class.
The
Taliban have claimed they will allow girls to return once they have ensured
security and stricter segregation under their interpretation of Islamic law --
but many are sceptical.
"To
the Taliban authorities...reverse the de facto ban on girls' education and
re-open girls' secondary schools immediately," Yousafzai and a number of
Afghan women's rights activists said in an open letter published on Sunday.
Yousafzai
called on the leaders of Muslim nations to make it clear to the Taliban that
"religion does not justify preventing girls from going to school".
"Afghanistan
is now the only country in the world that forbids girls' education," said
the writers, who included the head of the Afghan human rights commission under
the last US-backed government Shaharzad Akbar.
The
authors called on G20 world leaders to provide urgent funding for an education
plan for Afghan children.
A
petition alongside the letter had on Monday received more than 640,000
signatures.
Education
activist Yousafzai was shot by terrorists from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan,
an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban, in her home town in the Swat valley while on
a school bus in 2012.
Now
24 years old, she advocates for girls' education, with her non-profit Malala
Fund having invested $2 million in Afghanistan.
Source:
Times of India
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Bill
Gates’ Daughter, Jennifer Gates Secretly Married Egyptian, Nayel Nassar In A
Muslim Ceremony
17th
October 2021
New
York: Mega-billionaire Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda Gates walked their
oldest daughter Jennifer Gates down the aisle ahead of her nuptials with fellow
equestrian Nayel Nassar.
The
non-public Muslim ceremony was held on Friday night time in the backyard of the
household’s 142-acre property in North Salem, New York the place a bigger civil
ceremony with 300 company is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
According
to Fox Business, Jennifer was also photographed posing with bridesmaids in her
wedding gown on Saturday.
MS
Education Academy
The
Microsoft co-founder is said to have purchased the $15.82 million estate for
Jennifer in 2018 shortly after she graduated from Stanford University.
The
luxurious, star-studded event took weeks of planning. Photos that surfaced
earlier this week showed the expansive property being transformed into an
opulent wedding venue, complete with a stage, elaborate pavilions,
floor-to-ceiling windows, hardwood floors and a stage.
In
addition to 25-year-old Jennifer’s parents — Bill and Melinda Gates — attendees
included brother Rory and sister Phoebe.
Also
in attendance was Bill Gates’ stepmother, Mimi Gardner Gates, a 79-year-old
respected art historian.
The
nuptials came just months after Bill and Melinda announced they were splitting
after 27 years of marriage. Their divorce was finalised in early August.
As
per media reports, the wedding was likely to cost the Gates family “at least”
$2 million.
Source:
Siasat Daily
https://www.siasat.com/bill-gates-daughter-jennifer-marries-nayel-nassar-2209761/
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S
Arabia recruits 30,000 women workers from Bangladesh in nine months
October
19, 2021
Saudi
Arabia recruited more than 30,000 women workers from Bangladesh in the last
nine months of the current calendar year amid Covid-19 pandemic, according to
the latest data from the manpower bureau.
It
showed that a total of 33,263 women workers went to Saudi Arabia during the
January-September period of this year.
The
data also found the gulf country hired about 68 per cent of the total women
workers who went abroad from the country in the nine months of the current
year.
The
Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) data revealed that Bangladesh
sent 49,129 women workers to foreign countries in the January to September
period of this year.
Sector
insiders said the demand for women workers in the gulf country has increased
this year. Saudi Arabia is the country that recruits the highest number of
workers including women from Bangladesh.
They,
however, said recruitment by the Arab nation remained halted for a certain
period in 2020 following the infection of coronavirus.
So,
the number of outflow of workers to the country was only 12,735 in the entire
calendar year of 2020.
The
lower recruitment by Saudi Arabia impacted on the overall count of the women
overseas jobs last year. The sector could add only 21,934 jobs for female
workers in 2020.
Among
other countries, Jordan hired 9,196 workers while Oman 4341, Qatar 1473, and
United Arab Emirates (UAE) 509.
Migrant
rights activists called for ensuring safe migration for women migrant workers
as pandemic makes them more vulnerable than the male workers in workplaces.
Referring
to the women workers' problems abroad, the rights activists said that the
workload of women domestic helps had increased several times during the period.
A
significant number of returnee female migrant workers failed to bring home
their arrear wages and other dues from job destination countries, they also
added.
Over
0.9 million Bangladeshi women workers went abroad with jobs since 1991, the
data of BMET said.
Source:
The Financial Express
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