Iranian Women’s Dance Video Deleted After Tehran Complaint: FIBA
New Age Islam News Bureau
18 July 2025
· Iranian Women’s Dance Video Deleted After Tehran Complaint: FIBA
· Hijab Row In Karnataka: Chairman Told Four Kashmiri Nursing Students To “Get Out”
· US Woman, Mindy Rasmussen, Travels To Pakistan To Marry, Sajid Zeb Khan; Converts To Islam, Becomes Zulekha
· Buhari’s Daughter, Aisha Hanan Buhari Expresses Gratitude To Nigerians For Forgiving Her Father
· AAP's Widow Pension Scheme Benefit 80,000 Muslim Women With Husbands - Misleading Claim
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iranian-women-dance-video-tehran-complaint/d/136214
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Iranian Women’s Dance Video Deleted After Tehran Complaint: FIBA
Maryam Sinaiee
July 17, 2025
Scenes from the dance video deleted by FIBA
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Iran International
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is facing mounting criticism for removing a video showing the women's team from Iran dancing in celebration after Iranian authorities deemed it “un-Islamic” and formally demanded its removal.
The clip, posted earlier this week during the Asia Cup Division B tournament in China, was deleted just two hours later.
Iranian officials had cited in their complaint with FIBA a breach of the Islamic Republic’s codes of conduct.
“Red lines exist only for women. Men can express their happiness however they wish," sports journalist SaeedehFathi told Iran International TV, adding that the incident shows how “even a simple expression of joy by women is intolerable” to the Islamic Republic.
Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad accused FIBA of enabling state repression.
“You can’t claim to represent international sport while bowing to the demands of a gender apartheid regime,” she posted on X. “This is not ‘respect for culture’—it is complicity with the Islamic Republic.”
Tehran defends move
Hassan Moezzifar, secretary of Iran’s Basketball Federation, confirmed that FIBA removed the clip following a formal request on July 14.
“This was an unprofessional act by FIBA,” he told sports outlet Haft-e Sobh. “They published the video without coordination. If they had reached out, we would have explained our protocols and avoided the issue.”
Moezzifar insisted the players would not face punishment, but reiterated that such displays conflict with Iran’s Islamic regulations.
Dancing as resistance
In Iran, public dancing—especially by women—is officially banned and often labeled as moral corruption. Solo female singing is also prohibited.
Despite these restrictions, dancing and singing have become quiet forms of resistance.
Videos of women dancing in public—sometimes with headscarves, often without—routinely circulate on social media. Many appear spontaneous and receive encouragement from onlookers, challenging the state’s claim that such acts offend societal values.
But the risks are real: In April 2024, a female student in Bushehr was threatened with expulsion after a video of her dancing at a graduation ceremony went viral.
It remains unclear whether the basketball players’ celebration was a deliberate act of defiance or simply a moment of joy. Either way, the state’s reaction—and FIBA’s compliance—has sparked a new round of public debate over gender, joy and control.
Athletes under pressure
Iranian athletes have increasingly used international platforms to protest state repression. During the Women, Life, Freedom protest movement of 2022–2023, many players refused to sing the national anthem.
In August 2023, after a win over Mongolia, most of Iran’s women’s basketball team remained silent during the anthem. But more recently, footage of the same team singing and saluting the flag during their July 2025 match against Singapore was widely broadcast by Iranian state media.
Similar footage of the women’s soccer team during a tournament in Vietnam showed players giving a military-style salute—interpreted by the state as proof of restored loyalty.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202507171113
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Hijab Row In Karnataka: Chairman Told Four Kashmiri Nursing Students To “Get Out”
Saumya Solanki
18 Jul 2025
We’re talking about a case that’s once again put Karnataka in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: a college, a piece of cloth, and four young women asking: Can my hijab keep me from my classroom?
At the centre of this storm is the Sri SoubhagyaLalitha College of Nursing in Bengaluru. Four Kashmiri students allege they’ve been denied entry into classes, barred from exams, and even threatened with expulsion, all because they refused to remove their hijab or burqa.
These girls say they’ve been wearing the same attire since they joined in 2023, no questions asked. But everything changed when a new principal took charge. Suddenly, their clothes were a problem.
One of the students told EdexLive and I quote “No one objected when we joined. Now, they say it’s unacceptable. But our burqa has never hurt anyone.”
They claim the chairman himself walked into class and told them to “Get out” if they didn’t remove their hijab. And when they tried to reason, bringing up Article 25, the right to practice their religion, they say the principal told them that this is a private college with its own set of rules
The students say they were even ready to remove the burqa during exams if needed for security checks, but the college demanded a written response that they would never wear it on campus again.
Now, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has stepped in. They’ve written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, demanding action. They’ve called this a clear violation of the Constitution, the right to religion, the right to education, and the right to equality.
The college says they’re only following “university rules.” But so far, no official document has surfaced that actually bans hijabs for nursing students, not in Karnataka, not in Kashmir, not anywhere in India.
So is this about discipline and dress codes, or does it cross the line into outright religious discrimination?
BYTE
So what happens next? The students are still waiting. They say they’ve been standing outside the gates for days, missing classes, missing exams, their future hanging by a thread.
So, here’s the question we want to leave you with: Should a hijab decide whether someone is allowed to sit for an exam? Or should education, by definition, stay larger than dress codes and religious divides?
Source: edexlive.com
https://www.edexlive.com/videos/straight-up/2025/Jul/18/hijab-row-in-karnataka-kashmiri-nursing-students-locked-out
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US Woman, Mindy Rasmussen, Travels To Pakistan To Marry, Sajid Zeb Khan; Converts To Islam, Becomes Zulekha
Jul 17, 2025
Mindy Rasmussen, a 47-year-old Illinois woman, travelled to Pakistan to meet her 31-year-old boyfriend, Sajid Zeb Khan, whom she met online and fell in love with. The US woman has gone viral for her Chicago to Upper Dir lover story that has the support of both families.
Mindy met Sajid online through Facebook a year ago and reached Pakistan earlier this month on a 90-day visit visa. Pakistani media reported that Rasmussen converted to Islam and adopted new name Zulekha as she solemnized her marriage with Sajid. Sajid said there was no force on Mindy to travel to Pakistan and to convert to Islam -- neither from him nor from his family. “She is a mature woman capable of making her own choices. We are tying the knot of our own free will," Sajid told the Dawn.
Mindy said she informed her family members including her father, older sister and younger brother, that she was going to Pakistan to marry the man she met online. They all supported the decision and were excited. The US woman said it was her first visit to Pakistan and she was welcomed with flowers at Islabamad International Airport by Sajid. Then they traveled to Dir where she received a warm welcome from his family members and neighbors.
“It’s my first visit to Pakistan, and I must say it’s a beautiful and peaceful country,” she said, as quoted by Pakistani media. “The kindness and hospitality I’ve experienced here are beyond anything I expected.” Mindy also said to Pakistani media she would encourage other foreigners to visit Pakistan and explore its culture, hospitality and beauty.
Mindy said her husband Sajid is a loving and humble man whose sincerity and respect drew her closer to him. Mindy said she would go back to the US and get paperworks for Sajid's immigration done and Sajid too would later move to the US.
Source: indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-woman-travels-to-pakistan-to-marry-man-she-met-online-converts-to-islam-becomes-zulekha/articleshow/122645481.cms
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Buhari’s Daughter, Aisha Hanan Buhari Expresses Gratitude To Nigerians For Forgiving Her Father
July 18, 2025
By EnioluwaAdeniyi
Aisha Hanan Buhari, one of the younger daughters of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has expressed profound grief over her father’s passing, describing it as a deeply personal loss.
In an emotional interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Hanan reflected on the close bond she shared with her father, who died on Sunday in a London clinic after a protracted but undisclosed illness.
Hanan said, “Losing him feels like losing a part of me. What I’ll miss most is his sense of humour. I looked at him as a part of myself.”
She described her father as not only a national figure but a personal source of laughter, guidance, and inspiration.
Hanan also addressed the national response to Buhari’s death, particularly the wave of forgiveness and sympathy expressed by Nigerians across social and political divides.
She said, “We have nothing to say to them but to say thank you, Alhamdulillah. He had good intentions for Nigerians. He belonged to everyone.”
Her remarks came amid widespread tributes pouring in from various sectors of society, including citizens who had once been critical of his administration but have since offered prayers and goodwill in his memory.
Reflecting on her upbringing, Hanan shared that her father instilled in her the values of education, devotion, and joyful living.
“He trained me to study, pray, and do things that make us happy,” she said, emphasising that the late President valued both academic pursuit and spiritual growth in the lives of his children.
Source: naijanews.com
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/07/18/buharis-daughter-expresses-gratitude-to-nigerians-for-forgiving-her-father/
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AAP's Widow Pension Scheme Benefit 80,000 Muslim Women With Husbands - Misleading Claim
What We Know
Aishwarya Varma
17 Jul 2025
Posts about the former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi's Widow Pension Scheme are being shared on social media, where users are claiming that the scheme benefited over 80,000 Muslim women who in reality, have husbands.
The Quint also received a query to verify this claim on its WhatsApp tipline.
How do we know?: We looked for more details about AAP's scheme, which led us to the website of Delhi's Department of Women and Child Development (WCD).
Under the scheme, the page noted that women availing it were entitled to ₹2,500 in their bank accounts and that there were 3.5 lakh beneficiaries of the scheme.
Who were eligible for it?: The page added details about eligibility, noting that women applying for this scheme were required to be Delhi residents for at least five years.
Controversy around beneficiaries: After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in February 2025, AAP accused the state's government of not disbursing the pension amount to the scheme's beneficiaries, The Hindu reported on 23 April.
Conclusion: A misleading claim about over 80,000 Muslim women availing benefits of the Widow Pension scheme has gone viral on social media.
Source: thequint.com
https://www.thequint.com/news/webqoof/aap-widow-pension-scheme-muslim-women-fake-beneficiaries-fact-check
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iranian-women-dance-video-tehran-complaint/d/136214