Iranian President's Wife: Prison Time for Hijab Law Violations Is 'Out of Respect for Women'
New Age
Islam News Bureau
22 September 2023
·
Iranian President's Wife:
Prison Time for Hijab Law Violations Is 'Out of Respect for Women'
·
Rising Female Workforce Boosts Saudi
Arabia’s Economic Growth
·
Saudi Women in Real Estate: Taking
the Leap of Faith
·
UK Government Needs to Prevent
Dress Code Imposition on Muslim Women, Says Think Tank
·
More Pregnant Girls Rescued
from Suspected Child Traffickers in South-East
·
Indonesia Jails Muslim Woman
for Eating Pork on TikTok
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iranian-president-hijab-prison/d/130738
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Iranian President's Wife: Prison Time for
Hijab Law Violations Is 'Out of Respect for Women'
Jamileh
Alamolhoda, the wife of Iran's president, sat down with ABC News' Martha
Raddatz to discuss the country's strict hijab law, Sept. 20, 2023.
ABC News
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By Megan Barnes
September 21, 2023
The wife of the president of Iran
defended a law passed this week designed to impose harsher sentences on women
who do not wear hijabs in public, comparing the rules to "dress codes
everywhere" in an interview with ABC's "This Week."
You can see Martha Raddatz's full
interview with Jamileh Alamolhoda on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday at 9
a.m. EDT.
Raddatz asked Alamolhoda about the
subject, but the Iranian president's wife did not directly answer when asked
about what the punishment for noncompliance should be.
"What do you think should happen to
women who choose not to wear a hijab?" Raddatz asked.
"It is out of respect for
women," Alamolhoda said. "It is natural in any country. There may be
differences of opinion and viewpoints about dress codes. It comes back to their
tastes, how they choose to live their lives and their social rights."
Alamolhoda drew comparisons between
Iranian women facing a decade in prison for refusing to wear the religious
symbol and workplace dress codes.
"You have dress codes everywhere,
even here in university environments, in schools and everywhere else. And I
need to tell you that hijab was a tradition, was a religiously mandated
tradition, accepted widely. And now for years, it has been turned into a law.
And breaking of the law, trampling upon any laws, just like in any country,
comes with its own set of punishments," she said.
"What do you think the punishment
should be?" Raddatz pressed further. "Because there are women who
believe it is repressive. While they respect those who choose to wear the
hijab, they don't want to be forced to wear the hijab. What do you think the
punishment should be?"
"I do not specialize in law,"
the president's wife responded. "So I cannot ask you -- answer you on a
professional level, but punishments are equally dispensed to any breaking of
the law throughout many countries."
The public hijab requirement has faced
pushback in the form of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in which
many women refuse to wear their hijabs in public.
"I feel that our mere presence on
the streets is an act of resistance. Practicing everyday life as we want is a
part of our revolution," Ava, a Tehran-based musician in her mid-20's,
told ABC News earlier this year on condition of anonymity so she could speak
freely about the movement.
At least 551 protesters, including 68
children and 49 women, have been killed since the start of the "Woman,
Life, Freedom" protests, according to Iran Human Rights.
Raddatz sat down with Alamolhoda just a
day after her husband delivered a fiery speech at the United Nations General
Assembly and a year after massive protests erupted in the country after
22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in morality police custody following an alleged
violation of Iran's hijab law.
Source: abcnews.go.com
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/iranian-presidents-wife-prison-time-hijab-law-violations/story?id=103377909
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Rising Female Workforce Boosts Saudi
Arabia’s Economic Growth
Saudi
Arabia's female labour force participation rate has nearly doubled from 2016 to
2022, according to S&P estimates. Reuters
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ARAB NEWS
September 21, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s economy is poised
to benefit from the increasing number of working women as the Kingdom’s Vision
2030 initiative, aimed at enhancing female employment, has begun to demonstrate
its potential economic impact, as outlined in a recent report by S&P
Global.
The study showed significant progress in
expanding the female workforce in Saudi Arabia, reaching 36 percent of the
total human capital in 2022, up from 19 percent in 2016, surpassing Vision
2030’s target of 30 percent by the end of the decade.
This growth in the participation of
women in the labor market can be attributed to various factors, including
improved access to education, declining fertility rates, and a more inclusive
cultural environment.
This comes as educational attainment has
improved significantly in Saudi Arabia, with nearly 32 percent of women aged 25
and above holding at least a bachelor’s degree in 2020, compared to 26 percent
in 2017.
The increase in female workforce has
contributed to raising the overall employment participation rate in Saudi
Arabia to a record high of 61.7 percent in March 2022, up from the 54.2 percent
recorded in June 2017.
If the current pace of labor force
participation growth continues for the next decade, S&P Global Ratings
Economics estimates that the Saudi economy could potentially be $39 billion,
larger by 3.5 percent. It made the comparison against a hypothetical scenario
with historical labor force participation rate growth recorded during
2000-2022.
“We calculate that increases in the
overall participation rate of just 1 percentage point per year over the next 10
years would boost the country’s annual real GDP (gross domestic product) growth
by an average of 0.3 ppt, to 2.4 percent per annum (versus 2.1 percent),
assuming that labor force productivity growth for the next 10 years will look
the same as the last 20 years,” S&P Global said in the report.
Women’s wealth transforming region
Meanwhile, a new study released by the
First Abu Dhabi Bank and WealthBriefing has suggested that the rise in women’s
wealth is transforming the economies in the Middle East and North Africa
region.
The report, titled “Winning Women in
MENA: How Wealth Managers Can Help Further Female Empowerment,” attributed the
rise in women’s economic role in the region to advancements in technology and
the startup culture.
It revealed that the Middle East,
particularly Saudi Arabia, has seen a surge in women entrepreneurs, with one
out of three new businesses in the region now founded by women.
The report underscored that women are
efficient in managing family businesses and often make more diversified and
less emotionally driven investment decisions.
Samira Zakour, managing director at FAB,
said: “Over the past 20 years I have seen a lot of women rise to the forefront
of large family businesses in the region. There is plenty of research showing
that women listen to a variety of opinions before deploying capital and that
often leads to less emotional investing and, potentially, to better
returns.”
According to the report, women have the
capacity to bring a new point of view to managing a family’s wealth, as they
have a different understanding to identify new opportunities, while also
possessing ‘soft’ skills to negotiate complex relationships between family
members.
It highlighted that tertiary education
among women in the MENA region reached 43 percent in 2019, surpassing the
global average of 36 percent and outperforming the male average of 40 percent
worldwide.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2377971/business-economy
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Saudi women in real estate: Taking the
leap of faith
20 September ,2023:
Layal Nassar, Al Arabiya English
20 September ,2023
The real estate industry has long been
recognized as a male-dominated domain, with women historically facing numerous
barriers when trying to make their mark in this sector.
However, over the years, Saudi women
have not only shattered these barriers, but have also emerged as a force to
reckon with in the realty realm.
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Google News channel online or via the app.
The narrative in the rest of the Arab
world is no different. The region is witnessing an impressive surge in the
number of women leading real estate conglomerates, executing
multi-billion-dollar projects, and reshaping the urban landscape with their
vision and expertise.
According to FIABCI Saudi Arabia, Arab
women’s participation in the real estate industry is rising, particularly in
the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Women comprise 34.8 percent of
registered real estate brokers, with 4,519 women brokers actively participating
in 8,606 transactions valued at $189 million, Dubai Land Department data shows.
These women constitute 42 percent of the total workforce within the
organization.
Other research by Wamda reveals that
female-founded MENA startups received $34.6 million in funding in 2021.
As for the Kingdom, the Saudi Arabia
Real Estate Development Fund (REDF) has helped about 73,000 Saudi women become
first-time homeowners through mortgage loans.
Sarah AlSuhaimi and Lama AlSulaiman are
among the leading examples of women who have made their mark in the Saudi real
estate sector.
Sarah AlSuhaimi, the first Saudi woman
to chair the Saudi Tadawul Group, the largest Middle Eastern stock market, is
spearheading efforts to connect Saudi capital markets globally, aligning with
Vision 2030.
Her leadership has significantly
influenced real estate development and investment in Saudi Arabia, boosting
investor confidence. Her ranking at number 7 on Forbes Middle East’s 100 Most
Powerful Businesswomen 2023 underscores her impactful role.
Similarly, Lama AlSulaiman, one of the
first Saudi women to be elected to the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce (JCC) board
in 2005, became the first woman Vice-Chairwoman of the Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (JCCI) in 2009.
Her leadership at JCCI, a significant
player in Jeddah’s commercial and real estate sectors, earned her recognition
as a Young Arab Leader by The World Economic Forum, highlighting her key
contributions to the business world.
In a dynamic blend of expertise,
empowerment, and enthusiasm, the CityScapeWIRE (Cityscape Women in Real Estate)
Riyadh event served as a groundbreaking platform that resonated with women’s
role in the real estate sector and their contributions toward it.
“Our digital community is a safe space
for women to share [their experiences] and raise questions,” Fadi said.
Emergence of women in real estate sector
Despite the significant progress made by
them in various other fields over the years, in real estate, women continued to
encounter gender bias, lack of representation, limited access to capital and a
skewed work-life balance.
“There are not enough women in
leadership roles yet. We are still in the minority and that’s because of
multiple factors. We perhaps entered the domain very late. While some women
have chosen to take care of their families, many others just didn’t make it,”
Fadi explained.
“Our goal is to increase women’s
participation and have more of them in leadership roles to balance the
equation,” she added.
Success stories and inspiring women
Despite the challenges, many women have
achieved remarkable success in the real estate sector.
Mashael bin Saedan, a Saudi
businesswoman, has made significant strides in shaping the future of Saudi
Arabia’s real estate sector.
Her company, Al-Saedan for Development,
was among the three private firms approved by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz
in 2019 for the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program.
Saedan’s deep involvement in real estate
started early due to her family’s history in land development and she has been
a trailblazer in promoting female participation in the industry.
She pursued higher education in
English-speaking countries to expand her global presence and, rather than
taking a job offer abroad, chose to return to Saudi Arabia to make a positive
impact here.
From her side, Fadi highlighted the
importance of men and women partnership in the real estate sector.
“We’re not saying women must work in
isolation. Rather, they can work together with men and bring something better
to the table,” she said.
Fadi further said: “For us, watching
Saudi women move up the ladder is really a pleasure. As a Muslim and Arab girl
visiting Saudi Arabia on a business trip, I still can’t believe what I’m
seeing, but it is true, and we are indeed moving forward.”
She added: “I see progress, I see the
potential, I see the vision.”
Narrowing the topic down, Al Arabiya
English conducted an exclusive interview with one of the prominent female
figures in the real estate sphere in the Kingdom Dr Raihan Jomaa. An
entrepreneur with a PhD in Leadership Management, Organizational Behavior, and
Entrepreneurship, Dr Jomaa shared her remarkable journey in this industry.
In her capacity as a real estate company
owner in both Britain and Saudi Arabia, Dr Jomaa emphasized the critical role
time plays in achieving success in this industry.
She acknowledged that the quest for
work-life balance can sometimes put women at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, she
has adopted a time-based approach, viewing this challenge as a significant
opportunity.
She advises: “For women aspiring to
enter the real estate field, a substantial investment of unpaid time is
essential. Time should be their primary focus, with monetary gains as a
consequential outcome.”
Recognizing the pivotal importance of
women’s involvement in the Saudi real estate sector, Dr Jomaa asserted:
“Previously relegated to marketing roles, today, we’ve evolved into developers
–all thanks to the trust and confidence placed in us by both women and men.”
Women empowerment in Saudi Arabia
“During CityscapeWIRE, we had nonstop
events, including panel discussions mostly featuring women from various
backgrounds and sectors, who shared their thoughts on the sector and its
challenges,” Fadi said. “We are willing to conduct similar events soon in the
Kingdom,” Fadi added.
Women have come a long way in the real
estate sector, making their mark as successful professionals, entrepreneurs and
leaders.
While challenges persist, the industry
is changing, with a growing commitment to diversity and inclusivity. As more
women continue to excel in this sector, their contributions are expected to
shape the future of this dynamic industry, creating a more level-playing field
for generations to come.
Fadi was amazed by the unique networking
experience that CityScapeWIRE offered, highlighting the challenges faced by women
in the real estate industry, while inviting them to believe in themselves and
unveil their true potential.
“Unless you try it, you’re never going
to know what your potential is,” she said. “Just start! When you start, the
doors start opening and opportunities start coming your way. Ask for what you
need and make yourself heard,” she reiterated.
“Just take the leap of faith and get
into whatever you like to do, instead of questioning yourself and doubting your
abilities,” she commented.
Echoing Fadi’s words, Dr Jomaa said in
the real estate sector, a woman’s success hinges on dedicating time and
encouraging involvement of men.
She said this is particularly relevant
in the light of the robust legislation in the Kingdom, which has created a
level playing field for both genders.
Elaborating the point further, Dr Jomaa
emphasized: “In the context of Saudi Vision 2030, it is important to trust good
governance and leadership, believe in your capabilities and foster
collaboration with men, as these are fundamental elements.”
She also advised women to actively
participate in conferences and exhibitions while seeking the support of their
families, as this is their moment to shine and excel.
Source: alarabiya.net
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/09/20/Empowering-women-in-real-estate-The-new-signposts-of-success
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UK Government Needs to Prevent Dress
Code Imposition on Muslim Women, Says Think Tank
Sep 22, 2023
Martina Bet
The government needs to take a stronger
stance in preventing the imposition of dress codes on Muslim women, a think
tank has said.
A new report by Policy Exchange
discusses how Islamist groups have dominated the discourse surrounding
religious clothing in the UK and beyond, potentially limiting the freedom of
choice for Muslim women in matters of clothing.
The think tank emphasises how public
fear of Islamophobia can lead to Islamist groups stifling open debate about
religious attire in the UK, even though women in many Islamic countries are
protesting against the hijab’s imposition as an oppressive garment.
The report, titled The Symbolic Power of
the Veil, recommends the Government should provide clearer guidance to schools
regarding dress codes and religious attire, and provide examples.
How are we going to criticise the
harmful aspects of social and religious practices and customs if the immediate
reaction is accusations of Islamophobia?
Under such guidance, the think tank
says, schools may accommodate religious headwear such as the hijab, but they
should not require it as part of the uniform.
According to the report, the Government
should also resist any definition of Islamophobia that restricts criticism of
religious practices, including the dress code.
The key findings and recommendations in
the report are backed by Labour MP Khalid Mahmood (Birmingham, Perry Barr), who
said: “A certain proportion of Muslim women may wish to wear a hijab or a niqab
to publicly demonstrate their Muslim identity.
“But the wearing of the hijab clearly
does not represent all Muslim women. And it is grossly insensitive to those
Muslim women in Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere who are compelled
against their wishes to wear the hijab to declare that it does.”
Another recommendation is that the
Government should avoid endorsing or promoting specific religious attire.
It singles out the Foreign Office for
celebrating World Hijab Day in 2018, with hijabs being distributed among civil
servants.
The report’s author, former British
ambassador to Saudi Arabia and senior fellow at Policy Exchange, Sir John
Jenkins, said: “Recent events in Iran have revealed once again not just the
symbolic power of Islamic veiling and other vestimentary codes but also the way
they can be – and are – deployed to discipline individuals, groups and indeed
entire societies in the interests of authoritarian and unaccountable political
and religious elites.”
The report’s co-author, human rights
advocate Professor Elham Manea, added: “Freedom of opinion and speech is not
some kind of extra, to be used as a cheerful slogan whenever we see fit.
Source: independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/muslim-women-uk-dress-code-islamophobia-b2416372.html
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More pregnant girls rescued from
suspected child traffickers in South-east
Chinagorom Ugwu
September 21, 2023
Three pregnant girls have been rescued
from suspected child traffickers in Umunze, a community in Orumba South Local
Government Area of Anambra State, South-east Nigeria.
Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to
the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo,
disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The development occurred about one week
after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency rescued five
pregnant teenage girls said to be victims of child trafficking in Imo, another
state in the South-east.
Ms Ikeanyionwu said the latest incident
happened after operatives of the Anambra Vigilante Group in the council area
conducted a three-month investigation into the activities of the syndicate.
The media aide said the investigation
was led by the chairperson of the council area, Neville Uchendu, who handed
over the girls to Mrs Obinabo, the commissioner.
She said the three girls were between 14
and 20 years old and that a suspected trafficker, Oruchukwu Okoroafor, had been
arrested by the vigilante operatives.
A 14-year-old girl among those rescued
hails from Arondizuogu in Imo State, while the second girl, 19, is from Ihite,
in Orumba South Council Area of Anambra State – all in South-east Nigeria.
The third girl, 20, is from Bayelsa
State, South-south Nigeria.
Mrs Obinabo, while receiving the girls
and the suspect, expressed joy over the development, Ms Ikeanyionwu said.
The commissioner noted that the state
government was pleased with the operatives for the rescue and called on others
to emulate the council chairperson and his team in making the state proud.
Job after childbirth
The rescued girls, according to the
statement, said the suspect was not responsible for their pregnancies and that
he only offered to shelter them at his house until they had delivered their
babies.
They also said the suspect had promised
to secure jobs for them as soon as they gave birth, an offer they gladly
accepted.
‘N300, 000 for each unborn baby’
Mr Okoroafor, upon interrogation,
confessed that he had been in the “baby factory” and child trafficking business
for the past two years and that the rescued girls were his first set for the
‘business’ in 2023.
The suspect said some persons, whom he
apparently brought, had promised to pay the girls N300,000 each to buy their
unborn babies.
He, however, denied having contacts of
the potential buyers.
The commissioner handed over the suspect
to the police in the state for further investigations, the statement said.
She assured that the suspect would be
prosecuted in line with the law.
‘Baby factories’ in Nigeria
“Baby factory,” sometimes disguised as
an orphanage, is a name given to a facility where traffickers hold women,
mostly teenagers, against their will, rape and force them to get pregnant. The
newborns at the facility are then sold illegally.
Girls in such a facility are sometimes
forced into child labour and prostitution.
A recent investigation uncovered how a
supposed Christian orphanage in Anambra State, another state in the South-east,
was illegally selling babies between N1.5 million and N2 million, depending on
a baby’s gender.
The investigation also revealed how the
sales were executed with the collusion of the officials of the Nigerian police
and the judiciary.
Girls in such a facility are sometimes
forced into child labour and prostitution.
A recent investigation uncovered how a
supposed Christian orphanage in Anambra State, another state in the South-east,
was illegally selling babies between N1.5 million and N2 million, depending on
a baby’s gender.
The investigation also revealed how the
sales were executed with the collusion of the officials of the Nigerian police
and the judiciary.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/627348-more-pregnant-girls-rescued-from-suspected-child-traffickers-in-south-east.html
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Indonesia jails Muslim woman for eating
pork on TikTok
Sep 22, 2023
A court in Indonesia has convicted a
woman of inciting religious hatred and sentenced her to two years in prison for
saying a Muslim prayer and then eating pork, considered forbidden in Islam, on
a TikTok video.
Judges at Palembang court in South
Sumatra province in Sumatra island also ordered Lina Lutfiawati to pay a fine
of 250 million rupiah ($A25,350) in their blasphemy trial verdict on Tuesday.
Lutfiawati, who is also known as Lina
Mukherjee and who identifies as Muslim, said a brief prayer phrase that
translates to “in the name of God” before eating a crispy pork skin in a video
that was published in March and was widely viewed.
Once she went on trial on blasphemy
charges, she expressed regret and apologised in a post on her social media last
month. She apologised again after Tuesday’s verdict.
“I am surprised. I have apologised many
times. Actually, I know that I was wrong, but I did not expect the sentence to
be two years,” Lutfiawati said after the trial.
Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority
country in the world and consuming pork is considered “haram,” or forbidden in
Islam.
The charge of inciting hatred against a
religious group is a part of blasphemy laws that critics in Indonesia say have
been used to curtail freedom of expression.
“What’s been happening to Lina is not
surprising, despite the government’s promises” to protect freedom of
expression, said Usman Hamid, the Executive Director of Amnesty International
Indonesia. He said the laws also have been used to target religious minorities.
In 2017, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok”
Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian, was imprisoned for two years after being found
guilty of blasphemy for quoting a verse from the Koran during a re-election
campaign speech.
In 2018, an Indonesian court sentenced
an ethnic Chinese woman, Meiliana, who complained about a noisy mosque to 18
months in prison for blasphemy.
Source: thenewdaily.com.au
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/09/22/rupert-murdoch-news-corp-fox/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iranian-president-hijab-prison/d/130738