Madrasa To Kathakali School: Sabri N A 14-Year-Old Chased Her Dreams
New Age
Islam News Bureau
24 May 20123
• Madrasa To Kathakali School: Sabri N A
14-Year-Old Chased Her Dreams
• 'Can't Be Denied Maintenance': Bombay
HC On Alimony For Muslim Women
• Islamic Republic of Iran Can Tell
Every Woman What To Wear: Judiciary
• Rimah Saleh Al-Yahya, Saudi
Representative Highlights Women’s Empowerment At G20 Labour Meet In India
• Women’s Integrated Services and
Facilities Centre to be Established in Kabul
• Newcastle United Women Make English Football
History As Saudi Owners PIF Take Landmark Decision
• Old Video From Morocco Revived Falsely
As Muslim Woman Attacked In India
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/madrasa-kathakali-sabri-n/d/130067
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Madrasa To Kathakali School: Sabri N A 14-Year-Old Chased Her Dreams
Sabri N is
now a student of Kalamandalam, a 123-yr-old institute in Thrissur. Express
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Written by Shaju Philip
June 24, 2023
Madrasa to Kathakali school, Kathakali
student, Kathakali dancer, Thrissur, Kerala, Thrissur news, Kerala news, Indian
Express, India news, current affairs Sabri N is now a student of Kalamandalam,
a 123-yr-old institute in Thrissur. Express
Two years ago, a 12-year-old in a Kerala
village sat in the darkness of a temple ground, surrounded by devotees,
enchanted by a night-long Kathakali performance based on major episodes of the
Ramayana.
Her fascination with the classical dance
form continued – on June 19, Sabri N, 14, became the first Muslim girl to enrol
in a Kathakali course at Kerala’s Kalamandalam, a 123-year-old institution at
Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district that’s one of the most prestigious centres
for the performing arts. She is now a Class 8 student at the Kalamandalam Art
Higher Secondary School and stays on the campus of the deemed-to-be university.
Sabri, who hails from Edamulackal
village in Kollam district, formally joined the institute by offering guru
dakshina to her teacher Kalamandalam Ravikumar.
Sitting at Koothambalam, the performance
theatre at Kalamandalam, Sabri says she doesn’t think her faith has come in the
way of her desire to learn Kathakali. “I believe in God. I used to wear a hijab
like any other Muslim girl my age. In fact, I studied in a madrasa till Class
5. Thereafter, when Covid-19 struck, my mother began teaching me at home.”
Sabri’s presence in Kalamandalam has
shattered several norms all at once. Kathakali was until recently a largely
male preserve, with men even performing female roles. While women have started
making a mark in this male-dominated bastion, it was only in 2021 that
Kalamandalam’s residential Kathakali course opened up to girls. At a time of
polarising debates and heightened identity politics, in Kerala and beyond, a
Muslim girl in hijab entering an institution largely identified with
traditional Hindu traditional art forms, is striking.
Of the two streams in Kathakali, thekkan
(southern) and vaddakan (northern), Sabri has chosen to learn the southern
style that’s focused on rasabhinayam, which involves stylised facial gestures.
At the end of an eight-year training period, Sabri hopes to be a full-fledged
Kathakali dancer. But she has a more immediate goal: performing the Krishna
vesham.
“My dream is to stage the Krishna
vesham. I like its mudras and gestures, apart from the colourful costumes,” she
says.
“I have my family’s wholehearted support
in learning Kathakali. I will follow the system, practice and uniform of the
institute,” she adds, draping her dupatta over her head.
Sabri’s guru and head of the Thekkan
Kathakali department, Kalamandalam Ravikumar, described her decision to join
Kathakali as “revolutionary”. “Sabri is the first Muslim girl to join the
Kathakali course. In the past, we have had a few Muslim students for other
courses, but never for Kathakali. Of the seven students who joined
southern-style Kathakali in Class 8 this year, four are girls,’’ he said.
The institute offers residential
training in various classical dance forms, Carnatic music and traditional
instruments with the 270-odd students being admitted to courses from Class 8 to
post-graduation. The institute also offers MPhil and PhD programmes in
performing arts and culture studies.
Recalling how his daughter took an
interest in Kathakali, Sabri’s father Nizam S, a photographer who runs a studio
in their village Edamulackal, said, “I would go to the Mahadeva temple at
Agasthyacodu near our village to shoot the annual Shivratri festival in March.
I would come back and show my daughter some of the Kathakali photographs I had
captured. Two years ago, Sabri insisted on coming with me for the festival. I
tried to dissuade her since Kathakali is played overnight. But she insisted on
coming.”
Nizam was taken by surprise when Sabri
sat through the night-long performance. This marked the beginning of Sabri’s
interest in Kathakali.
Sabri then began training with Aromal, a
Kathakali teacher who lived 25 km away from their village. An alumnus of
Kalamandalam, Aromal worked as a temporary Kathakali teacher at the institute.
On Sundays, Nizam would take Sabri to Aromal, who taught her the basic mudras
of Kathakali. Nizam also took Sabri to Kalamandalam to familiarise her with the
institution.
Nizam says that while his daughter’s
choice of art form is unconventional, he has not faced any opposition from the
Muslim community. “We are religious people and staunch believers of our faith.
My daughter is also a practising Muslim. However, we do not follow anything
blindly. If she wants to learn Kathakali, we will ensure that her dream is
realised,’’ he said.
Sabri, he says, has been adhering to all
the rules of the institution and participating in all its activities. “Like all
other students, she offered a dakshina to the guru, a Hindu tradition. The
teacher did not ask the students to pray to a Hindu God; instead, all of them
were told to pray to a god of their choice,’’ said Nizam, whose wife Aneesha is
a homemaker and eldest son Muhammed Yazeen, a class 12 student.
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/madrasa-to-kathakali-school-how-a-14-year-old-chased-her-dreams-8683195/
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'Can't Be Denied Maintenance': Bombay HC
On Alimony For Muslim Women
Image
Credit: File Photo
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Avishka Tandon
24 Jun 2023
Alimony after divorce is a most
conflicting topic. The law suggests the husband is supposed to pay maintenance
to his wife and children post-separation. Recently, the Bombay High Court made
an interesting observation regarding alimony while hearing a divorce case of a
Muslim woman.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High
Court led the hearing of a woman who had divorced her husband quite some time
back and wanted to enhance the alimony that he paid for her and the children's
maintenance. The husband denied to pay the alimony and filed a revision
petition in the court. Justice GA Sanap on the bench dismissed his application
citing the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act,
2005 for alimony to Muslim women after divorce.
Bombay HC On Alimony For Muslim Women
The case was about a woman who
accompanied her husband to Saudi Arabia in the year 2006. While she was in
another country, her family and her in-laws, who lived in the same building,
had some disputes among them. Because of the dispute between the families, she
alleged that her husband started treating her badly. In 2012, she returned to
Indian along with her children and husband.
In India, he forced her to lodge a
complaint against her family over the dispute they had with her in-laws. She
was physically assaulted for not filing the case. She left his home and went to
her parent's house with her younger son. Meanwhile, her husband went back to
Saudi Arabia without providing her compensation and maintenance. After which
she filed a court application for divorce and alimony.
The man denied domestic violence
allegations and refused to give alimony, but the sessions court ordered him to
pay Rs. 50,000 compensation and Rs. 2000 rent, Rs. 7500 to the wife, and Rs.
2500 to the child as monthly maintenance costs. However, the wife filed a
petition to increase the maintenance to Rs. 16,000 monthly.
The man opposed the petition claiming
that the domestic violence application was filed post-divorce and as per Muslin
Women Act sections 4 and 5, she was not entitled to alimony or maintenance.
However, the court observed that Muslim women are entitled to alimony in
domestic violence cases as long as they don't get married after divorce
according to CrPC section 125. The woman can seek relief even after divorce to
maintain the lifestyle that she was used to during married life.
The court observed that the domestic
violence allegations were confirmed by the sessions court and the man has also
tried to mention false income in the application as he was working as a
chemical engineer in Saudi Arabia since 2005 and earned about Rs. 3.5 lakhs per
month.
Source:
shethepeople.tv
https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/bombay-hc-on-alimony-for-muslim-women
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Islamic Republic of Iran Can Tell Every
Woman What To Wear: Judiciary
24-06-23
The deputy judiciary chief of the
Islamic Republic of Iran says it is the regime's right to tell women what to
wear.
"Hijab is a religious and political
obligation, and I am surprised by those who claim that the government should
not interfere in this regard,” said Mohammad Mossadegh on Friday.
"If the hijab is not observed in
the street, the government has the right to interfere," he claimed.
At the same time, AsadollahJafari, Chief
Justice of Esfahan Province announced that 1,200 cases have been filed against
women who refused to wear the mandatory hijab.
He also accused those women who do not
observe the mandatory hijab, of "promoting vice".
These statements come as Ahmad-Reza
Radan, the Police Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran, once again threatened
women regarding their hijab earlier this month.
According to him, women who put photos
and videos without hijab on social media, or people who encourage others to do
this will be taken to court.
Iranian women began widespread defiance
of forced hijab after popular protests broke out last year when Mahsa Amini, a
young woman, was killed in 'morality police' custody after getting arrested for
not fully following hijab rules.
Iranian women appearing in public
without headscarves has become a common sight across the country. Celebrities
keep publishing photos and videos of themselves defying the regime and images
of scuffles with security forces are still seen across social media on a daily
basis.
While some politicians have demanded an
end to compulsory hijab and laws that legalize discrimination against women,
there are many others who have been talking about new methods and punishments
to enforce hijab.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202306246356
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Rimah Saleh Al-Yahya, Saudi
Representative Highlights Women’s Empowerment At G20 Labour Meet In India
June 23, 2023
NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia’s Labour 20
representative Rimah Saleh Al-Yahya has highlighted women’s empowerment
policies in the Kingdom during the G20 engagement group summit that concluded
in India on Friday.
Labor 20, or L20, is one of 11 official
networking groups of the Group of 20 largest economies, and represents the
interests of workers from the countries that together represent 66 percent of
the world’s population and around 75 percent of global economic output.
Under India’s presidency of G20 this
year, the group’s priority areas are “Universal Social Security” and “Women and
Future of Work.”
Al-Yahya, a member of the Saudi Shoura
Council who served as the Kingdom’s first female deputy minister of private
higher education, chaired the Labor 20 taskforce on women and the future of
work.
She told Arab News the Labor 20 Summit
held in Patna, Bihar, on June 22-23 was a “good chance to showcase all the
progress that Saudi Arabia has done for women” under its Vision 2030
diversification plan.
“King Salman, the Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques, and His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have worked so
hard to increase the participation of women in the work market,” Al-Yahya said.
“The government brought in many policies
that introduced flexibility in the workplace for women, including remote
working arrangements and flexible working hours which would benefit a woman who
is juggling work and family responsibilities.”
Under Vision 2030, the female employment
rate is targeted to reach at least 30 percent. More women are also encouraged
to take up leadership positions.
Al-Yahya, former vice rector of Prince
Sultan University in Riyadh, saw the participation of female Saudi delegates at
G20 as a direct display of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reach these goals.
“This is a chance to showcase it more
elaborately just by being here. We are ambassadors of what our country has made
of us,” she said.
“Myself being a part of this (summit), I
was example of how we have been supported by our government, supported by our
country to try to do our best and to be equal with men in our leadership role.
They are empowering women to hold this leadership role, even in companies.”
Reactions of fellow delegates to the
Labor 20 engagement group were also encouraging, as they acknowledged Saudi
progress.
“The G20 countries vary in their needs,
they vary in their capabilities depending on the country’s economy, as well as
the dominating social plan and the average level of education, (but) almost all
women are challenged in similar ways, especially in the work-life balance
themes,” Al-Yahya said.
“We were supported by all the countries.
They have already seen, and they have heard all the progress that has been
happening in Saudi Arabia. The world can see it.”
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2327006/saudi-arabia
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Women’s Integrated Services and
Facilities Centre to be Established in Kabul
June 23, 2023
The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) said the integrated facilities centre will support women-run
businesses, training programs and will also provide financial support for
female entrepreneurs.
UNHCR in a tweet on Friday said the
initiative was launched in collaboration with UNODC and AWCCI, aimed at
supporting women-run businesses, training programs and more.
The centre will also support internally
displaced people and Afghan refugees who have returned to the country, the
organization said.
The business center for Afghan women
will be established following the series of bans imposed by the Taliban regime
restricting women and girls from having social and political engagements in
Afghanistan for the past nearly two years.
A considerable number of businesswomen
and female entrepreneurs have been forced to stay at home since the Taliban
seized power in August 2021.
Meanwhile, a group of Afghan women
entrepreneurs created a local market exclusively for women in Faizabad city of
northeastern Badakhshan province, aimed at improving the economic well-being of
needy families.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/womens-integrated-services-and-facilities-center-to-be-established-in-kabul/
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Newcastle United Women make English
football history as Saudi owners PIF take landmark decision
June 23, 2023
NEWCASTLE: Women’s football is rapidly
growing in popularity across the world, nowhere more so than in the UK.
Following the England women’s team’s
victory at the UEFA Women’s Euros last year, female participation in the
beautiful game has gone through the roof in the sport’s founding nation. Until
very recently, though, one area lagged behind the incredible progress made in
cities like London, Liverpool and Manchester: Newcastle. But Newcastle United’s
majority shareholders, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, are doing
their best to change all of that for the women who currently represent the club
and for future generations of female football-playing Geordies.
History was made on Tyneside this week
when it was announced that Newcastle United Women are now to be run as a
full-time operation for the first time. The Lady Magpies have become the first
female club in English football to become a full-time outfit while in the third
tier of the football pyramid, the FA Women’s National League.
The move proves the lengths to which the
PIF — along with joint minority shareholders PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports
& Media Ltd. — will go to ensure the club succeeds at all levels. Full-time
football has arrived just one year after the women’s team became an official
part of Newcastle United Football Club.
“The success of Newcastle United Women
is an integral part of our sporting objectives and we are delighted to support
the team’s progress by building a professional model around them,” said Dan
Ashworth, Newcastle United’s sporting director, who is currently in Italy tying
up a potentially record-breaking signing for the men’s team: Italy
international and AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali.
“Becky (Langley, head coach of the
women’s team) and the players have shown incredible dedication, and turning
full-time will enable them to fully concentrate on their careers and the next
chapter of Newcastle United Women as fully supported professionals,” Ashworth
continued.
The move follows the team’s promotion to
the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division — the third tier of
the national women’s pyramid — having won the Division One North title last
season.
Darren Eales, Newcastle United CEO,
said: “This is a historic moment for our Newcastle United family and for the
women’s game regionally, nationally and beyond. Newcastle United Women is a
hugely important part of our vision for the club, and this is the right step at
the right time as we strive for sustainable success.
“I’d like to thank our owners for their
incredible support and congratulate Su (Cumming, head of women’s football),
Becky and all the players and staff for their achievements so far. We look
forward to the exciting journey ahead.”
The switch will allow the club to
recruit full-time players, potentially from higher up the pyramid, as well as
to offer competitive salaries to players already at the club. The aim of the
owners, and those involved with the Lady Magpies, is to reach the Women’s Super
League.
Langley said: “This is a monumental
moment for Newcastle United Women and the FA Women’s National League. We hope
to be a leading light in the movement toward professionalism in the women’s
game and to inspire women and girls who dream of pursuing a career in football.
“We have worked incredibly hard to get
here and I’m so excited to work with the players as we help them to be the best
athletes they can be.”
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2326971/football
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Old Video From Morocco Revived Falsely
As Muslim Woman Attacked In India
24 June 2023
An old video from Morocco showing a
group of men harassing a burqa-clad woman in the middle of a street is doing
rounds on social media with a false claim that it shows how Muslim women are
being treated in India. The video is being circulated amid hijab-related protests
in Karnataka. The 30-second long video shows the woman being ambushed by some
men with some liquid and a powdery substance. The men even pulled the women's
burqa and continue to harass her even as she screams trying to fend them off.
The Arabic caption with the video roughly translates to, "This is what is
happening to our Muslim sisters in India at the hands of Hindus."
Fact Check BOOM did a reverse image
search on one of the key frames extracted from the video and found some
articles from 2015 carrying the same video. The article reported that the video
shows an incident from Casablanca, Morocco. According to the reports, a group
of youngsters attacked the Muslim woman with eggs, flour and water on the day
of Ashura. Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram. The articles can be read here
and here. Interestingly, a France24 article mentioned that throwing eggs and
flour is a Moroccan holiday tradition. The article also reported about a video
posted by the men where they can be seen throwing eggs and flour on the Muslim
woman.
The woman, supposedly seen in the first
video, also appears in this video and says that the youngsters were 'just
having fun'. However, the video has been deleted. France24's article questioned
whether the woman was forced to downplay the incident. BOOM debunked the same
video when it went viral with a different and false communal claim in 2019.
Source: boomlive.in
https://www.boomlive.in/fact-check/world/viral-video-woman-attacked-india-old-video-communal-spin-morocco-social-media-platforms-16794
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/madrasa-kathakali-sabri-n/d/130067