MP Iqra Choudhary: ‘No Muslim Woman Is Happy with BJP, They Have Criminalised Triple Talaq, A Civil Issue’
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 Jun 2024
·
MP Iqra Choudhary: ‘No Muslim Woman Is Happy
with BJP, They Have Criminalised Triple Talaq, A Civil Issue’
·
Jailed Former PM Imran Khan's Wife Bushra Bibi
Files Plea Seeking Suspension of Sentence ‘un-Islamic Nikah’ Case
·
Girls Education Remains A Challenge In
Militancy-Hit Bara Of Khyber Tribal District
·
Tunisian All-Women’s Team Eye Inventors’ Prize
For Smart Wheelchair
·
Iran Plans to Deploy 7,000 Cops in Coastal
Cities to Enforce Hijab
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
MP Iqra
Choudhary: ‘No Muslim woman is happy with BJP, they have criminalised triple
talaq, a civil issue’
Written
by AsadRehman
New Delhi
| June 10, 2024 1
Iqra’s
constituency comprises areas affected by the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, which
featured prominently in the campaign of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in
the belt.
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The
29-year-old Samajwadi Party (SP) debutant Iqra Choudhary has shot into the
limelight after winning the Kairana Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, where she
defeated sitting BJP MP Pradeep Kumar by 69,116 votes.
Iqra is
a third-generation politician. Her grandfather Akhtar Hasan and her father
Munawwar Hasan are former MPs and so is her mother Tabassum Hasan, who won the
seat in 2009 and in the 2018 bypoll.
Iqra’s
elder brother Nahid Hasan is a three-time SP MLA, who retained his Kairana
Assembly seat while contesting from jail in the 2022 UP polls.
Iqra’s
constituency comprises areas affected by the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, which
featured prominently in the campaign of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in
the belt. In an interview with The Indian Express, she speaks on various issues
including her challenges, the Muslim representation in Parliament, and the
BJP’s campaign in UP. Excerpts:
How was
your campaign and what challenges did you face?
The
major issue here (Kairana) was that the “double-engine” BJP government had not
done anything. There was anti-incumbency against the sitting MP (Pradeep
Kumar), who was not active on the ground and sought votes in the name of the
Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). This time, the Hindu-Muslim agenda of the BJP
and its nationalism narrative did not work as local issues like farmers’
problems and those related to sugarcane were at play.
Issues
like unemployment and inflation, which were consistent across the country, also
existed… We fought to establish bhaichaara (brotherhood) as this was the place
where the 2013 riots happened. Since then, there has been a divide. The fact
that a Muslim has won from here shows that all communities – Sainis, Rajputs,
Gujjars, Jats, Dalits – voted for me. My biggest achievement is that I brought
everyone together on important issues.
The 18th
Lok Sabha will have 24 Muslim MPs, which is not proportional to the community’s
population. What are the reasons for the low Muslim representation in
Parliament?
I am a
Muslim MP but I have the responsibility to represent all people of my
constituency. I will raise issues related to the constituency in Parliament but
if there is a grave injustice to the community, I will raise my voice against
it.
The
Congress and the SP refrained from speaking about Muslims in their campaigns.
The word Muslim did not feature in the Congress manifesto…
There
was no mention of the word Hindu too. Religion must be kept away from politics
and talking negatively or positively about one particular religion is wrong.
The country needs to focus on issues. This happened in Kairana.
In the
Lok Sabha polls this time, the SP fielded in UP only four Muslim candidates,
including you. Do you think the SP wants to shed its “pro-Muslim” tag?
Our
party president (Akhilesh Yadav) gave the PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak)
slogan, which mentions minorities. He understood the situation and candidates
were selected accordingly. It has benefited the party as well as strengthened
the INDIA bloc while strengthening democracy. From a broader view, it has
worked in our favour. Pinpointing each issue will get us entangled… we need to
see things from a wider perspective right now and focus on the community
getting more representation later.
PM Modi,
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Yogi spoke about Muslims in their
campaigns. Do you think people have rejected their poll pitch?
Absolutely.
I keep saying “kaatkihaandibaarbaarnahichadhti”. The BJP has been doing this
(polarising politics) for a long time… People are tired of these things and
want development.
What are
your focus areas for Kairana for the next five years?
I want
to work for the higher education of women in the region as there is no
educational institute here. Besides this, I will work to address the issues of
farmers and those related to healthcare.
Do you
think the BJP’s claims of increased support from Muslim women due to the
abolition of triple talaq are true?
“Ye
unkekhayali pulao hai” (It is BJP’s wishful thinking). There is no truth to
this. No Muslim woman is happy with the way the BJP has worked. Their claim on
triple talaq is also baseless as they have criminalised a civil issue. I do not
support triple talaq but I also do not support the BJP government’s actions
over it (making it a penal offence) as I know their ill intentions. It just
gives them another way to put Muslim youth in jail.
What is
your take on the BJP-led NDA alliance forming its government at the Centre
again?
I was
hoping they (INDIA bloc) would form the government but that did not happen. I
do not think the NDA government will last. I am happy that it is not a BJP
government as like earlier, they will not be able to make laws overnight… We
now have a strong Opposition. We are hearing that in the next six months, we
will form the government.
Are you
saying that the NDA government will not complete its term?
I do not
think it is an NDA government. It is a Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar
government. They are looking for big posts and I think they will keep the heat
on the BJP, which will be a delight to watch.
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/kairana-mp-iqra-choudhary-no-muslim-woman-is-happy-with-bjp-9382905/
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Jailed
Former PM Imran Khan's Wife Bushra Bibi Files Plea Seeking Suspension of
Sentence ‘un-Islamic Nikah’ Case
JUNE 09,
2024
Bushra
Bibi had previously moved to a district and sessions court in the federal
capital, seeking an early hearing of her appeals filed against her conviction
in the iddat case. (Image: AFP File)
-------------
Incarcerated
former prime minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi on Saturday petitioned the Islamabad
High Court seeking suspension of the sentence and subsequent release in the
fake marriage case.
The
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: founder and his wife Bushra Bibi have been convicted
in what has come to be known as the iddat case, for their marriage allegedly
during the iddat period.
“It is
imperative to decide the suspension of sentence of the petitioner (Bushra) as
early as possible in the interest of justice,” The News International cited the
plea filed by the former first lady as saying.
Bushra
Bibi filed the plea through her lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar.
Lamenting
Bushra’s “prolonged incarceration”, the petition underscored her right to the
suspension of her sentence.
Khan,
71, lodged at Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi after conviction in multiple cases and
Bushra Bibi, 49, also at the same jail, were each sentenced to seven years in
prison in February this year after a trial court found their nikah to be
fraudulent after KhawarManeka, the former first lady’s ex-husband, had moved
the court against their marriage, stressing that it was solemnised during her
iddat period.
In its
51-page detailed verdict, the court maintained that their marriage reflected
dishonesty and also imposed a fine of Rs 5,00,000 each, with the failure to pay
would attract additional four months of incarceration.
The
couple had then filed appeals against their conviction in a district and
sessions court. This case has been transferred to Additional District and
Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majuka after Maneka expressed no confidence in
Judge ShahrukhArjumand.
In her
plea, Bushra has complained of “miserable conditions” while being incarcerated
in Adiala jail, and “political victimisation” aimed at her and Khan.
The
petition further underscores contradictory evidence and unsustainable evidence,
stressing that it cannot be a basis for a conviction.
“The
petitioner is previously non-convict and is ready to furnish surety bonds to
the entire satisfaction of this honourable court for her release,” said the
petition.
Meanwhile,
the IHC Registrar’s Office has raised multiple objections to the former first
lady’s plea stressing how a petition can be filed when a case involving the
suspension of sentence is already pending in a district and sessions court.
The
objections also inquire about which order of the subordinate court has been
challenged and how the same type of relief can be taken from two courts.
Bushra
Bibi had previously moved to a district and sessions court in the federal
capital, seeking an early hearing of her appeals filed against her conviction
in the iddat case.
Source: news18.com
https://www.news18.com/world/jailed-former-pm-imran-khans-wife-bushra-bibi-files-plea-seeking-suspension-of-sentence-un-islamic-nikah-case-8926172.html
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Girls
Education Remains A Challenge In Militancy-Hit Bara Of Khyber Tribal District
June 10,
2024
KHYBER:
The deplorable condition of most of the public sector primary schools for
girls, shortage of teaching staff and inaccessibility of students to
educational institutions beyond primary level have been cited to be three major
hurdles to promotion of female education in the militancy-affected Bara tehsil
of Khyber tribal district.
According
to statistics of education department, 26 out of the total 30 completely
damaged girls schools are in the process of rebuilding with the financial
assistance of China while the remaining four are yet to be included in any
rebuilding or reconstruction scheme by the authorities concerned.
Militant
groups had destroyed nearly 100 government schools, including 30 for girls, in
Bara from 2005 to 2014.
Girl
students at present are made to sit inside torn out tents, which could hardly
save them from harsh weather conditions while fabricated classrooms were
installed in some schools that provide them with a semblance of comfort.
Shortage
of staff, schools termed major hurdles; official optimistic about enrolment of
girls after completion of work on 26 schools
Officials
of education department concede their failure in achieving the target during
the recent enrolment drive in Bara as an increasing number of parents now
prefer to send their daughters to nearby seminaries instead of tent schools
where they face lack of basic facilities like drinking water, toilets and
electricity.
Official
figures show that a little over 5,000 out-of-school girl students were enrolled
during March and April against the given target of 11,000 in Bara.
The
figures also reveal that there are 525 vacant posts of female teachers with
most schools having only one teacher for more than 100 primary grade students.
Official
sources said that the ratio of dropout among girls after completion of their
primary level schooling was on the rise owing to shortage of middle, high and
higher secondary schools while most of those institutions were also situated at
a long distance from the homes of majority of students.
JavedAfridi,
a social activist from Sipah tribe, told Dawn that most of the girl students
could not afford transportation charges after being promoted to middle or high
school due to poor financial background while they also were reluctant to walk
on foot for long distance due to cultural taboos.
Sources
said that there were only 54 middle and higher secondary schools in the entire
Khyber district against 285 primary schools for girls.
The district
education officer (female), Samina Ghani, told this scribe that though parents
in Bara in particular and other areas in general were now willing to send their
daughters to schools, yet shortage of teaching staff, miserable condition of
tent schools and long distance to most of the middle, high and higher secondary
schools compelled them to either enrol their daughters at a nearby seminary
after completion of primary schooling or stop their education all together.
“In most
schools we have just one female teacher against the six sanctioned posts while
we also have some schools in far-flung areas where we do not have a single
teacher,” she stated and added that as per rules, one teacher was required for
140 students.
Ms Ghani
said that in some localities of Bara, parent-teacher councils privately
established separate funds for engaging ad hoc female teachers in the schools
where there was either no teacher at all or there was shortage of the required
number of teachers.
“This
gesture from the enthusiastic parents has helped in raising the number of girl
students in some schools to an extent,” she added.
She,
however, regretted that the condition of most girl schools was still not
conducive to attract the desired number of out-of-school girls while the
limited number of middle, high and higher secondary schools was hampering the
onward educational journey of a large number of interested and talented
students.
The
official said that conditions in Tirah valley too were not very favourable for
girl schooling where there was no high school for girls while the department
was finding it extremely difficult to arrange female staff for primary schools.
Ms
Ghani, however, expressed her satisfaction over the current security situation
in the region and said that none of the female teachers had complained about
any general insecurity or a personal threat.
She was
optimistic about increase in girl enrolment soon after the completion of 26
under-construction schools for girls that were due to be handed over to education
department by the end of the current year.
Ms Ghani
said that the new school buildings were built with a new design of six
classrooms instead of the previous two-room primary school. She said that other
facilities were also provided to the new schools.
Source: dawn.com
https://www.dawn.com/news/1838995/girls-education-remains-a-challenge-in-militancy-hit-bara
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Tunisian
All-Women’s Team Eye Inventors’ Prize For Smart Wheelchair
June 10,
2024
Tunis: A
smart wheelchair system built by a team of young Tunisian women engineers has
reached the finals for a prestigious European inventors’ prize, setting a
hopeful precedent in a country embroiled in multiple crises.
Their
project, Moovobrain, allows wheelchair users to move through a choice of touchpad,
voice command, facial gestures or, most impressively, a headset that detects
their brain signals.
It has
been shortlisted from over 550 applicants for the final round of the Young
Inventors Prize, launched by the European Patent Office in 2021.
This
year marks “the first time a Tunisian and Arab team has reached the final”
stage of the international competition, the EPO said in a statement.
The
all-female team will compete against two other finalists, from the Netherlands
and Ukraine, for the top prize on July 9 in Malta.
The
inspiration for the Moovobrain app first came from co-founder Souleima Ben
Temime, 28, whose uncle was “forced to use a wheelchair to move” after his
upper body was paralyzed.
“There
was a clear and urgent need in front of me,” she told AFP.
“I
talked about it to my friends and we decided to use the digital health
technologies ... to make a product that could benefit a lot of people.”
The four
inventors met at the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences in Tunis, where they
began developing the Moovobrain prototype in 2017, before creating health-tech
start-up Gewinner two years later.
The
team’s international success comes despite Tunisia’s growing economic and
political turmoil in recent years that has pushed thousands of Tunisians to
seek a better life in Europe through perilous overseas journeys.
President
Kais Saied, elected in October 2019, has launched a sweeping power grab since
he sacked parliament in July 2021.
The
political crisis has been compounded by a biting economic meltdown — but that
has not dampened the young women’s spirits.
Rather,
co-founder Khaoula Ben Ahmed, 28, is hopeful that reaching the finals in the
Young Inventors competition will bring the team “visibility and credibility.”
“It’s
not always easy to convince investors or wheelchair manufacturers that our
solution is truly innovative and useful for people with reduced mobility,” she
said.
For
them, even “asking to be turned toward the television,” when they “cannot
speak, no longer have any autonomy, can become very trying on a psychological
level,” added Ben Ahmed.
Alongside
Ben Ahmed and Ben Temime, the other team members are SirineAyari, 28, and
GhofraneAyari, 27, who are not related.
The
Young Inventors Prize — which rewards “exceptional inventors under the age of
30” — awards a first prize of $21,600, a second of $10,748 and a third of
$5,374.
The team
says being women was “an advantage” because they were able to take part in
competitions for female engineers and receive specialized funding.
More
than 44 percent of engineers in Tunisia are women, according to the United
Nations, and Ben Ahmed says the country has “a favorable ecosystem” for
start-ups despite its challenges.
Their
start-up Gewinner will very soon deliver the first four wheelchairs equipped
with the new technology to an organization for disabled people in Sousse,
eastern Tunisia. They hope for feedback to improve the product.
Internationally,
Gewinner is focusing on Europe and has already established a partnership with
an Italian manufacturer in the short term.
The
inventors say that even though each smart chair costs around 2,000 euros, they
hope to ensure the technology is accessible to as many people as possible,
including those in less well-off countries.
“In
Tunisia, we have prepared 30 units, not with the idea that it will be the end
user who will pay, but organizations supporting associations which will be able
to sponsor the purchase of chairs or adaptation of our technology,” said Ben
Ahmed.
Source: arabnews.com
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2527366/middle-east
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Iran
Plans to Deploy 7,000 Cops in Coastal Cities to Enforce Hijab
JUNE 7,
2024
As the
summer heat sets in, Iranian authorities have announced plans to deploy 7,000
police officers to the country's northern coastal areas to strictly enforce
mandatory hijab laws.
Deputy
Police Commander QasimRezaei said on June 6 that both male and female travelers
on beaches "must respect the law" regarding hijab.
The
Islamic Republic's dress codes require women to cover their hair and body.
"Anyone
who does not follow the legal norms such as hijab is guilty of a crime,"
Rezaei warned.
The
massive police deployment comes as Iran's government has recently escalated its
long-standing enforcement of compulsory hijab under the new "Noor
Plan."
Despite
the Islamic Republic's increasing pressures, civil resistance by women opposed
to mandatory dress codes has persisted, with videos surfacing daily of women
appearing in public without hijabs.
The
northern coastline is a popular summer destination for millions of Iranians due
to its proximity to Tehran and scenic natural beauty.
The new
crackdown comes almost two years after the death in custody of MahsaAmini, who
was arrested for her alleged "improper" hijab.
The
death of 22-year-old Amini unleashed months of mass protests across Iran and
marked the biggest challenge to the country's clerical leaders since the 1979
Islamic Revolution.
More
than 500 people were killed as the Islamic Republic fought back against the
protesters, who gained support from around the world.
In
March, a fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said the death of
Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police was "unlawful," and
women in the country remain subject to wide-ranging discrimination.
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/news/130326-iran-plans-to-deploy-7000-cops-in-coastal-area-to-enforce-hijab/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mp-iqra-choudhary-muslim-woman-triple-talaq/d/132482