Abuses of Pakistan Religious Minorities: Twelve-Year-Old Girl Kept Chained In Cattle Pen, Forced To Marry Abductor
New
Age Islam News Bureau
10
February 2021
•
British Television Personality Saira Khan Receives Threats After Saying She Is
Not a Practising Muslim
•
UAE Women Scientists Lead Arab World's First Space Mission To Mars
•
Islamic Feminist Supports Abolishing Law against Sex Outside of Wedlock
•
Malala Yousafzai Calls For More Support for Girls In Education In Literature
Festival Speech
•
Saudi Court Rejects Women's Rights Activist's Torture Claims In Jail
•
Jailed Saudi Activist Loujain Al-Hathloul Expected To Be Released
•
Children Of Kuwaiti Women To Receive Permanent Residency Permits
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Abuses
of Pakistan Religious Minorities: Twelve-Year-Old Girl Kept Chained In Cattle
Pen, Forced To Marry Abductor
Girls
from Pakistan’s Christian community protest after the kidnapping and forced
conversion of a 13-year-old in Hyderabad last year. Photograph: Newscom/Avalon
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Haroon
Janjua
10
Feb 2021
The
family of a 12-year-old girl in Pakistan who was chained up in a cattle pen for
more than six months, after allegedly being kidnapped and forced to marry her
abductor, have attacked the authorities for refusing to act.
The
case is among those now being examined by a government inquiry into the forced
conversions of religious minority women and girls, after police released the
man, saying they believed the girl had married him of her own free will.
The
child was taken from her home in Faisalabad last June and had been held at the
home of 29-year-old Khizer Hayat, where she was made to work clearing animal
dung. Her family are angry that no further action has been taken against the
man.
Police
investigators initially held Hayat but then released him, saying there was no
evidence the girl had not consented to the marriage and that a medical report
said she was 16.
“The
case has been taken up by the parliamentary committee of human rights in the
Senate of Pakistan and police are attending the committee’s hearings. She
confessed before the magistrate … that she married Khizer Hayat of her own free
will and she wants to live with him,” said Musaddiq Riaz, a detective with
Faisalabad police.
The
father of the girl – who is not being named to protect her identity – told the
Guardian that the police had discovered his daughter at a house in Hafizabad,
110km (68 miles) from her home.
“They
repeatedly raped my daughter. She was in trauma after being subjected to
physical and mental torture. They had forcibly converted her to Islam. She was
kept as a slave and forced to work having a chain attached to her ankles.
Police were not registering my complaint and threatened me [for] being a
minority Christian and used discriminatory remarks,” he said.
“She
was brought to the police station after negotiations with her abductors and she
was bandaged at the police station,” he said. “She was traumatised and I still
can’t believe she testified in favour of her kidnappers.”
He
disputed the court report and showed his daughter’s birth certificate along
with photographs of deep cuts and sores on her ankles. According to a 2019
report by the human rights commission of Pakistan, an estimated 1,000 Christian
and Hindu women are abducted and forcibly married every year. Many of the
victims are minors. Sexual assaults and fraudulent marriages are used by
perpetrators to entrap victims, and authorities rarely intervene.
Pakistan’s
tiny Christian population of about 2.5 million in the Muslim majority country
of 223 million faces frequent discrimination. In 2020 a 14-year-old Catholic
girl from Faisalabad was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to “marry” her 45-year-old
kidnapper. She managed to escape and is in hiding with her parents after a
court ruled she must return to her abductor.
Lala
Robin Daniel, an activist based in Faisalabad, said of the recent case:
“Despite the parliamentary Senate committee for human rights hearings, I am not
hopeful that justice will be served to the poor family. She was injured and in
a state of trauma.
“Teenage
girls from religious minority groups are often targeted for forced conversions
and marriages due to certain gaps in the law and weak laws. Police and
judiciary make fun of the parents seeking justice,” she said.
John
Pontifex, of Catholic organisation Aid to the Church in Need, said the British
government should be looking at the issue: “This case should sound a warning shot
to the UK government, questioning the efficacy of its aid strategy, which for
years prioritised funding to Pakistan. Given the institutionalised nature of
abuse of young girls of minority faith backgrounds, we should in good
conscience ask: is UK aid to Pakistan being used wisely? Is it aiding the girls
or abetting the problem?”
He
added: “We receive reports every week of incidents in which girls of minority
faith backgrounds are abducted, gang-raped, forcibly converted and who are made
to marry their abductor.
“And
it seems the state is complicit by failing to investigate cases, failing to
bring the perpetrators to justice and sanctioning child marriages.”
In
December, Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan ordered an inquiry into the
forced conversions of religious minority women and girls.
Tahir
Mehmood Ashrafi, Khan’s special representative for religious harmony, said: “We
are aware of the incident and the state of Pakistan is fully committed to
ensure justice to minorities whether it’s forced marriage or forced conversion.
“We
will not tolerate these acts. We will pursue the case, no one is above the law
and we will take serious action against the culprits … We are working on the
formulation of interfaith harmony councils at the local level to ensure minority
protection and to resolve such cases promptly.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/10/family-of-girl-12-forced-to-marry-abductor-condemn-pakistan-authorities
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British
Television Personality Saira Khan Receives Threats After Saying She Is Not a
Practising Muslim
Saira
Khan was the runner-up in the first season of The Apprentice in 2005
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10
Feb 2021
TV
presenter Saira Khan has said she received death threats after revealing she is
not a practising Muslim.
The
former Loose Women panellist clarified her faith earlier this week in a column
for The Daily Mirror.
"The
problem for women like me, who have a Muslim name and are of Asian heritage, is
that others make assumptions about us before we even open our mouths," she
said.
In
an Instagram Live on Monday, Khan said she had received death threats.
She
also posted a statement on her account which said she had been abused and
trolled online.
Khan
shot to fame as a contestant on The Apprentice. She has since appeared on
Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Big Brother.
For
the last five years she has been a regular panellist on ITV's Loose Women, but
she stepped down from her role in December.
What
did Saira Khan say?
In
a newspaper column, the broadcaster said she wanted to clarify her stance
"for [her] own wellbeing".
"I
feel that by saying this as a public figure, I will no longer inadvertently
confuse or unintentionally hurt others of the Muslim faith," she wrote.
"People
assume that because we have Muslim parents we are practising Muslims, that we
have read the Quran, that we fast every Ramadan, that we don't drink, that we
don't have sex before marriage."
Khan
said many aspects of her lifestyle did not fit with Islam, such as wearing
clothes that go against the accepted dress code, drinking alcohol and having a
boyfriend "behind closed doors".
The
broadcaster, who is of Pakistani heritage, also highlighted that she had
adopted a child and had not followed Islamic rules on her daughter's
inheritance rights.
She
continued: "I respect people who have Islam in their lives - some are the
most humble people I know.
"However,
I don't share their conviction. I've tried hard over many years, not for
myself, but for my parents and the wider family."
She
said that having been brought up in a practising Muslim family, "most of
my values are based on the spiritual aspects of the Muslim faith. But I'm also
influenced by other spiritual teachings".
What
was the reaction to the column?
Khan
took part in an Instagram Live broadcast on Monday evening, during which she
said she had received death threats since the publication of her article.
On
Tuesday, she posted a statement on Instagram reiterating that she has
"been sent threats, abuse and been trolled".
"Why
my personal choice of how I choose to live my life should stir such hatred in
others is incomprehensible to me," she said.
But,
the presenter added, she had also received support from several followers. She
shared screengrabs of some messages she had been sent.
Khan
said she had been "contacted by so many women in the last 24 hours
documenting their fears for wanting to live their life how they wish".
"Whilst
I like to keep things upbeat and positive, I cannot forget that I as a woman
have a duty on my platform to help other women.
"We
don't need to look the same in order to feel each other's pain. I feel your
pain if you are hurt."
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55999849
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UAE
Women Scientists Lead Arab World's First Space Mission to Mars
The first mission to Mars launched by the United
Arab Emirates is set to enter the planet’s orbit on Tuesday
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09.02.2021
The
first mission to Mars launched by the United Arab Emirates is set to enter the
planet's orbit on Tuesday following a seven-month, 494 million-kilometre (307
million miles) journey.
This
would make the UAE the fifth space agency to reach the red planet and mark the
first interplanetary mission led by an Arab country.
The
Emirates Mars Mission, which has cost around $200 million (€165 million),
launched the Hope Probe from a Japanese space center.
Chair
of the UAE Space Agency and the Emirati Minister of State for Advanced Sciences
Sarah Al-Amiri said the country is "comfortably waiting, anxiously
anticipating our entry into space exploration as a nation."
The
scientist said the UAE can now start sending data about the Martian atmosphere
and climate, studying daily and seasonal changes.
"This
being the first weather satellite on Mars will give us a better understanding
of atmospheric dynamics and climate change on a neighbor that looks somewhat
like us," Al-Amiri told DW.
Women
paving the way in space exploration
Women
make up an overwhelming majority of the mission team, according to Al-Amiri.
"Or
science team is 80% women. They are there based on merit and based on what they
contribute towards the design and development of the mission," she told
DW.
"I
myself have not faced any adversity throughout my career, be it working at the
space center from almost 12 years ago, all the way to becoming a minister
within the cabinet," she added.
UAE
aims for Mars settlement by 2117
The
Mars mission is part of the UAE's broader efforts to ramp up its scientific and technological
capabilities and decrease economic
dependence on oil.
The
program "has accelerated the rate of development of capabilities within
the Emirates for both scientists and also engineers," Al-Amiri said,
adding that the UAE hopes the space exploration will ultimately enable it to
also design and develop complex systems in other industries.
UAE
Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum warned that the attempt to
lock into orbit around Mars has a 50% chance of failing.
"But
even if we could not enter the orbit, we've already made history. This is the
farthest point in the universe to be reached by Arabs throughout their history
... Our goal is to give hope to all Arabs that we are capable of competing with
the rest of the world," he said.
The
UAE this year celebrates 50 years since its founding and independence from the
UK. The country's space agency said that it aims for a Mars settlement by 2117.
Both
China and NASA launched Mars missions just after the UAE's lift-off in July and
are also set to reach the planet this month.
https://www.dw.com/en/uae-women-scientists-lead-arab-worlds-first-space-mission-to-mars/a-56513724
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Islamic
Feminist Supports Abolishing Law against Sex Outside of Wedlock
By
Yahia Hatim
Feb
9, 2021
Moroccan
Islamic feminist Asma Lamrabet has expressed her support for the movement
calling for the abolishment of Article 490 of Morocco’s Penal Code, relating to
sex outside of wedlock.
Lamrabet
shared her opinion in a Facebook publication, saying that Article 490 should
not exist.
“Article
490 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which today criminalizes sexual relations
outside marriage is in contradiction with Muslim ethics and with ethics in
general,” Lamrabet wrote. “It is unacceptable in today’s Morocco.”
The
former director of the Center for Women’s Studies in Islam (CERFI) voiced
support for the abolishment of Article 490 amid a raging national debate about
the issue.
In
recent days, two opposing camps — #STOP490 and #KEEP490 — have been fiercely
discussing the legal text on social networks. Lamrabet is among the few — if
not the only — intellectuals with a background in Islamic studies who expressed
support for the “STOP490” clan.
The
feminist agreed with those claiming that Islam forbids sex outside of wedlock.
However, she argued that punishing citizens who do not follow religious
teachings is not among the penal code’s missions.
“Having
sex outside of marriage is morally forbidden, but when, within a society, this
act is performed between adults and in private, it cannot be penalized,”
Lamrabet said. “It depends on the moral convictions of each person.”
The
Moroccan essayist also considered that Article 490 interferes in the private
and intimate lives of people.
“To
interfere in people’s privacy is contrary to Islamic teachings, which makes any
accusation [of sex outside of wedlock] impossible to prove,” Lamrabet argued.
She
gave the example of a man who came to Prophet Muhammad to denounce another man
who had sex outside of marriage. Prophet Muhammad responded: “Had you veiled
him with your cloak, it would have been better for you.”
The
incident proves that Islam advises against exposing what people are doing in
privacy, even if their acts are wrong, Lamrabet explained.
“Following
religious teachings or not following them is a matter of faith and personal
moral convictions,” she concluded. “Only God can judge.”
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/02/334455/islamic-feminist-supports-abolishing-law-against-sex-outside-of-wedlock/
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Malala
Yousafzai Calls For More Support for Girls In Education In Literature Festival
Speech
February
08, 2021
DUBAI:
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai has always been a staunch advocate for
womens’ right to education. The activist, who has been campaigning for equal
schooling opportunities since the age of 11, was ambushed and shot by the
Taliban in 2012 while on her way home.
Fortunately,
she survived and did not falter in her mission to promote access to education.
Yousafzai has since traveled the world to give inspirational speeches, written
a best-selling book and become the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize
at just 17.
She
has continued to use her influence to enact change via the non-profit Malala
Fund, that advocates for girls’ education through helping build schools in
rural areas, offering programs to advance secondary education and providing
school supplies for those who need them most.
The
activist, 23, took the opportunity to speak at the 2021 Emirates Airline
Festival of Literature over the weekend to discuss why we should prioritize the
right to education and to highlight the current issues making it difficult for
females around the world to attend school.
Speaking
virtually, the Oxford University graduate said: “Every girl should have the
right to complete 12 years of education.”
She
also touched on the effects that the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
pandemic has had on schooling.
“Millions
of girls are being taken out of schools, which is a serious cause of concern,”
Yousafzai said.
“I
really hope that governments, teachers, civil society and education activists
are giving their full attention to this, ensuring that girls are learning from
home, at this time,” she said.
Citing
research from the Malala Fund, Yousafzai revealed that it is estimated that 20
million more girls will be dropping out of school for issues like “girls being
pushed into forced marriages or having to become the financial supporters of
their families and added responsibilities, leaving no time for their
education.”
She
added: “There is a gender disparity when we look at how COVID-19 has impacted
education, not only while the pandemic is ongoing but also once it is over and
many children start returning to school. Several girls might be held back for
these reasons and will not be able to return to school.”
Yousafzai
pointed out that the Malala Fund has initiated a series of initiatives to make
sure girls can continue learning during the pandemic and return to school as
soon as it is safe.
“One
of the activists that we support in Nigeria started radio lessons during the
pandemic, to keep children engaged in education and learn from home. In
Pakistan, the activists have worked on coming up with mobile apps and providing
educational lessons through national television,” said the Nobel Peace Prize
laureate.
She
concluded her empowering speech by stating that while “there are millions of
more girls who are at risk of losing their education, the Malala Fund will
continue to work hard and ensure that as many girls are able to return to
school once this is over.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1805766/lifestyle
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Saudi
Court Rejects Women's Rights Activist's Torture Claims In Jail
FEB
09, 2021
ASaudi
appeals court has rejected the claim of women's rights activist Loujain
al-Hathloul that she was tortured in jail, members of her family said on
Twitter on Tuesday.
Al-Hathloul,
31, was detained in 2018 and sentenced by a Saudi court in December to an
almost six-year jail term, some of which was suspended, in a case that has
drawn international condemnation.
That
month another court dismissed allegations that she was tortured, citing a lack
of evidence.
"The
appeal maintains its first decision: denies the torture. The reason? The burden
of proof is on Loujain," wrote her sister, Lina.
Rights
groups and her family say al-Hathloul, who campaigned for women's right to
drive and to end the kingdom's male guardianship system, was subjected to
abuse, including electric shocks, waterboarding, flogging and sexual assault.
Saudi authorities have denied the charges.
The
White House earlier this month said U.S. President Joe Biden expects Saudi
Arabia to improve its human rights record, including releasing women's rights
activists and other political prisoners.
Al-Hathloul
was convicted by Riyadh's Specialised Criminal Court on charges including
seeking to change the Saudi political system and harming national security.
United Nations human rights experts have called the charges
"spurious."
The
court suspended two years and 10 months of her sentence of five years and eight
months – most of which she has already served since her arrest. Once released,
al-Hathloul faces a five-year travel ban.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/saudi-court-rejects-womens-rights-activists-torture-claims-in-jail
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Jailed
Saudi Activist Loujain Al-Hathloul Expected To Be Released
9
Feb 2021
Saudi
women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is expected to be released from
prison on Thursday after more than 1,000 days in detention.
In
a series of tweets, her sister Alia al-Hathloul said Loujain was expected to
get out of prison as per a judge’s order but will remain on probation and be
banned from travel outside of Saudi Arabia.
“It
is a potential release from prison and she is still under probation, [a] travel
ban and awaiting news of the appeal process,” said Alia on Tuesday.
In
December 2020, a Saudi court sentenced Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and
eight months in prison on terrorism-related charges and banned her from leaving
the country for five years.
Local
media reported she had been found guilty by the court on charges including
agitating for change, pursuing a foreign agenda and using the internet to harm
public order.
The
court suspended two years and 10 months of her sentence, and she was set to be
released in March.
Her
potential release would come weeks into US President Joe Biden’s
administration, which has vowed it would take a firmer stance on the kingdom’s
human rights record.
Biden
said he would halt US support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen,
saying the more than six-year war, widely seen as a proxy conflict between
Saudi Arabia and Iran, “has to end”.
Last
week, Saudi authorities released two activists with US citizenship on bail
pending their trials.
Bader
al-Ibrahim, an epidemiologist and journalist, and Salah al-Haidar, a media
commentator whose mother Aziza al-Yousef is a prominent women’s rights
campaigner, were released on Thursday.
Rights
abuses
Loujain
al-Hathloul, 31, has been in custody since 2018 after being arrested along with
at least a dozen other women’s rights activists in a crackdown on dissent led
by de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS).
Her
arrest came just weeks before the historic lifting of a decades-long ban on
female drivers, a reform they had long campaigned for.
Al-Hathloul’s
case, and her imprisonment for the past two-and-a-half years, have drawn
criticism from rights groups, members of the US Congress and European Union
lawmakers.
Pro-government
Saudi media branded them as “traitors” and al-Hathloul’s family says she
experienced sexual harassment and torture in detention.
Rights
organisations have also documented the torture and sexual violence al-Hathloul
has been subjected to since her arrest.
According
to her family members, some of the torture sessions have been in the presence
of MBS’s close aide Saud al-Qahtani.
The
Saudi court recently dismissed those allegations.
According
to London-based NGO ALQST, Monday marked 1,000 days since Loujain’s
imprisonment.
The
detention of women activists has cast a renewed spotlight on the human rights
record of the kingdom, an absolute monarchy which has also faced intense
criticism over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul
consulate.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/9/jailed-saudi-activist-loujain-al-hathloul-expected-to-be-released
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Children
Of Kuwaiti Women To Receive Permanent Residency Permits
February
09, 2021
Yasmena
Al Mulla
Kuwait
City: Kuwait’s Women and Family parliamentary committee announced it has
approved a draft law allowing children of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis
to receive permanent residency.
In
addition, one of the committee’s members, MP Osama Al Shaheen, said they will
be given priority in employment after Kuwaitis and will be treated as Kuwaitis
in ministries.
While
the law is a step in the right direction for children of Kuwaiti women married
to non-Kuwaitis, some have pointed out that it is not enough. According to
article 29 of the Kuwaiti constitution, all people are equal in the eyes of the
law and rights and that there should be no differentiation amongst them because
of gender, origin, language or religion.
Challenges
faced
Children
of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men face challenges from applying for a
scholarship to obtaining a job. The government covers their education up to
university level, plus their health care.
Kuwait
is one of the 25 countries that does not permit women to pass on their
nationality to their children or spouses.
As
of 2016, there are 19,000 Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men and with
approximately 56,000 children, according to the Public Authority for Civil
Information.
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/children-of-kuwaiti-women-to-receive-permanent-residency-permits-1.77072306
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