Iranian Girl Killed by Moral Police for Improper Hijab, Mahsa Amini’s Medical Scans Show Skull Fractures Caused By ‘Severe Trauma’: Report
New Age Islam News Bureau
20 September 2022
• Abu Dhabi Start-up Accelerator Beckons Women
Entrepreneurs
• Yemeni Women Celebrate Country's Shift towards
Gender Equality
• Houthis Kidnapped, Jailed 1,700 Women Over 7 Years,
UN Hears
• Swiss Court Sentences 'Islamic State' Knifewoman to
Nine Years
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iranian-moral-police-hijab-mahsa/d/127989
--------
Iranian Girl Killed by Moral Police for Improper
Hijab, Mahsa Amini’s Medical Scans Show Skull Fractures Caused By ‘Severe
Trauma’: Report
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old
Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran
-----
19 September, 2022
A London-based news outlet said on Monday it had
obtained the skull CT scan of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died
in police custody in Iran last week, adding that it showed bone fracture,
haemorrhage, and cerebral edema.
Satellite news channel Iran International said it
obtained the medical documents through a hacktivist group. They “vividly show a
skull fracture on the right side of her head caused by a severe trauma to the
skull, which corroborate earlier accounts by her family and doctors about her
being hit several times on the head,” the report said.
“Images of her chest show bilateral diffuse alveolar
haemorrhage and damage due to aspiration pneumonia, secretion retention and
superimposed infection. Doctors say the results are compatible with acute
respiratory distress syndrome due to brain trauma,” it added.
Amini fell into a coma shortly after being detained in
Tehran by the morality police over her hijab on September 13 and was pronounced
dead on Friday, prompting uproar on social media and protests in the streets.
Tehran’s police said Amini “suddenly had a heart
problem” while in detention, and state-run outlets ran stories claiming she
suffered from multiple health conditions prior to her arrest.
But Amini’s parents have said that their daughter did
not have any health problems prior to being detained. Activists say she was
beaten while in detention, causing serious injuries that led to her death.
Hijab, which was made mandatory for women in Iran
shortly after the country’s 1979 revolution, is considered a red line for
Iran’s theocratic rulers. Women who break the strict dress code risk being
harassed and arrested by Iran’s morality police.
Based on the dress code, women are required to fully
cover their hair in public and wear long, loose-fitting clothes.
Source: Al Arabiya
--------
Abu Dhabi Start-up Accelerator Beckons Women
Entrepreneurs
Since 2020, startAD has
supported 44 UAE women entrepreneurs and innovation leaders through this
programme, giving them the tools and confidence they need to launch and scale
successful businesses.
Image Credit: Supplied
-----
September 20, 2022
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi’s startup accelerator, StartAD,
has invited applications for the third editions of the Academy of Women
Entrepreneurs (AWE) programme, titled AWE UAE 3.0 – Women in Business.
In partnership with the US Mission to the UAE, AWE is
a US Department of State initiative that gives enterprising women in more than
80 countries around the world the knowledge, networks, and access they need to
launch and scale successful businesses.
The deadline for submitting the applications is
November 29. The programme will enable women-owned SMEs in the UAE to identify
and analyse new channels, markets and customers. It will also strengthen the
operational business pillars that these businesses may not have the resources
or experience to build, focusing on business resilience, adaptability, and
identifying growth opportunities.
From December 13, the programme will consist of
workshops, mentoring and one-on-one coaching by experienced business
strategists, innovation experts and mentors. It will culminate on International
Women’s Day on March 8, 2023, where finalists will showcase their achievements and
businesses to the program partners and key stakeholders from the UAE innovation
ecosystem.
“The US Mission to the UAE is proud to partner with
startAD to drive the third edition of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE)
in the UAE. Since 2020, startAD has supported 44 UAE women entrepreneurs and
innovation leaders through this programme, giving them the tools and confidence
they need to launch and scale successful businesses. By helping them cope with
specific challenges they face in running their businesses, AWE is helping women
more fully participate in and contribute to the local and global economy. We
look forward to welcoming a new cohort of AWE UAE participants, and continuing
to work with UAE organisations, such as startAD, to promote women’s economic
empowerment,” said Robin Solomon, counsellor for public affairs at the US
Embassy in the UAE.
“The SME sector represents more than 94 per cent of
the number of companies operating in the country, with 48 per cent of those
SMEs owned by women. In recognition of the tremendous contributions that women
entrepreneurs provide to the economy, AWE UAE equips women-owned businesses
with the skills, tools, and network to focus on their business resilience
enabling them to thrive and grow. To this end, we are pleased once again to
partner with the US Mission to the UAE on a program that will help participants
to re-energise and reset their mindset to a new paradigm. AWE UAE will provide
access to experts to gain new insights on local and global markets as well as
networking opportunities that will allow them to connect with potential
partners, new customer channels, and potential investors. The graduates will
leave this programme with an action plan that helps them reinvent their
business through guided learning and execution,” added Hana Barakat, senior
associate director of startAD.
The first two editions of AWE UAE incubated 21
businesses, resulting in partnerships and internships in sectors ranging from
retail and construction to healthcare services. Two participating businesses
secured commercial agreements with large Abu Dhabi-based corporations, and
others expanded their operations in markets such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Applicants should be female Emiratis or long-term
residents, aged between 20 to 55 years old, who are owners of a VAT-registered
small business or an SME leader who influences strategic decision-making. AWE
UAE is open to all industries and sectors. Businesses that demonstrate two
years of operating revenues are encouraged to apply.
Source: Gulf News
https://gulfnews.com/uae/abu-dhabi-startup-accelerator-beckons-women-entrepreneurs-1.90689307
--------
Yemeni women celebrate country's shift towards gender
equality
Abdallah Ali
Sep 13, 2022
Yemeni women have voiced their pride over the
appointment of the first female judge to the country’s Supreme Judicial Council
and demanded more action to narrow the gender gap.
Only a third of women in Yemen are literate, making up
less than 2 per cent of the political process and a mere 6 per cent of the
labour force, the lowest in the world, according to the 2020 Global Gender Gap
Index.
The head of the Presidential Council in Yemen, Dr
Rashad Al Alimi, issued a decision on August 4, appointing Sabah Al Alwani to
the senior judicial post in a country where men have always monopolised
decision-making positions.
Yemen is in its eighth year of war since the Houthis
took over the capital Sanaa in 2014, and the fighting has left hundreds of
thousands of dead and millions more displaced in what the United Nations calls
the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
“It’s one step on the path to empowering Yemeni
women,” Ms Al Alwani tells The National.
“I was pleased with the decision. This is the first
time that women are represented in such a high position in the country’s
history.”
“Appointing me or any other woman to any leadership or
decision-making position constitutes a major step in the right direction,” she
added.
Yemen was ranked bottom of the World Economic Forum’s
Gender Gap Index for 13 consecutive years. But despite the continuing war that
the United Nations estimates has killed more than 230,000 people since 2014,
Yemeni women have achieved remarkable feats in narrowing this gap.
“The timing of my appointment, months after the
formation of the Presidential Council, demonstrates the council's readiness to
promote women's participation in senior positions,” says Ms Al Alwani.
Decades of discrimination
The appointment was the second in a set of reforms
made in favour of Yemeni women this year.
In February, in the southern city of Taez, women
successfully fought against authorities to overturn the need to submit their
male guardian's approval to be issued with a passport. The victory saw an end
to decades-long male guardianship over women that has prevented them from
receiving medical care or pursuing education abroad.
Through a series of vigils and activists' meetings
with officials, the unconstitutional restraint on women's rights to travel,
driven by deep-rooted tribal norms, was overturned.
“This was thanks to the insistence of the women who
were denied passports, as well as the cooperation of some politicians and the
support of activists abroad,” says Alhan Al Shaibani, one of the campaign
leaders.
She was part of the campaign delegation that met
Yemen's Prime Minister, Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, in Aden in February, after
which Mr Saeed ordered his government to review the procedures and requirements
obstructing women obtaining a passport.
Aden has been the seat of the internationally
recognised government since Houthi rebels seized Sanaa.
Ms Al Shaibani believes the success of that campaign
is an important indicator that Yemen's society has begun to understand that
women must be given equal rights.
“Some women were deprived of scholarships due to the
lack of a passport,” she says. “The campaign was the beginning of a
breakthrough for women to demand their legal rights and work towards gender
equality.”
But Yasser Al Maliky, a Yemeni human rights lawyer who
supports women’s rights, says the equality gap remains far too wide. “The war
has delayed many political gains, which I believe are the first path to
empowerment in other fields,” the lawyer says. “The culture of society is still
hostile to women and this stems from a distorted cultural, religious and legal
legacy towards them.”
“The day I see women with a third of the government
seats and a third of high decision-making positions, and when I see male leaders
who are proud of their wives and daughters, I will say that society's
perspective towards women has begun to change and opportunities for empowerment
are coming.”
'More is needed'
For Rasha Jarhum, a member of the National
Consultation and Reconciliation Commission and head of the Peace Track
Initiative, the limited achievements made by women in Yemen depend largely on
political will.
“The appointment of Judge Al Alwani will enhance
women's access to justice in general,” she says. “But women still face many
challenges, including violence, discriminatory laws and institutions, and a
society that perceives them as inferior.”
Yemeni women are among those hit hardest by a conflict
that has led to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Beyond suffering from malnutrition and a lack of
access to health care, Yemeni women are disproportionately affected by rape and
other forms of sexual violence that tend to increase during war.
“There are some leaders who seriously seek to support
and empower women, and others who underestimate the importance of it,” says Ms
Jarhum. “Usually, any man who publicly supports women's rights is attacked and
intimidated.”
But Ahmed Ghaleb, 45, a government employee in the
education sector of Houthi-controlled Ibb governorate in the south-west, has
not allowed any backlash to put him off his support for women gaining access to
decision-making positions.
“It's one of their legitimate rights and not a
favour,” he says.
Yemeni women have proven their presence in various
fields throughout the years of war and played a major role in defending human
rights. But a more public role meant they were more likely to become an easy
target for rebels.
UN investigators have recently uncovered a pattern of
abuse, rape and arbitrary detention against women activists in Houthi-held
areas of Yemen, as the rebels impose their extreme ideology on the population.
In a 2021 annual report, a panel of UN experts
condemned a “Houthi policy of sexual violence and repression against
politically active and professional women” in the capital Sanaa and other parts
of Yemen’s rebel-held north.
Yet Mr Ghalib remains optimistic. “Yemeni society's
view of women today is completely different from what it was before,” he says.
“It used to be an unforgivable crime for women to work but now society is more
aware.”
After her appointment to a senior government position
that will surely add to the legitimacy of women in executive roles, Ms Al Awani
says there is much hope at home and abroad to demand gender equality, “but we
still need much more empowerment”.
Source: The National News
--------
Houthis kidnapped, jailed 1,700 women over 7 years, UN
hears
September 20, 2022
GENEVA: The Houthi militia kidnapped 1,700 women in
Yemen, mainly from the capital Sanaa, between 2015 and 2022, the Human Rights
Association has claimed.
Speaking to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council
on the sidelines of its 51st regular session in Geneva, the rights group
accused the Iran-backed militia of torturing female inmates in Houthi prisons.
The association urged the council and international
organizations to exert pressure on the militia to release the detained women
and stop the violence committed against them.
In its speech, the group cited the case of the Yemeni
model Entisar Al-Hammadi, who was arrested at a Sanaa security checkpoint in
2021 and subjected to “horrific torture” to extract a forced confession from
her.
She was later sentenced to five years in jail in what
the association described as “an illegal trial.”
The rights group also urged the international
community to pressure Houthis to end the siege on Taiz, imposed since 2015, and
stop crimes against civilians in the city.
Taiz was where the militia has committed the highest
number of violations to the UN-brokered truce, which reached 3,000 in highly
populated areas across Yemen, according to the latest figures released by the
association.
On Monday, Yemen accused Houthis of committing 127
breaches to the truce across different provinces in one week.
The Houthis were accused of targeting civilian homes,
with their use of tanks, artillery and
drones have killed non-combatants including women and children, and destroyed
thousands of homes.
Earlier, the association revealed that Houthi crimes
have killed and injured 14,000 children since the war began in 2014.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2165916/middle-east
--------
Swiss Court Sentences 'Islamic State' Knifewoman to
Nine Years
Sep 19, 2022
A Swiss woman was given a nine-year jail term on
Monday for slashing two people in the name of the Islamic State group but her
sentence was suspended so she can undergo psychiatric treatment.
The court found the woman, who cannot be named for
legal reasons, guilty of attempted murder and of terrorism-linked charges.
She had "no respect for human life", court
president Fiorenza Bergomi said as she read out the verdict.
She had "acted in cold blood, had planned her
actions and decided what weapon to use, and where to buy it", Bergomi
continued.
The 29-year-old woman's mental state was at the heart
of the trial at Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, in the
southern Italian-speaking Ticino region where the attack occurred.
The attack, which did not result in fatalities, took
place on November 24, 2020 in the plush Manor department store in Lugano, near
Bellinzona.
The woman had suddenly lunged at two random women
shopping at the store, attempting to slit their throats.
According to the Office of the Attorney General's
indictment, the accused "acted wilfully and with particular ruthlessness",
shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) several times and "I
will avenge the Prophet Mohammed", and declared "I am here for
IS", the Islamic State jihadist group.
No remorse
One of the two victims suffered a serious neck injury,
while the second sustained wounds on one hand and managed, with others, to
control the assailant until the police arrived.
During the trial, the court heard that the woman has
been in contact with psychologists and psychiatrists since childhood, with two
experts testifying that she suffers from a range of psychological disorders.
Her lawyers argue the accused's psychological
disorders mean the attack could not be considered a "terrorist act"
because the woman lived in a fantasy world.
When questioned during the trial, the woman showed no
remorse, telling the court: "If I could go back, I would do it
better."
On Monday, she was found guilty of "repeated
murder attempts" and of violating the Swiss laws against association with
Al-Qaeda, IS and related Islamist groups.
She was also found guilty of repeated unlawful
prostitution between 2017 and 2020.
The accused was ordered to pay the woman who suffered
the most serious injuries, and who was a civil party in the case, 41,000 Swiss
francs ($42,000) to cover her legal costs and as compensation for the
"moral wrong".
'Lone wolves'
The court president pointed to studies indicating that
terror suspects could suffer from stress and psychiatric problems.
"We must not forget that there are... people with
psychiatric problems who do not belong to terrorist organisations, but who are
considered lone wolves," she said.
Monday's verdict was in line with the prosecution's
request, but her sentence was shorter than the 14-year-term it had asked for.
The prosecutors, who had also suggested her sentence
be suspended and that she be committed to a closed treatment facility for as
long as she was deemed a threat, said Monday that they "took note" of
the verdict, but did not indicate whether they would appeal.
The daughter of a Swiss father and a Serbian mother,
her adolescence was marked by anorexia and she did not attend secondary school.
Aged 19, she married a man of Afghan origin and
converted to Islam. The pair divorced last year.
After falling in love over social media in 2017 with a
jihadist in Syria, she attempted to travel to meet him, but was stopped by
Turkish authorities at the Syrian border and sent back to Switzerland where she
was admitted to a psychiatric clinic, police said.
Source: WIO News
https://www.wionews.com/world/swiss-court-sentences-is-knifewoman-to-nine-years-517782
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iranian-moral-police-hijab-mahsa/d/127989
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism