Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad Arrests Bengaluru Woman, Shama Parveen, For ‘Al Qaeda Links’
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 July 2025
· Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad Arrests Bengaluru Woman, Shama Parveen, For ‘Al Qaeda Links’
· 7,418 SC, ST Women Allegedly Raped, 558 Murdered In MP Between 2022–2024
· Bengal Woman, Sajanu Parveen, Sticks To Guns Against Delhi Cops: ‘They Said If We Said Jai Shri Ram We Could Go’
· In Sri Lanka, Hijab-Clad Girls Are Punching Down Barriers To Change; Boxing Training Begins After The Final Prayer Call
· UAE: Sheikha Fatima To Lana Nusseibeh, Powerful Women Who Dominate Emirati Politics
· Women Prisoners Protest Executions at Iranian Prison
· Courage Is Essential For Afghanistan’s Women Of Radio Begum
· Female Tour Guides In Afghanistan Lead Women-Only Groups As Some Travellers Return
· UAE Golden Visa: 2 Thai Women Granted 10-Year Residency For Promoting Date Farming
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/gujarat-anti-terrorism-bengaluru-woman/d/136352
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Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad Arrests Bengaluru Woman, Shama Parveen, For ‘Al Qaeda Links’
30.07.25
X/@BeingPolitical1
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The Gujarat anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has arrested a 30-year-old woman from Bengaluru for her alleged role as the key conspirator in a terror module linked to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), it was reported on Wednesday.
The reports citing sources claimed the woman, Shama Parveen, was running the entire network and coordinating operations from Karnataka.
Parveen, originally from Jharkhand and residing in Bengaluru’s Manoramapalya area for the past five years, was apprehended early Tuesday after a raid at her residence following intelligence leads from earlier detainees linked to AQIS.
She was produced before the 8th additional chief metropolitan magistrate in Bengaluru, who approved her transfer to Gujarat police custody for further investigation.
According to unnamed ATS officials, Parveen was in touch with four suspects — Mohd Fardeen, SefullahKureshi, Zeeshan Ali, and MohdFaiq — who were arrested earlier this month from Gujarat, Delhi, and Noida.
Aged between 20 and 25, these individuals were allegedly in contact with each other via a social media app and were assigned high-profile targets across India.
Parveen reportedly used Instagram and other platforms to propagate extremist content and radicalise youth, especially by promoting the concept of “Ghazwa-e-Hind,” a term associated with religious warfare in radical Islamist circles.
Not much is known about Al Qaeda in India. In a paper published in 2017, the Middle East Institute said that in "September 2014, the Middle Al-Qaeda Central (AQC) announced the formation of a new regional affiliate called “Qaedat al-Jihad fi’shibhi al-qarrat al-Hindiya,” or Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)."
A recent UN report by the Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee noted that AQIS, under its current leader Osama Mehmood, is trying to expand operations into Jammu and Kashmir, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Source:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/gujarat-anti-terrorism-squad-arrests-bengaluru-woman-for-al-qaeda-links/cid/2115603
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7,418 SC, ST Women Allegedly Raped, 558 Murdered In MP Between 2022–2024
30 Jul 2025
A total of 7,418 SC and ST women were allegedly raped, 558 murdered, and 338 gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh between 2022 and 2024(Express Illustration)
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BHOPAL: A total of 7,418 Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women were allegedly raped, 558 murdered, and 338 gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh between 2022 and 2024, according to information shared by the state government in the Vidhan Sabha.
The data, presented in response to a question raised by Congress MLA Arif Masood, indicates that on average, at least seven SC/ST women were allegedly raped every day in the state over the past three years.
Importantly, around 38% of the central Indian state’s population belongs to these two marginalised sections, with SCs comprising approximately 16% and STs 22% of the total population.
As many as 558 SC/ST women were allegedly murdered in Madhya Pradesh between 2022 and 2024. Of these, 411 were tribal women and 147 were from scheduled castes.
The same period also saw 338 cases of gang rape against women from the two communities, 186 victims were from ST groups, while 152 were from SC communities.
A total of 5,983 SC/ST women were allegedly molested during the same period, translating to five molestation cases every day. Of these, 3,367 victims were Dalit women, while 2,616 were tribal women.
Further, the data reveals that while tribal women were allegedly more vulnerable to violent and sexual crimes such as rape, gang rape, and murder, Dalit women were comparatively more at risk of domestic violence and molestation.
Out of 1,906 cases of domestic violence against SC/ST women, 1,352 victims were from scheduled castes and 554 from scheduled tribes. This indicates that two SC/ST women on average faced domestic violence each day during the three-year period.
As per the official figures shared in the House, a total of 44,978 cases of crimes against SC/ST women were registered in Madhya Pradesh during the three years, which works out to an average of 41 such cases per day.
The shocking statistics have brought renewed focus to the vulnerability of women from marginalised communities in the state and the urgent need for targeted measures to ensure their safety and justice.
Source:
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Jul/29/7418-sc-st-women-allegedly-raped-558-murdered-in-mp-between-20222024
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Bengal Woman, Sajanu Parveen, Sticks To Guns Against Delhi Cops: ‘They Said If We Said Jai Shri Ram We Could Go’
30.07.25
Sajanu Parveen, a resident of Malda’s Chanchal who has claimed that Delhi police personnel in plainclothes had picked her up from a Delhi slum and assaulted her, doubled down on her allegations on Wednesday.
Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had flagged the alleged assault – in which she said even Parveen’s child was not spared – on Sunday evening as an example of how Bengali-speakers were being tortured in BJP-ruled states in the name of nabbing illegal immigrants.
Delhi’s deputy commissioner of police (east) Abhishek Dhania had denied the allegations on Monday, dismissing them as politically motivated. Mamata had stuck to her guns, saying the truth will eventually come out.
“They [Delhi cops] are not showing the place where I was taken to and assaulted,” Parveen said on Wednesday addressing a news conference at the Trinamool Bhawan in Kolkata, flanked by state minister and city mayor Firhad Hakim and party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
“I asked them where they had bought me and my son. I was told it was some hospital, Mangalam,” Parveen said.
“The first day, four people came in plainclothes and claimed they were from the CID. They asked for my Aadhaar card. When I told them we are from Malda, they said you are from West Bengal, everybody in West Bengal is Bangladeshi,” Parveen said.
“I told them if everyone in West Bengal is Bangladeshi, is the chief minister Mamata Banerjee also Bangladeshi?”
Parveen, a mother of three, said she was picked up the next day.
“There is no CCTV footage from where they picked me up, where they took me and the Rs. 25,000 that we were forced to pay them. They made us sign several papers. We don’t know what they were about,” Parveen alleged.
“One of them hit my son so hard, there was a cut above his ear and started bleeding. They said if we said Jai Shree Ram we could go.”
Describing the place where she and her children were taken, Parveen said there was nothing but a Jamun tree.
There is a Manglam hospital near Shanti Marg in the Vinod Nagar area of Delhi. It could not be confirmed whether the woman was taken to the same place.
“They asked for my phone. I told them I don’t have one. I was slapped twice. I asked them why they were slapping me. They replied we are from CID. They made me call my husband from another phone and told him to come with Rs. 25,000. I was also kicked in my stomach,” Parveen said.
Denying Parveen’s claim, DCP Dhania had said, “It appears to be a deliberate attempt to malign the image of Delhi police through a politically motivated narrative.”
The alleged assault on the family happened amid Trinamool’s fightback against actions initiated in BJP-ruled states on Bengali-speakers — mostly Muslims, some of whom have been claimed to be undocumented Bangladeshi migrants.
Despite the Delhi police’s denial, Trinamool insists that the assault did take place. The party fielded Fielding Parveen along with her husband and their children, indicating that it will continue to raise the issue as the state Assembly elections, due next year, approach.
“Her statement proves what Mamata di had said was true. Delhi police cannot deny it any longer,” said Kunal Ghosh, Trinamool spokesperson.
Source:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/bengal-woman-sticks-to-guns-against-delhi-cops-they-said-if-we-said-jai-shri-ram-we-could-go/cid/2115643
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In Sri Lanka, Hijab-Clad Girls Are Punching Down Barriers To Change; Boxing Training Begins After The Final Prayer Call
by AanyaWipulasena
30 Jul 2025
A group of girls gather each night. Above them, flat windows glow with blue TV light. Below, in the dim, oil-stained parking lot, the sharp rhythm of fists on punching bags and focus pads cuts through the hot, sweat-soaked air.
With each punch, the girls push back against the weight of adversity, balancing faith and true grit to rewrite their stories.
Curious men stop to watch, drawn to the rare sight of Muslim girls trading fierce jabs alongside neighbourhood boys in Slave Island — a tucked away corner of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo.
Boxing training begins after the final prayer call echoes from the nearby mosque. It's a familiar sound, an auspicious one. The girls just prayed in their homes before heading to the parking lot for boxing.
For 15-year-old Mehera Banu, who shares a tiny, one bedroom house with her single mother, two brothers, and ailing grandmother, boxing is more than a sport. It's about forging her place in a fight many didn't expect her to join.
"When I am in the parking lot, training with the girls, everything else, every hardship, fades away. I feel like I am on top of the world," Mehera said.
She understands that without the support of her mother, grandmother and aunt, her future might have looked very different.
"Boxing is not something Muslim girls are allowed to do," she said, adding that she is lucky everyone around her encourages her on. If not for boxing, she would be spending her evenings in front of the TV.
Mehera's mother, Sahira Banu, works as a housemaid overseas. On brief visits home, she proudly watches her daughter train.
"When I am at work, I watch her training videos and scroll through her photos. It makes me very proud. I am happy to see my daughter doing what I couldn't do when I was her age, and sad because I am not with her," Sahira said.
While paying off a loan, she managed to save enough to buy Mehera a pair of new shoes to train in.
The boxing training began in 2022, during Sri Lanka's most severe economic crisis, when even basics like fuel and cooking gas were hard to find and food prices skyrocketed.
Seeing the neighbourhood youth turning to drugs, Mohamad Anas, a businessman and politician, approached coach NuwanDananjaya to start a boxing club. Coach Nuwan even pawned his gold to buy gloves and other equipment to launch the training centre.
Mohamad's daughters, Maryam and Maiza, were the first girls to join the training when it began.
While her parents stood by her from the beginning, Maryam's school principal was less enthusiastic, sceptical about a Muslim girl stepping into a "boy's sport". It took convincing from her parents, the school vice-principal, and a teacher to change her mind.
Maryam was relentless, persevering through frowns and discouragement from some — and went on to win bronze at a national level tournament this year. Mehera secured a silver medal, while 15-year-old Saima Fazil won bronze at the same tournament.
"When I won my medal, I was the happiest. It was unexpected and it was magic. I will reach the best I can reach in boxing," Maryam said.
Now, girls from all over the island reach out to her on social media to praise her and show interest in taking up the sport. Maryam hopes to start an all-girls boxing club soon.
"That way more girls will join us. There could be girls who don't want to train with boys in my community, but with an all-girls club we can overcome that hurdle too," she said.
Just past 10pm the boxers are exhausted — but their faces are wide with smiles. As they leave, they give Coach Nuwan a quick fist bump.
Source:
https://www.abc.net.au/asia/slave-island-boxing-girls/105582056
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UAE: Sheikha Fatima to Lana Nusseibeh, powerful women who dominate Emirati politics
30 Jul 2025
On August 28, the UAE will celebrate its women’s successes and accomplishments, which stretch back decades. Entitled ‘Hand in Hand, Celebrating the 50th’, this year’s Emirati Women’s Day will be extra special, as it celebrates 50 years since the establishment of the General Women’s Union. Women in the UAE have long since been making strides in the political sphere, engaging in policymaking and advocating for women’s rights.
Today, Emirati women hold nine ministerial positions, nine are ambassadors, and 50 per cent of the Federal National Council’s members are women. Khaleej Times looks at the powerful women who dominate Emirati politics, both domestically and abroad.
The Mother of the Nation
The wife of the late Sheikh Zayed, founder of the nation, Sheikha Fatima is known as the mother of the nation. Her efforts to support gender equality and champion women’s rights go back to four years after the UAE was founded, when she established the General Women’s Union in 1975. Ever since, Sheikha Fatima has been tirelessly working to represent women in different facets of society.
The General Women’s Union plays a large role in reviewing public policies, legislation, and other draft laws relating women, and proposes necessary amendments to empower them.
Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak has spent four decades to try and elevate women’s positions to be represented at the social, economic, and political levels. In 2004, she launched a programme to strengthen the role of women parliamentarians and women’s political participations. Emirati women owe it to Sheikha Fatima for her support and leadership.
First parliamentarian
Sheikha Fatima’s programmes proved to be effective, because two years later, the UAE made history. In 2006, Amal Al Qubaisi was the first female member of the Federal National Council. Almost a decade later, in 2015, she was elected Speaker of the FNC, becoming the first woman to chair a parliamentary institution in the Arab world.
The Emirati politician paved the way for other women to join the FNC. Slowly but surely, more women started occupying more seats at the FNC, and today, 50 per cent of the seats, all thanks to a directive by the late Sheikh Khalifa.
Pioneering Emirati woman
The UAE’s first woman to assume a ministerial post, Sheikha Lubna made history in 2004 and has since led four major ministries. From economy to tolerance, her leadership reflected the nation’s evolving priorities and rising global stature.
She was appointed President of Zayed University in 2014, promoting educational excellence and innovation. Sheikha Lubna remains one of the most iconic symbols of Emirati women's empowerment and continues to receive global recognition for her contributions.
The woman behind Expo 2020 Dubai
Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy has become one of the most visible and effective figures in the UAE Cabinet. She was instrumental in delivering Expo 2020 Dubai, the first World Expo held in the region, and currently oversees the long-term legacy of the project through Expo City Dubai.
Her leadership extends across global development and philanthropy. She chairs the UAE’s committee on sustainable development goals and leads Dubai Cares, aligning humanitarian work with national priorities. Al Hashimi is also a key figure in advancing the UAE’s global influence in international cooperation.
Taking the UAE to new heights
Lana Nusseibeh has been a strong diplomatic force for the UAE on the global stage. Appointed as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 2013, she has served in key roles such as President of the UN Women Executive Board and co-facilitator of critical UN initiatives.
Her deep involvement in international policymaking, revitalization of the UN, and digital development has helped cement the UAE’s presence within multilateral institutions. At home, she helped establish the Policy Planning Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Youngest minister in the world
At just 22, Shamma Al Mazrui became the youngest minister in the world when she was appointed Minister of State for Youth Affairs in 2016. Her appointment marked a shift in the UAE’s vision for youth inclusion in policymaking and national development.
She now serves as Minister of Community Development and COP28 Youth Climate Champion. Her leadership journey is rooted in listening, learning and serving — values she says define her role. Al Mazrui also chairs the UAE Special Olympics and plays a pivotal role in shaping youth policy and education reform.
Climate change champion
As Minister of State for Food and Water Security, Mariam Almheiri has overseen critical strategies to safeguard the UAE’s future in a changing climate. Her leadership spans from advancing food technology to representing the UAE at global food security forums.
She previously served as Minister of Food Security, laying the foundation for robust infrastructure aimed at achieving national goals. Today, Almheiri’s work continues to impact agriculture, sustainability and innovation at the highest policy levels.
Strategy and policy affairs
The Deputy Minister for Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, Huda Al Hashimi, has been instrumental in developing the UAE government’s agenda and maintaining its high reputation on the world stage. When you think of Huda Al Hashimi, the words “strategy”, “innovation”, and “policy making” should come to mind. She leads the process to make sure the UAE is on track to achieve its ever-ambitious vision, as well as the National Agenda.
Al Hashimi also serves as board member of the Dubai Women Establishment, which was established in 2006 by Sheikha Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Source:
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/sheikha-fatima-lana-nusseibeh-emirati-women-dominate-politics
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Women Prisoners Protest Executions at Iranian Prison
JULY 29, 2025
Female political prisoners at Qarchak Prison held a protest on Saturday against executions and prison violence.
The prisoners gathered in the quarantine corridor to honor Mehdi Hosseini and BehroozEhsani, two political prisoners executed that morning.
The protesters chanted, “We stand until death sentences are abolished,” “Death to the dictator,” and “The execution government must be destroyed.”
Prisoners said several political inmates at Ghezelhesar Prison were beaten and placed in solitary confinement.
They announced that Saeed Masouri, a political prisoner, was transferred to Zahedan Prison.
The protesters supported the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and called for international action against what they called “systematic violence.”
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/women/143600-women-prisoners-protest-executions-at-iranian-prison/
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Courage Is Essential For Afghanistan’s Women Of Radio Begum
30 Jul 2025
In June 1951, Australia's first School of the Air was established. Its aim was to bring isolated children out of the silence of outback Australia via two-way radio and give them a sense of belonging in the air-waves classroom. Seventy years later, that iconic Australian institution inspired the creation of another facility to bring education, learning and community to a very different cohort of isolated school children – the girls of Afghanistan.
In 2021, Radio Begum for Afghan women and girls started its operations, staffed by a female team of journalists, reporters, and education and health specialists. Today, it broadcasts six hours of radio lessons a day as well as health, psychology and entertainment programs all designed to inform and empower Afghanistan’s women and girls who are banned from attending school or university after Grade Six. According to UN Women, a complex patchwork of more than 80 edicts, directives and decrees introduced by the Taliban, which came to power the same year Radio Begum began, has systematically targeted women’s access to education, rights, freedoms and autonomy. Women are banned from public spaces, including government buildings, parks and sports clubs, and are stripped of their economic independence.
That Radio Begum is able to continue and complement its activities through the internet-based Begum Academy and Begum Television, which beams its programs into Afghanistan out of France, says much about the brave women behind the microphones and Begum’s founder, Hamida Aman. Courage is essential.
On 4 February this year, Taliban authorities raided Begum’s compound in Kabul, temporarily closing the radio station down. In a statement on the social media site X, the Taliban information ministry said the station had been suspended because of “multiple violations” and for “providing materials and programs to a TV station based abroad”. That station was Begum’s own television station in Paris. Two male employees were arrested in the raid.
The radio station was given permission to resume broadcasting later that month but access was only made possible three weeks after that approval when the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence finally lifted the seals placed on the premises. The two staff members remained in detention and authorities demanded that any resumption of radio broadcasts adhere to strict conditions including a formal ban on producing any television content.
Despite the psychological trauma and mistrust created by the raid, the women of Begum prevailed. Operating Begum TV from France meant that it remained beyond the reach of local repression. The raid on Radio Begum highlighted the vulnerability of the Begum concept. As a result, Begum TV has in their own words “become a cornerstone of our mission and a vital safeguard of resilience in the face of mounting threats to Afghan media”. Of note, Reporters Without Borders this year found that more than two-thirds of the 12,000 journalists in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban takeover have left the profession. Eight out of every ten women journalists have had to stop working. In the annual ranking of press freedom, Afghanistan sits near the bottom, just above Iran, Syria, China, North Korea and Eritrea.
Amid the perils and restrictions, Radio Begum continues to offer a daily program of six hours of radio classes in Dari and Pashto languages plus other programs designed to give Afghan women a voice, all produced by the female Afghan team. Begum TV broadcasts 24/7 into Afghanistan via satellite with video courses covering the entire Afghan school curriculum from years 7 to 12 in both Dari and Pashto.
Complementing the educational broadcasts is the Begum Academy, a free digital platform covering the Afghan secondary school curriculum. Since March, the platform has also been available through a mobile app designed to make the content accessible offline. Begum Academy is the first educational platform in Afghanistan that combines all the subjects of Grades 7 to 12 in an audio-visual format where students can learn, interact, and evaluate their skill levels.
The importance of girls being able to access Begum's educational resources cannot be overstated. The latest statistics from UN Women show that as of April 2023, 80 per cent of school-aged girls and young women were not in school.
But there is some light. One of Begum’s detained employees was released on 14 July. There is hope that the second staff member will be freed next month. And earlier in July, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhunzada and the chief justice of the Taliban, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, on charges of committing crimes against humanity by persecuting women and girls on the grounds of gender.
Meanwhile, we wait to see how far Australia’s “unprecedented action” to hold Afghanistan to account under international law for the treatment of women and girls can proceed. Last September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Australia joined Germany, Canada and the Netherlands in announcing its intent to commence proceedings against Afghanistan for violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In accordance with the requirements of the convention, the countries have started the preliminary steps in the dispute resolution process. The first precondition requires disputing parties to attempt to settle the dispute by way of negotiation. Should the negotiations or attempts to negotiate fail, subsequent steps include arbitration. Only after these preliminary steps have been taken is it possible for a disputing State to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice.
As the brave women of Begum continue their essential work, there is a ray of hope that these international efforts, however cumbersome, protracted and imperfect, might narrow the gap between the daily reality and the humanitarian ideal of Afghanistan’s women and girls.
Source:
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/courage-essential-afghanistan-s-women-radio-begum
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Female Tour Guides In Afghanistan Lead Women-Only Groups As Some Travellers Return
ByElena Becatoros
July 30, 2025
KABUL, Afghanistan -- They wandered through the museum, listening attentively as their guide explained the antiquities in display cabinets. It could have been any tour group, anywhere in the world. But there was something unusual about this one.
The group of foreigners visiting the National Museum of Afghanistan was made up only of women. Its guide was a woman, too — one of the first Afghan female tour guides in a country whose Taliban rulers impose the severest restrictions on girls and women anywhere in the world.
SomayaMoniry, 24, hadn't known that tour guides existed, as a profession or even as a concept. But while browsing the internet for help on improving her English language skills, she stumbled upon Couchsurfing, an app where travelers connect with locals and stay in their homes.
After hosting a traveler, “I became very passionate about it and it was very interesting for me,” Moniry said. “It was very unique. I have never heard about it before, so I said: ‘Why not (do) this?’”
As she showed that first visitor around her hometown in western Afghanistan, she saw a new side to her country.
“Most of the things that we have heard (about Afghanistan) was just … negativity. The focus of the people, focus of the media, focus of headlines, all of them were just the negativity. And definitely we get influenced by that,” Moniry said.
But for her, Afghanistan is far more nuanced. While there are undoubtedly problems in a place recovering from decades of war and chaos, there is also another side to the complex, stunning country. Her love for her homeland runs deep, and she is eager to share it. She hopes to gradually change people’s perceptions.
“Whenever … I saw all of that natures, all those beauty, all those positivity, it changed my view totally,” Moniry said in her enthusiastic English. “And definitely this can be also for other people.”
One of those visitors is Australian Suzanne Sandral. She originally wanted to see Afghanistan in the 1960s but the pressures of having a family kept her away. Now at 82, she was part of Moniry’s women-only tour group in Kabul.
Afghanistan surprised her.
“It’s not what I expected at all. I expected to feel rather fearful. I expected to be given a lot of ... accusatory looks. Not at all,” she said during a pause in sightseeing. “Wherever you go in the streets, if you smile at someone and give them a little nod or say hello, you get a terrific response. So it’s very different.”
Jackie Birov, a 35-year-old independent traveler from Chicago who was not part of the tour group, called the Afghan people “unbelievably hospitable.”
However, “I’m very aware that I have a lot more freedom than local women,” she said.
Four decades of war have kept tourists away from Afghanistan. But while the Taliban’s takeover of power in August 2021 sent thousands of Afghans fleeing and shocked the world, the end of its insurgency against the previous U.S.-backed government also marked a sharp drop in violence.
Attacks still occasionally occur, mainly by an Islamic State affiliate, and Western countries advise against all travel to Afghanistan. Still, the improved security is increasingly attracting foreign visitors drawn by the dramatic scenery, millennia of history and a deeply ingrained culture of hospitality.
Tourism is a fledgling industry, with annual visitors in the low thousands. Most are independent adventure travelers. But guided package tours are increasing from countries as diverse as China, Greece, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government is keen to welcome them. Isolated on the international stage — officially recognized only by Russia, which did so in July — the government sees how potentially lucrative tourism could be.
Tourist visas, typically single-entry ones valid for stays of up to 30 days, have become relatively simple to obtain from the few embassies that issue them. Regular flights connect Kabul with major transit hubs such as Dubai and Istanbul.
For some, the idea of visiting Afghanistan as a tourist is morally abhorrent, particularly given the government’s treatment of women.
Girls are banned from education above primary school level, and women live under myriad restrictions. The government dictates what they can wear in public, where they can go and who they can go with. They cannot walk in parks or eat in restaurants. Beauty salons are banned. A very limited number of professions, such as teaching and carpet weaving, are open to them.
And the rules can change quickly.
But those involved in tourism point to the positive effects that visiting Afghanistan can have.
“I truly believe in ethical tourism,” said Zoe Stephens, 31, a British tour leader at Koryo Tours, a company specializing in unusual destinations. “I believe that you can divide politics and people, and that is the main thing for me. … A country is not a sum of its politics. It’s a sum of so much more, it’s a sum of its culture, its history, its food, and especially in Afghanistan, its people.”
Of the three recent tours Stephens led in Afghanistan, two were women-only. Working with local female guides, including Moniry, they combine key attractions with visits to women’s centers and cooking and embroidery classes from local women — worlds that are closed to male travelers.
“We always try and do something a little bit different that really makes our tours unique, as well as something that kind of gives back to the community,” Stephens said. “So I felt that working with the female tour guides does both of those things really well.”
The groups are small — one had eight women, the other three — but the company is looking to build a network of female guides across Afghanistan.
“What we try and do with this tour, especially the women’s tour, is conquer those ethical concerns,” Stephens said. “The idea is to learn about the lives of Afghan women in context.”
Source:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/female-tour-guides-afghanistan-lead-women-groups-travelers-124196104
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UAE Golden Visa: 2 Thai women granted 10-year residency for promoting date farming
29 Jul 2025
The recognition was granted by Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), whose director general, Lt Gen Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, personally met the two Thai women who are participating in the ongoing Dubai Dates Festival. The annual event, organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre, celebrates Emirati agriculture and cultural heritage.
The recipients, owners of Orawan Farm in Thailand, manage over 5,000 fruit-bearing date palm trees. Beyond cultivation, they have gained attention for creatively promoting the health benefits of dates through TikTok, helping expand global awareness of the fruit’s significance.
Recognising their role in “promoting date cultivation beyond the UAE and spreading Emirati heritage and values globally," the GDRA nominated them for the Golden Visa — marking the first time he visa has been awarded to foreigners for cultivating dates outside the Emirates.
According to Thai PBS World, dates in Thailand are mostly grown in NakhonPathom, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, and in the Northeastern provinces, with yellow Barhi dates as the most popular variety.
The UAE Golden Visa is a long-term residence visa that enables foreign talents to live, work, or study in the UAE while enjoying exclusive benefits. Investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, outstanding students and graduates, humanitarian pioneers, and frontline heroes are among those eligible for the Golden Visa.
Source:
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/life-and-living/visa-and-immigration-in-uae/golden-visa-granted-2-thai-women-date-farming
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/gujarat-anti-terrorism-bengaluru-woman/d/136352