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Mural Of Killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh Inaugurated in Bethlehem

New Age Islam News Bureau

31 Aug 2023

·         Mural Of Killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh Inaugurated in Bethlehem

·         Iran Journalist, Nazila Maroufian, Rearrested for Defying Headscarf Law

·         Intimidating Behaviour, Online Threats Lead to Cancellation of Auckland Protest for Women's Rights in Iran

·         Reports Detail Abuse of Detained Women's Rights Activists in Iran

·         Iran Steps Up Crackdown Ahead of Anniversary of Amini's Death, Activists Say

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:   https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mural-shireen-akleh-bethlehem/d/130576

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Mural Of Killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh Inaugurated in Bethlehem

 

Bethlehem mayor Hanna Hanania said that Shireen Abu Akleh was a ‘martyr of the truth’ [Ghassan Banoora/Al Jazeera]

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30 Aug 2023

A mural in memory of Al Jazeera’s slain journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, has been inaugurated in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

The municipality of Bethlehem unveiled the mural on Wednesday, saying that it was a tribute to Abu Akleh and her reporting on the Palestinian cause.

The ceremony took place on al-Mahd Street in Bethlehem in the presence of Abu Akleh’s relatives and colleagues, as well as local officials.

Speakers at the event stressed the need for justice for Abu Akleh, who was killed by an Israeli soldier on May 11, 2022, while she was reporting from Jenin. No one has been held accountable for her killing.

Walid al-Omari, the head of Al Jazeera’s bureau in Ramallah, said the mural conveyed a moral message.

“We’re thankful to the Bethlehem municipality for this work, and we’ll continue to follow up on Shireen’s case so that we can achieve justice,” al-Omari said.

Abu Akleh’s brother, Tony, echoed that message.

“This mural is in memory of Shireen, especially in the city of Bethlehem, from where her origins come,” said Tony. He went on to explain the close relationship between Shireen Abu Akleh and the “city of Christ”, as he described it.

“This mural is not only for Shireen, but rather in memory of every martyr who was killed at the hands of the Israeli occupation,” Tony said.

For his part, Hanna Hanania, Bethlehem’s mayor, said that Abu Akleh represented the city, as well as Jerusalem, where she was born and eventually laid to rest, and the Palestinian people as a whole because she is “a martyr of the truth” who conveyed the Palestinian cause to the world.

“It’s our duty to immortalise her name in ‘the city of peace’, Bethlehem,” Hanania said.

Nida Ibrahim, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in the occupied West Bank, expressed her sadness when she first saw the mural. “For me, it was a bittersweet moment,” she said.

“It’s a reminder of the loss we endured after she was killed, both as her colleagues and as Palestinian journalists,” Ibrahim said. “A reminder that justice has not been served and that the killer is probably on the beach right now or enjoying coffee or living their life.”

“It’s really touching to see Shireen’s pictures and memorials in different places in Palestine and abroad,” Ibrahim added. “It shows the deep impact she has on people, as someone who was passionate and deeply interested in the human part of the story.”

“It’s been almost 500 days – but she’s still with us and her memory lives on and on.”

The killing of the late Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American dual nation, garnered international attention, and at first, Israel attempted to falsely accuse Palestinian fighters of fatally shooting the veteran reporter, who had been at Al Jazeera since 1997, and was renowned across the Arab world.

Months after the killing, Israel acknowledged that one of its soldiers likely killed Abu Akleh but dismissed the incident as unintentional. The Israeli government has not opened a criminal probe into the killing – but Al Jazeera has taken the case to the International Criminal Court.

Numerous media outlets, rights groups and witnesses have documented that there was no fighting in the immediate vicinity of where Abu Akleh was shot.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/30/mural-in-memorial-of-shireen-abu-akleh-inaugurated-in-bethlehem

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Iran Journalist, Nazila Maroufian, Rearrested for Defying Headscarf Law

 

FILE - A woman looks at a screen image of Nazila Maroufian, Nov. 4, 2022. Maroufian, once detained in Iran for coverage of protests, has been rearrested for running afoul of Iran's dress code for women.

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August 30, 2023

TEHRAN, IRAN —

A journalist who defied Iran's strict dress code and was freed on bail this month has been rearrested for not wearing the headscarf in public, a news agency reported Wednesday.

"Nazila Maroufian has been arrested for wearing inappropriate clothing in public places, and for publishing these photographs on social media," the Tasnim agency reported.

Since the Islamic revolution of 1979, women in Iran have been required to wear scarves to hide their hair in public. But over the past year, more and more women have been appearing bareheaded in major cities.

Maroufian last year interviewed the father of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, whose death in police custody last September for allegedly violating the dress code sparked months of protests.

In the interview, Amjad Amini accused authorities of lying about the circumstances of his daughter's death.

Iranian authorities have indicated she died because of a health problem, contesting accusations from the family and activists who have said she suffered a blow to the head while in custody.

Maroufian was released on bail on August 13 from Tehran's Evin prison after spending more than a month behind bars.

She had again posted on social media a photo of herself without a headscarf, in defiance of the dress code.

Maroufian, a Tehran-based journalist from Amini's hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan province, was first arrested in November 2022.

She was later released but in January said she had been sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years, on charges of propagandizing against the system and spreading false news.

On Wednesday, the daily Etemad newspaper reported the trial had begun for Amini's lawyer Saleh Nikbakht, who was charged with spreading "propaganda against the system."

Nikbakht's trial and Maroufian's rearrest came just days ahead of the first anniversary of Amini's death on September 16.

https://www.voanews.com/a/report-iran-journalist-rearrested-for-defying-headscarf-law/7247972.html

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Intimidating Behaviour, Online Threats Lead to Cancellation of Auckland Protest for Women's Rights in Iran

Aug 31 2023

A protest calling out the actions of the Iranian government has been cancelled after organisers were threatened online with what they described as “symbols of violence”.

Say Her Name was due to take place on September 16 in Auckland’s Mission Bay to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini.

The 16-year-old died in custody in Tehran after being arrested by the Iranian morality police for not wearing a hijab, sparking global protests in support of women’s rights.

The event was organised by community groups Woman Life Freedom NZ and Voice of Iranians.

"It is disheartening and, frankly, disgusting to see acts of bullying, and even death threats, emerging from some members of the community,” a Woman Life Freedom NZ spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"Due to these safety concerns, our group will no longer participate in any protests. Instead, we will harness the power of online platforms and continue our fight through other channels."

The spokesperson said the event was cancelled following advice from the police due to intimidating behaviour from some within the Iranian community.

"The aforementioned threats and insults will, in due course, be addressed legally."

Police confirmed they were aware of the change to the planned event and that the organiser had been in touch with them, but would not comment on the security threats or whether police were investigating them.

Iranian New Zealander Samira Taghavi is a lawyer and the member of Woman Life Freedom NZ.

She said the threats did not originate from the broader Iranian community but rather a specific subset with extreme ideologies.

"These individuals identify as monarchists... we've been vigilant in monitoring their activities, and as a result of many reports from our community members, their Instagram page was taken down. However, they promptly initiated a new one, demonstrating their persistence and determination."

Taghavi said members of the radical group have been intimidating Iranian Kiwis through social media.

"The group has been using explicit stickers such as knives, guns, and other symbols of violence. These visuals, while they may seem benign as digital representations, carry a heavy weight of implication, especially in the current context,” she said.

The Security Intelligence Service (SIS) accused Iran of interfering in New Zealand's democracy by conducting foreign interference in a security threat environment report earlier this month.

Iran was identified as “monitoring and providing reporting on Iranian communities and dissident groups”.

“Globally, Iran has sought to silence dissenting Iranian voices in response to perceived threats to the Islamic Republic,” the report read.

"Such activity has historically been unlikely in New Zealand, although the NZSIS continues to assess the threat in light of Iran’s increasingly aggressive behaviour internationally."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/132846703/intimidating-behaviour-online-threats-lead-to-cancellation-of-auckland-protest-for-womens-rights-in-iran

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Reports Detail Abuse of Detained Women's Rights Activists In Iran

August 30, 2023

Women's rights activists imprisoned in Gilan province in northern Iran have been subjected to severe beatings and mental abuse, Iran International can reveal.

According to information obtained by Iran International, Sara Jahani, a doctor at a hospital in Rasht, refused to share her phone's passcode with authorities and was beaten for this resistance.

Meanwhile, in the Ministry of Intelligence's detention center, Hooman Taheri, a Gilan-based activist, also suffered repeated severe assaults. Days after being transferred to the public ward, he still bears visible signs of a broken tooth, extensive facial swelling, and bruises on his neck and body.

It has been reported that some detainees have been denied communication privileges and visitation rights to prevent the disclosure of abuse.

Last Thursday, the Islamic Republic's security forces arrested several women's rights activists in the cities of Rasht, Fooman, Anzali, and Lahijan.

Condemning these detentions, hundreds of activists have called for their immediate release.

As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death at the hands of the hijab police approaches, the government's efforts to suppress activists, students, and teachers have escalated. Security agencies have recently been summoning and issuing threats over the phone to dozens of students across Iranian universities.

Various reports also highlight security pressure on families of those killed in the uprising, aiming to prevent gatherings on the anniversary of their children's deaths as well as desecration of victims’ graves.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202308308291

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Iran Steps Up Crackdown Ahead of Anniversary of Amini's Death, Activists Say

August 30, 2023

PARIS —

Iran is ratcheting up a crackdown ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, arresting prominent personalities, campaigners and relatives of those killed by security forces in protests last year, activists say.

The death in custody on September 16, 2022, of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who was arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress rules for women, sparked months of protests that included calls for an end to Iran's Islamic system.

Despite sporadic outbursts, the protests have largely subsided after a crackdown that saw thousands detained, according to the United Nations, and hundreds shot dead by security forces, according to activists.

But campaigners outside Iran say the authorities are acutely aware that the anniversary could spark more protests, and they say security forces have stepped up repression to prevent a repeat of the events of last autumn.

Those arrested this month have included the prominent singer Mehdi Yarrahi after he released a song urging women to remove their headscarves in defiance of the law.

Eleven women's rights activists were detained in Gilan province, one of the flashpoint areas for protests last year, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has said families of those killed in the crackdown on the movement have been subjected to "arbitrary arrest and detention" in a bid to enforce "silence and impunity" over the fate of their loved ones.

"These arrests are a blatant attempt by Iranian authorities to instill fear within the population ahead of the upcoming anniversary [and] to deter more protests," Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New-York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, or CHRI, told AFP.

Cruelty 'knows no bounds'

In a report, Amnesty said families of victims killed in the crackdown across the country have been subjected to abusive interrogations, arbitrary arrest and detention, and or unjust prosecution and sentencing in recent months.

"The cruelty of the Iranian authorities knows no bounds," said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, accusing the Iranian authorities of a "sinister attempt to cover up their crimes."

In a new example, security forces on Sunday arrested three family members, including the mother, of Hananeh Kia, a woman in her early 20s shot dead by security forces in September 2022 during the initial phase of the protests, HRANA and the Hengaw rights group said.

The CHRI said in just eight days this month, 21 family members of victims were either summoned to court or detained in Iran.

Roya Boroumand, executive director of the U.S.-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, said "victims' family members have been targeted pretty systematically."

"They have been arrested, summoned repeatedly and interrogated, or their houses are raided," she said, adding that pressure was being put on them not to post anything on social media, gather for commemorations, or speak out.

The protests broke taboos that have prevailed in the Islamic republic since the fall of the shah in 1979, with women taking off their headscarves and slogans chanted against Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in street protests.

In a separate report, Amnesty has said Iran has renewed its crackdown against unveiled women, with stepped-up patrols backed by surveillance cameras that can even identify women inside their cars. Images shared on social media indicate some women, however, are continuing to show defiance.

'Killing machine'

Meanwhile, Norway-based Iran Human Rights says 486 people have been executed in Iran this year, with the use of capital punishment aimed at "creating fear in society and to prevent more protests."

While seven men have been executed in cases related to the protests, causing an international outcry, most of those hanged are convicted on drug and murder charges and are "low-cost victims of the Islamic republic's killing machine," it added.

According to the CHRI, Mashallah Karami, the father of executed protester Mohammad Mehdi Karami, who was hanged in January, was detained by security agents in Tehran on August 22.

There also have been reports of arrests in the Kurdish-populated area of western Iran — from where Amini originated — that were the scene of the earliest protests.

Kurdish-focused Hengaw, based outside Iran, said SaroMostajer — the brother of one of its board members, Jila Mostajer — had been arrested in Amini's hometown of Saqez and taken to an unknown location.

Boroumand said the "coordinated" repression "aims at preventing the dissemination of news, videos and images of victims, commemorations, and other gatherings and avoid a renewed public mobilization inside and outside Iran."

Ghaemi warned the "silence of the international community" in the face of the crackdown risked giving a "green light to the state security apparatus to continue muzzling civil society."

https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-steps-up-crackdown-ahead-of-anniversary-of-amini-s-death-say-activists/7247936.html

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 URL:   https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/mural-shireen-akleh-bethlehem/d/130576

 

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