Jewish and Muslim Women Unite in Tears and Hope to 'Stop Hate On Britain’s Streets'
New Age Islam News Bureau
2 October 2024
· Jewish and Muslim Women Unite in Tears and Hope to 'Stop Hate On Britain’s Streets'
· Layla Soliz, a Muslim Woman, SuesKnox County, Sheriff Over Public Release Of Mugshot Showing Her Without Religious Headscarf
· Princess Basma Calls for Stronger Support for Women in Jordan During Study Launch
· Meet The UAE Women Showcasing Arab Craft, Values of Peace Through Jewellery Making
· Iraq Is Threatening to Roll Back Women’s Rights
· Empowering Women with Disabilities: Key Forum Concludes On Economic Participation
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Jewish and Muslim Women Unite in Tears and Hope to 'Stop Hate On Britain’s Streets'
Muslim and Jewish women met at St John’s Church in Waterloo to offer friendship and hope
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8 Oct 2024
A gathering of Jewish and Muslim women took place to commemorate the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, aiming to help “stop the hate on (Britain’s) streets”.
In a meeting at St John’s Church in Waterloo, six Muslim and six Jewish women talked about the toll the Middle East conflict is taking on UK communities. The event, hailed as a "safe space" by its organisers, saw participants share their feelings of "exhaustion", "pain", and "suffering", often with tears, but they also spoke of "hope" and "gratitude" born from such acts of solidarity.
The co-founders of the Nisa-Nashim Jewish and Muslim Women’s Network, Julie Siddiqi, a Muslim, and Laura Marks, who is Jewish, described the meet-up as a powerful symbol of interfaith harmony and a stand against being forced to choose sides. Ms Marks commented: "One year on and here we are: The world feels a worse place.
"Our responsibility is to ensure we do everything to stop the hate on our streets, to make them feel safe for our children, for our grandchildren so that the world can actually become a safer place for them to be. That can only be done if you do it together. Today was a day to come together and to be as one. It sounds simplistic, but the world is so polarised."
She added: "Nobody can hear anybody else’s views. Nobody can hear another narrative. Everybody’s so hurt, so upset, and everybody’s taken one side or the other, and that’s not helpful. Here, we don’t have to hate. We mustn’t hate. We must come together. We must build a society here which is safe, where our children can grow up, where there’s no hate because you’re Muslim, hate because you’re Jewish, and people live together in harmony. And this was our small gesture, our small way of doing that."
Members were encouraged to share their emotions and insights on the situation unfolding in the Middle East and its effects on them and their local communities. The feelings of "determination" to progress were strong among many, while some spoke with tears about how the tragic loss of young lives in the region profoundly impacted them as mothers and grandmothers.
Ms Siddiqi said: "We heard it all today. None of it surprised me. People were talking about literally being exhausted. It’s been a very heavy year. We listen to lots of pain, fear, anxiety, and all of that was talked about today. And I’m so grateful to the women for being brave."
"Some of them have faced backlash, me included. I’ve lost friends over this. It’s not easy but it just feels right and for us to be able to find spaces to own all of the pain. I connect with mothers whose sons were taken hostage."
"Why would I not? For me, this idea that we somehow have to sit in this camp or this camp just doesn’t resonate with me, and all of us said the same today. We need to not allow extreme voices to be the only voices, the loud voices that often try to divide more than connect."
"None of us are saying that we have to agree on everything, but it’s so important for us to stand against hatred together and not be made to feel that we have to pick sides, or we have to only sit in this box or this box."
During the event, participants engaged in "sacred contemplation" as well as a moment of silence and candle lighting to honour those who have passed away or remain displaced and missing. Dr Shabina Qayyum, who provided vital medical support in the aftermath of the 7/7 terror attacks, underscored the critical need for safe, open spaces for dialogue within London and beyond.
She said: "I have found that the discourse in having conversations around this particular topic has been incredibly challenging and hostile. We need to be able to have a space where that anger is taken out of the situation and to recognise that we live in a hugely diverse country that is made up of so many faith groups and those that have none, and the anger that stems from something that’s happening thousands of miles away resonates with so many pockets of our community."
"Indeed there have been protests, but isn’t it time for people to come to the table, wise heads, and speak about the solutions in a peaceful manner? That’s what we’re here for. As an ethnic minority woman who is a Muslim, it’s important to find a space where I can say it is OK to grieve the loss of life on one side, and it is absolutely OK to grieve loss of life on the other side without being ostracised for it."
She added: "It’s been a place of comfort, and actually it’s lifted a weight off my shoulders. I hope that we can develop many more spaces like this."
The event followed pro-Palestinian protests in London and Edinburgh on Saturday, where the Met Police confirmed at least 17 arrests. Two people were arrested on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, one of which included a protester wearing what appeared to be a parachute, and there were eight arrests on suspicion of public order offences, four of which were allegedly racially aggravated.
Three people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, three arrested on suspicion of common assault and one person was arrested on suspicion of breaching a Public Order Act condition.
Source: mirror.co.uk
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jewish-muslim-women-unite-tears-33845546
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Layla Soliz, a Muslim Woman, Sues Knox County, Sheriff Over Public Release Of Mugshot Showing Her Without Religious Headscarf
Credit: WBIR
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October 8, 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn — A Muslim woman is suing Knox County and its sheriff after she says a Sheriff's Office employee illegally and improperly posted to their public website a mugshot of her without her head covering.
Layla Soliz of Knoxville filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. She seeks compensatory damages of at least $250,000 and unspecified punitive damages.
Soliz also is demanding that the uncovered photo of her be forever expunged so that it cannot ever resurface.
"Requiring an observant Muslim woman to remove her hijab in the presence of men who are not her family members substantially burdens her religious faith," the lawsuit states. "Requiring an observant Muslim woman to remove her hijab in front of men who are not her family members is humiliating and degrading -- akin to requiring a woman to take off her shirt in public."
The Knox County Sheriff's Office referred comment about the litigation to the county law department.
Named as defendants besides the county are Sheriff Tom Spangler and Sgt. Jonathan Burgess.
In May, Soliz took part along with her husband and others in a vigil in support of the Palestinian people on the University of Tennessee campus. Police ultimately arrested multiple people.
Soliz was charged with criminal trespass, a misdemeanor. The case has been awaiting grand jury review for months after being forwarded out of Knox County General Sessions Court, court records show.
During the arrest process, Soliz and others were processed for booking. That included photographing her for a mugshot.
Soliz alleges that as a Muslim woman, her hijab is part of her routine garb. In her faith, men outside of her family are not supposed to see her hair. That's why she wears a hijab in public.
Federal law protects her right to wear a hijab. Furthermore, she argues, KCSO policy is very specific about how women who wear such a headdress are to be processed.
If a mugshot must be taken of a Muslim woman without her hijab, KCSO policy states it must not be uploaded and published to the public, such as the KCSO public website, the lawsuit states.
Only a mugshot showing an arrestee with a religious head covering is to be made public, the lawsuit quotes policy as stating.
Before Soliz had been booked, an attorney cautioned KCSO employees that Soliz was an observant Muslim woman and that they should not publish publicly a photo of her without her hijab, according to the lawsuit.
Nevertheless, that's what happened.
Burgess, a KCSO sergeant, "published (Soliz's) uncovered booking photograph to the Knox County Sheriff's Office website," the complaint states.
The lawsuit includes communication the morning after the arrest between a night shift commander and other KCSO personnel noting there'd been "3 conversations" with Burgess about how the mugshot should be handled.
A third-party website noted the mugshot at the time and disseminated it, wrongfully revealing her uncovered head to others, according to the lawsuit. It was subsequently taken down.
For most Muslim women, wearing a hijab is a way to practice modesty. Hijab types may differ between different Islamic sects.
Soliz said in May she felt violated by the publication of her mugshot without her headscarf.
"I have done my best to practice and to uphold, as I said, for many, many years. So for, suddenly, after all of those years of doing my best to keep that part of my physical self private — to suddenly now have my image without hijab posted online is just really violating and really upsetting," she said.
The complaint was filed on Soliz's behalf by Daniel Horwitz, Sarah L. Martin and Melissa Dix of Nashville. She said she did not want any other woman to go through a similar experience.
Joshua Hedrick, a Knoxville attorney, said most of the time lawsuits are settled outside of court.
"Most of the time when you have a case like this, there's less of an argument about 'what happened' and more an argument about 'what do we do about it?' I think it's without question that there was a policy in place and I think it's without question that this photograph was published and that the publishing of the photograph violated the policy. I think those things are all relatively clear," he said.
Hedrick said once the photo without Soliz's hijab was posted, the sheriff's office no longer had control over what happened with the photo. He said the lawsuit could be settled in a number of ways.
"You could have what they call injunctive relief, which is where the court could order the sheriff's department to do or not do something. They could order additional training, they could order that the sheriff's department delete the images. They could order some other type of relief," said Hedrick.
He said the lawsuit could also end with the sheriff's office being told to pay money, as a way to ensure this doesn't happen in the future.
"Sometimes that's where you have punitive damages, when you have a defendant who is not following the policy and how do you make them? Sometimes you make them by saying, 'If you don't do this, you're gonna, it's gonna start costing you money.' So you better do it," said Hedrick.
WBIR reached out to KCSO for a comment on the lawsuit and was directed to the Knox County Law Director's Office. The office did not respond by the time of this story's publication.
Source: wbir.com
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/muslim-woman-sues-kcso/51-55f270e1-fb79-403a-b122-86df6c10834b
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Princess Basma calls for stronger support for women in Jordan during study launch
By Rana Husseini -
Oct 08,2024
AMMAN – HRH Princess Basma on Tuesday highlighted the important role of the local academic institute in empowering women and strengthening their role in society.
“Local academic institutions play an important role in providing the necessary education to women, which will empower them and provide them with the necessary skills to participate in the political, social and economic life,” Princess Basma said.
The Princess was speaking during the launch of a study on economic violence against women that was prepared by the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) at the University of Jordan (UJ).
The princess called on the students to reject all forms of violence to reach a “strong and cohesive society”.
The princess also addressed the dozens of female students who were attending the launching ceremony telling them: “I want you all to be strong throughout your lives. You were able to achieve the necessary grades that enabled you to enrol in this distinguished university and I urge you to continue on the same path throughout your life.”
The study, which was conducted by the JNCW in cooperation with the UJ’s Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS), aimed to identify economic violence against women in a comprehensive approach and its impact on the lives of women in Jordan.
The study also aimed to assess if there is a relationship between the phenomenon of economic violence and the social and educational status of women.
The study also aimed to touch on some forms of violence that women suffer from in Jordan.
Also addressing the gathering was UJ President NathirObeidat who stressed the importance of supporting women and providing them with their full rights.
Obeidat also pointed out that there is an urgent need to address the causes of violence against women, stressing the need to empower females with education, science, research and innovation.
Meanwhile, JNCW Secretary General Maha Ali said that the study is part of the commission’s goals to monitor all forms of discrimination against women in the economic field.
“The aim is to assess the forms of discrimination as well as integrate women’s issues, their economic participation and priorities into national strategies, policies, legislation, plans and budgets,” Ali told the gathering.
CSS Director Zaid Eyadat highlighted the importance of empowering women which works to strengthen their societies.
“History has witnessed all forms of violence against women in the world, which contributed to marginalising females in various sectors of life,” Eyadat said.
The study recommendations focused on reviewing the support mechanisms and developing social protection programmes to reach the most vulnerable women and to empower them economically, which will have a positive impact on the family.
The study also called for strengthening the role of relevant ministries and local administrative entities in providing the necessary social care services for the elderly and people with special needs.
Other recommendations focused on ensuring pay equity, providing quality education at schools, better health services and safe transportation.
The study also recommended including law articles related to women’s rights, Labour Law, Social Security Corporation Law and inheritance rights in the university and school curriculum.
Source: jordantimes.com
https://jordantimes.com/news/local/princess-basma-calls-stronger-support-women-jordan-during-study-launch
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Meet the UAE women showcasing Arab craft, values of peace through jewellery making
8 Oct 2024,
Sara AlKuwari
A group of young creative Emirati women recently graduated from the 'Talent Atelier' programme in Paris, France.
Organised by L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, and supported by Van Cleef&Arpels, the program focused on the the history of jewellery, the world of gemstones, and the savoir-faire of jewellery-making techniques. The young women spoke to Khaleej Times about their beginnings and how the program helped them improve their skills in art and jewellery.
Zahra Al Marar said her inspiration for jewellery design is rooted in her admiration for her mother. As a child, her mother's jewellery collection fascinated her. "I would see pictures of my mother in her youth wearing daring jewellery, which greatly influenced me and led to my love for jewellery design," she recalled.
She also shared her earliest design memory: "When I showed my father a design I had created, he said, 'Zahra, execute this design in gold.'" Now, all her designs are crafted from 18-karat gold and high-quality diamonds.
In 2019, she launched her brand, Zahrah Jewellery, where storytelling plays a crucial role in her designs. Zahra said the UAE has provided numerous opportunities for nurturing and embracing designers.
Currently, Zahra works in a private business company, which she sees as an opportunity to enhance her marketing skills and better understand the market.
Everyday elegance
Fatima Al Mehairi, a multimedia and graphic design graduate, recalled childhood outings with her mother to the market, "My mother would sketch designs for a gold piece known as 'The Tabla'."
Fatima decided that her first creation would stem from that early memory. She recalls, "I liked discussions with my mother about gold and its various names, such as Talbah, Subhah and Mariya."
She has a strong attachment to Arabic gold and its designs. She added that in 2015, Arabic gold was primarily reserved for special occasions. "I had a belief that gold must be designed for everyday use to avoid fading into obscurity."
Thus, she created her first four everyday wearable designs inspired by Arabic gold, including Shanif, Table, Bobinka, and Subhah.
Now, Fatima boasts around 110 designs. She also resigned from her government job to focus on her brand, Blanck Canvas.
Noble values
Meanwhile, Amna Al Falasi is a visual artist and sculptor focusing on abstract art. Her artistic inclinations began 15 years ago during her first visit to Paris, where she was deeply inspired by the works of renowned artists she encountered. "I was captivated by the idea that positive energy and peace can be expressed through art," she said.
Among her artistic creations is ‘The Peace Statue’, which shows an open hand holding a map of the world. "It symbolises a call for peace through the convergence of diverse cultures," she noted.
Al Falasi has showcased her art in various cultural exhibitions across the UAE, including notable events like Sikka exhibition and the Sharjah Biennial, as well as at the Emirates Arts Association.
She holds a bachelor's degree in business. Despite her lifelong passion for art, she only began to pursue it seriously six years ago, turning her creations into a commercially viable practice. She aspires to collaborate with art institutions and hold exhibitions both in the UAE and internationally, hoping to inspire future artists.
Engineering meets art
MajedaAlawadhi is a civil engineer with a passion for design. She specialises in graphic and product design. In 2021, she launched her first jewellery collection, Bloks Jewellery.
Aiding in the dissemination and design of jewellery that represents Emirati heritage, she said: "I am blending contemporary aesthetics with Emirati craftsmanship by innovatively incorporating materials like sadu and khous.”
She founded her own brand in 2015. This venture allows her to maintain a balance between her professional and creative pursuits. Geometric shapes inspire her and are prominently featured in her designs. Her company also specialises in creating silver corporate gifts.
Alawadhi views design as an outlet for her creative energy, seeing it as a hobby that transports her to another realm. "My start was designing logos for small and medium enterprises before expanding the focus to include governmental institutions."
She expressed her gratitude for the Talent Atelier program, which helped her perceive design from various angles regarding colours and materials. It facilitated a transformation in her approach and encouraged her to break conventional boundaries through the use of diverse colours.
Source: khaleejtimes.com
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-meet-the-emirati-women-showcasing-arab-craft-values-of-peace-through-jewellery-making
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Iraq Is Threatening to Roll Back Women’s Rights
By Mina Al-Oraibi,
OCTOBER 8, 2024
On Aug. 4, Iraq’s parliament debated a draft law that would allow religious doctrine to govern people’s private affairs—especially marriages and child custody. This is a blow to women’s rights in a country that was once considered a leader when it came to gender equality, with an active women’s association and progressive laws introduced in the mid-20th century.
Iraq was the first modern Arab country to have a female judge—SabihaAlShaikhDaood who was appointed in 1956—and first Arab country with a female government minister, Nazima al-Dulaimi, appointed in 1959. And while Iraq remained a largely religious country, civil laws were introduced to govern personal affairs— until now. With all the many challenges facing the Middle East, little attention is being paid to this threat.
Such a move would undo decades of family law advances in the country. This bill aims to amend Iraq’s family legislation, which is based on both Islamic and civic law, in order to have sectarian laws take precedence over the law that has governed all the citizens of the country, regardless of their creed, for more than half a century.
The amendments proposed to the law would mean that personal matters, such as the minimum age for marriage and the custody of children, would follow different sectarian edicts for different individuals. This could mean a girl being married off at the age of 9, according to one of the Shiite schools of jurisprudence. Custody of children as young as 2 years old could automatically go to the father. Divorce would become much easier to attain, removing key protections for women that were put in place under the existing civil law. The draft bill specifically says that the husband’s sect would take precedence in determining all matters, putting women at a further disadvantage.
In addition to the detrimental effects that this law could have for women and children in the country, it is a further act to divide Iraqis according to sect. Rather than having one law equally governing the land for all Iraqis, many of whom intermarry, this amendment would mean that sectarian beliefs would take precedence over civil law. It would consolidate the sectarianism that has plagued institutions in Iraq for the past two decades.
IRAQ’S 1959 FAMILY LAW, known as the Personal Status Law, is among the most forward-leaning in the Middle East. At the time of its adoption, it was nothing short of revolutionary. The legal age for marriage was set at 18—with limited exceptions to allow marriage at age 15 if both a judge and guardian allowed it. Forced marriage was explicitly banned, both men and women were given the right to request a divorce, and a woman’s right to alimony in case of separation was enshrined.
While these may seem like basic rights today, they were by no means guaranteed in the 1950s, and some countries in the region still do not give their citizens such rights.
However, a number of Islamist political parties that have come to power in post-2003 Iraq have wanted to dilute this law for years. The idea of such amendments was initially raised in 2004, ahead of the passing of Iraq’s current constitution, but it was quickly dismissed by a wide section of Iraq’s political class, who at the time still sought to make Iraq more Western-leaning. Heavy U.S. involvement also swayed parties at the time.
However, discussion of the family law has occurred again at various intervals over the past two decades, with sectarian and religious forces seeking more ways to tighten their grip on society. To make matters worse, a rollback of women’s rights could lead to a further erosion of Iraq’s weak state structures and fuel sectarian divides.
The muddying effect of the amendments, if they passed, is that competing authorities within both the Shiite and Sunni sects could claim to be the ultimate authority. It would further alienate religious minorities who are not included in the legislation but would be affected as the country grappled with a majority divided over basic laws.
The current text of the bill states that Iraqis would follow the highest authority or the one with the largest following. At the moment, there is no doubting that Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is the ultimate authority for the vast majority of Shiites in Iraq, but after his death—Sistani is 94 years old—that could also be contested. By its nature, the Sunni sect does not have one ultimate religious figure who decrees issues related to personal matters, rather they go directly to the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed, although competing political factions from within the Sunni religious establishment have sought to exert the same type of influence over the community but have failed.
The problem with these amendments is that the powers behind them seek to tie the issue to religion—and what is deemed sacred—even when that’s not an accurate interpretation of the religion. With the pretense of sanctity, the politicians pushing the reforms seek to intimidate opponents. Anyone who challenges that which is considered holy could be labelled as blasphemous and then face the full weight of the law and society.
A second reading of the bill was meant to happen at the start of September but was postponed with an uptick of criticism from civil society and a minority of members of parliament. However, it has not been fully scrapped, and it could be scheduled for a second reading and pushed to a vote at any moment. Further deliberations are now hinting at potentially setting the legal minimum age for marriage at 15, rather than 9 years as initially suggested, but they do not address the concerns over sectarianism encroaching on Iraqi citizens’ private matters.
As Iraq largely falls out of the international headlines, and acts of mass violence recede, there is a general sense that the country is stable. However, the foundations of its political system—and the theocratic powers driving it—indicate longer term problems ahead. Ironically, while members of the legislature sought to push these amendments through, Iraq’s parliament has remained without a speaker for nearly a year.
Having a law that binds all citizens to the same rules and regulations in their personal matters—particularly when it comes to marriage, custody, and inheritance—is a unifier for Iraq’s citizens. Challenges to the state and its authority are being codified by the very people who are meant to be guardians of the state and its laws.
The timing of the debate over this law coincides with the Taliban introducing even more oppressive measures against the women of Afghanistan—in the form of a law purportedly intended to “promote virtue and prevent vice.” The two developments are very different in terms of their content and impact on society; however, they both target civil liberties, particularly those of women. They also both come in the wake of U.S. invasions that sought to promote so-called freedom for two decades.
The erosion of Iraqi women’s rights would be a damning legacy for those who came to power as a consequence of a U.S.-led war that promised liberation.
Source: foreignpolicy.com
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/08/iraq-sunni-shiite-womens-rights-religion-law/
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Empowering women with disabilities: Key Forum concludes on economic participation
Oct 08,2024 -
AMMAN — The Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) on Tuesday concluded a forum on enhancing the economic participation of women with disabilities.
The forum aimed to increase the involvement of women with disabilities in the activities, programmes, and projects of civil society organisations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The two-day forum included the participation of experts and activists in the field of disability rights, along with several civil society organisations.
Participants discussed the challenges faced by women with disabilities in the labour market, presenting a range of programmes aimed at empowering and integrating people with disabilities, including women, into the policies and action plans of civil society organisations.
They highlighted the importance of creating an inclusive work environment that supports the rights of women with disabilities and the necessity of incorporating their issues into economic development plans to make them more inclusive.
Director of the Independent Living Directorate at HCD RashaOdwan highlighted that the forum represents a significant step in enhancing the economic participation of women with disabilities, which is a key requirement for achieving comprehensive development and equal opportunities.
Head of the Women's Committee at the council RawanBarakat emphasised the vital role of civil society organisations in empowering women with disabilities.
Source: jordantimes.com
https://jordantimes.com/news/local/empowering-women-disabilities-key-forum-concludes-economic-participation
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/jewish-muslim-hope-uk-hate/d/133398