Iran Hijab Bill: Women Face 10 Years In Jail For 'Inappropriate' Dress
New Age
Islam News Bureau
21 September 2023
·
Iran Hijab
Bill: Women Face 10 Years In Jail For 'Inappropriate' Dress
·
Asila
Wardak, Ex-Afghan Official: Taliban Have Issued Nearly 100 Decrees Restricting
Women
·
Swiss
Parliament Approves Ban On Burqas, Sets Fine For Violators
·
Sarwat
Bano, Muslim Woman Principal In Jaipur Scales New Heights In Educational
Excellence With Innovations For Students
·
12 Foreign
Ministers Condemn Taliban’s Systematic Discrimination Against Women In Afghanistan
·
Women’s
Reservation Bill Poses New Challenge To Muslim League
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iran-hijab-bill/d/130730
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Iran Hijab Bill: Women Face 10 Years In
Jail For 'Inappropriate' Dress
A growing
number of women and girls have stopped covering their hair in public in recent
months
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21 September 2023
By David Gritten
BBC News
Iran's parliament has passed a
controversial bill that would increase prison terms and fines for women and
girls who break its strict dress code.
Those dressed
"inappropriately" face up to 10 years in jail under the bill, for
which a three-year "trial" was agreed.
It still needs to be approved by the
Guardian Council to become law.
The move comes a year after protests
erupted over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was held by morality
police for an allegedly improper hijab.
Women burnt their headscarves or waved
them in the air at the nationwide demonstrations against the clerical
establishment, during which hundreds of people were reportedly killed in a
crackdown by security forces.
A growing number of women and girls have
stopped covering their hair in public altogether as the unrest has subsided,
despite the return of the morality police to the streets and the installation
of surveillance cameras.
Under Iranian law, which is based on the
country's interpretation of Sharia, women and girls above the age of puberty
must cover their hair with a hijab and wear long, loose-fitting clothing to
disguise their figures.
Currently, those not complying risk a
prison term of between 10 days and two months or a fine of between 5,000 and
500,000 rials ($0.10-$10.14 at the black market exchange rate).
On Wednesday, members of parliament
voted by 152 to 34 to pass the "Hijab and Chastity Bill", which says
people who are caught dressed "inappropriately" in public places will
be subject to a "fourth degree" punishment.
According to the penal code, that means
a prison sentence of between five and 10 years and a fine of between 180m and
360m rials ($3,651-$7,302).
The bill also proposes fines for those
"promoting nudity" or "making fun of the hijab" in the
media and on social networks, and for owners of vehicles in which a female
driver or passenger is not wearing the hijab or appropriate clothing, according
to AFP news agency.
Any person who promotes violating the
dress code "in an organised manner" or "in co-operation with
foreign or hostile governments, media, groups or organisations" could also
be imprisoned for between five and 10 years, it says.
The bill will now be sent for approval
by the Guardian Council, a conservative body of clerics and jurists. They have
the power to veto the bill if they consider it inconsistent with the
constitution and Sharia.
Earlier this month, eight independent UN
human rights experts warned the bill "could be described as a form of
gender apartheid, as authorities appear to be governing through systemic
discrimination with the intention of suppressing women and girls into total
submission".
"The draft law imposes severe
punishments on women and girls for non-compliance which may lead to its violent
enforcement," the experts said.
"The bill also violates fundamental
rights, including the right to take part in cultural life, the prohibition of
gender discrimination, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful
protest, and the right to access social, educational, and health services, and
freedom of movement."
Source: bbc.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-66863720
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Asila Wardak, Ex-Afghan Official:
Taliban Have Issued Nearly 100 Decrees Restricting Women
Asila
Wardak, former director general of UN affairs in the Afghan Foreign Ministry,
speaks at a high-level event on global solidarity with Afghan women and girls.
(Photo: X)
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Zaynab Khojji
September 19, 2023
LONDON: The Taliban government in
Afghanistan has issued more than 94 edicts and decrees restricting the daily
lives of women, and this is affecting their mental health, a former Afghan
official said at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Speaking at a high-level event on global
solidarity with Afghan women and girls, Asila Wardak, former director general
of UN affairs in the Afghan Foreign Ministry, said the restrictions banned
Afghan women and girls from education, going to the park, moving around freely,
accessing health services and traveling.
These limitations are affecting their
mental health, and are not inspired by Islam or Afghan culture, she added.
“The way that they (the Taliban) are
representing Islam, it’s very dangerous for the region and then for the Islamic
community also, because I’m sure there are lots of extremist people in
different Islamic countries, and then they’ll copy what the Taliban is doing in
Afghanistan,” she said.
“It’s adding to extremism in the world.
It’s also a big threat to global security. It’s not only about Afghanistan.”
Habiba Sarabi, former Afghan minister
for women’s affairs, echoed Wardak’s views and called upon Muslim-majority
countries to show the world that the Taliban’s oppressive policies toward women
and girls do not reflect the true values of Islam.
“The Taliban want to push us back
hundreds of years in the name of Islam. Please show the world that what they’re
doing doesn’t reflect the true values of Islam,” said Sarabi.
“It’s upon us to continue to exert
public and private pressure from all possible sides to prevent the
normalization of the Taliban gender apartheid, and to give Afghan women a seat
at all levels, tables and international diplomatic fora where Afghanistan is
being discussed.”
UAE Minister of State Ahmed bin Ali
Al-Sayegh also highlighted that Taliban-imposed restrictions on women “have no
basis in Islam or in culture,” adding: “I hope we continue to voice our
condemnations, but also to take concrete steps on the ground to help the Afghan
population.”
He said the UAE had offered Afghan girls
educational scholarships, but they were stopped from taking advantage of those
opportunities by the Taliban.
“We must also continue to advocate
politically, and through diplomacy, for the rights of women and girls,” he
added.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2376896/world
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Swiss Parliament Approves Ban On Burqas,
Sets Fine For Violators
Sep 21, 2023
The lower house of Switzerland's
parliament voted on Wednesday to pass a ban on face coverings, including burqas
worn by some Muslim women. The legislation, which had already been approved by
the upper house, was championed by the right-wing populist Swiss People's
Party. It received significant support with a vote of 151-29 in favor, despite
reservations expressed by centrists and the Greens.
This move comes after a nationwide
referendum two years ago in which Swiss voters narrowly, 51%, endorsed a ban on
niqabs (face veils with eye slits), burqas, as well as ski masks and bandannas
worn by some protesters. With the lower house's approval, the ban has now
become federal law, accompanied by fines of up to 1,000 Swiss francs (around
$1,100) for violators.
The campaign to prohibit face coverings
faced criticism from Muslim groups during the referendum. Ines El-Shikh, a
spokesperson for the Purple Headscarves, a Muslim women's group, told AFP news
agency that "there are only 30 women in burqas in Switzerland."
Meanwhile, Switzerland's Islamic Central Council pointed out that the vote
reflected the spread of anti-Muslim sentiments throughout the country.
The ban prohibits the covering of the
nose, mouth, and eyes in both public spaces and private buildings accessible to
the public, with some exceptions allowed. While full face coverings like burqas
are not commonly worn in Switzerland, this legislation brings the country in
line with others like Belgium and France that have implemented similar
measures.
This marks the second legislative
measure in the country that seems to focus on the Muslim community, following
Switzerland's prohibition of constructing new minarets in 2009, spurred by a
campaign led by right-wing parties.
(With inputs from agencies)
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/swiss-parliament-approves-ban-on-burqas-sets-fine-for-violators/articleshow/103824210.cms
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Sarwat Bano, Muslim Woman Principal In
Jaipur Scales New Heights In Educational Excellence With Innovations For
Students
September 19, 2023
By Our Correspondent
JAIPUR – A Muslim woman Principal of
Mahatma Gandhi Government English Medium School in Jaipur has scaled new
heights in educational excellence with her innovations, which have led to the
inclusion of her school in the Rajasthan government’s pilot project for
complete digitalisation programme. The school headed by her is among the first
11 institutions in the state which have been digitalized for their operations.
The new English medium co-educational
schools named after Mahatma Gandhi have been opened by the Rajasthan government
in all districts of the state as part of an ambitious drive to give the
students a level playing field to enable them to compete with the elite private
schools. These flagship schools are an attraction for the public at large in
view of low cost of education and an assurance for upward social mobility with
the proficiency in English.
Sarwat Bano, serving as Principal of
Mahatma Gandhi Government School, Adarsh Nagar, Jaipur, for the last four
years, has taken steps to impart quality education to underprivileged children
and empowered them with knowledge and skills. Under her leadership, the school
has progressed so much that the number of applications received for admissions
at the beginning of each academic session are many times more than the seats
available.
Since the school functioning in the same
building earlier was a girls’ Hindi medium institution, which was converted
into the Mahatma Gandhi Government School in 2019, the English medium was
introduced first for the class VI students. This first English medium batch of
students appeared in the State Board of Secondary Education’s X class
examination this year and came out with flying colours. The school’s result for
the Board exam was an impressive 96.25% pass percentage.
Bano, 53, has played multiple roles
while bringing laurels to her schools and guided her colleagues as a Master
Facilitator at the State Resource Group in the Rajasthan Leadership Academy at
Goner, Jaipur, functioning under the State Institute of Educational Management
and Training (SIEMAT). Her efforts for improvement of academic standards and
skill development of students have been widely acclaimed.
As part of the digitalisation of
operations, Bano’s school is set to get a new and robust infrastructure,
sponsored by an educational technology company with its corporate social
responsibility (CSR) fund, for e-education, smart classes, virtual reality
lessons, robotics lab and information communication technology lab. The similar
digital education facility, approved by the Rajasthan School Education Council,
is being provided to nine other schools in Jaipur district and one in Rajsamand
district.
The State government’s Education
Department has shifted teachers from the pool of its regular academic staff who
were willing to join the Mahatma Gandhi Schools to create a separate cadre of
English medium teachers. Private teachers have also been appointed as the guest
faculty to overcome the shortage of teachers. The schools have been adding one
class every year to accommodate the promoted students.
Bano’s salutary initiative to introduce
an English language proficiency programme for underprivileged children of all
communities through a unique microscholarship scheme during the COVID-19
pandemic, for which she invited the U.S. Embassy’s Bureau of Education and
Cultural Affairs to her school, has won her all-round praise. The programme has
met with encouraging results. Incidentally, Bano has an educational background
of chemistry, as she completed her post-graduation and M.Phil. in that subject.
The English access microscholarship
programme has sought to strengthen the foundation of language skills among the
selected students and enable them to avail of educational and employment
opportunities in future. The children selected for the initiative were in the
age group of 13 to 16 years. They learnt the linguistic skills with distinction
and were later felicitated at a “graduation ceremony”.
After being taught in an online mode for
more than a year, the students joined the after-school physical classes and
intensive sessions in March 2022. The programme, implemented through New
Delhi-based Learning Links Foundation, adopted a communicative approach to
teaching English, infusing a spirit of participatory learning among the
children and helping them groom their personalities. The students also attended
the regular school for VIII to X classes.
Bano said the students selected for the
programme had excelled in extra-curricular activities, with an all-round
development visible in their personality, and they were winning awards in
various other competitions as well. “Our students have developed confidence to
overcome the impediments and improved their writing and speaking skills as well
as critical thinking. Such a project is the need of the hour because students
of government schools, coming from poor background, face language barriers,”
she said.
American Embassy’s Regional English
Language Officer Ruth Goode, accompanied by specialist Rachna Sharma, visited
the Mahatma Gandhi School before the launch of physical classes. Goode
interacted with the students and obtained their feedback, while informing them
of the scope for studying in the U.S. through the exchange programmes.
The students trained in the programme
will later be selected for attending the South Asian meets, where they will be
exposed to the educational atmosphere in India’s neighbouring countries. The
global micro scholarship programme is operative in as many as 90 countries,
where an assistance is provided for development of curriculum, textbooks and
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching methodology.
The learning material provided to the
students in Mahatma Gandhi School laid emphasis on content creation by writing
unified paragraphs, developing vocabulary with the talks about hobbies,
interests and people, using visuals to support comprehension, identifying sequence
of events, asking questions and understanding the cause and effect of natural
phenomena. The science of fun, wonders of the sea, long ago and today and “good
idea” were some of the lessons taught to the selected students.
The State government has recently
honoured Bano with a “certificate of excellence” in recognition of her
leadership skills, tireless efforts and valuable role in building the
foundation of children’s future in the school. The Joint Director, School
Education, signed the certificate presented to the Principal on July 25. Muslim
organisations of Jaipur, including the Association of Muslim Professionals,
have also praised her educational innovations.
Bano told India Tomorrow that she was
inspired by the Muslim woman from Tunisia, Fatima Al-Fihri, who had founded the
world’s first university, the University of Al-Qarawiyyin, in Morocco more than
1,000 years ago. “If a Muslim woman in the 9th century could have the vision
for promoting education in her community, nothing stops the women today from
taking similar initiatives with the help of modern technology,” Bano said.
Bano shared an anecdote about a class IX
girl student of her school, who was given the responsibilities held by the
Principal for a day on International Women’s Day on March 8 as a fun activity.
The student, Pragya Patel, played the role with perfection and said at the end
of the day that she desired to become a Principal in future. “Her reaction made
me think that if only one initiative can help a student in having a clear vision
about her career, then we should continue to take such innovative steps in
future as well,” she said.
Source: indiatomorrow.net
https://indiatomorrow.net/2023/09/19/muslim-woman-principal-in-jaipur-scales-new-heights-in-educational-excellence-with-innovations-for-students/
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12 Foreign Ministers condemn Taliban’s
systematic discrimination against women in Afghanistan
Fidel Rahmati
September 21, 2023
Foreign ministers from 12 nations issued a
joint declaration on Tuesday, calling for an immediate halt to the Taliban’s
systematic discrimination against women in Afghanistan.
This meeting occurred during the
inauguration of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The declaration came after a
ministerial-level meeting hosted by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to
Protect, Open Society Foundations, and the governments of Albania, Belgium,
Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, and Spain.
In the joint declaration, ministers
voiced deep concern over the Taliban’s gender-based persecution in Afghanistan
since regaining power in August 2021. They emphasized the systematic
marginalization of women and girls through targeted edicts.
Citing UN Women data, the ministers noted
that nearly half of Afghan women faced domestic violence, impacting their
mental health. They called for accountability for Taliban actions, “strongly
condemning” decisions violating women’s rights, such as banning their
employment with the UN and NGOs. This ban hinders aid delivery, endangering
Afghan lives, especially female-headed households. They labelled this
discrimination as systematic and potentially a crime against humanity.
Meanwhile, under the oppressive rule of
the Talian regime, a dark cloud of gender discrimination has descended upon the
country. They have implemented a series of draconian policies to systematically
deprive women of their fundamental right to education, relegating them to the
confines of their homes.
This cruel and regressive approach not
only stifles the potential and aspirations of half the population but also
undermines the progress and prosperity of the entire society.
The ministers urged the Taliban to lift
restrictions, uphold humanitarian principles, and cease “egregious violations
of human rights and freedoms.” They called for free and equal access to public
life, education, work, and fundamental rights for women and girls. Furthermore,
they demanded restoring civic space for NGOs, civil society, human rights defenders,
journalists, and media workers to operate without hindrance.
To secure lasting peace and prosperity
in Afghanistan, the ministers emphasized the necessity of an inclusive
political system encompassing all Afghans, including women, girls, and ethnic
and religious minorities. They also called on Afghanistan to fulfil its
obligations under international human rights agreements, such as the Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.
In conclusion, they extended their
solidarity to the Afghan people, especially women and girls, in their pursuit
of a brighter future.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/12-foreign-ministers-condemn-talibans-systematic-discrimination-against-women-in-afghanistan/
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Women’s Reservation Bill poses new
challenge to Muslim League
21st September 2023
KOZHIKODE: The Women’s Reservation Bill
that allocates 33% quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies has
opened a new challenge for the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which is celebrating
the 75th anniversary of its formation.
The party has never had a woman MP or
MLA in its history and its lone woman candidate for the 2021 assembly
elections, Noorbina Rashid, was defeated, though the party is a force to reckon
with in the Kozhikode South constituency. In 1999, the party unsuccessfully
fielded Kamarunnisa Anwar from the same constituency. A host of factors,
including opposition from religious groups, has prevented the party from
bringing more women onto the election fray.
“IUML will be left with no option and
the bill will bring in a sea change in the Muslim socio-political field in
Kerala. The politics of power will give way to all religious considerations,”
said social activist M N Karassery. He believes the bill will rewrite the whole
narrative of women and politics.
“I’ve not uttered even a single good
word on BJP government. But now I am constrained to say that the bill is a
revolutionary move and I am extremely happy,” Karassery said. “Organisations
such as Women’s League will be strengthened and there will be more discussions
on gender justice in the party,” he said.
Writer Mujeeb Rahman Kinaloor said more
and more educated Muslim women are knocking
at the door, waiting for an opportunity
to show their calibre. “Once reservation is implemented, they will get an
opportunity to prove their mettle. We have seen the performance of women as
members and heads of local bodies after reservation was introduced,” he said.
Kinaloor pointed out that Muslim
politics was mainly confined to the Mujahid group. “Now, Sunnis are equally or
more empowered and this change will reflect in politics. More girls are now
opting for law courses and this will equip them more to face the challenge,” he
said.
Meanwhile, E T Mohammad Basheer, MP,
suggested that there should be reservation for OBC women within the quota.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Basheer said, “OBCs and minorities, especially
Muslims, are facing deprivation, under-representation and no representation.
Some effective steps should be taken for setting apart some percentage (of
seats) for the backward sections,” he said.
UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS
The lone woman candidate of IUML for the
2021 assembly elections, Noorbina Rashid, was defeated, though the party is a
force to reckon with in the Kozhikode South constituency.
In 1999, the party unsuccessfully fielded
Kamarunnisa Anwar from the same constituency
Source: newindianexpress.com
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2023/sep/21/womens-reservation-bill-poses-new-challenge-to-muslim-league-2616769.html
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iran-hijab-bill/d/130730