Video of Iran's Morality Police Beating Teen Girl, Nafas Haji Sharif, For Not Wearing Headscarves Sparks Outrage
New Age Islam News Bureau
07 Aug 2024
· Video of Iran's Morality Police Beating Teen Girl, Nafas Haji Sharif, For Not Wearing Headscarves Sparks Outrage
· Woman Fined in Berlin for Using Pro-Palestinian Slogan, “From The River to The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free”
· Iran Unveils Tuba Plan, Its Latest To Enforce Mandatory Hijab
· 'No Doubt' Boxers in Gender Dispute Are Women, IOC's Bach Says
· Women's Basketball Welcomes Egyptian Center Abdel Aal
·
World Food Programme Cuts Aid to Hundreds Of
Pregnant Women In Afghanistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Video of Iran's Morality Police Beating Teen Girl, Nafas Haji Sharif, For Not Wearing Headscarves Sparks Outrage
AUGUST 7, 2024
A viral video of Iran's Morality Police
beating two teenage girls for not wearing headscarves in Tehran has sparked
widespread outrage on social media
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A viral video of Iran's Morality Police beating two teenage girls for not wearing headscarves in Tehran has sparked widespread outrage on social media.
The incident has reignited calls for President Masoud Pezeshkian to fulfill his campaign promises to disband the controversial morality police.
The video, released on Tuesday, shows officers from the "Noor" plan confronting two teenage girls on Vatanpour Street in northern Tehran. The "Noor" plan was started earlier this year to enforce hijab regulations.
The footage shows police officers beating and detaining the girls, who were not wearing headscarves known as the hijab.
The mother of Nafas Haji Sharif, a 14-year-old victim, told Ensaf News website that her daughter's head hit an electric pole during the arrest, after which the altercation continued inside the police van.
Despite filing a complaint, she says her efforts to seek justice have been largely unsuccessful, though a military prosecutor has granted her access to CCTV footage of the incident.
Describing her daughter's condition after the arrest, the mother said she found the teenager with facial injuries, swollen lips, a bruised neck, torn clothing, and difficulty in speaking.
On Wednesday, Tehran's Police Force Information Center responded to the video, claiming it was recorded on June 21.
The police's statement alleged that the girls were warned about "inappropriate clothing," and they responded with obscenities.
The center acknowledged that the officers' conduct was "not within the framework of its standards" and said the judiciary and the force's internal inspection unit were investigating the case.
The incident has reignited debate over Iran's strict dress code laws and enforcement methods.
Many Persian-speaking social media users have expressed anger and dismay over the treatment of the teenagers, with many calling on President Masoud Pezeshkian to honor his campaign pledges to end such confrontations.
During his presidential campaign, Pezeshkian repeatedly criticized the Morality Police and its treatment of Iranian women and girls for not adhering to mandatory hijab laws.
Since April 13, Iran's law enforcement agencies have intensified the enforcement of hijab regulations under the national action plan "Noor."
Across Iran, there have been numerous reports of women being arrested and subjected to the use of force due to perceived violations of dress codes.
Users across social networks are participating in a spontaneous campaign using the hashtag "war against women" to document their experiences and observations regarding the government's crackdown on the opponents of mandatory hijab.
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/132601-video-of-irans-morality-police-beating-teen-girls-sparks-outrage/
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Woman Fined in Berlin for Using Pro-Palestinian Slogan, “From The River to The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free”
August 07, 2024
Police officers detain a protester as
people attend a demonstration to mark the Nakba and in support of Palestinians,
in Berlin, Germany, May 15, 2022. (REUTERS file photo)
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BERLIN: A Berlin court on Tuesday fined a woman 600 euros ($655) for using the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” at a protest, in a ruling slammed as a “dark day for freedom of expression” by her lawyer.
The 22-year-old named only as Ava M. was found guilty of using the slogan at a banned gathering in Berlin’s Neukoelln district on October 11, according to a court spokeswoman.
The court concluded that the woman’s use of the phrase so soon after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel meant it “could only be understood as a denial of Israel’s right to exist and an endorsement of the attack,” the spokeswoman said.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is seen by some as a call for the destruction of Israel, though others say it simply appeals for equality for Palestinians and Israelis.
The phrase was outlawed by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in November as part of a ban on the activities of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Germany.
But the ban is legally controversial, and courts in different parts of Germany have handed down different rulings on cases involving the phrase, with many finding it to be permissible.
Lawyer Alexander Gorski, who represented the woman in Berlin, said it was “a dark day for freedom of expression.”
“My client only wanted to express her hope for a future of democratic coexistence for all people in the region,” he told AFP, adding that his client would appeal the decision.
The October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s military retaliation to wipe out Hamas has killed at least 39,653 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Germany’s response to the Hamas attack and ensuing war has been driven by guilt over its own dark past, and the slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
The country has steadfastly backed Israel in the conflict, but its unwavering stance has led to claims that Palestinian voices are being marginalized.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2564056/world
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Iran unveils Tuba Plan, its latest to enforce mandatory hijab
In yet another move in its war on women's freedom of choice, Iranian authorities have introduced the Tuba Plan to promote and enforce the country's mandatory hijab laws amid widespread defiance.
In a report on Sunday, the ‘reformist’ newspaper Shargh revealed it will be rolled out in three phases, culminating in the training of 1,500 "missionaries" tasked with promoting "the culture of chastity and hijab" with a particular focus on schools and education centers.
Citing Mohammad Hosseinzadeh, director general of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Khorasan Razavi province, Shargh reported that the project is mainly aimed at teenagers and youth with 400 individuals registered to become its missionaries.
"Our goal is to promote an Iranian-Islamic culture, of which the hijab is one of its examples,” Hosseinzadeh said.
When asked about whether the individuals taking part in the course would also be involved in the NourPlan , an initiative that began in April this year to enforce mandatory hijab laws, Hosseinzadeh said it had not been finalized.
“I don't have any information about whether or not people will be allowed to participate in Nour Plan or Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil after completing this course, but our field of activity is advertisement and promotion," he said.
However, Shargh highlighted that the Tuba Plan's ultimate goal seems to be staffing the hijab division within the Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil, a government institution that shapes and enforces Iran's morality laws.
Led by Seyyed Mohammed Saleh HashemiGolpayegani, the institute also referred to as the Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice was sanctioned in January 2023 by the European Union for being “responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran.”
Last week, NaimehIslamlou, director of Kheybar Institute announced the commencement of registration for the Touba National Project in Karaj, near the country’s capital in Tehran.
She stated that the free "hijab and chastity promotion” training course will run for 60 hours, training people at three levels and awarding them a “reputable” degree upon completion.
Shargh noted that according to Kheybar Institute’s website, their main role appears to be in staffing and implementation of chastity and hijab projects for Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil.
A unit within Kheybar Institute which they refer to as the 'FatemiMujahedan' appears to be aligned with the Tuba Plan, as pointed out by Shargh.
According to the institute's website, the unit runs training courses for hijab promoters at three levels, with 124 courses conducted so far, involving participants from all over the country.
To train, individuals must visit the "Chastity Virtual Specialized University." The so-called university is described as "a training barracks and an ammunition depot for cultural officers of the frontline of chastity and hijab."
One of the registration officials in these courses told Shargh: "We have been holding training programs in the field of chastity and hijab at three levels for nearly 20 years. We took Plan Tuba to the Ministry of Culture and Guidance and got their support so that applicants who want to participate in these courses can have a free training course without spending money."
The registrar, whose name was not mentioned in the Shargh report, said there is no guarantees of employment for those enrolling, "but if they reach level three, they can work in schools, and if they earn, they will be paid with a gift or a gift card."
Ehsan Ahangar, director general of the Ministry of Guidance in Mazandaran Province, announced on July 28 that the Tuba Plan will indeed be focusing on public spaces and schools.
"After completing the course and receiving their certificate, participants will be deployed to promote hijab and chastity, particularly in neighborhoods and schools, which are our main target communities," Ahangar said.
For over four decades, the Islamic Republic has tried to impose mandatory hijab laws on Iranian women through various projects and its crackdown on women who defy its stifling rules continues.
Following the nationwide Women, Life, Freedom uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in September 2022 for an alleged hijab violation, women's protests against the Islamic Republic’s oppressive laws have become one of the most significant challenges facing the authorities.
Despite the government's violent suppression, which saw hundreds killed by state security amid the 2022 protests, many Iranian women have continued to defy and resist the Islamic Republic’s hijab laws, appearing unveiled in public places over the past two years.
These acts of civil disobedience however come at a heavy price. Women risk severe penalties and even their lives in the fight for freedom and equality as the battle against what the UN termed "gender apartheid" continues.
Unveiled women have been banned from public spaces, education, workplaces, and even jailed amid the government's fight in the face of nationwide hijab rejection.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202408050927
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'No doubt' boxers in gender dispute are women, IOC's Bach says
03 August, 2024
Algerian boxer ImaneKhelif and Taiwan's double world champion Lin Yu-ting are women who have every right to compete at the Paris Olympics despite a gender dispute that has overshadowed their competitions, the International Olympic Committee president said on Saturday.
The pair were cleared to compete in Paris despite being disqualified at the 2023 World Championships after failing International Boxing Association eligibility rules for "failing a testosterone level test".
The IOC last year stripped the IBA of its status as boxing's governing body over governance issues, and took charge of the Paris 2024 boxing competition.
"We are talking about women's boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, who have passports as women and who have competed for many years as women and this is a clear definition of a woman," Thomas Bach told a press conference.
"There was never any doubt about them being women."
The IOC has said the IBA decision to disqualify them last year was arbitrary and the main cause for the furore that has swept social media and seen people such as J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk trigger online hate campaigns over them competing in the Games.
Khelifpummelled Angela Carini in the round of 16 of their welterweight bout on Thursday before the Italian stopped after 46 seconds, with the Algerian's dominant performance further fanning the debate. The IBA on Friday promised to pay the defeated athlete $50,000 in prize money.
'Defamation campaign'
Bach said the IBA's position was part of what he said was a defamation campaign. The IBA did not immediately respond to a request for a comment
"What we have seen from the Russian side and in particular from international federation from which we had to withdraw the recognition, that they have undertaken way before these Games a defamation campaign against France, against the Games, against the IOC," Bach said.
"They have made a number of comments in this respect which I don't want to repeat."
IBA President Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman, has repeatedly posted inflammatory comments on social media against both Bach and the IOC for the decision to allow the pair to compete at the Games.
"I would ask everybody to respect these women, to respect them as women and as human beings," Bach said. "When you speak about human rights then you have the human right of every woman to participate in a women's competition."
Khelif's father Omar told Reuters he was proud of his daughter and backed her to win a medal for Algeria.
Bach said the IOC wanted to keep boxing in the Olympics given the social role it plays, especially for underprivileged parts of society but a new global body had to be created.
"Very clearly yes," he said when asked if he wanted to see boxing in future Olympics.
"Boxing is one of the most global sports, a sport with very high social values. In any country many boxers tend to come from underprivileged parts of society and boxing offers them many opportunities not only on the field of play but also off the field of play."
He said that was also true for women and Khelif was proof of that.
"This why it is even more deplorable with what is happening with Imane on social media. Because she has made it very clear that she is standing for the rights of women in her country and boxing gives the opportunity to express herself and gives her the confidence to do so."
Source: newarab.com
https://www.newarab.com/news/no-doubt-boxers-gender-dispute-are-women-iocs-bach-says
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Women's basketball welcomes Egyptian center Abdel Aal
8/6/2024
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Coach Chancellor Dugan on Tuesday announced the addition of international player Hana Abdel Aal to the Bellarmine University women's basketball team.
Abdel Aal is a 6-foot-2 center from Egypt.
"Hana brings international experience," Dugan said. "She's a physical back-to-the basket center who can run the floor. We're excited about what she can do."
In 2023, Abdel Aal earned a gold medal playing in the U18 Women's Basketball Egyptian League, was on a squad that placed sixth at the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup and another that took 12th at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
In 2022, Abdel Aal secured gold medals at the FIBA 3x3 u17 Africa Cup, FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women, Women's Basketball Egyptian League and Women's Basketball Egyptian Cup. Her squad placed 11th at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup. In addition, she was selected to the NBA Basketball Without Borders Africa All-Star Team.
Abdel Aal earned silver medals in 2021 in both the U16 Women's Basketball Egyptian League and the FIBA U16 Women's African Championship, the latter in which she was honored with the "Best Center in the Tournament" award.
"The coaches believe in me and gave me an opportunity to prove myself," Abdel Aal said. "They gave me self-confidence, and I believe I could be a good addition to the team. I will do everything in my power to help my team win on and off the court. I will bring great spirit to the team."
Bellarmine assistant coach Monique Reid, who followed a distinguished playing tenure at the University of Louisville with an extensive pro career overseas, played with Abdel Aal for Alexandria Sporting Club in Egypt. Abdel Aal was only 15 at the time but made a big impression on Reid with her personality and as a budding talent.
"Hana was always the sweetest kid and was eager to learn and grow," Reid said. "Her growth from then to now is a testament to her work ethic."
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).
Source: athletics.bellarmine.edu
https://athletics.bellarmine.edu/news/2024/8/6/womens-basketball-womens-basketball-welcomes-egyptian-center-abdel-aal.aspx
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World Food Programme Cuts Aid to Hundreds Of Pregnant Women In Afghanistan
August 6, 2024
The World Food Programme has announced it will not be able to assist 600,000 pregnant women in Afghanistan with nutritious food this solar year due to budget constraints.
The organization stated on Tuesday, August 6th, through a message on its official social media, that it had supported 1.6 million pregnant and lactating women last year to prevent malnutrition-related illnesses.
The World Food Programme emphasized its support for pregnant and lactating women in Afghanistan to prevent and treat malnutrition in the country.
Earlier, the World Food Programme issued a report on World Food Day, warning that 3 million children in Afghanistan suffer from malnutrition.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid agencies in Afghanistan have consistently warned of escalating humanitarian crises and budget shortages to meet the needs of the vulnerable in the country.
According to the World Health Organization’s report, 24 mothers and 167 children across Afghanistan die daily due to preventable pregnancy and childbirth-related illnesses.
The dire situation in Afghanistan demands urgent international support to address the nutrition and health needs of its most vulnerable populations. With ongoing crises exacerbating the already challenging conditions, swift and coordinated efforts are crucial to prevent further loss of life and suffering among Afghan women and children.
Efforts by global organizations like the World Food Programme highlight the critical role of sustained funding and international solidarity in providing lifesaving assistance to Afghan mothers and children, underscoring the urgent need for continued support amid these challenging times.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/wfp-cuts-aid-to-hundreds-of-pregnant-women-in-afghanistan/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iran-police-girl-nafas-haji-sharif/d/132887