Namibia Elects, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as First Female President
New Age Islam News Bureau
4 December 2024
· Namibia Elects, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as First Female President
· Afghan Women 'Banned From Midwife Courses' In Latest Blow To Rights
· North Belfast School Tells Muslim Girls It’s ‘Not Safe’ For Them
· Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian Criticises New Hijab Law Imposing Tougher Penalties On Women
· How to join Muslim women’s Nasheed group in Bradford
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/namibia-elects-female-president-netumbo/d/133922
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Namibia Elects, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as First Female President
4 December 2024
By George Oshogwe Ogbolu
Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party has secured victory in last week’s contentious elections, marking a historic moment as Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah becomes the country’s first female president.
The results, however, remain disputed by the main opposition.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) announced that Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, captured just over 57% of the votes, while her closest rival, Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), garnered 25.5%.
Despite the outcome, the IPC has rejected the results, citing irregularities and logistical challenges during the voting process.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, a long-serving SWAPO figure, takes the reins of the resource-rich nation, which has been under SWAPO’s rule since its independence in 1990.
Her leadership signals a new chapter as she becomes one of the few women leaders on the African continent.
The election, held on November 27, faced significant logistical issues, including ballot paper shortages and technical problems with electronic voter registration devices.
These challenges led to extended voting days and lengthy queues, with some citizens abandoning the process after waiting for up to 12 hours. The IPC has labeled these issues as deliberate attempts to disenfranchise voters and has vowed to challenge the election results through legal avenues.
The southern African human rights lawyers’ group, which monitored the elections, also criticized the widespread delays, describing them as intentional.
The ECN has admitted to organizational shortcomings, including overheating of electronic devices and insufficient ballot papers, but defended the overall process.
Voter turnout was high, with nearly 77% of the 1.5 million registered voters participating. The election was seen as a critical test for SWAPO, which faces growing dissatisfaction among young voters—a trend mirrored by other liberation-era parties in the region, such as South Africa’s ANC and Botswana’s Democratic Party, which have recently faced significant political setbacks.
Despite Namibia’s wealth in uranium and diamonds, much of its population of nearly three million has not seen the benefits, with youth unemployment soaring to an estimated 46% in 2018. Nandi-Ndaitwah has pledged to address these issues, promising to create jobs by leveraging economic diplomacy and attracting investments.
Known for her gold-framed glasses and consistent display of SWAPO’s blue, red, and green colors, Nandi-Ndaitwah has emphasized the experience and wisdom she brings to her new role.
As she takes office, she faces the challenge of uniting a nation divided by election controversies while delivering on her promises to drive economic growth and job creation.
Source: naijanews.com
https://www.naijanews.com/2024/12/04/namibia-elects-first-female-president/
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Afghan women 'banned from midwife courses' in latest blow to rights
December 3, 2024
Women leaving the education colleges on Tuesday
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Women training as midwives and nurses in Afghanistan have told the BBC they were ordered not to return to classes in the morning - effectively closing off their last route to further education in the country.
Five separate institutions across Afghanistan have also confirmed to the BBC that the Taliban had instructed them to close until further notice, with videos shared online showing students crying at the news.
The BBC has yet to confirm the order officially with the Taliban government's health ministry.
However, the closure appears to be in line with the group's wider policy on female education, which has seen teenage girls unable to access secondary and higher education since August 2021.
The Taliban have repeatedly promised they would be readmitted to school once a number of issues were resolved - including ensuring the curriculum was "Islamic".
This has yet to happen.
One of the few avenues still open to women seeking education was through the country's further education colleges, where they could learn to be nurses or midwives.
Midwifery and nursing are also one of the only careers women can pursue under the Taliban government's restrictions on women - a vital one, as male medics are not allowed to treat women unless a male guardian is present.
Just three months ago, the BBC was given access to one Taliban-run midwife training centre, where more than a dozen women in their 20s were learning how to deliver babies.
The women were happy to have been given the chance to learn.
“My family feels so proud of me," a trainee called Safia said. "I have left my children at home to come here, but they know I’m serving the country."
But even then, some of the women expressed fear about whether even this might be stopped eventually.
What will happen to those women - and another estimated 17,000 women on training courses - is unclear.
No formal announcement has been made, although two sources in the Ministry of Health confirmed the ban to BBC Afghan off the record.
In videos sent to the BBC from other training colleges, trainees can be heard weeping.
"Standing here and crying won’t help," a student tells a group of women in one video. "The Vice and Virtue officials [who enforce Taliban rules] are nearby, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of you."
Other videos shared with the BBC show women quietly protesting as they leave the colleges - singing as they make their way through the hallways.
One Kabul student said she had been told to "wait until further notice".
"Even though it is the end of our semester, exams have not yet been conducted, and we have not been given permission to take them," she told the BBC.
Another student revealed they "were only given time to grab our bags and leave the classrooms".
"They even told us not to stand in the courtyard because the Taliban could arrive at any moment, and something might happen. Everyone was terrified," she said. "For many of us, attending classes was a small glimmer of hope after long periods of unemployment, depression, and isolation at home."
What this means for women's healthcare also now remains to be seen: last year, the United Nations said Afghanistan needed an additional 18,000 midwives to meet the country's needs.
Afghanistan already has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with a report released last year noting 620 women were dying per 100,000 live births.
Source: bbc.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy3l1035nlo
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North Belfast School Tells Muslim Girls It’s ‘Not Safe’ For Them
December 04, 2024
Lyndsey Telford
The alleged assault happened at a school in north Belfast in November
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Three young Muslim girls at the centre of a racial bullying row have been told by their north Belfast school it is “not safe” for them to return.
The children, aged under 16, have not been back to the Belfast Model School for Girls since an alleged assault there in November.
A statement from the board of governors of the school said "the safety and wellbeing of all our students remains our highest priority".
Complaints were made concerning the girls to police, who are now investigating the incident as a hate crime.
A friend of the girls’ parents said the situation had been “switched” to make them look like “bad people”.
They told BBC News NI that one of the girls had been defending herself when the alleged assault occurred.
They said the incident had resulted in false claims online that have left the children “traumatised” and too scared to leave the house.
Two of the young girls were briefly suspended, while the third remained off amid safety concerns.
'Isolated and left alone'
BBC News NI has seen evidence that the Girls Model subsequently advised that the children do not return to the school “in the interest of their own safety”.
This has left them feeling “unprotected, isolated, and left alone”, according to the friend.
In its statement, the school's board of governors said it is continuing to work with the Education Authority (EA).
“Whilst we cannot discuss individual students, we remain firmly committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and diverse environment where all students are happy, learning, and succeeding," it continued.
“We would ask the local community for their support so that we can continue to provide a safe learning environment for our students and staff."
A spokesperson for the EA, which manages and funds the school, confirmed it was “working closely” with the school following the recent incident.
“Staff from a range of services have been and continue to provide specialist advice and support,” they said.
“The priority is to ensure that all pupils feel safe and welcome to attend school so they can continue to learn in an inclusive environment.”
About 200 parents protested at the school following the incident.
They told BBC News NI at the time that they were concerned for their children’s safety.
Claims were made online that schoolchildren were being targeted by Muslim girls.
Some social media users claimed that Muslim girls at the school acted as a “gang” and that they had a “hit list” of “local” girls; that they had been attacking teachers; and that knives were brought to the school.
There were also calls in the comments for “ethnic cleansing” in the area.
In an attempt to reassure parents, school principal Paula Stuart confirmed at the time that “PSNI were onsite to view CCTV and that no knives were involved”.
She described online claims as “inaccurate” and appealed for “support in helping to stop the spread of misinformation”.
What happened at the school?
The friend, who was speaking anonymously due to concerns for their own safety, said prior to the incident at the school, the girls claimed to have experienced racial bullying.
“Hitting on the shoulder, calling names, calling them monkey, calling them black, saying they’re here for the money of this country – benefits – and asking them to go back to their country,” they said.
“Pulling their hijabs, calling their hijabs ugly, and calling them ugly. They felt very, very isolated. Fearful.”
The friend said one of the girls had been defending herself when another child was hurt in the alleged assault, which happened on 12 November.
Police Supt Allister Hagan confirmed enquiries were continuing.
“Officers continue to liaise with key stakeholders in relation to this matter,” he said.
“No arrests have been made in relation to the incident, which is being treated as a hate crime.”
Report of brick thrown
Separately, BBC News NI understands that police are investigating a potential link between the incident at the school and a report that a brick was thrown through the window of a property close to where the three Muslim girls live.
It’s understood that is also being treated as a hate crime.
“These are children – very young children. They had all this confusion. ‘Are we safe? Are these people going to come to our house? Are other Muslim girls safe?’” the friend said.
“They felt as though their world in Northern Ireland has just finished.
“Their mental health is affected by this so badly that they can’t sleep at night.
“They haven’t left their door. It’s just unbelievable, unimaginable for young people like that to be locked in in fear when the rest of the world is going on.”
‘False claims and stereotypes’
One of the girls, who has been identified on social media as the perpetrator of the alleged assault, now wants to change her name.
“They are worried. They’re wondering why there is no protection in place for them,” the friend added.
“These are young girls, their names have been mentioned.
"Even the other girls whose parents are [making claims]—their names are all over social media.
"It’s just not safe for any child to be in that kind of intensity of misinformation.”
Daniel Holder, director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, told BBC News NI that some posts on social media had been “toxic” and “racist”.
He said incidents happen at schools all the time, but this particular one was escalated due to misinformation online.
“It’s underpinned by the usual false claims and stereotypes – false claims about gangs, false claims about terror, false claims about knives – and that in itself feeds a climate where minorities are more likely to be victimised, more likely to be targeted, and more likely to be attacked,” he said.
“It’s a far-right trope to collectively demonise a community and present them as a threat, but obviously different people will pick up misinformation, and some people will think it’s true. And that is extremely risky.”
Source: bbc.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2wk0k4597o
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Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian Criticises New Hijab Law Imposing Tougher Penalties On Women
December 04, 2024
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed doubts about new legislation imposing tougher penalties on women who flout mandatory hijab regulations.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been required to cover their hair in public.
However, increasing numbers are appearing without hijabs, especially since protests erupted following Mahsa Amini's death in custody in September 2022. She had been arrested for allegedly violating the dress code.
Parliament has approved the new "hijab and chastity" law, but it requires the President's signature on December 13 to take effect.
"As the person responsible for promulgating this law, I have many reservations about it," Mr. Pezeshkian told state television late Monday.
The text has not been officially published, but Iranian media reports say the legislation imposes fines equivalent to up to 20 months' average salary for women who improperly wear a hijab or forgo it altogether in public or on social media.
Violators must pay within 10 days or face travel bans and restrictions on public services, such as obtaining driving licences.
"We risk ruining a lot of things in society because of this law," the Iranian President said, adding that leaders must avoid actions that could alienate the public.
The morality police, who arrested Amini before the protests, have largely vanished from the streets since then, though the unit has not been officially abolished.
Mr. Pezeshkian, who became President in July after campaigning to remove the morality police, has yet to announce whether he will sign the law.
Source: thehindu.com
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/irans-president-criticises-new-hijab-law/article68942952.ece
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How to join Muslim women’s Nasheed group in Bradford
3rd December
By Natasha Meek
MUSLIM women who love singing can now join a new Nasheed Group created in Bradford.
The Muslim Women’s Council has created the Muslim Women’s Vocal Group.
It will teach devotional recitation including Naats, Hamd, Qasidah and much more.
The free weekly sessions are held every Tuesday in a Bradford location, from 6.45pm to 8.45pm.
The vocal group is open to all women and girls aged 14 and over.
It is hoped to bring joy to those who enjoy singing or reciting and who might like to participate in live performances.
Source: thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/24767718.join-muslim-womens-nasheed-group-bradford/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/namibia-elects-female-president-netumbo/d/133922