Muslim Woman, BJP leader Ruby Asif Khan, Defies Fatwa, Steps out for Ganesh Immersion
New
Age Islam News Bureau
08
September 2022
• Tunisia’s
Jabeur Becomes First Female Arab to Reach US Open Semis
• Bride
Kidnapping; Religious Scholar Abducts 17-Year-Old Girl in Central Afghanistan
• Four
Women Freed After Being Kept In Chains By ISIS At Syria's Al Hol Camp
• Without
Investment, Gender Equality Will Take Nearly 300 Years: UN Report
• Local
Teachers in Afghanistan Reopen Girls' Schools, Defying the Taliban's Education
Ban; Probe Underway
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslim-woman-bjp-ruby-fatwa-ganesh/d/127905
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Muslim
Woman, BJP leader Ruby Asif Khan, Defies Fatwa, Steps out for Ganesh Immersion
Picture
Courtesy: Twitter/ BJP's Ruby Asif Khan
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Sep
08, 2022
AGRA
BJP leader Ruby Asif Khan, 40, stepped out of her house in a Muslim dominated
locality of Aligarh on Wednesday holding the idol of Lord Ganesh for immersion
in river Ganga at Bulandshahr’s Narora Ghat. This was despite the death threats
and fatwa issued against her for installing the idol at her residence on Ganesh
Chaturthi (August 31).
Accompanied
by her husband Asif Khan and two other Muslim women, Ruby performed the
‘visarjan’ (immersion) ritual amid heavy security. The Muslim women moving with
the Ganesh idol were provided security by the Aligarh police for the day. Two
cops stayed with them till they returned home after the ritual.
Clerics
had issued a fatwa against Ruby and made a call to ostracise her from Islam.
But she is not scared of these threats.
“I
installed the idol of Lord Ganesh at my house on August 31. This fatwa has been
issued since then. The maulanas (clerics) are saying that I have become Hindu
as I have installed Lord Ganesh’s idol. I am receiving threats to boycott me
from Islam and to burn my family alive. When I go out, people are calling me
Hindu. I installed the idol, and in the same way, I will immerse it with due
diligence,” she stated.
“It
has not been a smooth sail as I have faced a lot because of my devotion to
Hindu deities. I had established a ‘Ram Temple’ in my house in 2016. My
daughter was shot at in 2016 and my house was also put on fire… but it all
failed to deter me,” said Ruby who has been celebrating Janmashtami and other
Hindu festivals. She joined the BJP in 2016 and is vice-president of ‘mandal’
(primary unit in a locality of the city) of BJP Mahila Morcha in Aligarh.
“I
find peace in both – offering namaz and prayers to Hindu deities. For me, they
are one and the same. Why should one face criticism or opposition for his/her
belief. There are many in my locality and elsewhere who oppose me. I have
lodged complaints in this regard from time to time,” said Ruby who is married
to Asif Khan who fits glass and windows in Aligarh to earn a livelihood.
“My
husband and in-laws support me, but unfortunately I do not get the same from
the local BJP leaders who should have come to support me because I am ‘mandal’
(unit) vice president for the BJP in Aligarh. However, other Hindu brothers and
sisters do take a stand for me,” she added.
Ruby
Asif Khan travelled to the Ganga at Narora Ghat to perform ‘Ganesh Visarjan’
ritual and returned home later in the day.
“I
am not afraid for myself but care for my six children (three sons and three
daughters) and therefore seek police protection. There had been a police
constable who came to my house every day for 2 to 3 hours as I had Ganesh idol
at my house for a week. But no permanent arrangement for security has been
made,” stated Ruby Asif Khan, who claimed that she had a narrow escape after
she was shot at by someone six months ago.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Tunisia’s
Jabeur Becomes First Female Arab to Reach US Open Semis
The
win was the world number five's 43rd this season, trailing only world number
one Iga Swiatek [Shannon Stapleton/Reuters]
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7
Sep 2022
Tunisia’s
Ons Jabeur has become the first African and Arab female tennis player to reach
the semi-finals of the US Open.
Jabeur,
who also claimed a notable first in July as the first woman from Africa to
reach the final at Wimbledon, sealed a 6-4, 7-6 win over Australia’s Ajla
Tomljanovic on Tuesday.
The
28-year-old will now face Caroline Garcia in the semi-finals after the in-form
17th-seed dispatched the 18-year-old Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-4 in Tuesday’s other
quarter-final.
Jabeur
said she had been infused with belief since reaching the Wimbledon final, where
she was beaten in three sets by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.
“I
believe more in myself,” Jabeur said. “After Wimbledon, it was very positive.
Even though I lost the final, I knew I had it in me to win a Grand Slam. And
here I am in the semi-finals of the US Open.”
Jabeur
is known affectionately as the “Minister of Happiness” by fans in Tunisia for
the joy that her progress on court has brought to her homeland.
“We
have a lot of courts [in Tunisia], especially in hotels,” Jabeur told Al
Jazeera on the sidelines of the Qatar Total Open in 2020.
“So,
I started playing because my mum used to go there and she loved tennis and her
love for tennis made me also love tennis, which is unbelievable. I’m grateful
for her to introduce me to this amazing sport.”
On
Tuesday, she admitted she had let her frustration get the better of her when
she banged her racquet in frustration several times after coughing up multiple
service breaks in the second set.
“I
think I’m gonna be fired from my job as Minister of Happiness,” she joked. “It
is tough to manage my frustration. I apologise for my behaviour. I really
wanted to keep calm but the racquet kept slipping away from my hand.”
The
win was the world number five’s 43rd this season, trailing only world number
one Iga Swiatek.
Jabeur
had reached the quarter-finals at the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 Wimbledon
Championships, with her recent runner-up finish proving a breakthrough.
“I
think the fact that I broke that barrier of being in the quarter-finals all the
time, that did help with my confidence,” she said.
“Knowing
that I could make finals in Grand Slams really helped my game, just trying to
build that experience to go into second weeks in grand slams. It was very tough
coming here, you know, just the hard court season like wasn’t that great for
me. So I was trying to build more and more confidence on hard courts.
“Wimbledon
helped a lot, for sure.”
Source:
Al Jazeera
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Bride
Kidnapping; Religious Scholar Abducts 17-Year-Old Girl in Central Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
07
Sep 2022
A
40-year-old religious scholar, reportedly a Taliban member, abducted a
17-year-old girl in Bamyan province in central Afghanistan with the intention
of getting married, according to local sources.
The
sources state that a 17-year-old girl was abducted from the village of Solij in
the Yakiawlang No. 2 district of Bamyan by a 40-year-old religious scholar by
the name of Sayed Taqi Alawi.
Meanwhile,
some local media outlets claim that Sayed Taqi Alawi, a resident of the Sang
Takht and Bandar districts of Daikundi province, in central Afghanistan, is a
Taliban member.
For
a while, Sayed Taqi Alawi has been in charge of the Afghan National
SolidarityParty in the Bandar district of Daikundi province.
The
Taliban governor spokesperson for the province, Abdul Saboor Saighani, said
that rumors of Alawi eloping are false and inaccurate, despite local media
claims claiming he has been arrested in the province’s center.
Following
the installation of the government of the Taliban, forced marriages, and child
marriages, where the age difference is high have become prevalent in
Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
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Four
women freed after being kept in chains by ISIS at Syria's Al Hol Camp
Amr
Mostafa
Sep
07, 2022
The
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have liberated four women held by
ISIS supporters at Al Hol displacement camp in north-eastern Syria, the US
military said on Wednesday.
The
four women were found in tunnels, chained and tortured by ISIS supporters, on
Monday, during a security operation conducted by the SDF at the camp over the
past two weeks, US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.
The
operation also resulted in the arrest of dozens of ISIS operatives and the
dissolution of a major ISIS facilitation network both within the camp and
throughout Syria, Col Joe Buccino, Centcom's communications director, said in
the statement.
The
US Combined Joint Task Force is advising, assisting, and enabling the SDF in
the operation, in co-ordination with camp administration officials, Mr Buccino
added.
“This
operation will make the camp safer for those residents who remain or wish to
return to their countries of origin, but are unable to do so,” Centcom said.
Video
released by the SDF showed young women chained by the ankle inside tents at the
camp.
Centcom
called on the international community to support the SDF's efforts in
eliminating the ISIS threat through repatriation.
North-eastern
Syria is controlled by the US-backed and Kurdish-led SDF. The region continues
to host nearly 87,000 people who have fled areas affected by hostilities, in
addition to long-term refugees from Iraq, and stranded women and children from
more than 60 countries in camps like Al Hol, according to figures provided by
the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The
camp is overcrowded, with its population of about 56,000, mostly women and
children, living in miserable conditions.
They
have been stranded there since 2019 after the defeat of ISIS in Syria on the
grounds that they are, or are suspected to be, relatives of ISIS extremists.
About
10,000 of Al Hol's population are non-Arab foreigners, with the rest are mostly
from Syria and Iraq.
Source:
The National News
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Without
investment, gender equality will take nearly 300 years: UN report
September
07, 2022
GENEVA
— Achieving full gender equality, one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), could take close to 300 years if the current rate of progress
continues, according to a report published on Wednesday by UN Women and the UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
The
study reveals how gender disparities are worsening in the face of “cascading”
global crises — such as the COVID-19 pandemic, violent conflict, and climate
change — coupled with the backlash against women’s sexual and reproductive
health and rights.
As
a result, countries will not meet SDG5 by the 2030 deadline.
‘Reverse
this trend’
“This
is a tipping point for women’s rights and gender equality as we approach the
half-way mark to 2030,” said Sima Bahous, executive director at UN Women.
“It
is critical that we rally now to invest in women and girls to reclaim and
accelerate progress. The data show undeniable regressions in their lives made
worse by the global crises — in incomes, safety, education and health. The
longer we take to reverse this trend, the more it will cost us all.”
The
Gender Snapshot 2022 report showcases how cooperation, partnerships and
investments are essential to put the world back on track.
Without
swift action, legal systems that do not ban violence against women or protect
their rights in marriage and family may continue to exist for generations to
come.
The
report warns that at the current rate of progress, it will take up to 286 years
to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws.
Most
vulnerable affected
Furthermore,
it will take 140 years for women to achieve equal representation in leadership
positions in the workplace, and 40 years for the same to happen in national
parliaments.
Meanwhile,
to eradicate child marriage by 2030, progress will have to be 17 times faster
than in the last decade, as girls from the poorest rural households and in
conflict-affected areas are expected to suffer the most.
“Cascading
global crises are putting the achievement of the SDGs in jeopardy, with the
world’s most vulnerable population groups disproportionately impacted, in
particular women and girls.
“Gender
equality is a foundation for achieving all SDGs and it should be at the heart
of building back better,” said Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, an Assistant
Secretary-General at UN DESA.
Extreme
poverty rising
The
report also highlights a worrisome reversal on poverty reduction, with rising
prices set to exacerbate the situation.
By
the end of the year, roughly 383 million women and girls will live in extreme
poverty, compared to 368 million men and boys. Many more will have insufficient
income to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and adequate shelter in most
parts of the world.
If
current trends continue, more women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa will live
in extreme poverty by 2030 than today, according to the report.
The
invasion of Ukraine in February, and the ongoing war are further worsening food
insecurity and hunger, especially among women and children. The war has led to
limited supplies of wheat, fertilizer and fuel, while propelling inflation.
The
power of education
Other
daunting facts from the report reveal that globally, women lost roughly $800
billion in income due to the pandemic. Despite a rebound, women’s participation
in the job market is projected to decrease this year to 50.8 percent, compared
to 51.8 percent in 2021.
The
report has been released ahead of the Transforming Education Summit, which will
be convened on the margins of the UN General Assembly later this month.
Although
not enough by itself, achieving universal girls’ education would help to boost
gender equality.
Each
additional year of schooling can increase a girl’s future earnings by up to 20
percent, with further impacts on poverty reduction, better maternal health,
lower child mortality, greater HIV prevention and reduced violence against
women. — UN News
Source:
Saudi Gazette
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/624747
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Local
Teachers In Afghanistan Reopen Girls' Schools, Defying The Taliban's Education
Ban; Probe Underway
By
Shadi Khan
September
7, 2022
In
defiance of the Taliban's ban on education for girls, locals in one province of
Afghanistan have started reopening high schools.
Residents
and rights activists in Paktia province told the ABC at least four secondary
schools for girls in the provincial capital, Gardez, and one more in Samkani
district have been reopened by local academic staff and elders.
"The
communities had become fed-up with this [ban on girls’ education] and decided
to face whatever consequences it might bring," Paktia resident Mohammad
Sidiq told the ABC.
A
local Taliban official also confirmed the schools had reopened.
"The
administrators of these schools asked the students to come back to school and
the girls' high schools are open," Mawlawi Khaliqyar Ahmadzai, head of
Paktia's culture and information department, said in a video statement.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul a probe was underway to
see who ordered the reopening of the girls’ schools.
"Whenever
these schools are going to be allowed to reopen, they will be opened
simultaneously in all provinces and the ministry of education will make the
announcement," he said.
Upon
returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban shut the country's secondary
schools for girls but promised to reopen them without giving a specific date.
Shafiqa
Khpalwak, one of Afghanistan’s leading women's and girls' rights activists and
a native resident of Paktia province, told the ABC the ban had no cultural or
religious justification.
Women
and girls continued to attend schools and participate in political, social and
economic activities in other Islamic countries around the globe, she said.
"The
Taliban failed to provide a valid explanation about not allowing girls to go to
schools, because there is not a single reason in Islam and the Afghan culture
to ban girls from getting education – in fact both encourage and oblige women
just like men to seek knowledge," she said.
"This
move [to reopen schools] is also a good example of the fact that the ban on
girls schools is solely the Taliban’s decision and not supported by the
population from the Pashtun, Tajik or Hazara communities."
Afghans
taking the initiative
Melbourne-based
Ezat Ullah, a native of Paktia's neighbouring Khost province in Afghanistan,
told the ABC the relative peace and development in the past two decades during
the international presence had made Afghans realise the worth of education.
"Even
before the reopening of the girls’ schools in Pakia, some community leaders
took the initiative of continuing to educate girls at homes and other places
away from the eyes of the Taliban," Mr Ullah said.
He
added that the Australian government and other members of the international
community should continue to push the Taliban on girls' education as the group
desperately seeks international recognition.
Source:
ABC
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