Adila Hassim, the South African Lawyer Fighting ‘Genocide’ Case against Israel at ICJ
New Age
Islam News Bureau
12 January 2024
·
Adila Hassim, The South African
Lawyer Fighting ‘Genocide’ Case Against Israel at ICJ?
·
Rina Amiri, U.S. Representative
for Afghan Women’s Affairs: The US Should Not Normalize the Relations with
Taliban
·
UN Concerned Over Taliban
Arrests Of Afghan Women And Girls For Alleged Islamic Headscarf
·
Violations
·
Islamic Emirate Reacts to
UNAMA’s Statement on Arrest of Women
·
Muslim Woman, Assaulted By 7
Men In Karnataka Hotel, Alleges Gangrape
·
Millions of US Women, Children
Risk Hunger Without More Aid Funding, White House Says
·
Women religious gear up for
battle against human trafficking with prayer, education
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/adila-hassim-genocide-icj/d/131505
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Adila Hassim, the South African Lawyer
Fighting ‘Genocide’ Case Against Israel at ICJ?
Adila
Hassim, The South African Lawyer
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January 12, 2024
Adila Hassim, a prominent lawyer
representing South Africa in the Gaza genocide case at the International Court
of Justice (ICJ), delivered a compelling speech on January 10, offering a
scathing indictment of Israel’s actions in the besieged city. The impassioned
address, made before a 15-judge panel in a packed courtroom, garnered
widespread applause online.
Adila Hassim’s legal career has spanned
decades, primarily focusing on socio-economic rights matters. She specializes
in constitutional, administrative, health, and competition law. Hassim has
served as an acting judge and has contributed to various legal and health
journals. Additionally, she is a co-founder of Corruption Watch, an
anti-corruption organization.
The South African legal team accused
Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians and urgently appealed to the
United Nations’ top court to halt Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Israel
vehemently denied the allegations, while South African lawyers argued that the
conflict is part of a long-standing oppression of Palestinians.
During the opening arguments, Adila
Hassim emphasized the severity of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza,
describing it as one of the heaviest conventional bombing campaigns in modern
warfare history. She highlighted the destruction of Palestinian towns and the
inadequate aid reaching the population, rendering essentials for life
unobtainable.
Another South African lawyer,
TembekaNgcukaitobi, accused Israel of having “genocidal intent” against
Palestinians in Gaza, pointing to a clear pattern of conduct targeting civilian
infrastructure. The death toll in Gaza exceeded 23,200, according to the Health
Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
The legal dispute not only addresses the
ongoing conflict but also touches on fundamental issues related to Israel’s
national identity as a Jewish state established after the Holocaust. It draws
parallels with South Africa’s own history under apartheid, with the African
National Congress comparing Israel’s policies to its past experiences with
racial segregation.
The case unfolds against a backdrop
where geopolitical, historical, and humanitarian considerations intersect,
contributing to a complex and highly charged legal argument at the ICJ.
Source: muslimmirror.com
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/who-is-adila-hassim-the-lawyer-fighting-genocide-case-against-israel-at-icj/
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Rina Amiri, U.S. Representative for
Afghan Women’s Affairs: The US Should Not Normalize the Relations with Taliban
Rina Amiri,
U.S. Representative for Afghan Women’s Affairs
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Fidel Rahmati
January 12, 2024
At a meeting of the Parliament’s Foreign
Affairs Committee, Rina Amiri, the U.S. representative for Afghan women’s
affairs, emphasized that the United States should not support the normalization
of relations with the Taliban.
Rina Amiri emphasized that the Taliban’s
policies against women should be made clear, adding, “We must make it clear to
the Taliban that human rights and women’s rights are paramount for the United
States.”
The U.S. representative for Afghan
women’s affairs stressed that despite the Taliban’s promises, the struggle to
preserve human rights in Afghanistan has become challenging. She mentioned that
minorities, especially the Hazaras, are at risk, and the Taliban’s restrictions
against women have increased.
During the meeting held on Thursday, she
stated that the Taliban has attempted to remove women from the public sphere
and has detained women activists.
Recently, the Taliban has sparked
controversy and faced significant condemnation and criticism for detaining
dozens of women in various parts of Kabul for dress code violations.
Ms. Amiri further added that considering
the Taliban’s track record, the path forward is difficult. She stated, “Let us
stand by Afghan women and not victimize them.”
Amiri emphasized that support for women
is a global endeavour, calling for collaboration between Islamic countries and
Western nations. She highlighted the importance of amplifying and reflecting
the voices of Afghan women, asserting that the most effective support for
Afghanistan lies in upholding human rights.
Source: khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/the-us-should-not-normalize-the-relations-with-taliban-rina-amiri/
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UN concerned over Taliban arrests of
Afghan women and girls for alleged Islamic headscarf violations
January 11, 2024
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United
Nations mission in Afghanistan said Thursday it was deeply concerned by recent
arbitrary arrests and detentions by the Taliban government of women and girls
for allegedly violating dress codes regarding the Islamic headscarf, or hijab.
The mission said it was looking into
claims of ill treatment of women and extortion in exchange for their release,
and warned that physical violence and detentions were demeaning and dangerous.
The Taliban said last week that female
police officers have been taking women into custody for wearing “bad hijab.”
It was the first official confirmation
of a crackdown on women who don’t follow the dress code imposed by the Taliban
since they returned to power in 2021 — a crackdown that has echoed events in
neighboring Iran, which saw months of protests in 2022 and has long enforced
the mandatory hijab.
The U.N. statement said hijab-enforcing
campaigns in the capital, Kabul, and the province of Daykundi have been ongoing
since Jan. 1, with large numbers of women and girls warned and detained. The
mission also said women from religious and ethnic minorities appear to be
disproportionately impacted.
“Enforcement measures involving physical
violence are especially demeaning and dangerous for Afghan women and girls,”
said Roza Otunbayeva, U.N. special envoy and head of the mission.
“Detentions carry an enormous stigma
that put Afghan women at even greater risk,” she said. “They also destroy
public trust.”
The Taliban chief spokesman, Zabihullah
Mujahid, said the U.N. preoccupation with Afghan women was unwarranted, and
dismissed its concerns.
“Afghan women wear hijab of their own
accord,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They don’t need to be
forced. The Vice and Virtue Ministry hasn’t forced anyone (to wear hijab)
either.”
In May 2022, the Taliban issued a decree
calling for women to only show their eyes and recommending they wear the
head-to-toe burqa, similar to restrictions during their previous rule of the
country between 1996 and 2001.
A spokesman for the Vice and Virtue
Ministry, Abdul Ghafar Farooq, earlier Thursday rejected reports that women and
girls were being arrested or beaten for wearing “bad hijab” and called it
propaganda from the foreign media.
Source: apnews.com
https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-arrest-women-girls-hijab-20275d94a4ee42d8b5f3ab62ff1f801e
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Islamic Emirate Reacts to UNAMA’s
Statement on Arrest of Women
Jan 11, 2024
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid reacted to the UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA)
statement regarding the arrest of women in Kabul and Daikundi.
On Thursday, UNAMA said in a statement
that it “is deeply concerned over recent arbitrary arrests and detentions of
women and girls by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities because of alleged
non-compliance with the Islamic dress code.”
According to the statement, since 1
January, in Kabul and Daykundi provinces, UNAMA has documented a series of
hijab decree enforcement campaigns by the de facto Ministry for the Propagation
of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and the de facto police.
“In the capital Kabul, large numbers of
women and girls have been warned and detained. In Nili City of Daykundi
province, women and girls have also been detained,” the statement said.
Mujahid said that UNAMA’s concerns
regarding the mistreatment of women because of not observing hijab are not
correct.
“The Afghan women are observing the
hijab themselves. There is no need for forceful actions. The [Ministry of Vice
and Virtue] has also not used force against anyone. The propaganda in this
regard is not true,” he said.
Meanwhile, UANAMA said that it is
looking into allegations of “ill-treatment and incommunicado detention, and
that religious and ethnic minority communities appear to be disproportionately
impacted by the enforcement operations.”
According to UNAMA, to secure release,
“a mahram, or male guardian, has been required to sign a letter guaranteeing
future compliance or else face punishment.
The statement quoted head of the UNAMA
Roza Otunbayeva:“Enforcement measures involving physical violence are
especially demeaning and dangerous for Afghan women and girls.”
“Detentions carry an enormous stigma
that put Afghan women at even greater risk. They also destroy public trust,”
she said.
The statement said that UNAMA has
discussed these issues with the de facto authorities, including the de facto
Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, and calls
for the immediate release of those detained.
Source: tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186925
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Muslim Woman, Assaulted By 7 Men
InKarnataka Hotel, Alleges Gangrape
Jan 11, 2024
Sagay Raj
The woman who was abused by a group of
seven Muslim men inside a hotel in Karnataka's Haveri district has alleged that
she was gang raped by the accused. She and her partner were thrashed by the
group of men over their interfaith relationship.
The incident took place on January 7 but
only came to light after the victims narrated their ordeal to the police, and
registered a case against the accused.
Further, an undated video of the same
men abusing another woman inside a car has also surfaced.
The woman who was abused inside the
hotel room said the men dragged her from the room and took her near a river
where they thrashed her. She alleged that the men took turns raping her and
afterwards they took her to the city in a car and the driver also raped her.
"Then they left me on the road to
catch a bus," she added.
She said she didn't know the name of all
the men who assaulted her but one of them was called Aftab.
"I can identify them if they are
produced in front of me. The video footage would show all of them clearly. It
includes all of them who raped me. I beg that they should all be
punished," said the woman.
The men had filmed the entire incident
where they barged into the hotel room and attacked the couple.
The Supertindent of Haveri Police, Anshu
Kumar told India Today TV that the woman's statement alleging gang rape has
been recorded under Section 164 (Recording of confessions and statements) of
the Code of Criminal Procedure after she was produced before a magistrate.
Kumar said the woman had not mentioned
the rape charges in her earlier statement but Section 376(D) (gang rape) has
been added into the charges against the accused. “She has accused seven people
in her statement. Three have already been arrested. Another three are in the
hospital. They will be arrested after they are discharged. We will arrest the
rest as well," added the SP.
Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra
commented on the incident and said it was "extremely horrifying". In
a post on X, he wrote, "Increasing incidents of crime on women in the
state is very distressing."
He also slammed the state government
under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and said the incident highlights the
"collapsing law and order" situation.
BJP IT cell's convenor Amit Malviya also
slammed the Opposition over the incident and said, "Deafening silence in
the secular cabal."
VIDEO ABUSING ANOTHER WOMAN
After the incident in the hotel room in
Haveri came to light, an undated video of the same men abusing another Muslim
woman inside a car has surfaced.
The woman in the video seems to have
been kidnapped by the men who slapped and taunted her. They also repeatedly
tried to remove the covering from her face as she pleads with the men.
SP Anshu Kumar said they have not
received any complaints over the video, but the police will file an FIR.
"We will take this up suo moto and register an FIR on the other video
doing the rounds," he added.
Kumar added that strict action will be
taken against the accused, and they will serve as a deterrent to anyone who
tries to take the law into their own hands.
Source: indiatoday.in
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/karnataka/story/interfaith-couple-attacked-karnataka-hotel-gang-rape-charges-old-video-same-men-harassing-another-woman-2487598-2024-01-11
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Millions of US Women, Children Risk
Hunger Without More Aid Funding, White House Says
Jan. 11, 2024
Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress
must raise spending on a food assistance program for low-income women and
children or 2 million could be turned away this year, Biden administration
officials said on Thursday.
A bitterly divided Congress has for
months failed to reach agreement on 2024 government spending levels and is
racing to avert a partial shutdown on Jan. 19.
An eventual deal should include $1
billion more for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC), said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and White House
Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden on a call with reporters.
The program, which had a budget of $6
billion last year, is facing a shortfall due to rising food costs and higher
participation.
The funding gap could result in as many
as 2 million people being turned away from the program this year, according to
a December analysis by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
"The longer Congress puts off fully
funding WIC, the greater the risk grows to moms, babies and children who need
and are seeking nutrition and health support from the program," Vilsack
said.
WIC provides food, nutrition education
and healthcare referrals to about 6.7 million low-income people each year
including about half of all infants born in the U.S., according to the
Department of Agriculture, which administers the program.
A stopgap federal funding bill in
November that narrowly averted a government shutdown extended some nutrition
programs until Sept. 30, but not WIC.
If Congress does not raise spending
levels, states would have to put applicants on wait lists, said Paul Throne,
WIC director for Washington State, on the call.
"We’re struggling to understand how
we’re going to continue to serve the people who need us," Throne said.
"We have not had waiting lists in Washington State for at least 30
years."
Source: usnews.com
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2024-01-11/millions-of-us-women-children-risk-hunger-without-more-aid-funding-white-house-says
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Women religious gear up for battle
against human trafficking with prayer, education
January 11, 2024
As the nation marks National Human
Trafficking Awareness Day Jan. 11, women religious in the U.S. are combating
modern slavery with prayer and education.
The Alliance to End Human Trafficking —
whose members include more than 100 congregations of Catholic women religious —
has created a dedicated webpage featuring a prayer service and tool kit for the
national observance, which was established by Congress in 2007.
On the same day, the organization
launches a daily prayer series on social media leading up to the Feb. 8
International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, designated
as such by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International
Union of Superiors General.
The international day coincides with the
feast of St. Josephine Bakhita. Born under slavery in Sudan, St. Bakhita
eventually became a Canossian sister in Italy. Since her canonization by St.
John Paul II in 2000, she has become the patron saint of human trafficking
survivors.
The Jan. 11 national observance features
a "Wear Blue Day" initiative that invites participants to share
social media images of themselves wearing blue clothing to signal support for
ending human trafficking. The Alliance to End Human Trafficking's staff and
members have posted videos to its social media platforms for the campaign, and
it is also highlighting an array of resources for countering trafficking.
In 2021 alone, the most recent year
reported on, some 50 million individuals worldwide were in a form of modern
slavery, according to the United Nations' International Labor Organization.
The two most common types of human
trafficking are forced labor (including sex trafficking) and forced marriage.
In 2021, the Washington-based nonprofit
Polaris, which operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, received
more than 10,350 reports involving over 16,550 individual victims — numbers
representing "likely only a fraction of the actual problem,"
according to the organization's website.
During fiscal year 2022, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security opened 1,373 human trafficking investigations,
an increase of more than 260 cases over the previous fiscal year.
The State Department's 2023 Trafficking
in Persons Report highlighted three key trends in trafficking — an increase in
forced labor, a rise in the use of online scams to target victims and growing
numbers of boys and men among those trafficked.
At the same time, "in the last year
or so, there's more of a conversation around sex trafficking" and human
trafficking in general, said Sister of St. Joseph Meaghan Patterson, a social
worker and executive director of Dawn's Place, which is part of the alliance
and Philadelphia's first residential recovery program for women who have been
sex trafficked.
Patterson told OSV News the 2023 film
"Sound of Freedom," which dramatizes the independent work of former
Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard in rescuing trafficked children,
"really sparked a lot of those discussions."
However, she cautioned, "it's
critical that people like us — who are doing the work every day — present the
reality and facts of sex trafficking, and not the Hollywood glorified version
of it."
Patterson said that trafficking often
takes place undetected, but in plain sight.
"A lot of our women are trafficked
or exploited by someone they know," such as "a boyfriend, parent,
uncle or cousin — someone they have a connection with," she said, adding
that "traffickers tend to prey on vulnerabilities" in their victims.
From a national perspective, "we
need to do a better job" at both preventing trafficking and supporting
survivors, she said.
With sex trafficking, "there's so
much stigma that is still attached to particularly prostitution," she
said. "We (say), 'They're prostitutes,' instead of saying, 'They're being
prostituted.' "
Legalized prostitution, which exists in
certain parts of Nevada, and the exponential growth of the multibillion-dollar
pornography industry, have "absolutely" worsened the problem of
trafficking, she said.
Despite the scope of the problem,
Catholic faithful can make a positive impact, said Patterson.
"The number one thing you can do is
pray," she said. "There is a huge power in prayer. ... Our retired
sisters (are) a powerhouse of prayer.
"Not everyone is going to be able
to volunteer or work at Dawn's Place, or have direct contact with survivors of
sex trafficking, but they can pray for survivors," she added. "They
can pray for those inflicting the pain, and they can pray for those of us
working with survivors."
Source: globalsistersreport.org
https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/women-religious-gear-battle-against-human-trafficking-prayer-education
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/adila-hassim-genocide-icj/d/131505