Dr. Leila bint Hamad Al-Kassem First Woman Undersecretary in Islamic Ministry of Saudi Arabia
New
Age Islam News Bureau
31
January 2022
• European
Parliament To Host 'Afghan Women Days' To Discuss Taliban Takeover
• Haneen
Zreika, First Muslim Player In Women's Aussie Rules Women's Football League, Boycotts
Pride Round
• Women
Activists Disappearing In Afghanistan, Taliban Deny Hand: Report
• Yemeni
Women Hold Rally to Condemn Saudi-Led Coalition Crimes
• Civil
Society Joins MQM-P’s Women-Only Protest Against Police Action
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Dr.
Leila bint Hamad Al-Kassem First Woman Undersecretary in Islamic Ministry of
Saudi Arabia
Image
used for illustrative purpose. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
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January
31, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi Islamic Minister Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh on Sunday appointed Dr. Leila
bint Hamad Al-Kassem as undersecretary for planning and digital transformation.
Al-Kassem
is the first female undersecretary in the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah
and Guidance. Her appointment marks a significant milestone in the Kingdom’s
empowerment of women in Islamic affairs.
In a
previous decision, Al-Asheikh entrusted Al-Kassem with the governance of his
office as part of developing the administrative work of the ministry, improving
services provided to beneficiaries and promoting transparency.
The
decision is part of the minister’s efforts to promote the role of women in
leadership positions within the ministry and its agencies, in accordance with
Saudi Vision 2030.
It
also reflects Al-Asheikh’s belief in the importance Saudi women in developing
and achieving the goals of government sectors.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2015141/saudi-arabia
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European
Parliament To Host 'Afghan Women Days' To Discuss Taliban Takeover
Afghan
women | EPA/S. SABAWOON
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January
31, 2022
Brussels:
The European Parliament announced that it is going to host a series of events
on February 1 and 2 to discuss the situation of Afghan women following the
Taliban takeover of the country.
In a
statement, it said the 'Afghan Women Days' will kick off with a high-level
conference which will be attended by members of the European Parliament,
prominent Afghan women who were finalists for Parliament's 2021 Shakarov Prize,
activists, UN representatives and representatives from several other
international organisations, reports TOLO News.
The
European Union (EU) has said the Afghan women's situation since the collapse of
the previous government is worrying.
"The
conference will feature interventions by Parliament President Roberta Metsola;
former Afghan Minister of Women's Affairs Sima Samar; Angelina Jolie, Special
Envoy to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees; EU Commission
President Ursula von der Leyen; and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
It will be concluded with an address and musical appearance by Afghan singer
and songwriter Aryana Sayeed, with her song 'Lady of the Land of Fire',"
the statement added.
The
participants are also expected to discuss the future perspectives for women in
the country and how to support women.
Reacting
to the announcement, the Taliban said that it supported negotiations which are
productive.
"Islamic
Emirate welcomes the negotiations which are constructive and not challengeable.
Of course, I should say that these talks should be based on Islamic
values," TOLO News quoted Taliban's deputy spokesman Inamullah Samangani
as saying.
Source:
Free Press Journal
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Haneen
Zreika, First Muslim Player In Women's Aussie Rules Women's Football League,
Boycotts Pride Round
January
29, 2022
Jan
29 (Reuters) - The first Muslim player in the Australian Rules women's football
league (AFLW) said it was a difficult decision to sit out Friday's game, which
media reports attributed to her religious objections to wearing a special Pride
Round jersey.
Haneen
Zreika has several openly gay teammates at her club, the Greater Western Sydney
Giants.
"As
the first Australian Muslim woman in the AFLW, I have a responsibility to
represent my faith and my community. I respect people regardless of their
sexual orientation," Zreika wrote on Instagram, without explaining details
of her decision..
"This
decision was extremely difficult and I appreciate the support of AFL, Giants,
my teammates.
"Inclusion
is about creating a space where people are able to respect their right to
choose how they live their life as long as they don't advocate hate and
division."
Giants
coach Alan McConnell said he empathised with Zreika over what for the player
was a "complex" issue. She would be welcomed back into the team for
the remainder of the season.
"As
I said to Haneen, we can have similar opinions, different opinions, but they'll
never break the bond that we have for one another and that she has with her
teammates," McConnell said after the Giants beat the Western Bulldogs on Friday
night.
"I'm
very comfortable and confident that's all intact. We empathise with the
challenges she faces in these circumstances.
"But
equally we're really proud of the connection and obligations we have to the
LBGTQI community."
Source:
Reuters
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Women
Activists Disappearing In Afghanistan, Taliban Deny Hand: Report
January
30, 2022
Kabul:
Women activists who were voicing for their rights have suddenly disappeared in
Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.
Although
the Taliban denied having any hand in the disappearances, one of its top
officials said they are in the process of purging "bad people" from
the group, as reported by TRT World.
Taliban
officials, however, did not have a unified statement on the disappearances of
these women.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any women were arrested but said that
authorities had the right "to arrest and detain dissidents or those who
break the law".
Activists
also said that they receive threatening phone calls from men claiming to be
Taliban intelligence, warning them to stay silent or face the consequences, as
noted by TRT World.
Rights
groups have called on the Taliban to investigate the abduction of Alia Azizi, a
female prison official who has been missing for more than three months.
Last
week, a Taliban delegation, led by Muttaqi, was hosted in Norway's capital,
Oslo, for talks with the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the
European Union and Norway, and members of Afghan civil society, including
women, as reported by TRT World.
The
meeting, which was focused on Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis, was widely
condemned.
The
Taliban continue to demand the release of USD 10 billion of frozen Afghan
reserves. It also seeks humanitarian aid and diplomatic recognition.
On
the other hand, the US and international bodies have insisted that the group
roll back its restrictions on women, as reported by TRT World.
Source:
ND TV
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Yemeni
Women Hold Rally to Condemn Saudi-Led Coalition Crimes
January
31, 2022
The
demonstrators in a statement also condemned the silence of the international
community on the aggression against Yemen and considered the United Nations to
be an accomplice with the coalition in its war crimes against the impoverished
country, Al-Alam reported.
The
statement further stressed the need for taking revenge on the enemy for killing
innocent civilians.
It
praised the Yemeni army and Popular Committees for their operations against the
aggressors and targeting the depth of the enemy territory.
In
other news, activists projected pictures of coalition warplanes killing Yemeni
children on the BBC TV building in London.
They
also projected the names and photographs of Yemeni children killed during the
US-Saudi aggression.
The
activists called for an end to the aggression on Yemen and blockade of the country
and demanded that Britain stop its arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Enjoying
complete arms, logistical, and political backing from the United States and
Britain, Saudi Arabia led many of its allies in a 2015-present invasion of
Yemen.
The
war has been seeking to crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement and
reinstall the former Riyadh-friendly government.
The
war and the coalition’s siege of Yemen has killed hundreds of thousands of
Yemenis and turned the entirety of Yemen into the scene of the world’s worst
humanitarian crisis.
Source:
IQNA
https://iqna.ir/en/news/3477608/yemeni-women-hold-rally-to-condemn-saudi-led-coalition-crimes
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Civil
society joins MQM-P’s women-only protest against police action
Imran
Ayub
January
30, 2022
KARACHI:
A large number of women, including human rights campaigners and members of
civil society, participated in a demonstration organised by the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) at Teen Talwar traffic intersection in Clifton on
Saturday in protest over the recent police action against women and children.
They
condemned what they called the police brutality on participants of Wednesday’s
rally of the MQM-P against the controversial local government law and the
silence of Pakistan Peoples Party’s leadership at the ongoing exploitation of
urban Sindh.
MQM-P
leaders and rights activists while addressing the women-only demonstration
questioned the “criminal silence” of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who
despite being the chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on
Human Rights did not bother to utter a single word on the recent attack of
Karachi police on women and children.
Subzwari
questions Bilawal’s silence over human rights violations in Sindh
They
called it the “double standards” of the ruling PPP, which on the one hand
described itself as the “champion of human rights” and on the other used “every
tactic” to silence the voice of its opponents.
Apart
from party leaders, the demonstration was also attended by Mahnaz Rahman of
Aurat Foundation, women’s rights activist Sheema Kermani and other members of
civil society.
Addressing
the demonstration, MQM-P Senator Faisal Subzwari said that the PPP chairman
never took a second to issue a statement if a violation of human rights was
reported from any part of the country. “But when it comes to Sindh and police
brutality against our sisters and mothers, he chooses to maintain silence.”
“This
silence proves whatever police did against our women and children, it was not
their own decision. It proves that whatever happened [the police action] got
the blessings of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh government,” he said.
He
said that the Sindh government could not hide facts with force and power.
The
demonstration also adopted a resolution rejecting the Sindh Local Government
(Amendment) Bill 2021 and demanded action against police officers involved in
manhandling and attacking MQM-P workers.
The
participants also demanded an empowered local government system.
Source:
Dawn
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