Muslim Abaya, the Floor-Length Dress, Under Scrutiny In France’s Schools
New
Age Islam News Bureau
06
January 2023
•
FIFA Appointed Saudi Arabia's First
Female International Referee, Anoud Al-Asmari
•
UAE, The First Arab Country To Host Women Cycling Tour
•
Women's Media Forum, Pakistan Launched
•
Former 'Islamic State Bride', Mariam Raad, Gets Conditional Bail After Arrest
For Entering ISIS Area
•
Sex Outside Marriage Ban Tests Indonesia’s Relationship With Democracy
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslim-abaya-france-school/d/128814
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Muslim
Abaya, the Floor-Length Dress, Under Scrutiny In France’s Schools
Abaya, Muslim Dress
---
06-01-2023
The
Muslim so-called abaya has been called into question among the country’s
teachers.
The
floor-length dress, which is worn by Muslim women around the world, was
initially not considered to classify as religious clothing. However, as
reported by RFI, many French teachers see the robe as a violation of the
country’s secularist values (“Laicite”). According to its Ministry of Europe
and Foreign Affairs page, its laws on secularism include a ban on “attire
displaying religious worship” in its schools. In 2022, the French Ministry of
Education reported at least 313 violations that have gone against its
regulations on secularism. Over half of the cases occurred in high schools and
at least 54 percent involved “religious signs and clothing.” Among the reports
have been girls wearing abayas and the boys donning gamis. Both are
“traditional Muslim tunics” that are worn over clothes. Dominique Schapper, who
is head of an advisory body on “Laicite” within its schools, says that while
the abaya is not a direct sign of Islam, it is being used for purposes outside
of Islam.
“They
are being used in a political way, as a recognition of religious identity, and
therefore fall under the 2004 law that bans ostentatious religious insignia,”
he said.
Gwenael
Surel, who is the head of a large high school in western France, says that more
girls are wearing the abaya in 2022 compared to 2021. Last year in September,
15 female students showed up in abayas at their school. Surel said that this
was an organised attempt to “circumvent the law,” as it was difficult for them
recognise that they were wearing religious attire.
“You
can find these large tunics in very European-type shops,” she said. “So, they try
and turn it into an issue of colour and shape, saying it’s just a tunic,” she
said.
The
increase has also been fuelled by TikTok influencers who have encouraged Muslim
girls to stay at home rather than go improperly dressed to school. The Ministry
of Education is also working with the Ministry of Interior to combat the rising
number of “Islamist agitators” who have been popping up on the video-sharing
site.
According
to NZZ, Samuel Paty’s death has led to “a paradigm shift” across the country’s
schools. In 2020, the secondary school teacher was beheaded by a radical
Islamist after showing cartoons of Mohammed. As a result, advisory committees
have been set up in some districts to inform educators on how to enforce
secularist values. However, many teachers are still uncertain as to how to
apply “Laicite” in their schools. More teachers, especially the younger ones,
are choosing to “avoid conflict,” according to a survey by the Ifop Institute
However, most teachers want to see tighter regulations. At least 68 percent
view “abaya” or the “kamis” as having a religious connotation.
What
is more, “Laicite” can also apply to Christian symbols such as wearing “large
crosses.” Crosses were included in the ban in 2004. Additionally, those who
attempt to wear clothing with “religious connotations” or attempt to
“proselytise” can be in danger of breaching the regulations.
Source:
CNE
https://cne.news/artikel/2345-muslim-abaya-under-scrutiny-in-frances-schools
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FIFA Appointed Saudi Arabia's First Female
International Referee, Anoud Al-Asmari
Anoud al-Asmari's international badge is the latest
in a series of steps in football by the kingdom [File: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters]
----
January
05, 2023
Riyadh:
Saudi Arabia’s first female international referee was appointed by FIFA on
Thursday, less than a year after the kingdom’s national women’s team made their
debut.
Anoud
Al-Asmari’s international badge is the latest in a series of steps in football
by the Saudis, who have lured 37-year-old great Cristiano Ronaldo to the Saudi
Pro League and are mulling a World Cup co-hosting bid.
“I
am happy to be the first Saudi female referee to receive the international
badge in the history of Saudi sports,” Asmari, one of eight Saudis on the
international panel announced by the world body.
Asked
how she would feel about officiating a men’s game, Asmari, 34, said she
wouldn’t give it any thought until it was approved by the Saudi FA.
In
Saudi more opportunities have started to open up in women’s sport in the recent
years, including a women’s football league that started in November 2021.
The
first Saudi women’s national team, coached by German veteran Monica Stapp, beat
the Seychelles 2-0 in their maiden official match last February.
Saudi
Arabia, whose neighbor Qatar hosted the World Cup in November and December, has
applied to hold the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and is the sole bidder for the
men’s version in 2027.
It
is also considering a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup alongside Egypt and
Greece.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2227586/sport
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UAE,
the first Arab country to host women cycling tour
NAPLES
- The United Arab Emirates reach a new historic page in history for
international cycling, for the first time they will host a Female World Tour in
the UAE, the first event of the World Female Tour in the Arab region. There
will be 20 teams competing between 9-12 February, before the Men's World Tour
that will take place on 20-26 February.
The
route will be announced in the coming days, and it underscores the new role of
the UAE as one of the most awaited opening venues for the cycling season,
taking advantage of the climate in February before moving to Europe with the
arrival of Spring. Hosting the Women's World Tour confirms, explain the
organizers in a note, that the passing for cycling in the country is growing,
with great anticipation by supporters in the UAE. The competition, organized by
the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, confirms that the country has now reached the
right level of experience to organize the cycling routes and legs with the UAE
tour, after years of success with the Dubai Tour and the Abu Dhabi Tour.
"We
are pleased - explained Aref Al Awanit, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi
Sports Club - of adding another world tour with the UAE Tour UCI Women's World
Tour. The UAE, through the cycling tour which is transmitted world-wide gives
us the opportunity to show everyone different areas of our country and historic
sites. This is also thanks to this year's Women's Tour that represents for the
UAE another step toward development of cycling in our country, underscoring the
path we took to promote professional cycling in the entire Arab region".
The
tour is organized with RCS, the Italian organization in charge of the
"Giro d'Italia" (the renown Italian cycling tour): "To see the
Tour in the UAE become also open to women is something that makes us
proud", commented Fabrizio D'Amico, operations director at RCS and the UAE
tour.
Source:
Ansamed
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Women's
Media Forum, Pakistan Launched
Mohammad
Ali
January
04, 2023
ISLAMABAD,
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2023 ) :The Women's Media Forum
Pakistan (WMFP) was launched on Wednesday to take forward grassroots work on
gender equity, labour rights and journalists' safety, with a cohort of highly
talented and dynamic women journalists from across the country.
The
WMFP aims to be a broad forum for women media professionals in every field
print, electronic, digital and in a range of roles in the media, journalists'
unions, associations, and press clubs, said a press release.
The
colours of the logo signify purple for feminism; white for purity and green for
hope and "the emblem of spring.
"
The WMFP, with over 100 members and growing, is a culmination of work over the
years on�labour rights, gender
equality and freedom of association. Supported by the International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ), consultations, webinars, workshops and research
highlighted issues related to gender equity and journalists' rights.
Gender
equity and safety training workshops were also conducted, in collaboration with
several press clubs beginning with Karachi Press Club, National Press Club,
Lahore Press Club, and Peshawar Press Club.
Source:
Urdu Point
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/womens-media-forum-pakistan-launched-1620226.html
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Former
'Islamic State Bride', Mariam Raad, Gets Conditional Bail After Arrest For
Entering ISIS Area
06
January ,2023
An
Australian court granted conditional bail on Friday to a woman arrested on
charges of entering and remaining in areas of Syria held by ISIS.
Police
arrested 31-year-old Mariam Raad on Thursday, saying she willingly travelled to
Syria in early 2014 to join her husband, fully aware he was an active member of
the Islamist militant group.
Her
husband is believed to have died in Syria in 2018, they added.
Australian
law deems it an offence to enter or stay in areas where the government has
declared “a listed terrorist organization is engaging in a hostile activity,”
setting punishments of up to 10 years in jail.
Raad’s
bail conditions included that she surrender her passport, report to police
every Monday and not communicate with associates of “terrorist organizations,”
the court said.
Raad
returned to Australia from the Al Roj camp for displaced people in northeast
Syria in October, when the government controversially repatriated 17 women and
children related to dead or jailed Islamic State fighters.
The
court set a date of March 15 to next consider the matter.
Source:
Al Arabiya
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/01/06/Former-ISIS-bride-to-face-Australian-court-
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Sex
outside marriage ban tests Indonesia’s relationship with democracy
December
30, 2022
When
Indonesia passed controversial amendments to its criminal code earlier this
month, one aspect above all others dominated the headlines: the criminalization
of sex outside marriage.
Tourism
figures warned it would put foreigners off visiting and hurt Indonesia’s global
reputation – no small matters in a country that welcomed up to 15 million
international travelers annually before the pandemic and recently held the G20
presidency for the first time in its history.
Officials
have since played down the likelihood of tourists being charged, but hundreds
of millions of Indonesians still face the prospect of up to a year in jail for
the same offense – and rights activists warn that this is only the start of the
new code’s potential to threaten Indonesians’ personal freedoms and civil
liberties. Indonesian officials, on the other hand, defend the move as a
necessary compromise in a democracy that is home to the world’s largest Muslim
population.
The
new code also criminalizes cohabitation between unmarried couples and promoting
contraception to minors, and enshrines laws against abortion (except in cases
of rape and medical emergencies when the fetus is less than 12 weeks) and
blasphemy.
It
also limits Indonesians’ right to protest and criminalizes insulting the
president, members of his cabinet or the state ideology.
Offenders
face the prospect of prison terms ranging from months to years.
Rights
groups have been scathing in their assessments.
“In
one fell swoop, Indonesia’s human rights situation has taken a drastic turn for
the worse,” said Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights
Watch.
“Potentially,
millions of people will be subject to criminal prosecution under this deeply
flawed law. Its passage is the beginning of an unmitigated disaster for human
rights in Indonesia.”
So,
how exactly did it come to pass?
The
creation of the new code is in part a reflection of the growing influence
conservative Islam plays in the politics of what is the world’s third-largest
democracy.
About
230 million of the 270 million people who call this vast and diverse
archipelago nation home are Muslim, though there are also sizable Christian and
Hindu minorities and the country prides itself on a state ideology known as
“Pancasila,” which stresses inclusivity.
The
constitution guarantees a secular government and freedom of religion, and
criminal law is largely based on a secular code inherited from the former Dutch
colonial power – though the province of Aceh adopts and implements sharia law –
and Islamic principles influence some civil matters and local level by-laws.
However,
more conservative forms of Islam that were once repressed under the former dictator
Suharto have in recent years emerged as increasingly powerful forces at the
ballot box.
In
the most recent general election, in 2019, President Joko Widodo
controversially picked an elderly Islamic cleric – Ma’ruf Amin – as his running
mate in a move that was widely seen as a move to secure more Muslim votes.
The
appointment of Ma’ruf raised eyebrows among Widodo’s more moderate supporters,
but it helped see off the challenge from the former military general Prabowo
Subianto who had forged an alliance with hardline Islamist groups. Some of
those groups had already demonstrated their clout by leading mass protests that
led to the toppling of the Jakarta governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, on a
blasphemy charge.
The
new criminal code – which updates the code inherited from the Dutch and was
passed unanimously by lawmakers belonging to multiple parties – also reflects
this growing influence of conservative Islam. Some conservative parties had
been calling for an even stricter code, but previous proposals sparked mass
street protests and were shelved after Widodo intervened.
Describing
the new code as a “compromise”, Indonesian officials have said it needed to
reflect a spread of interests in a multicultural and multi-ethnic country.
A
step backwards?
Still,
while the new code clearly has the backing of many conservative voters, critics
paint it as a step backwards for civil liberties in what is still a fledgling
democracy.
Indonesia
spent decades under strong-man rule after declaring its independence from the
Dutch in the 1940s, under its first president Sukarno and later under the
military dictator Suharto. It was not until after Suharto’s downfall in 1998
that it entered a period of reformation in which civilian rule, freedom of
speech and a more liberal political environment were embraced.
Rights
groups fear the new code risks undoing some of that progress by pandering to
the conservative religious vote at the expense of the country’s secular ideals
and reinforcing discrimination against women and the LGBTQ community. They also
fear its longer-term effects could be corrosive to the democratic system itself
and see uncomfortable parallels to the country’s authoritarian past.
Aspects
of the code relating to insulting the president or the state ideology could, they
say, be abused by officials to extort bribes, harass political opponents and
even jail journalists and anyone deemed critical of the government.
“It
is never a good thing when a state tries to legislate morality,” said Zachary
Abuza, a professor specializing in Southeast Asian politics and security issues
at the National War College in Washington, DC. “The new code puts civil
liberties at risk and gives the state powerful tools to punish ideological,
moral and political offenses.”
One
political blogger, who asked not to be identified for fear of persecution under
the new laws, told CNN that he expected online surveillance and censorship by
the authorities to increase.
“The
terms are not clear – that’s what makes the code especially scary and
dangerous,” he said. “It’s all left to interpretation by the government.”
He
gave the example of someone liking a critical tweet about the president, asking
if that would be enough to land the person in jail.
“It
will boil down to whoever the government wants to prosecute,” the blogger said.
What’s
next?
It
will be at least three years until the revised code comes into effect,
according to officials, so it is still early to predict how the new laws will
be implemented and enforced.
Much
may depend on how satisfied more conservative voters are with the “compromise”
code – or how angry those who protested on the streets against its earlier
formulation remain.
At
the same time, there are those who question whether lawmakers have made the
mistake of listening only to the loudest voices in an attempt to pick up votes.
Norshahril
Saat, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said there was a
“complex relationship between Islam, politics, and society in Indonesia.”
He
pointed to a 2022 national survey commissioned by the institute that found most
respondents considered themselves moderate and supported the idea of a secular
state – even though more than half of them also felt it was important to elect
a Muslim leader.
Norshahril
cautioned against concluding that support for the new criminal code was
evidence of “a conservative Islamic tide.”
“It
may mean that the current slate of elected politicians are conservative but
more likely that they are responding to pressure from some powerful
conservative lobby groups,” he said.
Of
more concern, he said, is that “in today’s Indonesia, all of the political
parties unanimously agreed on criminalizing these ‘sins’.”
Source:
CNN
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