How an Indian mother struggles hard to provide better life for Pakistani son
New Age
Islam News Bureau
14 November 2023
·
Fans aren’t too pleased with Ayeza
Khan’s ‘apology’ for not posting about Gaza
·
Raushan Ershad condemns Israel's
brutality in Gaza
·
Iranian Women At Forefront Of Top
Peace And Human Rights Awards Ceremonies
·
Indian woman evacuated from
war-torn Gaza
·
Woman abducted to Gaza on Oct. 7
has likely given birth in captivity — officials
·
NAB grills Bushra Bibi over
Al-Qadir Trust, UK funds
·
Jailed Iranian Activist Sotoudeh:
We Feminized Evin Prison with Our Hair
·
Women to lead Herat Security
Dialogue for the second consecutive year
·
Hamas murdered her
Israeli-Australian mother in kibbutz Be'eri. Now Nicole has returned to say
goodbye
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/indian-mother-struggles-pakistani-son/d/131110
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How an Indian mother struggles hard to provide better life for Pakistani son
Nov 14, 2023
With some help from her aunt, salma returned to India with her son in 2013
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SHAMLI: Salma Khatoon, a 35-year-old resident of Kairana, has endured 15 years of hardships ever since she got married to a Pakistani national Shahbaz Ali, a resident of Rawalpindi, on the advice of her aunt, who had also got married in Pakistan decades ago.
However, Salma’s married life took a tumultuous turn just a month after the June 2008 wedding with her husband starting to mistreat her. Salma said Shahbaz left for South Africa in 2011, leaving her and their son Abdul Rafe (just two at that time) to fend for themselves in Pakistan. Her in-laws also refused to accommodate her.
Salma was an Indian citizen while her son was a Pakistani. With some help from her aunt, Salma returned to India with her son in 2013. For two years she worked hard washing dishes in her hometown to make ends meet. In 2015, she returned to Pakistan with just Rs 3,000 to secure an Identity Card for her son. After a 18-month struggle, Pakistani authorities issued her son’s identity card and she returned to India soon after.
Salma now has to go to Pakistan again with her son as the ID needs to be renewed. As Abdul is still a minor, he cannot get Indian citizenship, though she knows even after attaining 18 years of age, getting Indian citizenship will be a challenging task. Abdul studies in an English medium school that charges a monthly fee of Rs 900 and wants to become an IAS officer. He said, “I study hard to keep my mother happy and, when I grow up, I will be her support.”
Kairana resident Haji Mohammad Afzal said that to make matters worse, Salma cannot remarry as her first husband has not divorced her. For the last couple of years, Salma has increased her working hours – she also takes up dishwashing jobs at weddings and often returns home in the early hours of the morning. He added that she comes from a poor family of labourers and has an old mother and her brother’s family to support. Salma said, “The cost to travel to Pakistan and sustain myself there for a month will come at a huge cost. So, I leave no opportunity to earn more.”
An officer at the local intelligence unit (LIU) said, “Salma can apply for Indian citizenship for her son, but he will get it only after he turns 18. She cannot remarry as she hasn’t been divorced.”
The officer further added, “She is living here with her child and following all the rules, although she has to go to Pakistan to renew her son’s documents. She also remains in touch with the offices concerned in India.”
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/how-an-indian-mother-struggles-hard-to-provide-better-life-for-pakistani-son/articleshow/105197833.cms
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Fans aren’t too pleased with Ayeza Khan’s ‘apology’ for not posting about Gaza
13 Nov, 2023
Ayeza Khan, one of the most followed Pakistani actors on Instagram, has apologised to her followers for not posting about the Gaza invasion and her previous comments about praying instead of posting. However, fans aren’t too pleased with her apology because it still doesn’t mention Gaza, Palestine or a condemnation of the ongoing violence.
On October 5, the actor shared a now-deleted post with an answer to why she had not been posting about the situation in Gaza. She said that while she felt the pain of the Palestinian people, she believed praying daily for them was much more effective than posting on social media.
She faced severe criticism from people who said that while praying is important, she should also use her platform to raise awareness.
Following the backlash, the Meray Paas Tum Ho actor shared a second post in which she said she would not attempt to explain or justify her previous post because her intentions were not malicious. She claimed to have failed to articulate those intentions well enough. Apologising for herself and on behalf of her team, she said that it would not happen again.
Khan said she empathises with the people’s pain but feels helpless and deeply saddened. She said that her awareness may not bring an immediate resolution and asked everyone to pray alongside posting call to action efforts.
However, her statement failed to make an impact with fans — many of whom called her out for still not using her platform to raise awareness.
Many also took issue with the fact that she didn’t mention Palestine or Gaza. Her statement also had no mention of the horrific human rights violations nor the over 10,000 Palestinians who had been killed.
In this social media age, the war online is as important as anything else. With so much misinformation and hatred being spread online, the burden of sharing accurate and responsible information is often on public figures with large platforms, like Khan.
Sharing posts about Palestine is more than just a perfunctory action on social media — it’s important because it helps spread the word and keep the ongoing violence in people’s minds. If people with large platforms and dedicated followings post about Palestine, it helps. Prayers are important but so is using your platform to do good.
Source: dawn.com
https://images.dawn.com/news/1192105/fans-arent-too-pleased-with-ayeza-khans-apology-for-not-posting-about-gaza
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Raushan Ershad condemns Israel's brutality in Gaza
13 Nov 2023
DHAKA, Nov 13, 2023 (BSS) - Begum
Raushan Ershad, Leader of the Opposition in
the Parliament, has strongly condemned Israel's continued action targeting
the civilian population of Gaza, killing, and injuring many thousands of
innocent people and children.
According to a statement issued here today, she said hundreds of thousands
were displaced due to indiscriminate bombing on the civilian population.
This action by Israel is a clear violation of international law and will
destabilize the region, the statement read.
She appealed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to immediately send a medical
team and medicines to Gaza's southern border with Egypt.
She also reiterated that the government should open an office with the
Bangladesh Red Cross to receive humanitarian aid from millions of
Bangladeshis who are ready to contribute in cash and kind for our Palestine
brothers and sisters.
Begum Raushan Ershad prayed to Almighty Allah to help the Muslim brothers and
sisters of the world unite and take necessary action against the brutality of
Israel against the innocent people of Palestine.
Source: bssnews.net
https://www.bssnews.net/news/158108
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Iranian Women At Forefront Of Top Peace And Human Rights Awards Ceremonies
Nov 13, 2023
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After her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab laws, Mahsa (Jina) Amini’s death under the custody of Iranian Morality police led to mass domestic and international outrage. This led to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement which, at its peak, engulfed all major cities of Iran in protests and strikes.
The movement centered on women and led by women has left undeniable changes in Iranian society, with civil disobedience becoming commonplace despite increased government repression. Women appearing in public without a headscarf and Zahedan’s weekly protests have become routine, which continue despite heightened government scrutiny with the introduction of new punishments for violation of hijab laws and violent repression of Zahedan protestors.
For their steadfast commitment to women’s rights and their enduring sacrifices, Mahsa (Jina) Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement have been awarded the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Union’s top prize in human rights work.
ʺOn 16 September we marked one year since the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini in Iran. The European Parliament proudly stands with the brave and defiant who continue to fight for equality, dignity and freedom in Iran. We stand with those who, even from prison, continue to keep Women, Life and Freedom alive. By choosing them as laureates for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2023, this House remembers their struggle and continues to honour all those who have paid the ultimate price for liberty,ʺ stated president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in her announcement.
2012 Sakharov Prize winner, Nasrin Sotoudeh, has recently been arrested by Iranian authorities at the funeral of 16-year-old Armita Garawand, who was reported to have died after “suffering from brain damage,” according to state media. According to eye-witnesses and reports, Garawand suffered serious head trauma following a violent encounter with a moral police officer for not wearing the hijab. The state media contested this version and asserted of her arrest for failure to wear a headscarf and “disturbing society’s mental security.”
Narges Mohammadi, currently imprisoned and known for her activism against the death penalty and the systematic use of torture in Iranian prisons,was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. “Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal cost. All together, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her 5 times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison, and 154 lashes” said Reiss-Anderson, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Narges Mohammadi is the second Iranian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Shirin Ebadi was awarded the honor in 2003 for her focus on women’s and children’s rights. Prior to her arrest, Narges Mohammadi served as the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, founded by Shirin Ebadi.
Human Rights Activist and Actress Nazanin Boniadi has also been awarded the Sydney Peace Prize for her advocacy for women’s rights in Iran. Boniadi has previously appeared before the UN Security Council, the US Senate Human Rights Caucus, and the British Parliament to bring attention to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
Despite outrageous violations of human rights, multiple silencing attempts by the regime, and great personal risks, Iranian women have continuously fought for their rights and their country. These prizes are a recompense and recognition of those efforts.
Source: thegazelle.org
https://www.thegazelle.org/issue/252/iran-humanrights-awards
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Indian woman evacuated from war-torn Gaza
Nov 14, 2023
JERUSALEM: A woman from Kashmir, seeking immediate evacuation from the war-torn Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas, has safely arrived in Egypt with assistance from Indian missions in the region, as reported by her husband.
Lubna Nazir Shaboo and her daughter, Karima, crossed the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza on Monday evening, reported PTI.
"They are in al-Arish (a city in Egypt). Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) they will move to Cairo," Lubna's husband Nedal Toman said in a text message sent to PTI from Gaza.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt, the sole exit route from Gaza, has sporadically opened in recent weeks for humanitarian supplies and to facilitate the movement of certain foreign nationals and wounded individuals.
In a phone call, Lubna confirmed that her name was on the list of people allowed to leave Gaza and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Indian missions in the region — in Ramallah, Tel Aviv, and Cairo — for facilitating this opportunity.
On October 10, Lubna had contacted PTI seeking assistance for evacuation.
"We are facing a brutal war here and everything is being destroyed and bombarded in a matter of seconds," she had told PTI.
After the unprecedented attacks by Hamas militants on October 7, Israel declared war, launching a counter-offensive with the objectives of removing Hamas, in power since 2007, and liberating around 240 hostages held by the Islamic faction.
“The sounds of bombardment are too scary and the whole house shakes. It is a very, very scary situation,” Lubna said before moving with her family to the southern part of Gaza where she spent several days with acquaintances before being evacuated.
She had mentioned the official cutoff of their water supply on the night of October 9, and the lack of electricity prompted their move to the south in search of evacuation assistance.
Lubna had emphasized the absence of safe places in the closed-off Gaza Strip and had sought help from the Representative Office of India in Ramallah to secure a safer place for herself, her husband, and her daughter.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indian-woman-evacuated-from-war-torn-gaza/articleshow/105206351.cms
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Woman abducted to Gaza on Oct. 7 has likely given birth in captivity — officials
14 Nov, 2023
Israeli officials on Monday cleared for publication that one of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught has likely given birth in captivity.
The woman, who had been in her ninth month of pregnancy, was presumed to have given birth based on the time that has passed since, and not based on concrete information, the officials stressed.
The woman is one of at least 240 hostages seized during the devastating Hamas-led attack on southern Israel last month, in which Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people. Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a major military offensive aimed at toppling the Gaza-ruling terror organization and securing the release of the hostages.
Also Monday, the Israel Defense Forces said it sent representatives to the family of Noa Marciano, who is being held in Gaza by Hamas, after the terror group published a video of her.
“Our hearts go out to the Marciano family, whose daughter, Noa, was brutally kidnapped by the Hamas terror organization,” the IDF said in a statement.
The military vowed to continue to accompany the Marciano family, as well as the families of the other hostages.
“We are working with all means, intelligence and operational, in order to return the hostages home,” the IDF said.
It said an IDF representative went to Noa Marciano’s home to inform them of the Hamas video.
“Hamas continues to use psychological terror and behaves inhumanely, through videos and photos of hostages, as it has done in the past,” the IDF added.
Meanwhile, forensic examiners identified the remains of peace activist Vivian Silver, confirming she was killed during the October 7 attack.
The Canadian-born Silver, 74, had been listed as missing since her house in Kibbutz Be’eri was attacked last month. One of her sons said the two were texting as she hid in a closet at home, telling him a massacre was taking place.
“‘She wrote me, ‘They’re inside the house, it’s time to stop joking and say goodbye,’” Yonatan Zeigen recalled to the BBC.
“‘And I wrote back that ‘I love you, Mum. I have no words, I’m with you.’” Viven responded, “I feel you.”
That was the last message, according to Zeigen.
Silver was known for her peace activism, including her involvement in the organization called Women Wage Peace, as well as The Road to Recovery, driving sick Palestinians from Gaza to Israeli hospitals.
She held a meeting of international supporters of Women Wage Peace just a few days before the Hamas atrocities.
Zeigen said that his mother would not be completely surprised by the Hamas massacre that took place.
He told the BBC that she would say that this is the outcome of war. “Of not striving for peace, and this is what happens,” he said.
Source: timesofisrael.com/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/woman-abducted-to-gaza-on-oct-7-has-likely-given-birth-in-captivity-officials/
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NAB grills Bushra Bibi over Al-Qadir Trust, UK funds
November 14, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday asked Bushra Bibi, the wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, whether she had attended any Islamic teaching courses and from where she received her education.
According to sources in NAB, the ex-PM’s wife appeared before the anti-graft watchdog and faced the investigation team regarding the 140 million pound Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, where she was asked more than 10 questions.
She remained with NAB’s investigation team for over one-and-a-half hours.
Ms Bushra was also questioned about her role in Al-Qadir Trust and whether she received a salary as a trustee.
She was asked whose brainchild the trust and Al-Qadir University were, and who had selected the venue for the university.
She was also questioned about her friend Farhat Shehzadi, who is one of the accused in the case and has fled abroad. Ms Bushra was asked whether she was satisfied with Ms Shehzadi’s financial affairs and her role in the trust.
NAB Rawalpindi summoned Ms Bushra, and her close friend, Ms Shehzadi, on Monday in the 140 million pound Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
A source in NAB told Dawn that Ms Bushra was to appear before anti-graft watchdog on Wednesday last week, but she did not turn up and her counsel sent a written request seeking next date for appearance in the next week. In this case Ms Bushra is already on bail till Nov 15.
In this case, the PTI chief and his wife were accused of obtaining billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd for legalising Rs50 billion that were identified and returned to the country by the UK during the previous PTI government.
Source: dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1789121/nab-grills-bushra-bibi-over-al-qadir-trust-uk-funds
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Jailed Iranian Activist Sotoudeh: We Feminized Evin Prison with Our Hair
NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was among dozens of people arrested during the October 29 funeral of Armita Garavand, a 16-year-old girl who was fatally assaulted at a Tehran metro station for not wearing a headscarf.
In a letter written from behind the walls of Qarchak prison on October 30, Sotoudeh described her violent arrest at Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery along with Manzar Zarrabi, a mother advocating for justice over the January 2020 downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and other women.
At the prosecutor’s office in Evin prison, the activist says she and Zarrabi “categorically refused to wear headscarves.”
“A few of us, the accused women, had spent hours in the yard, effectively feminizing the Evin prosecutor’s yard, without realizing what we had done. With our hair, we had thrown Evin, with its masculine and security atmosphere, into convulsions…”
It is Monday morning. We arrived at the Evin prosecutor’s office at 10 a.m. We were sitting in the yard. Every other one unveiled, every other one smoking, every other one with her entire earlobe pierced with rings. One with a pierced nose, the other tall as a cypress, with a beautiful short army jacket, velvet green, with black pants that surreptitiously drew the eyes to her ankles. Her head, a riot of gorgeous curly hair glistened in the pale autumn light, hues of brown, shining ever so brightly and beautifully.
There were 23 of us that day, 23 women on one side of the yard, 20 men on the other. We had all been arrested the previous day. Most of us were arrested at the funeral, at the graveside. Two or three were arrested at the mosque. Most of those arrested at the mosque had been released that very night. Two or three had refused to post bail and take an oath. What oath? The oath that they would not participate in such a ceremony.
Among those arrested, next to us in the van, was a woman wrapped in official garb, clad in a heavy veil. She was telling us how sick of herself she had felt for appearing at work every day wearing that uniform. And how, now, in that moment, she felt relief, more at ease.
When we reached Zahra’s Paradise, the cemetery, I went to the mortuary, where the family wash their dead. Armita’s relatives were there. Her mother and sister arrived a little later. People would come forth, introduce themselves and get acquainted. Among those who came forth and exchanged greetings was Manzar Khanom, holding her children’s pictures. She and I exited together, sat in her car, and drove to the graveside. As she was holding the photos of her children, the security guard snatched them from behind. She rushed to get them back. Afterward, she folded the photos and put them back in her bag. After that, we suddenly saw them dragging a young woman who was standing next to me on the ground. I pulled her back, as did others, until she was in our midst, a few rows ahead. They covered her hair with a scarf and did what was necessary to conceal her…
A few moments later, they dragged Manzar, I stepped forward to pull her back, they dragged both of us on the ground and took us. When they forced us into the van, we realized that they had arrested others before us. The van was almost full. I sat next to the door and refused to step in. They used a stun gun, delivering multiple shocks to my legs. I didn’t budge. For a reason. I could see the tears in the eyes of the woman standing in front of the van and was expecting arrest. They had no more room. Later, one of my ward mates told me that her friend had left a message for her family. She had asked them to thank me for sitting in front of the van, saying: “There was no room for them to arrest me, so they freed me.” From Zahra’s Paradise, they took us to the Vozara Detention Center.
A wind, as carefree as young children at play, caressed our hair. Manzar Khanom and I, aged 65 and 60, categorically refused to wear headscarves. After a while, those younger than us would hesitantly don a headscarf in between entering and exiting the prosecutor’s office so that perhaps they might be freed. The men at the prosecutor’s office would abandon their stations, come out one after another and stare at us with wide eyes. We had done the simplest thing in the world. We were just casually sitting there but it was as if the gentlemen in the prosecutor’s office were choking on their breath. They looked at us wondering what had come to pass.
Every hour or so, they handcuffed Manzar and I to one another and told us they would take us back to Vozara Detention Center. Then, after a half hour or so, they told us to step out of the van, wear our headscarves and go back to the prosecutor’s office for cross-examination. We refused and didn’t go in. They repeated it again. On one of these occasions, as they were taking us back into the van, I told one of the officials to tell Mr. Qenaatkar I would complain against him as he did not have the authority to stop me from being prosecuted because I was not wearing a veil. In the throes of our deep sorrow, the grief of losing Armita, I who had refused to step into any court for years found myself insisting that I appear before the Evin prosecutor unveiled. A few of us, the accused women, had spent hours in the yard, effectively feminizing the Evin prosecutor’s yard, without realizing what we had done. With our hair, we had thrown Evin, with its masculine and security atmosphere, into convulsions…
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/122497-jailed-iranian-activist-sotoudeh-we-feminized-evin-prison-with-our-hair/
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Women to lead Herat Security Dialogue for the second consecutive year
Fidel Rahmati
November 13, 2023
The Afghanistan Institute of Strategic Studies has announced that women will lead the 11th round of talks at the Herat Security Conference.
This centre announced on Monday, November 13th, through a message on its social media platform X, that the 11th round of the Herat Security Conference is scheduled for November 27-28 in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
Among those selected to organize all the panels of the 11th Herat Security Conference are Sahra Karimi (filmmaker and former head of Afghan Film), Manijeh Bahari (researcher at Ankara University), Nazila Jamshidi (advisor for diversity, justice, and inclusivity at the Andakar Social Society), and Habiba Ashna (civil society activist).
They will work alongside reporters and columnists on Foreign policy. They will work alongside reporter and columnist Lynne O’Donnell, Jyoti Malhotra (Editor-in-Chief of National and Strategic Affairs at the Online Print Newspaper), and Susan Coble (writer and university professor).
The Herat Security Conferences represent one of the most significant forums that gather experts, researchers, writers, and university professors annually to focus on Afghanistan-related topics. For the second consecutive year, the organization of this conference has been entrusted to women.
The 10th round of the Herat Security Talks, held last year under the theme of “Comprehensive Political System, Models, and Roadmaps,” emphasized establishing an inclusive interim government and protecting human rights, especially women’s rights, as a solution to Afghanistan’s problems. Nearly 200 participants from Europe, the United States, and Asia highlighted these principles.
Despite repeated calls for the protection of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan, approximately half of the Afghan population is still marginalized and deprived of fundamental rights such as access to education, employment, and participation in society from the most basic levels.
It should be noted that the ninth edition of the “Herat Security Conference” was held within the country. After the resurgence of the Taliban administration in the country, the Afghanistan Institute of Strategic Studies continues its activities outside the country’s borders.
The Afghanistan Institute of Strategic Studies was established in 2011 to address strategic issues related to Afghanistan in broader regional and international contexts and to conduct academic research in social, political, economic, and cultural fields. It has organized eight rounds of the Herat Security Conference to date.
The Herat Security Conference, created in 2012, was modelled after the Munich Security Conference. Holding ten rounds has provided a platform for discussions between policymakers and experts to explore strategic solutions.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/women-to-lead-herat-security-dialogue-for-the-second-consecutive-year/
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Hamas murdered her Israeli-Australian mother in kibbutz Be'eri. Now Nicole has returned to say goodbye
NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Nicole Carbone was on the phone with her Australian mother, Galit, right up until she was shot dead by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
Their final conversation now replays over and over in Nicole's head.
WARNING: Some readers might find the details and images in this story distressing.
"She told me, 'Listen, they're here for me'. She said, 'My sunshine, my beautiful daughter, I love you'. Then she hung up the phone. And that was it," Nicole recalls.
"She was smart enough to close the phone so I [wouldn't] hear what came next."
Standing inside the house where her mother said those final words, Nicole breaks down in tears.
The 29-year-old has returned to her mother's home, the place where she grew up in kibbutz Be'eri, to see what's left and "get closure".
She's met by a scene of destruction and chaos.
The floor is littered with Galit's personal possessions — clothes and underwear, books, photos and jewellery which have been strewn around and trampled.
Nicole's feet crunch on panes of window glass that have been shattered by bullets and crashed to the floor.
The living room has been looted of nearly all its furniture and the TV, except for a table covered in a thick layer of dust.
In the corner is a mattress smeared with her mother's blood, propped against the wall.
Nicole looks at it, in shock, her hands covering her mouth.
"I keep on imagining them walking in here, walking on this floor and making all this mess," she says.
"The bad guys who killed my mum, they've been in here, in my house, in my room. I don't understand.
"How can anybody walk inside, see her in the dark sitting by herself ... with no hesitation, and just shoot her like that? Why would you do that? Why would you do that?"
Childhood mementos among the wreckage
Galit Carbone, 66, was the only Australian to be killed in the October 7 attack.
Her house was first in line after hundreds of terrorists infiltrated the kibbutz in Israel's south, close to the border with Gaza.
A small house with a golf cart out the front.
Nicole says her mum tried to hide in her safe room, known in Hebrew as a "mamad", but the door was broken and couldn't be closed.
Stepping inside that room, Nicole sees two gunshot holes that have punctured the concrete wall.
More than 80 others from kibbutz Be'eri were also murdered and more than 30 were taken hostage.
Nicole knows almost every one of them.
She picks up a shirt of her mother's and bundles it into her arms. It's a white tank top with vertical maroon stripes and pink and blue flowers.
"I was shopping with her when she picked that out," Nicole says.
"She used to wear it all the time. We don't have too many pictures together because neither of us like to take pictures, but I have a picture with her in that tank top.
"I don't want it to be here by itself."
All around Galit's home are reminders of her connection to Australia, where she was born and lived until her teenage years, when she moved to Israel.
A boomerang magnet is stuck to the fridge.
A diamond-shaped plastic yellow sign that reads "koalas next 10km" – like ones sold at tourist shops — has been hung on a bedroom door.
Nicole opens the pantry and right at the front of the shelf, is a jar of vegemite.
It makes her smile.
'It's painful, very painful'
Nicole's trip to her mother's house is suddenly interrupted by a massive boom.
Israeli tanks, that are now stationed adjacent to the community, are firing missiles from near the house into Gaza.
Another boom follows, in a reminder that war is still raging around us.
This kibbutz that Nicole remembers as being "a paradise" is now a heavily guarded closed military zone, covered in layers of brown dust from all the military vehicles that rumble by.
Civilians aren't allowed in here, but the ABC received special military permission to accompany Nicole to her mother's house.
Everywhere you turn, there is lingering evidence of the atrocities committed here.
The smell of death still permeates the air.
A group of armed reservists walk past Galit's home and crouch down near a garden bush with their guns poised. They're searching for remaining Hamas weaponry.
Dozens of bullet casings litter the ground.
One military man tells us they are still finding grenades scattered around the kibbutz.
"Coming back here and seeing this, it's really important," Nicole says.
"It gives you some answers, because there's no-one to tell you what happened in here, no-one recorded it. But it's painful, very painful."
Houses around Galit's have been completely destroyed.
Some are scarred with hundreds of bullet holes. Others are burnt and blown to pieces by explosives.
Many of the homes will need to be demolished and it could take years to rebuild.
Nicole says she always imagined she would return here to raise her child Leah in the same community where she grew up.
But now she's not so sure.
"I was really sure that ... I was going to come back to the kibbutz, to give her this option, to live close by to her grandmother," she says.
"If it was just me, for sure I would come back to the kibbutz.
"But now when I have my baby, Leah, I don't know. For her, I wouldn't want to take the chance."
As she locks the door to her mother's home and gets ready to leave the kibbutz, Nicole hangs an Israeli flag on the pergola in the front yard.
It flaps gently in the wind, accompanied by the sound of tank artillery.
"Am Yisrael Chai" Nicole says quietly.
It means "the people of Israel live".
Source: abc.net.au
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-14/australian-returns-to-israeli-kibbutz-where-her-mother-died/103097694
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/indian-mother-struggles-pakistani-son/d/131110