Nargis Mommand Hassanzai, An Afghan Woman Wins 2023 World Peace Prize In Sweden
New Age
Islam News Bureau
30 Aug 2023
·
Nargis
Mommand Hassanzai, An Afghan Woman Wins 2023 World Peace Prize In Sweden
·
Resilient
Afghan Women’s Voice: Echoes of Empowerment Amid Adversity
·
KSrelief
distributes 2,400 bags to school girls in Yemen’s Abyan
·
Iran's
Regime Grapples with Female Athletes And Hijab Dilemma
·
Pop Singer
Arrested ByIran's Regime After Releasing Track Dedicated To Women
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mommand-hassanzai-world-peace-prize/d/130568
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Nargis Mommand Hassanzai, An Afghan Woman
Wins 2023 World Peace Prize In Sweden
Nargis
Mommand Hassanzai,
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By Fidel Rahmati
August 30, 2023
Nargis Mommand Hassanzai, an Afghan
woman, has clinched the 2023 World Peace Prize in Sweden. Her resolute
commitment to human rights has earned global recognition, showcasing the
potential of individuals to drive positive change even in the face of
adversity.
Hassanzai conveyed her heartfelt
gratitude for the honour on her social media platform, X, “I wish to extend my
deepest gratitude for the honour of being awarded the World Peace Award 2023.
It is with great humility that I accept this prestigious recognition, and I am
sincerely thankful to all those who have supported and contributed to my
journey towards promoting peace.”
Her journey encompasses a resilient
fight against oppression, inequality, freedom of speech, and gender injustice.
This award is a significant
accomplishment for Afghan women, representing two years of solid commitment to
overcoming challenges in education and society.
Hassanzai was a former Kabul University
lecturer and a human rights advocate. This award acknowledges her dedicated
work in Afghanistan.
This award signifies the relentless
struggle of Afghan women against injustice and suppression policies against
women, as well as the resolute endeavour to reshape their country, promoting
justice and equality.
Nargis Hassanzai’s profound impact lifts
the veil of darkness shrouding Afghan women’s lives, revealing the shadow over
their rights, humanity, and their country’s portrayal.
She is making a difference by securing
scholarships and contributing to Afghan women’s football, acknowledged by FIFA.
Her efforts led to official recognition of Afghan women’s football and
participation in European competitions.
In 2023, the Nobel Prize from Sweden
celebrated Afghanistan’s unwavering resilience, sharing the extraordinary essence
of the Afghan people with nations worldwide.
The resurgence of the Taliban in
Afghanistan has had a dire impact on the fundamental rights of women in the
country. One of the most distressing consequences is denying their rights to
education and employment, effectively confining them to their homes.
The absence of women in educational
institutions and the workforce not only limits their personal growth but also
stifles innovation and progress within the country.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-woman-wins-2023-world-peace-prize-in-sweden/
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Resilient Afghan Women’s Voice: Echoes
of Empowerment Amid Adversity
Samia
Bahari, Correspondent of Khaama Press at Shama (Candle) Café and Restaurant.
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By Fidel Rahmati
August 29, 2023
The resurgence of the Taliban in
Afghanistan has raised significant concerns about the future of women and their
rights. During its previous rule (1996-2001), the Taliban administration
brutally suppressed women’s freedoms, depriving them of their rights entirely
in the 1990s. Though this oppression did not last more than five years, two
decades were insufficient to rectify it. With the Taliban’s return, women are
again facing severe restrictions. The question is: If this situation persists,
how many years and generations of Afghan women will suffer, and will there be
an opportunity for recovery?
Nadia Anjuman, a poet who lived in Herat
during the 1990s, described her life and fellow citizens under the prevailing
ideology:
“I am an Afghan girl, and I forever
lament.” While her life did not provide equal opportunities, her enduring poems
left a significant impact. Among these verses, one that has become a beacon for
women over the past two decades and has shifted the discourse towards gender
equality in Afghanistan is: “Though I am silent for long, the melody does not
fade from my memory. Because every moment, through whispers, I express the
words from my heart. I remember that cherished day when I broke open the cage;
I’ll raise my head from this isolation and sing joyously. I am not a weak
willow that shakes from every wind. I am an Afghan girl, and I forever lament.”
While Nadia was a victim of the
ignorance that engulfed Afghanistan, her poetry continued to thrive after her
passing, becoming a guiding light for women and men who defined their mission
as “gender equality” and “democracy” over the last two decades. Not only Nadia
but many other girls and women sacrificed themselves to pursue justice through
this path. Ultimately, the achievements of these twenty years carry the essence
of their firm determination.
The return of an Islamic regime of the
Taliban’s kind to Afghanistan (the same ideology that victimized Nadia and
countless others like her) has become dire for all women and men. The
twenty-year accomplishments across all domains essential to human life and
civilization have been almost destroyed.
It is unbelievable, however, that women
have been banned from work, education, and leisure. Women are prevented from
travelling without male companions. Recreational parks, attractive natural
spots, educational and learning centres, baths, and beauty salons are closed to
women. Afghanistan’s geography has become profoundly male-oriented, yet despite
the inhumane environment and promotion of misogyny, women are challenging all
imposed restrictions. For instance, a 26-year-old girl’s effort to establish a restaurant
in the heart of Kabul echoes Nadia’s verse: “I am not the weak willow that
shakes from every wind.”
Samia Bahari, a 26-year-old girl living
in Kabul, recently founded a restaurant in the New Kabul City square and has
helped several girls who have been deprived of work and education to work in
the restaurant. The interesting point about the restaurant is that Samia named
it “Shama” (Candle) and designed its environment as “exclusive for women and
girls.” In this safe environment initiated by Samia, women and girls can gather
and, for a brief period, distance themselves from the humiliation and pain
imposed upon them.
Samia is among the employed girls in a
restaurant where men are not allowed and only women and girls are served.
Millions of women and girls have become confined to their homes due to various
dangers that threaten their lives outside.
In a corner of this restaurant, a young
lady named Saadiyah welcomes and serves customers with a happy demeanour but an
unsettled spirit. Saadiyah says, “My father is an addict. He lives on the
streets. I have no brothers but five sisters; two sisters and I work at the
candlelit restaurant to support our family financially.”
Saadiyah worries about her sister’s
future. She is concerned that her sister’s fate might follow a similar path.
She prays for her sister to have the opportunity to pursue education and live
in better circumstances. Her younger sister is in fifth grade; half of her day
is spent at school and the other half, alongside Saadiyah, at the restaurant.
Saadiyah needs more supporters to
encourage her sister’s education, provide her with books, and celebrate her
successes in her educational journey. Nevertheless, she does not let her sister
face these challenges alone.
On the other hand, some young girls are
busy serving the restaurant’s guests on the other side. Each has either dropped
out of university or been deprived of continuing their studies for various
reasons. They have been away from pen and paper for a long time, and instead,
they work with plates and utensils daily.
Samia Bahar, the restaurant manager,
says, “People always grow within restrictions. Without limitations, there is no
pressure, and it is this pressure that shapes a person.” She describes the
purpose of starting this restaurant as assisting girls and women who need
places like “Shama” (candle).
In addition to the dishes customers
order, the restaurant serves cold and hot beverages (tea and coffee) to make
the patrons self-sufficient in not having to go elsewhere.
Samia states, “The main goal of creating
this women-exclusive restaurant was to find a way to help women and girls who
have faced psychological and emotional challenges after recent restrictions.”
On the other hand, the women who visit this restaurant are happy and content
with its atmosphere.
A young lady enjoys a coffee with her
friend and speaks about her interest in the restaurant, saying, “I was
surprised when I came to this restaurant and realized that from the manager to
all the employees, they are all women.”
According to her, “This is truly
excellent. In times when restrictions have encompassed everywhere for women, a
young lady, by establishing this restaurant, demonstrates that women can work
and contribute in society just like men.”
The restaurant is equipped with
computers embedded with valuable and exquisite books. Patrons can utilize the
advantages of being in the restaurant. Samia states that the “Shama”
restaurant’s environment is designed to empower anyone who enters there. It is
as if no force is superior to the individual, and only they can make decisions.
This space, which instils a sense of autonomy in the minds and behaviours of
the visitors, is entirely contrary to the atmosphere imposed on women outside.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/resilient-afghan-womens-voice-echoes-of-empowerment-amid-adversity/
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KSrelief distributes 2,400 bags to
school girls in Yemen’s Abyan
August 30, 2023
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid
and Relief Center (KSrelief) delivered furniture and supplies to schools in the
Yemeni governorate of Abyan.
KSrelief distributed 2,400 schoolbags to
girls at Asma bint Abu Bakr School and Haddad Girls School.
The distribution of aid was carried out
in cooperation with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Education.
The project gives girls who have dropped
out of education a second chance by providing basic equipment for 21 schools,
distributing 19,000 schoolbags, conducting training programs for 350 school
staff, preparing 64 alternative classes to ensure student capacity is
appropriate in displacement camps, and conducting awareness campaigns in
support of girls' education in Yemen.
Elsewhere, KSrelief has continued
providing food aid to the most vulnerable individuals in Pakistan. Over 54.6
tons of foodstuff were handed out s in the Sujawal district of the Sindh
province.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2364186/saudi-arabia
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Iran's Regime Grapples With Female
Athletes And Hijab Dilemma
Aug 30, 2023
Iran’s regime has always pressured
female athletes to abide by strict hijab rules during international games, but
many are now refusing to obey despite repercussions.
Just last week, members of Iran's
national women's muay thai team boldly challenged the regulations by competing
unveiled at the Asian Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital.
This courageous act has triggered an
outcry among hardliners, with some officials even disputing the team's official
representation of the Islamic Republic. Others are calling on the Ministry of
Sports to take decisive action to quell such open defiance.
The government has proposed a bill that,
if approved, will impose heavy fines and other punishments on celebrities
including athletes who appear unveiled in public.
Over the past few years, several female
athletes have chosen to compete unveiled at international events, seeking
asylum abroad to avoid being compelled to return to Iran and face punishment.
Notably, 19-year-old Dorsa Derakhshani, an International Master and Woman
Grandmaster since 2016, was barred from the national team after refusing to
wear a headscarf at the 2017 Gibraltar Chess Festival. She was then a temporary
resident of Spain.
"Minutes before a match the deputy
chairman of the federation would constantly whisper in my ear to be careful not
to let my head cover to drop," Parisa Jahanfekrian, former weightlifting
champion who is now living in Germany, told Iran International. Once in very
warm weather he told me at least ten times to tuck my hair under my head cover
only two minutes before the match.
"There, I was constantly thinking
about the consequences if my head cover slipped back instead of thinking how to
hold the halter and how to carryout my technic," she said.
It was agonizing to conform with all the
dos and don'ts that were imposed on female athletes, Jahanfekrian told Iran
International, adding that there would always be meetings before international
competitions about hijab.
"They demanded that we always was
wore a long tunic (called maanto in Iran) and a pullover headscarf with
stitched front (called Maghna'e in Iran) when we left our rooms during our stay
abroad.
Female athletes who defy hijab rules
receive substantial support and are often hailed as heroes by the public.
However, they also endure significant pressure from the authorities.
During the anti-government protests of
the previous year, climber Elnaz Rekabi made a bold statement by discarding her
hijab during the finals of a competition in South Korea, as an act of
solidarity with the Woman, Life, Freedom protesters. She received a warm
welcome upon her return to Iran after the competition.
Soon after, state media released a video
interview with her at the airport arrival hall. In the interview, she referred
to her decision to appear without a hijab as "inadvertent." Many
speculated that her statements were made under the pressure of regime agents.
Social media users criticized the regime's attempts to undermine her
convictions, noting that their efforts had ultimately failed.
People on social media said the regime
had tried “to break this brave woman,” force her to repudiate her own
convictions, and discredit her among hundreds of thousands of young girls who
admired her “but as always, they failed.”
The regime has since then been faced
with the dilemma of whether to allow women's participation at international
competitions and ignore their defiance or keep them home.
The rule is that arms must be always
covered to the wrist and legs to the ankle. Roya Mahboodi, an Asian Women’s
Arm-Wrestling champion told Etemad daily in June that a government official
banned the sport for some period of time because the wrist and a part of the
elbow could be seen during matches.
She recounted how wearing a shaal
(normal rectangular scarf), which lets more hair to cascade around the face and
in the back, was banned whereas maghna'e tightly frames the face and comes down
to the chest. Shaal has been the head cover of choice for many Iranian women
who do not believe in wearing hijab but have to abide by the hijab rules.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202308291634
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Pop singer arrested by Iran's regime
after releasing track dedicated to women
BySomayeh Malekian
August 29, 2023
LONDON -- Mehdi Yarrahi, a prominent
Iranian pop singer, was arrested by Iranian authorities on Monday after
releasing a song celebrating the anniversary of the Mahsa Amini protests coming
up next month.
Iran said the "illegal song"
was the reason for his arrest, according to the Mizan News Agency affiliated to
the Islamic Republic judiciary stated on Monday.
“Take off your scarf, the sun is
sinking,” the opening lyrics to the song reads. “Don’t be afraid, my love,
laugh, protest against tears.”
Yarrahi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili,
confirmed the arrest in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In an interview with Sharq Daily, Nili
added that he did not know the charges nor the whereabouts of his client.
Yarrahi’s songs have been used as
somewhat of a rallying cry in Iran since Mahsa Amini's suspicious death in a
hospital in Tehran on September 16 last year. Protests took on a life of their
own after 22-year-old died while in police custody after being arrested for
allegedly not fully complying with the strict mandatory hijab rules of the
country.
Her death led to widespread protests
across Iran, which activists have described to ABC News as "the most
serious challenge" the government regime has faced in over four decades.
Iran Human Rights reported in April that
at least 537 people had been killed since the start of the protests and at
least 22,000 people have been arrested, according to the Islamic Republic News
Agency (IRNA).
“Dedicated to the noble women of my home
and, who bravely shine in the front line of the “Woman, Life, Freedom”
movement,” the dedication of his latest song, Roosarito, meaning "your
headscarf", reads.
Yarrahi’s arrest is yet another case of
an increasing number of detentions and raids by the Islamic Republic over the
past few weeks ahead of the first-year anniversary of the Mahsa Amini movement.
Just last Wednesday, at least 11 women's
rights activists were arrested by security forces in Iran in the northern
province of Gilan Wednesday, according to the Human Rights Activists News
Agency (HRANA).
Another notable recent arrest arrest was
of Mashallah Karami, whose son, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, was executed after
attending recent protests. Karami published photos of preparing food that he
and his wife had made to distribute among those in need to honor their son's
short life before getting executed by the regime.
Karami’s lawyer, Amir Hosein Koohkan,
was also detained the same day and released later, just to be detained again on
Monday.
Families of other protest victims in
different cities have also reported news of arrests and harassment by the
regime over the past few weeks.
Source: abcnews.go.com
https://abcnews.go.com/ABCNews/pop-singer-arrested-irans-regime-after-releasing-track/story?id=102644569
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mommand-hassanzai-world-peace-prize/d/130568