Iran Tries To Downplay Hijab Connection To Police Shooting Of Woman, Arezou Badri
New Age Islam News Bureau
25 August 2024
• Iran Tries To Downplay Hijab Connection To Police Shooting Of Woman, ArezouBadri
• UN Envoy Alarmed By Taliban's Harsh New Morality Code For Afghan Women. What Does It Say?
• Visa’s Initiative To Boost Entrepreneurship Among Pak Women
• Police Detain Woman With Anti-Aircraft Ammunition In Nasarawa State
• Bodies of TikToker,Seema Khaskheli, Her ‘Fiancé’ With Torture Marks Found In Car On Old National Highway In Sukur
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iran-hijab-connection-police-woman-shooting/d/133033
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Iran Tries To Downplay Hijab Connection To Police Shooting Of Woman, ArezouBadri
August 23, 2024
By Michael Lipin
Arezou Badri is seen hospitalized in Iran after she was shot by Iranian police while driving in a car in the northern province of Mazandaran on July 22, 2024. This photo was sent to VOA Persian TV host Masih Alinejad by a source inside Iran.
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Iran is seeking to limit outrage over a recent police shooting that seriously wounded a 31-year-old woman in her car after rights activists alleged she had been targeted for refusing to wear a mandatory hijab.
Iranian state news site Tasnim published a video Monday of ArezouBadri, a mother of two, as she lay in a hospital bed in Tehran. Rights activists have said she was left partially paralyzed after police opened fire on her vehicle as she was driving with her sister in northern Iran’s Mazandaran province on July 22.
The activists have cited sources in Iran as saying police shot Badri because her car was under a confiscation order for her refusal to wear a mandatory hijab in the vehicle.
Iranian authorities toughened enforcement this year of Islamist laws that require women and girls to cover their hair with a hijab in public, even inside a vehicle. Iranian morality police enforcing those laws in 2022 detained and assaulted another young woman, Mahsa Amini, whose death in their custody sparked months of nationwide protests against Iran’s authoritarian Islamist rulers.
In the Tasnim video, a reporter holding a microphone toward the bedridden Badri asks whether she is feeling better and eating well, and she makes several brief responses in the affirmative. Her father, standing next to the bed, also tells the reporter that his daughter is feeling better.
Iranian state media have said police opened fire on Badri’s car because orders to stop were ignored. An Iranian judiciary spokesman told a Tuesday press conference that the shooter was detained and placed under investigation, but denied there was any connection to mandatory hijab enforcement.
Iranian women’s rights activist and VOA Persian TV host Masih Alinejad published the first social media photos and video of the hospitalized Badri after the shooting, with Alinejad saying she obtained them from an informed source.
In an interview for VOA’s Flashpoint podcast, published Friday, Alinejad said the Tasnim video of Badri and her father appeared to have been coerced by Iranian authorities.
"My sources told me that authorities tried to pressure Arezou and her family members to say on camera that the shooting had nothing to do with the mandatory hijab issue. So far, the family has resisted, and the authorities have failed. But at the same time, their lives are at risk [from further pressure]," Alinejad said.
She said Iranian authorities are seeking to prevent hijab-related controversies and protests from erupting as Iran approaches the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death next month.
VOA has not seen any reports from Iran of street protests related to the shooting of Badri since Alinejad began posting social media images and information about her case on July 29.
"The Iranian regime is trying to control the information. That is why there are so few people learning about what is going on in the hospital where Arezou is under pressure," Alinejad said.
But she added that her social media posts about Badri’s case have prompted some individual acts of protest.
"As soon as I published information on my social media, I got videos from Iranian women walking unveiled in the street, referring to Arezou," Alinejad said. "Those women said: 'We are not going to give up. We know what happened to Arezou, but we will still take off our hijab and walk in the street until the day that we are free.'"
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a VOA request for comment, sent on Friday, about the shooting of Badri.
VOA’s Persian Service contributed to this report.
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UN Envoy Alarmed By Taliban's Harsh New Morality Code For Afghan Women. What Does It Say?
By HT News Desk
Aug 25, 2024 05:16 PM IST
The Taliban Virtue and Vice Ministry had on May 7, 2022, said women in public must wear all-encompassing robes and cover their faces except for their eyes.(AP)
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The Taliban published its vice and virtue laws that cover aspects of everyday life like public transportation, music, shaving and celebrations.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Sunday expressed deep concern over the recent enactment of a stringent morality law by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The UN envoy said the new set of laws empowers moral inspectors to “threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions.”
“It extends the already intolerable restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation,” she added.
What are Taliban's new rules for women?
The new morality law, ratified by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, is part of an intensified effort to enforce their harsh interpretation of Islamic principles through a ministry dedicated to the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.”
This ministry, established shortly after the Taliban's return to power in 2021, has now formalised its vice and virtue laws in a 114-page document. These laws regulate various aspects of daily life, including public transportation, music, social interactions, and even the appearance and behaviour of individuals in public spaces.
A significant focus of the law is the regulation of women's conduct.
Article 13 mandates that women must cover their bodies entirely in public, with face coverings deemed essential to prevent temptation.
Clothing should not be thin, tight or short.
The law further stipulates that women should not speak, sing, or read aloud in public, as their voices are considered intimate.
It also prohibits women from looking at men to whom they are not related, by blood or marriage, and vice versa.
Women should veil themselves in front of all male strangers, including Muslims, and in front of all non-Muslims to avoid being corrupted.
Public transportation is also tightly regulated, with solo female travellers forbidden and passengers required to perform prayers at designated times.
International observers, including the U.N., have warned that these laws are contributing to an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, particularly for women and girls.
“Given the multiple issues outlined in the report, the position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, the head of the human rights service at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.
The Taliban, however, has dismissed these concerns, asserting that the laws are necessary for maintaining moral order in the country.
Source: Hindustan Times.Com
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Visa’s initiative to boost entrepreneurship among Pak women
August 25, 2024
LAHORE - Following the successful launch of the first edition of She’s Next global advocacy programme in Pakistan, Visa, a world leader in digital payments, will now initiate the She’s Next Club to further support women entrepreneurs. She’s Next was launched earlier this year in partnership with HBL, Pakistan’s leading bank, to empower women-owned small businesses through funding, training, and mentorship. Five women-led businesses in Pakistan won grants worth USD 50,000 in the country’s inaugural She’s Next program. To initiate regular interaction and further support this important group, Visa will invite select alumni – including successful applicants to the program – to join She’s Next Club to provide hands-on training and networking opportunities. According to Visa’s Women SMB Digitization Index survey, women entrepreneurs in Pakistan are eager to learn from their peers, with many women entrepreneurs requiring specific assistance on overcoming problems (61%), developing online sales (54%), and building a team of employees (43%). Nearly all (98%) women are keen on payment related training. A section of women (33%) seek advice on the types of payments accepted from customers and are interested in workshops on managing stress in crisis (46%), using social media for promotion (40%), and creating an online store (32%). In recognition of these results, and in collaboration with Visa’s execution partners Katalyst Labs, She’s Next Club participants will receive extensive knowledge training on topics such as startup financials, team building and managing people, effective marketing and sales strategies and enabling digital payments for businesses from industry leaders, as well as experts from Visa and HBL.
Umar S. Khan, Country Manager for Pakistan & Afghanistan for Visa, commented: “The response to She’s Next in Pakistan was overwhelming, with more than 2,500 applications received in its first year. This reflects the strong demand and enthusiasm among Pakistani women entrepreneurs for learning and networking opportunities that can help them grow their businesses. The program has also provided a platform for showcasing the success stories and best practices of women-led SMBs across various sectors, such as fashion, education, health, and technology. We wanted to ensure we stay connected to these bright minds and we believe She’s Next Club will help to sustain growth and support for these women entrepreneurs with the skills, resources, and connections they need. Such efforts will eventually contribute to Pakistan’s economic development and social progress.”
Since 2020, Visa has invested over $3.83M in over 380+ grants and coaching for women SMB owners through the She’s Next grant program globally including in US, Canada, India, Ireland, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Morocco.
Source: Nation.Com.Pk/
https://www.nation.com.pk/25-Aug-2024/visa-s-initiative-to-boost-entrepreneurship-among-pak-women
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Police Detain Woman With Anti-Aircraft Ammunition In Nasarawa State
By Chimezie Godfrey
August 24, 2024
The Police Command in Nasarawa, says it has arrested a woman in possession of anti-aircraft ammunition in Keffi Local Government Area of the state.
According to the PPRO, police personnel attached to Keffi Division had intercepted the suspect on Friday at about 5:10 p.m., following credible information.
“Consequently, 124 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition concealed in a gallon of palm oil, one Tecno mobile phone, and N78,500 were recovered from the suspect as an exhibits.
“Preliminary findings revealed that the suspect received a supply of ammunition at RafinSanyi village, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa state.
“She concealed the items in a gallon of palm oil en route Katsina state before nemesis caught up with her,” Nansel added.
Source: Newsdiaryonline.Com
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Bodies of TikToker,Seema Khaskheli,Her ‘Fiancé’ With Torture Marks Found In Car On Old National Highway In Sukur
August 25, 2024
SUKKUR: The bodies of a TikToker and her fiancé with torture marks were found lying in a car parked at a section of the old National Highway on Saturday.
The victims were identified as Seema Khaskheli and Zafar Abbas Hajano. The car was found parked near Irani Kosar Hospital, located along a section of the old National Highway, officials at the A-Section police station in Khairpur district said.
SHO Iqbal Noon said that the killers might have some enmity with the victims but it was too early to reach a conclusion about a motive.
Seema’s parents told the media that she had married to Yaseen Indher, a resident of Pannu Aqil, but got divorced after falling in love with Hajano. “They were about to marry,” the parents said about Seema and Hajano.
They said that Seema had gone to Bazaar three days back and did not return home since then. They said they could not locate her despite a hectic search. It was not known if Seema’s family had reported the matter of her going missing at the police station of their area.
The parents said they came to know about their daughter’s fate only on Saturday when the police informed them about having found her body with that of Hajano in a car.
The police handed over the bodies to the heirs after a postmortem examination and other legal formalities. They said they were investigating the matter from different angles.
The deceased woman’s parents have appealed to the Sukkur DIG and Khairpur SSP to order a fair investigation into the double murder and help take the killers to task.
Source: Dawn.Com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iran-hijab-connection-police-woman-shooting/d/133033