Mother Calls Water Birth Experience in Dubai, a Dream Come True
New Age Islam News Bureau
3 Aug 2015
Indonesia's most common type of Jilbab on display at a clothing exhibition in Makassar, South Sulawesi, last month (Antara Photo/Abriawan Abhe)
--------
• 1,000 New Women Bus Supervisors for Schools in UAE
• Muslim Women's Council Urges Talks with MP over Plans for UK’s Female-Led Mosque
• Malaysia: Women Confronted By ‘Fashion Police’
• Of Jilbabs and Hijabs — Why the Islamic Veil Is Increasingly Popular in Indonesia
• 10 Arrested For Giving Minor Girl in Swara in Pakistan
• Scottish Muslim Councillors Empower Women
• Muslim Women's Council Urges Talks with MP Over Plans for Female-Led Mosque
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mother-calls-water-birth-experience/d/104147
----------
Mother Calls Water Birth Experience, In Dubai, a Dream Come True
August 2, 2015
Dubai: Dubai had its first water birth at Al Zahra Hospital, Al Barsha.
Baby Arlo, weighing 3,025 gm, son of Aimee Stevenson and Johnathan Kennaugh, was born in a warm water pool on July 29, under full observation of medical experts, in a method of birthing that has appealed to thousands of women worldwide for many decades.
The decision for a water birth was identified by Aimee on her birth plan and the hospital, which opened the water birthing facility a month ago, agreed as she met all the low-risk birthing criteria.
Water birthing is a common holistic delivery alternative that mothers opt for in the UK and other parts of Europe and, in the recent past, in the US as well. It is relatively uncommon in the UAE with the exception of one hospital in Al Ain providing this facility since 2011.
In Dubai, Al Zahra is the first facility to have a birthing pool.
Aimee, the delighted mother, described her experience to Gulf News: “A water birth was my first choice for my first baby and being able to do it in Dubai has been a dream come true.
“The hospital created a magical environment for my baby’s birth with a large pool, soothing lighting, and even a constellation of stars projected on to the roof [to enhance the feeling of serenity and space].”
The entire experience, said Aimee, was one of extreme comfort and cosiness, with midwife Annie Willoughby and gynaecologist Dr Anni Faeling forming an amazing team, “complementing one another seamlessly to reassure me that I was in calm and expert hands”. The experience of birthing into water, she said, helped her feel at ease and relaxed, and allowed her to manage both the labour pains and the pressure of birthing.
“The transition for Arlo emerging [from the womb] into the water first and then being placed in my arms was incredibly smooth. My baby looked relaxed.”
It was all she had hoped for, said Aimee, and she says she would recommend it to any woman looking for a natural and gentle birthing experience.
Sally Hunder-Madubuko, the women’s health manager at Al Zahra Hospital, told Gulf News that water birthing is also likely to help the mother secrete less stress hormones as the water sensation helps relax the mind and body.
Midwife Willoughby, who has conducted several water births in the UK, told Gulf News: “It was an amazing experience for the mother and all of us assisting her. The environment created for hypnobirth and active birthers is very calming with mood lighting, motivational quotes, birthing balls, stools and ropes to facilitate active labour. The choice to labour in water is available in all four rooms, however, the water birth option is currently only available in one. The pool has integrated Bluetooth and lighting to create the perfect mood for the perfect birth. Placing a pool of water in a birth room changes the atmosphere immediately.”
This kind of birthing, says Willoughby, brings out the dive reflex in a newborn wherein it does not breathe when under water. “The entire experience was beautiful and amazing for the parents and the hospital as well. I would recommend a water birth for any normal, full-term pregnancy provided the mother has no other complications,” she added.
Dr Faeling, a gynaecologist from Dr Nicholas and Asp Clinic, who assisted the water birth, told Gulf News: “Back home in Denmark, water births are the most natural choice for young mothers. I think while it reduces labour pain for the mother, it also appears to be less traumatic and more gentle for the baby to make the transition from the womb into the external environment gently through the medium of water.”
Known benefits of water labour and water birth
Though water birthing is a popular trend among many women in the West, it is important to note that there are preconditions to this option: The mother should be between the ages of 17-35 with a normal full-term pregnancy and no history of gynaecological complications (which could result in distress to the baby).
Dr Amala Khopkar, obstetrician and gynaecologist with the Prime Health Care group, explained why water birthing is still relatively less common in the region. “In conventional labour, it is easier to control the process of birthing as each and every movement can be handled. In case an emergency arises [in water birthing], every minute matters and lifting the mother out of the water can make one lose precious moments as the baby can be in distress.”
Dr Khopkar also feels that the reasons why many women from other cultures prefer conventional birthing methods could be attributed to genetic markers of physiology and body structure. “For example, traditionally, the pelvic bone structure of Asian and African women is narrower as compared to women of Nordic descent, who have a broader pelvis. Also, given the lifestyles today, many mothers are overweight and their babies are also large, in many cases, weighing over three kilos. In the case of a large baby, there is every chance of it getting stuck in the narrow birth canal during birthing, causing fetal distress,” she said.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/society/mother-calls-water-birth-experience-a-dream-come-true-1.1560084
----------
1,000 New Women Bus Supervisors for Schools in UAE
August 3, 2015
Dubai: By the start of the new academic year in the UAE in September around 1,000 new women school bus supervisors will hop on board as many buses. The new force will serve around 40 schools, mostly in Dubai and a number in the northern emirates that follow the Ministry of Education curriculum.
Needless to say, women bus supervisors are in big demand. It is partly because in Dubai women supervisors are mandatory for buses transporting schoolgirls or very young children.
But it is also down to a well-known fact. “Women are better caretakers,” said Mohammad Al Hammadi, performance coordinator for Dubai and northern emirates at Emirates Transport, the UAE’s biggest school transport provider that is behind the hiring spree.
“Private schools ask for female supervisors. We anticipate demand to increase. In Dubai, it is one of the rules,” Al Hammadi said.
Emirates Transport already has 5,500 men and women supervisors working for both government and private schools across the UAE. Every bus supervisor is required to have 12 hours of compulsory training every academic school semester.
Besides transport and safety issues, the new recruits are trained in “child handling and interaction” skills, he added. Considering each bus ferries dozens of children twice a day, those skills can be the need for the hour. After all, fights, quarrels, ill and crying children are part of the journey sometimes. Dealing with children is a skill and an art, Al Hammadi added.
So what does it take to be a good bus supervisor?
“Our training team goes into detail in discussing the points related to the art of dealing with children: You don’t scold the child in front of his or her peers. You have to earn the child’s trust. Earning the child’s trust isn’t a 1-2-3 procedure,” he said, stressing that is something which is closer to an art rather than a hard science.
And despite the strict rules in place, children by their nature will not be in compliance occasionally.
“You have to be lenient to an extent. The extent is not to hit the child. If the child makes a mistake, the child should be advised and shown that what he or she did was a mistake. Then he or she is warned and the parents are contacted. And — depending on the mistake and how severe it is and if it is the third or fourth time — the school will ban the child from entering the school bus.”
The age group of the supervisors is between 20 to 45, and they hail from the UAE, other Arab countries, Comoros Islands, India, Pakistan and the Philippines, among other nationalities. Some of them are experienced supervisors while others are new to the profession.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/transport/1-000-new-women-bus-supervisors-for-schools-1.1560383
----------
Muslim Women's Council Urges Talks with MP over Plans for UK’s Female-Led Mosque
3 August 2015
THE leader of Bradford Muslim Women's Council last night said MP Naz Shah should meet it face-to-face to talk if she has concerns over its proposals for the UK's first women-managed mosque.
Yesterday, a mixed audience of women and men packed Carlisle Business Centre as part of a public consultation over the plans for Bradford to have the first mosque of its kind.
Despite an invitation, Bradford West Labour MP Ms Shah was not among them but had made her views known in a national newspaper report.
Ms Shah wrote she disagreed with the idea because she did not want to see even more gender-segregation saying: "It seems to me that having a women-managed mosque is completely the wrong approach because the community and faith are stronger when Muslim men and women work in partnership as equals.
"I don't want to see greater gender segregation, or women's involvement pushed to the margins. What we need is good examples of mosques and madrasas that are inclusive of both men and women."
Bana Gora, chief executive of the Muslim Women's Council said she had read Ms Shah's comments and added: "What I'd say in return is we are based here at the Carlisle Business Centre in Manningham so come and talk to us. We are interested to hear what anyone has to say whether they are an elected person or not. This is why we are having the public consultation."
When the Telegraph & Argus asked specifically about Ms Shah's comment on not wanting to see more gender segregation, Ms Gora said: "It's non-segregational. It's a non-brainer."
The Muslim Women's Council has been looking at facilities in the city's 117 mosques, which led to the project to create a women-led mosque.
Not only would it be a place of worship but it would also be a centre of excellence to encourage more women to get active in management at there Bradford mosques.
During yesterday's consultation event at Carlisle Business Centre, the audience had a chance to ask questions, with speakers including Shaykh Akram Nadwi, dean of Cambridge Islamic College; Dr Shuruq Naguib, a lecturer and co-chairman of the British Association of Islamic Studies; and Dilwar Hussain, the founder and chairman of New Horizons in British Islam.
During that question time, Selina Ullah, a director of the Muslim Women's Council, said: "We want to put our stamp on how a mosque should be run. We are not excluding men. They will be on our advisory body. We also have scholars and imams who will work with us. We are not ignoring men."
The Teegraph & Argus was not able to contact Ms Shah last night.
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/13525442.Muslim_Women_s_Council_urges_talks_with_MP_over_plans_for_female_led_mosque/
----------
Malaysia: women confronted by ‘fashion police’
August 3, 2015
Women in Malaysia, long seen as a moderate Islamic nation, have been denied entry to government buildings on the grounds their skirts were too revealing, fanning fears of growing conservatism in a country with large non-Muslim minorities.
Prime Minister Najib Razak’s reluctance to intervene on the sudden enforcement of a dress code, analysts say, shows the liberal-minded leader is unwilling to stand up to conservatives at a time when he is battling allegations of corruption.
Ethnic sensitivities can often trigger dispute in Malaysia, particularly as none of those criticized for their clothes was from the Muslim Malay community that forms two-thirds of a population of about 30 million. Ethnic Chinese number 25 percent, and Indians about 7 percent.
The dress code, which bars revealing clothes for women in government buildings, had not been strictly followed, so the tougher enforcement over garments seen as showing too much leg came as a shock to many Malaysians.
The incidents went viral on social media, with activists saying they highlighted an expansion of powers for minor officials, who can now judge, and correct, women’s attire.
“They’re not paid to be fashion police,” said rights activist Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed.
“Because we don’t hear someone at the top saying, ‘This is wrong,’ that’s taken as condoning these actions and a license for them to do that.”
Mahathir himself had objected to similar measures imposed by officials during his 22-year tenure, she added. The most recent incidents showed that Malaysia was regressing and “acting like Saudi Arabia”, the former prime minister has said.
In June, the leotard worn by a national gymnast also provoked outcry as being too provocative.
Malay women began adopting conservative styles of dress in the 1970s, reflecting a growing politicization of religion in the Islamic world. Many now wear the headscarf that in earlier decades had been worn mostly in conservative backwaters.
Political analysts and activists have long accused parties such as Najib’s United Malays National Organization, which leads the ruling coalition, of using religion to shore up voter support.
“Leaders are afraid if their religiosity is questioned, that they may anger, or lose voters,” said Ivy Josiah, an adviser to the Women’s Aid Organization.
UMNO, which suffered its worst electoral result in 2013, relies on support from ethnic majority Malays, who are mostly conservative, particularly in rural areas.
It now faces scrutiny over Najib’s role in debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), although a government report cleared its accounts of suspicion.
Najib recently said Islam’s holy book, the Koran, would be the guide for all government policies and actions. The constitution enshrines Islam as Malaysia’s religion, but allows the practice of other faiths.
“Whenever supporters raise conservative issues, Najib has always kept quiet,” said political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan, of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.
“He may be progressive, but he has failed to convince his party and government to follow him.”
The prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
“EMBARRASSMENT”
Religious scholars saw the stricter enforcement of the dress code as a mark of respect to Muslims, particularly during the just-concluded month of Ramadan, when fasting in daylight hours brings religious merit, according to scripture.
“If a Muslim who is fasting sees a woman’s ‘aurat’ then it’ll just erase their benefits,” said Harussani Zakaria, a cleric in the northern state of Perak, referring to the parts of the body that Muslim scriptures say must be covered.
Some of the women objected to the criticism they faced.
“To me, it was an embarrassment,” said C. Premananthi, a 32-year-old reporter who was barred from entering a government building, but who refused to wear a sarong security officials offered her instead.
Activists say the availability of such sarongs handed to the women is evidence of a wider, quiet movement toward greater conservatism encouraged by the authorities.
“Somebody had to purchase it and give it to the security guards,” said Marina, adding, “It points to some form of regulation.”
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of MuslimVillage.com.
http://muslimvillage.com/2015/08/03/111660/malaysia-women-confronted-fashion-police/
----------
Of Jilbabs and Hijabs — Why the Islamic Veil Is Increasingly Popular in Indonesia
By Shirley Qiu
Aug 02, 2015
Many years ago, when Zulfa Nadia first began wearing the Islamic headscarf to school, her new attire drew curiosity and wonder from her peers.
“There were some compliments from my friends — [they] asked: ‘Why do you wear hijab?’” Nadia said. “And I was the first girl at that school to wear the hijab.”
Times have changed.
Nowadays, women wearing jilbabs are a common sight throughout Indonesia, the nation with the largest Muslim population in the world. And Nadia, now 20 and studying geography at the University of Indonesia (UI), said many of her classmates also wear the veil.
In fact, the jilbab — Indonesia’s term for the hijab — has become increasingly popular among Muslim women across the country since the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to Azyumardi Azra, a professor at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) in Jakarta. “The term hijab,” he explained, tends to be associated with middle-class Muslim women, while “jilbab” is a more general term.
He believes the jilbab’s rising popularity started with a growing attachment to Islam among Indonesians, which started around that time.
“I think it has a lot to do with the global revival of religion, not only Islam, but other religions as well,” he said. “It began with the revival of Christianity and Protestantism in the United States, since the time of President Reagan.”
Amid growing concerns about the Islamic State movement in the Middle East, some may wonder whether the popularity of the veil in Indonesia indicates mounting religious extremism. But according to Azyumardi, the jilbab’s increasing popularity has little to do with its wearer’s political identity.
“If you look at the elections in Indonesia since the first election in post-Suharto era, [which] was in 1999, … Islamic-based political parties have fared very poorly,” he said. “So there is no political implication or political ramification of the increased use of jilbabs among Muslim women.”
Rather, he said, this trend is a result of social pressure — which he predicts will continue to attract more Muslim women to the jilbab.
“Probably the women who do not cover their hair sooner or later feel obligated to wear jilbab, or hijab,” he said.
To each, their own
Although ideas about religious duty are usually the starting point for women who decide to don the jilbab, various other factors encourage them to continue wearing one — including, like Azyumardi said, social pressure, but also school policy and fashion considerations.
“For me it’s a matter of comfort,” Nadia said. “But comfort comes second, because first is the obligation that comes from Islam. From that obligation, I feel comfort and there is peace in my heart … And I feel secure.”
Rini Mardiani, 33, also said wearing the jilbab makes her feel good. After having used the jilbab only for special religious occasions first, she began wearing one daily about 15 years ago, and was the first in her family to do so.
“Since I started using the hijab, I didn’t feel that it prevented me from doing anything, like swimming, or outdoor activities, or interact with males,” Rini said. “I didn’t feel any inhibitions, or any limitations … That’s why I feel happy to continue using the hijab until now.”
She described a time when she went to a swimming pool while wearing her veil in New Zealand, and was pleased to find that people did not look at her differently for it. Moreover, they commended her for not letting her jilbab interfere with her hobbies and interests.
While Rini is glad that jilbabs have become increasingly popular these days — meaning more accessibility and styles to choose from — she mentioned that there’s a certain expectation society has of women who wear one, and it isn’t always positive.
“When people wear the hijab, [others] assume — or they hope — that they have a better attitude…[but] wearing the hijab and being a good [person] are two things,” she said.
Nadia voiced a similar sentiment about women who may not wear a jilbab as frequently as others.
“We cannot judge you, [seeing you as a] good person for wearing the hijab or as not good because you take it off,” she said, “It’s their own decision.”
A matter of style
The growing popularity of Islamic dress has been a boon for the jilbab fashion industry, which has developed significantly in recent years. Older jilbab retailers such as Zoya (founded in 2005) are joined by newer ones, like the Jakarta Hijab Store (founded last year) to meet a growing demand for the traditional headscarf in an assortment of styles and colors.
Especially now, with so many women wearing a jilbab in Indonesia, the headscarf is no longer one-size-fits-all article — which is where the benefits of jilbab fashion come into play. Whereas jilbabs were pretty homogeneous about 15 years ago, according to Rini, the variety now allows people to choose a style that suits them.
There are generally three different types of jilbabs, according to Azyumardi.
The first is simple and modest — and the most practical type. It is worn by an estimated 60 percent to 70 percent of jilbab-wearing women in Indonesia.
The second is what he calls the “ideological jilbab,” which is longer, looser, and comes in muted colors like black, brown, or white. This style is typically associated with certain ideologies, like that of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, a hard-line Islamic movement that aims to establish, through non-violent means, a caliphate ruled by Shariah law, and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), an Islamic political party. Azyumardi estimates that about 10 percent of women who wear jilbabs in Indonesia use this style.
The remaining portion of women who wear jilbabs in Indonesia use what he calls a “fashionable hijab,” one that is seen on fashion runways and in glossy magazines. These cost significantly more than the modest jilbabs.
‘Syari hijab’
Inggrid Namirazswara, who works as an assistant legal manager, started her own jilbab business on the side a year ago, calling it “blueberryapricot.”
She says the longer, looser style is becoming more popular and personally believes this type of veil, to which she refers as the “syari hijab,” is the proper way for Muslim women to cover their bodies.
“The trend is moving to syari hijab, and that’s a good thing,” she said in an e-mail exchange. “My next project will be to apply my style in the syari hijab, not just because it’s a trend but also try to become a better human being.”
Another jilbab-aficionado, 32-year-old Rizkan Karima, said she was grateful that people nowadays have easy access to a wide variety of veils. And at the end of the day, she said, to wear or not wear a jilbab in a certain way should be a personal choice.
“I think it’s personal, so whatever you do, do it for your God,” she said. “It’s your choice.”
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/features/jilbabs-hijabs-islamic-veil-increasingly-popular-indonesia/
----------
10 Arrested For Giving Minor Girl In Swara In Pakistan
August 3rd, 2015
MINGORA: Police on Sunday arrested 10 members of a Jirga for giving a 10-year-old girl in Swara to resolve a family dispute at Kargaey Dherai area of Madyan.
The area police said they raided a Jirga late on Saturday which was resolving a dispute between the two families by giving a little girl in Swara.
“Muzammil Shah had an illicit affair with Noreena, daughter of Ajab Khan who was already engaged and was going to marry next week. The affair triggered tension between the two families and a Jirga was convened at the residence of Muzamil to resolve the dispute. Zabiha, 10, daughter of Muzamil was given in Swara to Ajab Khan to settle the score,” Mohammad Ali, the SHO of Madyan police station, said.
He added eight members of the Jirga, including the Nikah Khwan, were arrested while raids were being conducted to arrest the three more persons involved in the case.
Condemning the marriages of innocent girls forcibly to resolve conflicts between rival families and groups, Tabassum Adnan, the chairperson of girls’ welfare body, said Swara cases were on the increase in rural areas of Swat.
“The custom of Swara is rampant in the mountainous areas as people lack awareness about the laws against the menace,” she said, adding the government should launch awareness campaigns and the police to ensure implementing of the relevant laws.
Humaira Shaukat, a lawyer, said under section 310-A of the PPC swara was an offence. “It is a penal offence in which the violators shall be punished from three to ten years of imprisonment,” she told Dawn.
Under the law, the police are empowered to arrest the guilty persons without warrants.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1198089/10-arrested-for-giving-minor-girl-in-swara
----------
Scottish Muslim Councillors Empower Women
02 August 2015
GLASGOW – Acknowledging their efforts to empower Muslim women in Scotland, a group of women councilors have been nominated to receive the Scottish Health Award for their work to help vulnerable women.
“They provide a religiously sensitive delivery of counseling services for Muslim women who are facing difficulties and struggling to cope,” an unnamed woman, who nominated the councilors for the volunteers award, who struggles with mental health problems, told Daily Record on Saturday, August 1.
“They listened and provided a trusting environment for my problems and concerns, and made me feel valued as an individual.”
The woman was talking about volunteer councilors at the Muslim Woman’s Resource Centre in Glasgow, "Amina," which addresses problems faced by Muslim women.
Founded about 13-years ago, the resource centre aimed at reaching out to Muslim women who were not taking up public sector and voluntary sector services.
“They didn’t know what was around or how to take up services,” Centre director Smina Akhtar said.
“In hospitals, there wasn’t the recognition that halal meat should be provided and when things were provided, they were quite low quality.
“It was about making sure when services were provided, when they were making policies and designing services for the public that Muslims were taken into account and their cultural and faith needs were taken into account.
“It was also about sending Muslim women a message that we are here to support them," Akhtar added.
The program also helps Muslims to learn what was available at schools, giving them confidence to join Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).
Employability Programs
Citing discrimination and lack of opportunity faced by Muslim women in the workplace, Amina aims to help women who are under-represented in employment.
Speaking about the role of five volunteers who see most of the clients, Akhtar said: “They deal with problems from mental health, depression, all kinds of relationship issues and marital problems.
“We sometimes get men coming in with their partners as well.”
Promoting inclusion, the resource centre also had a Christian volunteer. “She was so good. It is about having an understanding of faith and how important it is to people rather than just dismissing it,” the director said about the former volunteer.
However, the director stressed that understanding of faith, Islam in particular, is vital.
“If a woman is suffering from depression and used to pray five times a day but [now] feels she cannot at all, a generic counselor may leave it to one side,” Akhtar said.
But a Muslim counselor will see that as really important to that [particular] woman. Practicing Muslims live their [lives] through their religion. If a counselor is able to understand that, they are more able to support them.”
Scotland has about 75,000 Muslims. About 40 percent of them live in Glasgow.
Muslims are the second largest religious group in the country, which has around thirty mosques.
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/491029-scottish-muslim-counselors-empower-women.html
----------
Muslim Women's Council urges talks with MP over plans for female-led mosque
3 August 2015
THE leader of Bradford Muslim Women's Council last night said MP Naz Shah should meet it face-to-face to talk if she has concerns over its proposals for the UK's first women-managed mosque.
Yesterday, a mixed audience of women and men packed Carlisle Business Centre as part of a public consultation over the plans for Bradford to haver the first mosque of its kind.
Despite an invitation, Bradford West Labour MP Ms Shah was not among them but had made her views known in a national newspaper report.
Ms Shah wrote she disagreed with the idea because she did not want to see even more gender-segregation saying: "It seems to me that having a women-managed mosque is completely the wrong approach because the community and faith are stronger whenMuslim men and women work in partnership as equals.
"I don't want to see greater gender segregation, or women's involvement pushed to the margins. What we need is good examples of mosques and madrassas that are inclusive of both men and women."
Bana Gora, chief executive of the Muslim Women's Council said she had read Ms Shah's comments and added: "What I'd say in return is we are based here at the Carlisle Business Centre in Manningham so come and talk to us. We are interested to hear what anyone has to say whether they are an elected person or not. This is why we are having the public consultation."
When the Telegraph & Argus asked specifically about Ms Shah's comment on not wanting to see more gender segregation, Ms Gora said: "It's non-segregational. It's a non-brainer."
The Muslim Women's Council has been looking at facilities in the city's 117 mosques, which led to the project to create a women-led mosque.
Not only would it be a place of worship but it would also be a centre of excellence to encourage more women to get active in management at there Bradford mosques.
During yesterday's consultation event at Carlisle BusinessCentre, the audience had a chance to ask questions, with speakers including Shaykh Akram Nadwi, dean of Cambridge Islamic College; Dr Shuruq Naguib, a lecturer and co-chairman of the British Association of Islamic Studies; and Dilwar Hussain, the founder and chairman of New Horizons in British Islam.
During that question time, Selina Ullah, a director of the Muslim Women's Council, said: "We want to put our stamp on how a mosque should be run. We are not excluding men. They will be on our advisory body. We also have scholars and imams who will work with us. We are not ignoring men."
The Teegraph & Argus was not able to contact Ms Shah last night.
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/13525442.Muslim_Women_s_Council_urges_talks_with_MP_over_plans_for_female_led_mosque/?ref=rss
----------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mother-calls-water-birth-experience/d/104147