Mosque Attacks Gave Auckland Woman, Rhanas Ali, Confidence to Start Wearing Hijab
New
Age Islam News Bureau
15
March 2023
• Mosque
Attacks Gave Auckland Woman, Rhanas Ali, Confidence to Start Wearing Hijab
• Security
Forces Detain Iranian Teen Girls Who Publicly Danced To Selena Gomez Tune
• Afghanistan:
Male Tailors Claim Restrictions on Making Clothes for Women
• Egypt
Pays Women with Two Children or Less In Latest Population Control Tactic
• Syrian
Women and Their Babies Lives Are At Stake, According To New Report
• Abu
Dhabi: Women Entrepreneurs Showcase Products, Services at Ramadan and Eid
Exhibition
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mosque-auckland-hijab-rhanas/d/129327
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Mosque Attacks Gave Auckland Woman, Rhanas Ali, Confidence to Start Wearing Hijab
Woman
wearing a hijab. (Source: rnz.co.nz)
------
15
March 2023
The
tragic events of 15 March four years ago helped an Auckland woman gain the
confidence to start wearing a hijab.
Rhanas
Ali told RNZs First Up she was shocked to find out about the terrorist attacks
at the Christchurch mosques on 15 March in 2019.
Even
more so when she learnt she knew one of the 51 victims.
Soon
after, Ali went to work where her office colleagues held a minute of silence
for the victims. All her colleagues wore a hijab in respect of those who died.
As
a Muslim woman herself, it was that day she decided she would try to start
wearing a hijab.
Until
then, Ali said she had been uncomfortable at the idea of wearing one.
"But
I thought, 'No, I'll start. I'll give it a go. I can always take it off if I'm
not confident'."
Ali
told First Up she was "very nervous" to put it on. She used to walk
to work and worried about what people on the streets may say.
But
she started wearing it to work, matching her outfit to her hijab.
She
tried a lot of different styles, and everyone was accepting and gave her
compliments on how she styled it.
Wearing
a hijab to work also helped her save money, as she used to spend
"lots" of money on her hair.
Another
Auckland woman, Ayesha, told First Up she had been wearing the hijab for four
years when the attacks took place.
She,
too, knew someone who died.
Despite
the terrible event that took place, Ayesha said she felt more confident about
being visibly Muslim now.
"Whenever
someone does make a comment, I'm just like 'what do you mean by that?' Or I
take that opportunity to educate them, whereas before I would've just ignored
it.
"You
have no right to judge me or question me."
Ayesha
said she would spend today, the anniversary of the terror attack, praying and
remembering those who lost their lives.
Plea
to government
Abdur
Razzaq speaking on behalf of the Federation of Islamic Associations at the
coronial scope hearing on the Christchurch terror attacks.Abdur Razzaq Photo:
Supplied
New
Zealand's Muslim community is urging the prime minister to not renege on
government promises, four years on from the Christchurch mosque attacks.
The
Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand has released a report that
aims to hold the government to account following a royal commission inquiry
into the attacks.
Former
prime minister Jacinda Ardern promised to implement all 44 recommendations
proposed by the inquiry in December, 2020.
Chairperson
of the federation Abdur Razzaq said he hoped Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and
the government would continue to deliver on implementing the inquiry's
recommendations.
Source:
RNZ
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'All or No One': In Afghanistan, a Woman, Zahra, Is Painting Walls to Protest University Ban
Zahra,
an activist for women's rights who spray-paints messages of resistance on the
streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. This message reads
-----
By
Hamed Ahmadi
Mar
14, 2023
It
only cost Zahra a few dollars to buy bottles of black and red spray paint. But
if she were caught painting slogans in the streets of Kabul, messages that
criticize the Taliban and advocate for women’s rights, the price would be high
indeed.
In
one video Zahra posted on social media, she scrawls “Education, employment,
freedom” on a wall as a friend shouts at her to move quickly: “Hurry, hurry,
Zahra, hurry up!”
In
these videos, Zahra disguises herself with a cap and a face covering. She puts
on a different jacket as she nears the area where she’s going to paint her
message. She’s mindful of using different routes to get around the Afghan
capital. Zahra said she is scared, but that she fears the Taliban for the same
reason she fears “a forest full of wild animals in the dark.”
Zahra,
who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect her safety, has
spray-painted these messages across the city on at least two occasions: in
December, when the Taliban first announced that it would no longer allow women
to attend universities, and earlier this month, when the group made good on its
promise.
“[The]
wall symbolizes women’s resistance against Taliban,” Zahra told HuffPost. “It
is my podium when the Taliban silences our voices in the streets.”
Zahra
was supposed to start her final term of university soon. She was on track to
complete her senior thesis and graduate in the summer.
“My
dreams were crushed,” Zahra said. “I always pictured myself the day when I am
confidently presenting my thesis to the committee; the graduation day where I
am walking across the platform in a gorgeous gown and towering heels with
beautiful makeup on, receiving my diploma from my professor and celebrating my
achievement.”
When
the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, the group banned women from
attending secondary education. Women were allowed to attend university, but
they had to adhere to strict rules such as attending classes separately from
male students, wearing full-body covering and only pursuing certain subjects.
This past December, the Taliban said women would have to stop attending
universities altogether. They claimed the ban would be temporary, and that they
were trying to find a solution and create an environment for female students
that they say would be compliant with Islamic law.
But
Taliban officials have made no “firm commitments” about reopening schools and
universities to the country’s women and girls, Tomas Niklasson, the European
Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan, reportedly said earlier this month.
Zahra
said she thinks the Taliban are issuing “empty promises” like they did when
they were in power in the 1990s.
“I
don’t trust the Taliban,” she said. “They are gradually removing us from all
walks of life.”
In
December, the Taliban also barred women from working for nongovernmental
organizations.
Despite
their desire for global recognition, Taliban leaders have defied international
calls, including from renowned Islamic institutions, to lift the bans on
women’s employment and education, claiming that the world should not interfere
in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
“Afghanistan
under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding
women’s rights,” Roza Otunbayeva, a top United Nations official and former
president of Kyrgyzstan, told the U.N. Security Council last week.
Afghanistan
is the only country in the world where female students aren’t allowed to seek
education after the sixth grade.
‘All
Or No One’
The
Taliban’s ban on women attending universities sparked nationwide protests and
international condemnation. Female students took to the streets in Afghan
cities, chanting slogans such as “All or no one” and “Education for all.” Some
male students walked out of their classes in solidarity, and some university
lecturers across the country have temporarily stopped working or quit.
Women
have played a pivotal role in demonstrations against the Taliban, whose
enforcers have used physical violence, such as beating and detention, to break
up protests and discourage further demonstrations.
“Taliban
are afraid of student movements, and of women even more,” said Zahra, who has
helped organize some protests.
Zahra
has written anti-Taliban slogans on Kabul’s walls, including “Death to
Taliban.” She once wrote “Fuck you Taliban” on the wall of a bathroom at Kabul
University, according to a video she sent to HuffPost. But her more recent wall-writing
missions have featured a slogan now widely adopted among students ― “Everyone
or no one,” which calls for male students to stand in solidarity with female
students and stop going to classes. She has also painted a Persian expression
that translates to “Empty the universities.”
“Universities
are meaningless without students, so if all male students stop showing up to
class, the Taliban will have to reconsider their position,” Zahra said.
She
was also part of a group that wrote an open letter to male students that was
published just before the start of the spring semester and widely shared on
social media. The letter urged male students and faculty members to boycott
universities, as they’d promised to do in December.
“We
remember your promise and we are waiting for you to make another legendary act
on Monday so that the world will see you stand by justice and freedom and not
be ashamed in history,” the letter reads. “Millions of girls from all around
Afghanistan will look at your stand with tearful eyes tomorrow.”
Zahra
said some male students are afraid to boycott school because they fear violent
backlash from the Taliban. Still, dozens of students have already joined the
effort ― and the number is growing every day.
“It
is the beginning of a larger movement,” she said. “I will fight until I regain
my rights as a woman.”
On
International Women’s Day last week, leaders around the world highlighted the
plight of Afghanistan’s women and showed support for their bravery in fighting
for their rights.
“Despite
decades of progress, in far too many places around the world, the rights of
women and girls are still under attack, holding back entire communities,” U.S.
President Joe Biden said in a statement. “We see it in Afghanistan, where the
Taliban bars women and girls from attending school and pursuing employment.”
Foreign
ministers of several countries issued a joint statement in which they also said
they stand behind the women fighting for equality.
“We
unite in acknowledging the extraordinary courage of women and girls in
Afghanistan,” the statement read. “We support the calls by the people of
Afghanistan for women and girls’ full access to quality education at schools
and universities and women’s unrestricted ability to work in all sectors.”
But
many women in Afghanistan feel these responses are insufficient, and that the
international community has done nothing tangible to pressure the Taliban.
“Nothing
has been done by global leaders,” Zahra said, “except to sit around and wait
for the next Taliban decision to condemn.”
Source:
Huff Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/afghan-woman-protest-education-taliban_n_640f8cd4e4b0a3902d2c728b
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Security
Forces Detain Iranian Teen Girls Who Publicly Danced To Selena Gomez Tune
14
March ,2023
A
group of Iranian teen girls who published a video dancing to the tune of a
Selena Gomez song were detained and pressured into making a false confession.
Citing
a post from the Twitter account Shahrak Ekbatan, news site Radio Farda reported
that the five girls were initially summoned and received a warning, and later,
called in again and detained for two days before being pressured into making a
forced confession.
A
blurry image shared alongside the same tweet showed all five of the teens now
covered in headscarves and with their heads lowered.
Shortly
after the video, shot in Ekbatan town west of Tehran, gained traction online
the five girls were sought by security forces.
They
were dancing to the famous Selena Gomez song with Rema, Calm Down, without a
headscarf which is mandatory for women in Iran.
The
now-trending video was published on International Women’s Day.
The
search by Iranian security forces for the girls was confirmed by the Shahrak
Ekbatan Twitter account which posts about events and incidents in the
neighborhood. It had warned of possible arrest and detention.
The
authorities reportedly viewed CCTV footage and questioned the guards at the
property. It is not clear whether the dance was a form of protest.
A
similar incident in February where a young couple was dancing near Tehran’s
Azadi Square led to a prison-sentence.
Iran
sentenced the couple to five years each for backing anti-regime protests.
Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir-Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s,
were charged with “collusion against national security” for “encouraging”
protests on Instagram, where they have a large following.
More
and more women in Iran have been defying the regime’s strict dress rules since
anti-regime protests that followed the September death in police custody of
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year Iranian Kurdish woman who had been arrested over an
alleged violation of the dress rules for women.
In
some cities, women took off and burned their headscarves at the peak of the
protests in late 2022.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Afghanistan:
Male Tailors Claim Restrictions on Making Clothes for Women
March
15, 2023
Several
male tailors in Charikar, the capital of Parwan province, said that they had
received verbal orders from officials of the department of virtue and vice
prohibiting them from making clothing for women.
Tailors
said that with the closing of their shops, they are facing economic challenges.
"10,000
Afs is the rent of the shop, there are student expenses, and we used to meet
all our expenses from sewing women's clothes,” said Mukhtar Sekandari, a
tailor.
According
to the representatives of the Parwan tailors' union, most of the tailors in
this province lost employment as a result of the restrictions, and some had to
leave the country.
"All
the tailors who made clothing for women lost their jobs and some even went to
Iran,” said Imamuddin, representative of the Charikar Craftsmen and Shopkeepers
group.
"Our
shops are on the brink of collapse, there is no business,” said Mohammad Saber
Qudous, the representative of Parwan tailors.
However,
local Parwan officials deny this claim and said that some recommendations have
been given to the tailors.
"They
are permitted to make clothes and there is no barrier in the field for them,
but when they take the size of women who personally come to them, that is
forbidden by the department of virtue and vice,” said Hikmatullah Shamim, the
spokesman of the governor of Parwan.
This
comes as many of the country's youth have migrated illegally over the past two
years as a result of unemployment and the country's growing poverty.
Source:
Tolo News
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-182489
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Egypt
pays women with two children or less in latest population control tactic
Nada
El Sawy
Mar
15, 2023
Egypt
will pay married women aged between 21 and 45 with two children or less an
annual incentive of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($32).
They
will receive the entire sum when they turn 45.
This
is the government’s latest effort to control population growth, the cabinet
said.
The
initiative, under President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s National Project for the
Development of the Egyptian Family, was signed between the Ministry of Finance
and Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
“Our
strategy is twofold: first, to provide financial incentives for Egyptian women
to curb population growth, and second, to ensure that every woman and every
child receives a comprehensive package of health, education and economic
services to promote growth and human dignity,” said Minister of Planning and
Economic Development Hala El Said.
The
country of 104 million people, now growing at a rate of one million every 10
months, has struggled with overpopulation for decades.
But
it has become a national priority in recent months, as population growth
continues to put a strain on government sectors.
A
World Bank report published last month estimates that reducing Egypt’s
fertility rate from 2.9 births per woman to 2.1 would result in a cumulative
gain in gross domestic product between 2020 and 2030 of around 569 billion
pounds and savings in the health, housing and education sectors of 26 billion
pounds.
President
El Sisi launched the national family development project in February last year
to tackle the health, education, social, cultural and economic dimensions of
population growth.
The
government had previously run a “Two is Enough” campaign that included free
family planning services, but this is the first time direct financial incentives
are being offered.
Minister
of Finance Mohamed Maait said the government will create an account under the
unified treasury account to issue government bonds.
Women
must commit to the terms of the project to be eligible, including periodic follow-up.
A woman’s right to claim any money is forfeited if she gives birth to a third
child.
The
ministries will also create a database for the project with statistics related
to the women who are targeted by the project, including their level of commitment.
It
is unclear how effective financial incentives will be, as some population
experts say there is a cultural belief in Egypt that more children will
eventually bring in more income.
The
reactions of social media users were mixed, with some praising the government’s
unorthodox initiative and others saying it does not address the root of the
problem or that the amount is too small to make a difference.
As
Egyptians contend with record-high inflation and the economic fallout of the
Russia-Ukraine war, one user wrote in response to the cabinet’s Facebook post:
“You will get three kilos of meat every year, lucky girl”.
Source:
The National News
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Syrian
Women And Their Babies Lives Are At Stake, According To New Report
By Rowaida
Abdelaziz
Mar
14, 2023
Syria
is facing a reproductive health care crisis that is putting women and their
babies at risk of serious issues, including death, a new report has found.
The
report, released on Tuesday, documents the human cost of the 12-year conflict
in the country and the consequences it has had for women. It was co-authored by
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), the International Rescue Committee (IRC),
Syria Relief & Development (SRD) and Syrian American Medical Society.
The
country’s health care infrastructure was already crippled by years of civil
war. The strain on facilities only worsened after a series of earthquakes that
hit Syria and Turkey last month. As a result, women’s mental and physical
health took a hit, aid workers and physicians were operating beyond capacity,
and life-saving resources remained scarce.
Access
to reproductive care, in particular, has been hindered, and without immediate
intervention, advocates and experts inside Syria told HuffPost that women’s
lives are at stake.
“It’s
important to recognize that behind these numbers, behind these pages of the
report, we have horrifying stories about people and their bad experiences.
Stories of losses of their children and their babies because of lack of
services,” said Houssam Al-Nahhas, a Middle East North Africa researcher with
PHR and lead author of the report.
Hospitals
and health care facilities are nearly decimated, many targeted by airstrikes.
Since
2011, PHR has documented 601 attacks on medical facilities throughout Syria.
Only 64% of hospitals and 52% of primary health care centers are functioning,
while an estimated 70% of the health workforce has fled the country, according
to a 2021 report by the IRC.
As
a result, vulnerable populations continue to face life-threatening
consequences. For example, half a million children are chronically
malnourished, and roughly one-third of the population needs reproductive,
maternal or neonatal health care.
This
new report, which examined the impact of attacks on health care on sexual and
reproductive health care services in northwest Syria from 2017 to 2022 and
interviewed more than 260 women and health care workers, found that women were
resorting to harmful coping practices, including delaying critical
appointments. In addition, due to widespread poverty and intense fighting, many
people from vulnerable populations were residing on the frontlines of the war,
where housing was more affordable; meanwhile, civilian infrastructure,
non-profit centers, and hospitals were relocating away from fighting zones.
Women
living in those areas often had to make dangerous and expensive trips for
medical appointments. They needed to pay for a private car to take the journey
to see a doctor if they could afford it and were often worried about airstrikes
that targeted medical facilities clustered in one region.
Some
women hitchhiked rides if they couldn’t afford a private car. Many others
didn’t make the trip, forgoing routine visits and not seeing a doctor until
they delivered their babies.
The
long, treacherous journey and targeted attacks on hospitals also meant a spike
in cesarean births, a surgical procedure used to deliver a baby, which can be
planned ahead of time but carries more risk than a vaginal delivery and
requires a longer recovery.
According
to the report, 12% of women had cesarean deliveries. In March 2020, that number
jumped to 33% amid increased violence. Between January 2021 and September 2022,
the average cesarean section rate was 23%.
Some
women were unable to see a medical professional in time, contributing to a rise
in maternal deaths, Okba Doghim, a physician and the programs director at SRD
based in Syria and Turkey, told HuffPost.
Doghim
recounted the story of a patient who was suffering from postpartum hemorrhage
after delivery. The mother wasn’t able to reach the hospital in time. She died
shortly thereafter.
If
these women are lucky enough to make it to the hospitals, many are stuck
waiting, contending with overloaded facilities, a lack of medical supplies, and
proper doctors and staff. Additional barriers, such as the lack of information
surrounding reproductive health, also contribute to maternal complications and
even death, Doghim said.
After
the earthquake, critical care centers languished even further. The surge in displaced
populations, the destruction of roads, fuel shortages, and limited health care
services and medical resources will likely impact as many as 148,000 pregnant
women, 37,000 of whom are due to give birth in the next three months, according
to the report.
“Even
though Syria just got into the headlines recently because of the earthquake,
it’s a long-term, protracted conflict that needs continuous attention. It’s not
enough to support Syrians and the Syrian health system in the short term,”
Al-Nahhas said. “It’s a long-term crisis that requires continuous attention and
continuous support to make sure that communities will recover from the impact
of the protracted conflict as well as this natural disaster.”
Source:
Huff Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/syrian-women-and-babies-new-report_n_64109646e4b0fef1524073c8
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Abu
Dhabi: Women entrepreneurs showcase products, services at Ramadan and Eid
exhibition
by
Ismail Sebugwaawo
14
Mar 2023
The
Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (ADCCCI), hosted the Ramadan and Eid Exhibition, which
provided female entrepreneurs across a range of sectors with a platform to
showcase their products and services.
Organised
by the Council, the initiative aimed at supporting the businesswomen’s
community in Abu Dhabi and enabling startups and small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) to promote their products and expand their reach.
The
exhibition attracted 32 exhibitors, during which, female exhibitors presented
their products and services across a range of sectors, including fashion,
accessories, perfumes, handicrafts, food and beverages to name a few.
Mohamed
Helal Al Mheiri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, said: “The Abu
Dhabi Businesswomen Council plays a pivotal role in supporting and empowering
female entrepreneurs in Abu Dhabi and enhancing their productivity and success
by creating opportunities for women to grow and expand their businesses. This
comes in line with the vision of the UAE government to empower women and
contribute to the overall sustainable economic development of the country.”
Asma
Al Fahim, Chairwoman of the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council, said: “We are
pleased to see the high turnout at the Ramadan and Eid Exhibition, which
showcases the entrepreneurial spirit of women in the UAE. Organising this event
comes in line with the Council’s efforts to uncover opportunities for women to
grow in the labour market, and develop and expand their businesses to achieve
extraordinary results. The Council is steadfast in its commitment to supporting
businesswomen and strengthening their contribution to the national economy.”
“It
is truly inspiring to see so many female entrepreneurs come together to
showcase their unique products and services, and support one another in their
pursuit of success. We are proud to be taking part in shaping this vibrant
businesswomen community, and look forward to seeing even more businesses emerge
in the years to come,” she added.
The
Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, aims to
lead the development of women’s roles in the private sector and enable them to
be a key partner in Abu Dhabi’s sustainable economic development. The Council
provides top-quality services, including training, development, consultancy,
professional guidance, and more.
Source:
Khaleej Times
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