The Iraqi Bill to Lower the Age of Marriage for Girls to Nine; Women's Rights Advocates Protest
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 Aug 2024
·
The Iraqi Bill to Lower the Age of Marriage for
Girls to Nine; Women's Rights Advocates Protest
·
Afghan Witness Report: 332 Femicide Cases
Reveal Systematic Violence Against Women
·
Narges Mohammadi,Iranian Nobel Laureate Badly
Beaten in Prison, Her Lawyer and Family Say
·
From Basque Country to Pretoria: Worldwide Outcry
Against Iran’s Death Sentences
·
War in Sudan: How Women Want to Influence the
Peace Process in Geneva
·
‘We Are More Than Just A Conflict’: Palestinian
Women’s Soccer Team On Their Whirlwind Return To The Pitch
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
The
Iraqi Bill to Lower the Age of Marriage for Girls to Nine; Women's Rights
Advocates Protest
By Abby
Wilson
15
August 2024
The
proposed amendment to a decades-old law sparked a protest in Baghdad's Tahrir
Square on 4 August
(Image
credit: Ahmad Al-Rubaye / Contributor / Getty Images)
------------
A
proposed amendment to Iraq's family legislation could "hand more power in
family matters to clerics" and, alarmingly, "open the door for
marriage to be legalised for children as young as nine years old".
Women's
rights advocates and their political allies fiercely oppose the proposal, said
Middle East Eye. It is backed by Coordination Framework – a coalition made up
of conservative, Shia religious factions that have "dominated" Iraqi
politics since 2021, said The Guardian.
What is
the current law?
This is
the latest of many attempts to alter the Personal Status Law of 1959, also
known as Law No. 188.
The law,
when it was passed 65 years ago, established 18 as the legal age of marriage –
though children can be married as young as 15 with permission from a judge or
guardian. Unicef reports that 28% of Iraqi girls are married before 18,
thousands of them in unauthorised religious ceremonies.
"Several
attempts to abrogate the law and revert to traditional Islamic rules have been
made since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein,"
said France 24.
What
would change?
The most
recent amendment, which threatens to undermine the law's secular nature, was
introduced on 4 August. While the bill doesn't explicitly legalise child
marriage, it would mandate Muslim couples to select either the Sunni or Shia
sect at the time of the registration of their marriage. They then have the
choice to have that sect "represent them in 'all matters of personal
status' rather than the civil judiciary", said Middle East Eye.
Opponents
say this paves the way for the children of these marriages to be married off by
their parents according to the doctrine of their sect, potentially bypassing
the secular mandatory minimum age.
After
youth protests erupted across Iraq in 2019, politicians "saw that the role
of women had begun to strengthen in society", Nadia Mahmood, co-founder of
the Aman Women's Alliance, told The Guardian. “They felt that feminist, gender
and women’s organisations, plus civil society and activist movements, posed a
threat to their power and status."
What has
the reaction been?
Around
500 women's rights advocates protested the amendment in Baghdad's Tahrir Square
on 8 August, and demonstrations have followed in several other Iraqi cities.
Members
of Coalition 188, an activist group that led the demonstrations, held signs
reading "No marriage of minors" and "There is no Quranic verse
that takes custody away from the mother", according to Middle East Eye.
InasJabbar, who is part of Coalition 188 and sits on the board of the Iraqi
Women Network, told the publication that protesters in the Najaf province
"were beaten by hardline groups that agree with the amendments".
The
independent MP behind the bill, Ra'ad al-Maliki, has denied that it would allow
child marriage, describing claims to the contrary as "lies fabricated by
some out of hatred for applying the provisions of God’s law to those who want
them".
RazawSalihy,
Amnesty International's Iraq researcher, said that the changes should be
"stopped in their tracks" immediately. "No matter how it is
dressed up, in passing these amendments, Iraq would be closing a ring of fire
around women and children," he said.
Source:
theweek.com
https://theweek.com/politics/iraqi-bill-to-lower-age-of-marriage-for-girls-to-nine
--------
Afghan
Witness Report: 332 Femicide Cases Reveal Systematic Violence Against Women
August
16, 2024
Afghan
Witness reported that various forms of gender-based violence have expanded
during the three years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
On
Thursday, August 15, Afghan Witness published a report marking the third
anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, expressing concern over
the systematic removal of women from public life. The report highlights the
growing prevalence of gender-based violence, which now claims 28 victims per
month.
According
to the organization, 840 women have experienced gender-based violence in the
past two and a half years, with 332 cases of “femicide” reported.
The
organization noted a significant decline in public protests by women’s rights
activists in Afghanistan. In 2021, 88% of protests were held in public spaces,
but this number dropped to half in 2022 and further diminished at the beginning
of 2024. Currently, 94% of protests are conducted online or in private spaces,
often anonymously.
Afghan
Witness’s findings also indicate that female TV presenters have been gradually
removed from the media scene. In 2022, the Taliban required female presenters
to cover their faces on camera, and by 2024, many female journalists have
disappeared due to the restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
Afghan
Witness, a UK-based non-profit organization, analyzes the status of women in
Afghanistan based on media data, social networks, and open-source research. The
organization believes that gender-based violence under Taliban rule has been
widespread and is increasing.
The
situation for women in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly under Taliban
rule. Women are barred from accessing education, employment, and even basic
freedoms of movement, which has contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis in
the country.
These
restrictions have not only limited women’s roles in society but have also led
to a deepening of the gender-based violence crisis.
The lack
of opportunities and freedom has left many women in precarious situations,
struggling to survive amid the ongoing conflict and economic instability.
As
international attention shifts, it remains crucial to address these violations
and advocate for the rights and safety of women in Afghanistan. The
international community must support efforts to mitigate this crisis and work
towards a future where Afghan women can live without fear and with equal
opportunities.
Source:
khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-witness-report-332-femicide-cases-reveal-systematic-violence-against-women/
--------
NargesMohammadi,Iranian
Nobel Laureate Badly Beaten in Prison, Her Lawyer and Family Say
Aug. 16,
2024
The
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi
was violently beaten by prison guards last week after leading a protest against
the death penalty, and her requests for hospital care and a meeting with her lawyer
were denied, her lawyer said on Thursday.
The
lawyer, Mostafa Nili, told Iranian news media about the violence against Ms.
Mohammadi, raising concerns about the state of her health and well-being. He
said that her cellmates had communicated her situation.
“My
client says that she was beaten and has bruises on her body,” Mr. Nili was
quoted as saying in the reformist-leaning Emtedad news outlet. “Despite the
prison doctor’s orders, and considering my client’s heart condition,” he said,
“she has not been sent to the hospital.”
Mr. Nili
said that for the past nine months, the prison authorities had denied Ms.
Mohammadi the right to make phone calls and to have visits with her family and
lawyer.
Ms.
Mohammadi, 52, Iran’s most prominent human rights and women’s rights activist,
is serving a 10-year sentence in the notorious Evin prison on charges of
threatening national security because of her human rights advocacy. She was
awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.
From the
women’s ward of the prison, she has organized workshops, talks, protests and
sit-ins against the government’s human rights violations.
On Aug.
6, Ms. Mohammadi and other female prisoners staged a protest and chanted
slogans against the planned execution of a Kurdish man, Reza Rasaei, 34, who
was arrested during protests in 2022 and accused of having a role in the
killing of a member of Iran’s security forces. He denied the allegations, and
rights group said he had been convicted in “a sham trial.”
Ms.
Mohammadi’s Instagram page also posted an audio from an earlier protest that
she and other prisoners had staged that month against the death penalty. The
women can be heard chanting, “Neither threats, nor repression, nor executions
have any effect any more,” and “Death to the dictator.”
Their
gathering on Aug. 6 turned violent, Ms. Mohammadi’s husband, TaghiRahmani, and
Mr. Nili said, when agents from the Intelligence Ministry who were stationed at
the prison tried to quell their chanting and then anti-riot prison guards
raided their protest in the prison yard. The women were violently beaten,
pushed and shoved into their cells and locked inside, her husband said.
Ten of
the women collapsed, with five of them, including Ms. Mohammadi, suffering
injuries, according to Mr. Rahmani. The guards beat Ms. Mohammadi, dealing
blows to her chest and causing breathing problems so severe that her cellmates
thought she had gone into cardiac arrest, her husband said. The women were
treated at the prison’s clinic, where the doctor ordered that she be taken to a
hospital, Mr. Rahmani and Mr. Nili said.
Mr.
Rahmani said in an interview from Paris, where he lives in exile with the
couple’s 17-year-old twin son and daughter, that his wife had sent a message
about what happened through her cellmates, who were allowed to call and visit
with their families.
“I am
very scared for her, watching all of this from the outside, and knowing the
kind of physical and emotional stress Narges is under is terrifying for us,”
Mr. Rahmani said. “Narges now has a high profile internationally, and they are
deliberately punishing her.”
A few
days after the episode, Iran’s prison organization issued a report denying that
guards had physically beaten female prisoners. The statement, published by the
judiciary’s news outlet, Mizan, blamed Ms. Mohammadi for “instigating women
prisoners” to attack a prison guard and attempting to break the lock on the
door leading to the yard.
The
statement claimed that the women had been guided peacefully back to their cells
without any violence.
Last
week, over the course of two days, Iran executed 29 prisoners who had primarily
been convicted on drug-trafficking and murder charges, according to the United
Nations and rights groups. Mr. Rasaei was among them.
The United
Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, said in a statement
last week that “this represents an alarmingly high number of executions in such
a short period of time.” He said his agency had verified that 38 people were
executed in July, bringing the total number of executions to at least 345 this
year, among them 15 women.
Hadi
Ghaemi, the director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, an independent
organization based in New York, said that Iran’s government had long used
executions and the death penalty as tools of intimidation, including during the
2022 women-led uprising — which was set off by the death of Mahsa Amini while
in the custody of the morality police, after she was arrested for supposedly
violating the country’s hijab laws.
Mr.
Ghaemi said that the recent wave of executions could be a message from the
government that any internal unrest at such a sensitive time would be met with
an iron fist. And that, he said, extends to Ms. Mohammadi.
Iran is
facing internal turmoil after the election of a new president, Masoud
Pezeshkian, a reformist who nevertheless announced that his cabinet would
include several conservatives and only one woman. Mohammad JavadZarif, the
country’s vice president for strategy, resigned soon after.
There
are also heightened tensions in the region as the possibility of war with
Israel looms: Iran’s leaders have pledged to retaliate against Israel for the
assassination of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran.
Source:
nytimes.com
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/world/middleeast/iran-narges-beaten-prison.html
--------
From
Basque Country to Pretoria: Worldwide outcry against Iran’s death sentences
In
response to the death sentences of Kurdish and Iranian women activists
PakhshanAzizi and Sharifah Mohammadi, amid ongoing repression in Iran, eight
women’s collectives and organisations in the Basque Country have adopted the
slogan, “No to executions! Yes to free life!”
Following
acts of solidarity with imprisoned women activists in Kurdistan and Iran, and a
protest in Pretoria, South Africa, organised by the Community of Free Women of
Eastern Kurdistan (KJAR), these Basque women’s collectives issued a statement
expressing their support for women activists in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat).
The
statement condemns the death sentences of Azizi and Mohammadi and highlights
the wider context of repression in Iran. It describes the Islamic Republic as a
regime controlled by a misogynistic political-clerical oligarchy, which only
recognises the rights of those who conform to a narrow lifestyle, language, and
religious interpretation. The statement criticises the regime’s practices,
including arbitrary arrests, unfair trials, restricted defence rights, torture,
and executions, urging the international community to speak out against these
injustices.
The
statement also draws attention to the rise in arbitrary arrests and death
sentences in Iran, which it views as a response to the ‘JinJiyanAzadi’ (‘Women,
Life, Freedom’) uprising that began after the killing of Jina Amini in 2022.
The crackdown has disproportionately targeted women activists and journalists.
Describing
the current political situation in Iran as one driven by policies of genocide
and femicide, the statement stresses the need to oppose efforts to silence
women through terror and executions. It calls for global solidarity with
imprisoned women and insists that womens’ organisations must not be silenced by
dominant narratives that suppress dissent and critical voices.
Referencing
PakhshanAzizi’s altered letter from prison and state-controlled media, the
statement highlights the importance of being vigilant and responding proactively
to media manipulation.
The
statement concludes by noting that regions such as the Middle East, Kurdistan,
Ukraine, and Palestine reflect the ongoing power struggles of hegemonic forces,
while the liberal capitalist world system faces significant instability.
Source:
medyanews.net
https://medyanews.net/from-basque-country-to-pretoria-worldwide-outcry-against-irans-death-sentences/
--------
War in
Sudan: how women want to influence the peace process in Geneva
August
16, 2024
For 16
months, Sudan, Africa’s third-largest country, has been ravaged by war,
creating what is currently the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Talks began
in Geneva on 14 August, with the aim of increasing vital aid to the country
and, ideally, securing a ceasefire.
The
United States invited representatives from both sides of the conflict—the
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia—to a
confidential location in Geneva. So far, only the RSF has attended.
This is
not the first attempt to curb the armed conflict. Last year, the US organised
mediation efforts in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which ended without success.
“This
time, it has to be done properly,” says Rabab Baldo, a Sudanese peace and
gender activist, at a meeting in Geneva. She adds, “Women must be part of this
process, as mandated by the UN.”
UN
Security Council Resolution 1325 calls for women’s equal participation in peace
negotiations, conflict resolution, and reconstruction.
Women in
Sudan face unique dangers
Rabab
Baldo is among 15 Sudanese women activists, spanning different generations, who
have come to Switzerland.
Many of
them have been tirelessly working since the war began, caring for the sick and
children, and sourcing medicine and food. “We have experienced everything:
rape, massacres, famine,” says Baldo. “We understand the value of a ceasefire
for our country. That’s why we must be present at these negotiations.”
Indeed,
according to the Global StudyExternal link on the Implementation of UN
Resolution 1325, women’s participation in peace processes increases the
likelihood of an agreement lasting at least 15 years by 35%.
Deborah
Schibler, Executive Director of the Swiss NGO “FriedensFrauenweltweitExternal
link” (PeaceWomen Across the Globe) emphasises, “The presence of women and
other civil society actors clarifies that war affects more than just the
warring parties. Women’s experiences of violence must be part of the dialogue.”
To this
end, Baldo and her team have spent recent weeks drafting a peace agreement that
incorporates these perspectives. Their proposal includes measures they believe
are essential to ending the war, along with obligations for both sides.
The
proposal also addresses the widespread sexual violence against women and the
occupation of hospitals by armed forces. The UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that nearly seven million women and girls
in Sudan have been victims of gender-based violence.
Can they
influence the warring parties?
Baldo
and her team aim to have these measures included in a formal agreement. In the
coming days, they plan to hold separate talks with both sides, seeking common
ground and identifying red lines. It’s a challenging task: “Ceasefire
negotiations are typically a male domain and take place behind closed doors,”
says Baldo, who also works as an international consultant for the UN
Development Programme (UNDP).
Continuous
networking and lobbying are therefore essential. “If the parties realise that
women are crucial to the peace process and the country’s security, we stand a
good chance,” Baldo asserts.
She speaks from experience: in the early
1990s, Baldo was part of the Sudanese peace process in eastern Sudan and played
a key role in ensuring that women’s voices were included in the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement.
Waiting
for both sides
The
women’s team in Geneva has yet to start their planned work, as only
representatives from the RSF have arrived. To avoid appearing biased, the
activists plan to wait until the national army also attends, which they hope
will happen soon.
In the
meantime, the Sudanese women remain in close contact with US envoys, offering
technical support. Switzerland, as host, has kept a low profile. “We hope to
engage in dialogue with the Swiss authorities and gain their support for
women’s participation in the negotiations,” says Baldo. The fact that the
group’s visas were issued quickly and without fuss is a positive sign.
Positive
signs for the talks?
Roman
Deckert, a Geneva-based expert who has worked in and with Sudan for over 30
years, sees this as a positive indication. “It shows that Switzerland wants to
facilitate their participation,” he says. He adds that Switzerland’s role as
host, given its relative neutrality in this conflict, is likely helpful for the
negotiations. While the US is the driving force this time, he doesn’t rule out
the possibility of Switzerland becoming more diplomatically involved later.
Deckert
remains cautious about the prospects for a ceasefire agreement. Baldo also
prioritises the creation of humanitarian corridors across front lines to
deliver crucial aid: “Twenty-five million people in Sudan are suffering from
hunger due to the war, nearly half the population.
Over 10
million have been displaced.” Baldo views the Geneva talks as the start of a
complex process that could take years. Yet, she remains determined: “We have
come to Geneva to make a difference, and we will not leave without putting our
concerns on the table.”
Source:
swissinfo.ch
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/foreign-affairs/war-in-sudan-how-women-want-to-influence-the-peace-process-in-geneva/86961121
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‘We are
more than just a conflict’: Palestinian women’s soccer team on their whirlwind
return to the pitch
August 16, 2024
Tears
streamed down BisanAbuaita’s face as she reunited with her teammates at
Jordan’s Queen Alia Airport in May.
It was
the first time members of the Palestinian women’s soccer team had met since the
start of the war in Gaza, an ongoing trauma for Palestinians inside and outside
the enclave.
The team
was en route to Dublin, Ireland – the first time a senior Palestinian women’s
team had ever played in Europe.
“Everyone
was crying at the airport because that’s literally the only way for we sisters
to meet. No one is playing. People are dying,” the 26-year-old – who plays as a
winger for the team – later told CNN on the phone from her home in the West
Bank.
This
season’s Palestinian-based women’s league was slated to start on October 9, 2023,
two days after Hamas’ devastating assault on Israel, that prompted a military
campaign that has so far killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more
than a million more.
After
months of fearing for their relatives and friends inside Gaza, the team finally
got their 90 minutes of solace, kicking off against local Irish club Bohemians
FC in May.
Adding
extra significance to the match, it was played on the 76th anniversary of the
Palestinian Nakba, or catastrophe, during which approximately 700,000
Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled by Jewish militia groups, in
violence that accompanied the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.
Thousands
of Palestinian flag-waving fans filled Dalymount Park, with the proceeds going
to charitable organizations to help refugees back home. Irish President Michael
Higgins was among those in attendance.
Just two
weeks after the match was played, Ireland would go on to recognize Palestinian
statehood, in a coordinated move with two other European nations, Spain and
Norway, a decision that was condemned by Israel.
Ireland
is considered one of the most pro-Palestinian nations in Europe, and earlier
this year filed an intervention in the genocide case against Israel at the
International Court of Justice.
The
Palestinian side won the match 2-1, but the result was less important than the
game itself.
“Leading
the team out was unforgettable,” said 25-year-old captain Mira Natour, a doctor
who will soon return to her native Bethlehem in the West Bank, where she works
in a government hospital.
“It was
a moment that filled me with enormous pride and a heavy sense of achievement.
Not just for me, but the entire team and our nation. It was a symbol of our
resilience; representing Palestine on the international stage despite all the
challenges we face.”
Teammate
Abuaita, who travels between Bethlehem and France to help displaced Palestinian
women and children, described the “surreal” moment of being able to return to
competitive soccer.
She had
barely kicked a ball since her local club won the Palestinian Cup the previous
year.
“It felt
amazing,” she said. “Wearing the kit gives me goosebumps. With what’s happening
lately, it’s like double the goosebumps.
“Everyone
was crying when we heard the national anthem (pre-match) because you remember
everything and everyone that you’re playing for. Each one of us knows people
who are suffering, who (have been) martyred.”
‘Sisters’
assemble
The
Palestinian players traveled to Ireland from far and wide – some from their
homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and others from the global
diaspora living thousands of miles from the site of the conflict.
Five
players from the West Bank, including Abuaita, had to drive to Jordan and fly
from Amman. There are no airports in the Palestinian territories and the women
would have needed a permit to fly from Israel’s Tel Aviv airport. Even though
the distance to Jordan’s Queen Alia Airport is relatively short, three separate
security checkpoints along the way meant the trip took around 10 hours, Abuaita
said.
But at
least they could travel. Since the team’s establishment in 2013, there has yet
to be a Palestine women’s team member from Gaza, due to Israel’s blockade of
the enclave.
“Unfortunately,
we don’t have players from Gaza on our team. One of the main reasons why is the
blockade that was forced upon Gazans since 2007,” said team manager Deema
Yousef.
“This
means citizens cannot leave the strip without a permit granted by the Israeli government,
which is extremely hard to obtain,” said Yousef, a representative of the
Palestinian Football Association.
Other
players came from the Palestinian diaspora in Germany, Sweden, Canada and Saudi
Arabia.
Eighteen-year-old
goalkeeper Charlotte Phillips was born in Canada to a Bahamian father and
Palestinian mother.
Phillips’
grandparents, George and Odette, are Nakba survivors whose family members were
killed in front of them, she said.
They
left Jerusalem in the mid-70s and moved to Canada and went on to open a
successful Palestinian restaurant in Toronto, said Phillips, now a university
student in Toronto.
“I can’t
always fully relate to the struggles,” Phillips said. “I know what it means to
be Palestinian in Canada, but I don’t know what it means to be Palestinian
living in occupied Palestine. So, playing in a game like that in front of my
teta (grandmother) and sidi (grandfather) was so significant to our family
history.”
Nonetheless
each meetup of the team, like the match in Ireland, is charged.
“It was
so incredibly emotional,” Phillips recalled.
‘We are
still fighting’
Both
Natour and Abuaita described the team’s bittersweet feeling of clocking
valuable minutes on the field, while remembering those struggling in war-torn
Gaza.
Abuaita
said her team plays as a mark of respect for those killed in the conflict, and
as a reminder to the world that Palestinians are still fighting.
“We play
for all those people who were killed, for those footballers and athletes who
were murdered. And for those athletes who are still unable to play, because in
Gaza now there’s zero stadiums – they were all destroyed. Being able to show
people we’re here and that we’re still fighting in Palestine is an honor,” she
said.
Since
the game in Dublin, both the Palestinian men’s and women’s teams have played a
handful of international friendly matches, with the former still in contention
for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada after an
impressive outing in the Asian group stages this summer.
“Football
is a source of hope and unity for our people. It allows us to tell our story –
we are more than just a conflict,” captain Natour said.
“Most
importantly, it inspires the younger generation to dream and strive for a
better future, no matter what. When I look at my teammates with diverse
backgrounds and unique talents, (I realize) we’re not just athletes but role
models and advocates for our country, both on and off the field.”
Source:
edition.cnn.com
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/middleeast/palestine-womens-soccer-return-intl-hnk-spt/index.html
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iraqi-marriage-girls-women-advocates/d/132970